Two of three 25th District candidates debate
News10now – Time Warner Cable
Bill Carey
October 11th, 2008
http://news10now.com/Default.aspx?ArID=125811
LIVERPOOL, N.Y. -- It was yet another candidate forum in the long race for congress in the 25th District, but there was something or, more accurately, someone, missing.
The sponsors, the Chamber of Commerce and the Manufacturers Association, had excluded one of the three candidates running for the congressional seat, Green Populist party candidate Howie Hawkins. Hawkins was on hand to watch as his democratic and republican opponents spent an hour answering questions about the economy and business climate. Those opponents were asked whether sponsors had made a mistake.
"I never oppose Mr. Hawkins participating. But, you know, each sponsor has to decide for themselves what they're going to do," said Dan Maffei.
"He's a candidate for Congress. He worked hard. I saw him on the street corners collecting 6,500 signatures to get himself on the ballot. That's how this country works and he should have been here," said Dale Sweetland.
Hawkins hoped the business leaders read his views on key issues. He knows there is still a struggle ahead to gain third party contenders the same attention as those nominated by the two major parties, but he sees a change coming.
"The democrats are going to win in a landslide. They're going to have congress. They're going to have the presidency. And they're going to own the economic crisis, the overextension of our military and they're going to have all kinds of problems. And people are going to say, well, the republicans have had it. The democrats have had it. Maybe we need something else," Hawkins said.
Some of the business leaders say they are now re-thinking their debate policy.
Two of three 25th District candidates debate
It is a policy born of the assumption that major party candidates win elections and adding third party candidates to debates could be a waste of time. Our Bill Carey says the policy may be under review after two business groups blocked a third party contender from a forum in an important local political contest.
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