Sharron Angle cancels debate, infuriates reporter

[cal04]

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2010/09/sharron-angle-cancels-debate-i.html

Sharron Angle's last-minute decision to pull out of a planned debate has angered long-time Nevada political journalist Jon Ralston.

"Earlier today, Sharron Angle's campaign agreed to accept our invitation to debate Harry Reid on 'Face to Face' in an hour-long live broadcast from Reno on October 21st. Within hours of Reid accepting, Angle's campaign called to say, well, it's backing out now," Ralston said on the local news show "Face to Face" Thursday. He then played a clip of Angle saying she would like to have a debate on the show with Reid.

"I thought I had seen it all in this campaign. I guess not," Ralson continued. "I had agreement from Angle's deputy campaign manager for this debate, but soon after we announced Reid had agreed to the date and place, her campaign spokesman called to say there was no agreement. I'm not making this up, folks. A campaign spokesman overrules a deputy campaign manager? I really don't understand the hierarchy in that campaign."

The Angle campaign subsequently sent out a press release saying there would be a debate -- at a local high school. Ralston responded on Twitter, "But Reid won't even be there. He already taped Q and A at skl.

[Renew Deal]

1. Ralston should give the entire hour to Reid

:shrug:

[RaleighNCDUer]

15. That would be GREAT political theater -

Reid leads with his opening remarks. Stops. Looks at the empty podium. Stands there in silence for 30 seconds.

Reid then addresses topic #1, challenging Angle. Stops, waits for a reply from the empty podium. Stands there in silence for 20 seconds.

Moves on to topic #2...

[bushisanidiot]

2. Hahaha!! Any new news on her poll numbers?

just curious. :)

[COLGATE4]

3. It's the tried and true proven strategy first started by Palin

in the VP Debates, when she openly announced that she wasn't going to answer any questions she didn't want to, and the NPR shrinking violet plays reporter idiot Gwen Ifill let her get away with it and now hiding behind her Twitter and Facebook. Since then Rethugs (and particularly the vile sub-species Tea Baggers) have taken this strategy to heart - Angle is a master of running away from reporters. Then there's the witch Brewer who also runs and hides from reporters and debates, followed closely by Bachmann. Look for many more of the Rethugs doing this as election nears - after all, there are no consequences for doing it, so why not? (It's not like our press actually ever takes them to task for it).:grr:

[MedicalAdmin]

22. Not to be too blunt but of course our "press" doesn't take them to task.

In order for that to happen we would actually have to have a press in the USA. Hasn't been one for decades.

[unblock]

4. i would say she "infudiates" reporter.

[FSogol]

6. I think she refudiates them.

:shrug:

[LiberalFighter]

13. Please don't use that spelling. We don't want it to become a real word and Palin getting credit.

[unblock]

18. you mean like dan quayle got credit for "potatoe"?

that worked out well for him....

[FSogol]

19. It is used to mock her. It won't become a real word any more than misunderestimate will. n/t

[thereismore]

5. If she continues to hide from reporters until Nov., she is toast. nt

[gratuitous]

9. That used to be true

But I don't think it is anymore. As a poster noted above, when Mrs. Palin announced right at the top of the vice presidential debate that she was just going to be using her time as she saw fit, regardless of what was asked, there were no repercussions, no penalty, and nobody said a word. Angle is working the same side of the street, and while Jon Ralston may be upset, will any of the rest of the Nevada media corps actually hold the Angle campaign accountable? Will they run anything negative on Angle, or will they be cowed by the anticipated "backlash" they might get from the Tea Bagger loudmouths?

My money's on Angle getting away with it. She's competitive in the polls right now, and her candidacy would be torpedoed under ordinary rules of journalistic engagement, but my feeling is that the news folks just don't do analysis anymore. Palin had a much easier ride than she deserved and still came off looking like a ninny. Angle is getting the same kid glove treatment, and if she wins, the Republicans will never have to talk on the record again.

[LiberalFighter]

14. If the news media lets Angle off the hook then it is their fault.

But if they want to be viewed with respect it would be in their best interest to put Angle in her place by chastising her for not following the debate agreement.

[Ozymanithrax]

25. No, it is our fault...

If we let the media get away with handling Angle with kid gloves, we suffer. We should bury any paper that does not rake Angle over the coals with angry letters.

[DeschutesRiver]

28. Well, end result was that she lost, and her behavior was no small part of that

Since gleefully announcing she didn't have to talk to or answer to anyone, she lost her bid to be VP (and hopes to be President when McCain kicked the bucket).

She quit her governorship, and no one begged her to stay on.

She has been reduced to twittering to make her vapid points. She is a laugh break more than a talking point.

Most of the candidates she has backed have lost(from what I've gleaned).

The only success she has found is in taking money from the hands of the low iq gullible folks; the ones she always thought she was far superior to when she lived in a small town, with small town thoughts and her sole ability which was to scare or pimp to people to get things she wanted. That is now what she has fallen back on doing, just with huge dollars going to her due to her unexpected manna from heaven vp offer from a desperate old womanizer, who thought she'd be a hood ornament for his failing campaign. Who was so "sexy" that liberals would be just so jealous of a bright but BEAUTIFUL woman that they would stay home in droves! Who would get the old geezers willies so whipped up that they couldn't not vote for the pretty shiny object.

And then she opened her mouth, and even in the limited time she spoke about anything, it was over.

She has made a mint of money from selling her snake oil to the faithful, and has kept them occupied from doing the daily dangerous things they love to threaten they will do to the rest of us. But because she didn't talk about serious subjects with the press, she relegated herself to being a trivial side note fairly quickly, then and still now. She thought it was a bright thing to do. But for someone who wanted to hold high political office, turns out it wasn't, because she isn't even in politics anymore.

[gratuitous]

29. Palin did indeed lose

But Angle is competitive right now with Reid, and it remains to be seen whether she flames out or not. Angle is following the Palin playbook of dodging the major media, and it hasn't hurt her as far as I can tell. I think that's in part because the major media aren't holding Angle accountable for dodging them. The "vacant seat" debate might be a good idea, but I don't know if anyone is willing to do it, for whatever reason. It would surely be humiliating for Angle under normal circumstances, but since the media don't appear to mind her snubbing, I don't see it hurting her in the polls unless the Nevada media start calling her out. Will they do that?

[DeschutesRiver]

33. It is a good point.

While Palin lost, it is not like her team had no votes at all. Are there really no Nevada reporters calling Angle on her behavior? If so, I didn't realize it was that bad there. That could cause problems.

Palin was perceived as just Johnny's sidekick and that probably made it easier for her to put the media on ignore - she wasn't top of the ticket. OTOH, Angle is the main attraction, not just a running mate. Let's at least hope that that difference might make Nevada voters expect more from her than what she is delivering.

I like the vacant seat debate - I don't see that there is anything to lose by making her absence an issue.

[gauguin57]

7. Madame Douchebag, your response? *crickets* Mr. Reid? "Well, I'm glad you asked ..."

I'd love to see a debate between Harry and an empty podium.

[Arkana]

8. Reid should show up and talk to the crowd for a while.

[LiberalAndProud]

10. How can this be a good thing for Angle? I perceive this as cowardice.

Am I really so different from the good people of Nevada? Is it now the smart thing to refuse to debate? IMO, if you can't defend your ideas in a public forum, really you shouldn't be running for public office.

[MedicalAdmin]

23. Reid should move the debate to an open forum with lots of seating.

And then publically announce that him and the AZ public is waiting to hear what she has to say.

Call her a coward. That term does resonate with the teahadists and the rest of the chicken hawks. They HATE being called what they are.

[newspeak]

32. you mean NV public?

If Angle wins Nevada--Ya'll will know the intelligence level or creepy ideology of some of our voters. We might be in first position, taking the lead from SC, TX and AZ in pure buffoonery.

[ljm2002]

11. Well the obvious thing to do...

...is to hold the debate, have two chairs up on the stage, and whoever shows up can take part in the debate.

The result would be Harry Reid with an hour in front of an audience, and an empty chair demonstrating Sharon Angle's cowardice.

Ah well, not sure if Ralston's show will do that. But it's been done before, so there is precedent.

[Skidmore]

12. Well, she is part of the Quitter Brigade.

Didn't Bachmann do something similar recently? Come to think of it, that rabid AZ governor did the same thing and Rand Paul did too.

[opihimoimoi]

16. Her Ignorance is these matters is STUNNING....SHE WILL LOSE HER ASS...

[Orsino]

17. "Last-minute decision "?

The acceptance and retraction happened in a few hours, over a month before the planned debate.

Methinks the wording is a bit hyperbolic. I doubt this is unprecedented.

[CanonRay]

20. She's running for a Senate seat

aren't you supposed to be able to debate to be a Senator??? Another GOP Coward.

[KamaAina]

21. I hereby christen her Sharron "Obtuse" Angle.

:P

[HughBeaumont]

24. Wow. More Republican women running from potential bubble popping.

Whutta Surprise. What are they so afraid of?

[Scurrilous]

26. K & R

:thumbsup:

[Gold Metal Flake]

27. She was blindsided by the Liberal Media!!

[Swamp Rat]

30. They should hold the debate anyway, provide a cardboard cut out of Sharron Angle, and

hire an actor/comedian to do the voiceover. BWAHAHAHAAA!!! :evilgrin:

[twenty20]

31. Why I'm not surprised

Her radical agenda can not survive the light of day! She will continue to bob and weave until Harry retains his post come election day

[JohnA1]

34. Doesnt surprise me

What a nutjob, how could anyone support that woman? Seriously I cant see how she is polling so well.

[usregimechange]

35. Is she stable? What is wrong with her?

[dimbear]

36. Ladies and gentlemen, standing in for Sharron Angle,

Tina Fey's grandmother.

[TomCADem]

37. Sharron Angle Would Be An Obscure State Legislator But For Fox News...

...and the astroturfing of groups like Freedom Works pushing an extreme version of deregulation that borders on anarchy.