October 16, 2008
Patrick Kennedy on Why He Has Better Things to do With His Time than Explain His Positions to the Public
Patrick Kennedy just explained to WPRO radio why he refuses to debate his opponent…
Debates at this stage are usually theatre and gotcha games.Unbelievably, Congressman Kennedy made this statement while spending the day with actor Martin Sheen!
So Congressman Kennedy considers discussing issues with his opponent in front of the public to be theatre.
Yet he considers traveling around his district in the company of an actor to be a substantive use of his time -- or maybe he just doesn’t care about keeping the public informed.
The Congressman, you may recall, just voted to spend $700 billion on a financial bailout for private businesses. His opponent, Jon Scott, has some ideas about how that money could have been better spent. Various members of the public may also have some ideas about how the $700 billion could have been spent, or if it should have been spent at all.
Doesn't Congressman Kennedy, at the very least, owe the public an explanation before the election of how he intends to see that the bailout money is well spent? Or does he consider the ideas of fiscal oversight and government accountability to be mere theatre as well?
Here's the series of debates that Jon Scott has proposed, where Congressman Kennedy could explain to the public how he thinks Congress should approach oversight of the bailout money, along with other issues...
Scott has challenged Kennedy to a series of four debates; one on Radio’s Buddy Cianci Show, one on Channel 10’s Sunday morning show hosted by Jim Taricani and Bill Rappleye, one hosted by the League of Women Voters (which will not happen) and a 90 minute debate with only a timekeeper, no moderator, to be hosted at Brown University. Kennedy’s spokeswoman has repeatedly denied that there has been a formal request for those debates yet the text of the formal request has been widely circulated and was sent to Kennedy at his campaign email at KennedyforRI.comThere's still time to get most of these scheduled, if the Congressman Kennedy is interested in keeping the public substantively informed on what's going on in government.
It is disrespectful of the voters, not of the opponent, for an incumbent to refuse to debate.
Posted by: Monique at October 16, 2008 9:38 PMHe really is barely capable of functioning normally.You almost have to pity him,and then you realize he has been a coddled creature his whole miserable life and any feeling of pity dissolves.
I just hope that the next time he gets drunk/high,whatever and decides to drive,he doesn't kill anyone.
Martin Sheen said he admires Patrick.
Think about that next time a celebrity
endores any candidate.
Patrick is a fool but smart enough to walk away from a fight he can't win.
Martin Sheen said he admires Patrick.
Think about that next time a celebrity
endores any candidate.
Patrick is a fool but smart enough to walk away from a fight he can't win.
Could someone explain to me why anyone is taking the time to campaign for Patches? Please, anyone (cue 'cricket chirps'). He's even running a TV ad. Bizarre.
I know Martin Sheen played a fake president, so maybe that's why he's campaigning for a fake congressman.
PS I know exactly why Patrick won't debate -- and strangely enough, it has nothing to do with voters, although it is certainly the voters who lose out by not hearing from their "representative." Joe is in the ballpark with his comments, but I'm not going to say it directly. Let's just say, people in DC have known for a while.
Will any of this make a difference? Almost certainly not. Patches could slice and dice a kitten and drink it's blood on live TV during the World Series and still get enough people to vote for him because he's "a Kennedy." It's so sad that too many in our state don't mind having someone so clearly unqualified, unfocused, and immature up there in DC "representing" them. It doesn't say a lot about us (present company excepted).
Posted by: Will at October 17, 2008 2:18 AMHey guys. Don't you know who he is? How dare you question a Kennedy. They are above you and you need to acknowledge your shortcomings (you are not a Kennedy) and perform your civic duty by voting for him.
Geez. What's the matter with you people?
Posted by: John at October 17, 2008 6:37 AMbe nice to Pat. He brings hope to the mentally retarded everywhere. Someday, Sarah Palin's Down's Syndrome afflicted child could grow up to be at least as effective a Congressman.
Posted by: Greg at October 17, 2008 7:54 AMWell, it really is a waste of everyone's time anyway. When Rogers debated Kennedy on tv, Rogers smacked him around like a rag doll, yet Rogers still won by about 40 pts. So what's the point? Plus, where is Jon Scott in the polls? Around 35 points this time? Why should Kennedy even acknowledge Scott if he's not a serious candidate? How does a serious candidate not have a full marketing blitz on tv, billboards and ads in every newspaper. If you want to take on a Kennedy, you gotta do it for real. Simply walking door to door isn't going to get it done for Jon. Until he takes his campaign seriously, Kennedy has no need to take him seriously either.
That being said, if a news outlet really wants a debate, they should schedule it and let Jon Scott debate the "empty chair". Let people see that. Let Jon have the floor to get his message across. Just maybe, Kennedy might appear if he knew that were going to happen. However our local media would never let that happen to their dear and beloved and protected Patrick.
Posted by: James L at October 17, 2008 7:56 AMNo love for Patrick here. Those robocalls for Ralph Mollis cost him my vote.
Posted by: rhody at October 17, 2008 12:17 PMIf I were Kennedy, I wouldn't debate either.
Virtually any moderately intelligent opponent would clean Patrick's clock in a debate.
Neither Patrick's constituents nor the media demand that Kennedy debate.
Rhode Island Democrats and the local media will support Patrick regardless of what he does or says.
So if you're Patrick, why would you ever agree to a debate?
Hey, the House of Representatives is supposed to be representative of the nation at large. Patrick represents that portion of nation that is mentally unstable and I don't say this in jest. The passage of the mental health parity bill was largely due to his efforts.
Alot of effort goes into find jobs for the mentally disadvantaged. Kennedy just happened to get the opening in Congress.