Brown out of debate after Vicki Kennedy rejects demands
Victoria Kennedy has refused to sit out the Scott Brown-Elizabeth Warren race and withhold her endorsement, thus rejecting a debate demand from the Republican senator’s campaign, prompting Brown to withdraw his agreement to debate, officials tell the Herald today.
After learning that Vicki Kennedy had rejected the Brown camp’s non-endorsement demand, Brown campaign manager Jim Barnett, issued the following statement today: “We respect Vicki Kennedy’s decision but we regret that we cannot accept a debate invitation from someone who plans to endorse Scott Brown’s opponent. The Kennedy Institute cannot hold itself out as a nonpartisan debate sponsor while the president of its board of trustees gets involved in the race on behalf of one of the candidates.”
Discuss
14 Comments . Leave a comment below.Well, she exhibits guts and brains and honor. He seems to lack all those and more.
Sorry, little guy, she’s only affiliated with the org. She’s not the moderator. She doesn’t control anything about debates. Trying to stifle free speech before, during and after the proposed debate is as un-American as it comes.
What a putz.
Scott Brown’s demands were to suppress viewers of the debate and limiting free speech. When those demands were not met, he walked.
The Kennedy library and UMASS Boston were sponsoring the event. Vicky Kennedy had nothing to do with anything of any material to the debate, from deciding any specifics to the questions. Basically, the only thing she has is a famous last name connected to the institution.
Brown should be ashamed of himself. The library and institute behind it have an amazing track record of non-partisanship and have hosted a series of well-regarded debates. Wimp, wimp, wimp, wimp, wimp.
Scott Brown had no qualms trying to get Elizabeth Warren to debate him on right wing radio that would have a marked reduced exposure for both. The listening audience would have been small with little chance to make persuasive arguments. Surely something could have been worked out in this case and perhaps we will see how the good Senator reacts to another debate venue. However asking the requirements he did was a bit churlish but we will have to see how the general public reacts. It is quite clear he prefers to leave people with the persona he presents in his ads with no spotlight on his staunchly Republican votes. If he can not represent himself he surely can not represent the rest of us and he should pay a political price for it.
Pretty simple.
In 2000, there was a presidential debate sponsored by UMass and the Kennedy Library. Al Gore debated George Bush. The moderator was Tom Brokaw. Nobody demanded that Caroline Kennedy be neutral during the election.
Scott Brown’s demands on Vicki Kennedy are unprecedented.
Actually, the moderator in the 2000 debate was Jim Lehrer, not Tom Brokaw. I was there in the room and I remember it so well because the famous “sighing” by Al Gore wasn’t noticeable in person. That sighing received much more attention on television, helping to cement the “liberal” media’s crusade against Al Gore as a pompous phony.
With that small factual correction aside, I second, third or fourth all of the foregoing diagnoses of Scott Brown as an overbearing, boorish, pusillanimous, sissified Lilliputian…I can’t even imagine how the Archie Bunker army at the Herald can defend these pitches in the dirt (although they will).
…that even without public fanfare, everyone in the Commonwealth would not assume that Vicki Kennedy supports Elizabeth Warren anyway?
Maddow wonders what Brownie’s problem is…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/ns/msnbc_tv-rachel_maddow_show/#47883337
I bet this influences more people to vote for Brown. All people will hear is that Kennedy forces tried to lure Brown into a trap. and he refused.
Whether that’s true or not (I doubt it) I don’t know, but that’s what I think the uninvolved last 10% will hear and that’s all Brown needs as a result.
that only the politically-obsessed – who have already decided who they’re voting for – care about this kind of inside baseball. It will have no influence on the outcome of the election either way, IMHO.
I should have said, if this influences anyone it would make a tiny few people more likely to vote for Brown.
It’s definitely not even a minor factor.
Bernstein’s take in the Phoenix:
http://blog.thephoenix.com/BLOGS/talkingpolitics/archive/2012/06/19/my-crazy-scott-brown-vicky-kennedy-debate-theory.aspx
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