After weeks of attempting to get the campaign of incumbent Republican State Senator Alberta Darling to comment on the possibility of a debate with her challenger, Democratic State Rep. Sandy Pasch, the Darling campaign has finally admitted it wants to avoid any debates with Rep. Pasch. In response to a debate request from Disability Rights Wisconsin and another from Advocates for Education, the Darling campaign unequivocally said, “No thanks.”
Representative Sandy Pasch released the following statement on Sen. Darling’s refusal to participate in a debate with Rep. Pasch.
“Now that we’ve completed the wasteful, dishonest, GOP-concocted primary, I had hoped Senator Darling would begin taking debate requests seriously, but clearly that is not the case,” said Pasch. “I cannot be more disappointed to hear Senator Darling is not interested in addressing the important issues facing some of the most vulnerable in our society, held in a forum by Disability Rights Wisconsin, or even addressing the future of our children with Advocates for Education. We are still waiting on Darling to confirm a date for additional reputable hosts, but have been given no sign of good intent. It is time for my opponent to emerge from the shadows and join me in a debate on the issues.”
Rep. Pasch has indicated she is willing to meet Senator Darling at a number of forums to discuss the critical issues facing Wisconsin, but I’m betting Sen. Darling would rather hide behind her billboards and advertising, rather than actually having to answer real questions about what she’s been doing in Madison over the past six months.
She is afraid she will have to defend her record and that of the Walker Administration. that’s simple.
Isn’t it always the candidate who sees defeat on the horizon the one who wants to debate?
No, W, it isn’t, your rightwing ideologue’s “objectivity” notwithstanding.
It becomes clear that Ms. Darling may not have her own ideas but instead has become a rubber stamp for Gov. Walker’s ideas. That stance is hard to justify in a person to person contact.
I think that one debate should be MANDATED amongst all of the candidates on the ballot, as a provision for being on the ballot.
Again I think its bad whoever ducks the debate. No passes given to anyone. Hell i even think Hansen should debate Vanderleest!
Hansen debating Vanderleest would be very entertaining. Perhaps someone could sell tickets as a fundraiser, for a battered women’s shelter, maybe?
Alberta Darling is afraid of what every elected republican in the state is afraid of. They’ve all been drawn into an ALEC/Koch/Walker plot hatched somewhere other than Wisconsin, and one that is wildly inconsistent with the values that have made this state what it has been: a laboratory for democracy and open, transparent, people centered politics.
Darling and the rest of the GOP state leggies have had multiple opportunities to take a stand against this assault on these values and they’ve missed every one of them.
They’ve abandoned what courage and integrity they might have had in favor of marching in lockstep with orders coming from afar, and now they’re going to pay the political price.
And going forward they’re going to be remembered as the cowards who aided and abetted one of the most shameful periods in Wisconsin political history.
Tough. I have not a whit of sympathy for any one of them.
ALLRIGHT! I so agree with you! They have abandoned what they know is right, and what Wisconsin has been a leader in for years. Disregarding their own intuition of right and wrong, they have been led down the primrose path of power. Too bad they can’t see the cliff coming up!
Well said. You should write for the state Democratic chair, whose prose is always too windy.