Carney Debate Jitters?

The debate over debates in the Pennsylvania 10th Congress District race has been an issue for weeks, causing an even greater sense of tension between both the Hackett and Carney campaigns. Chris Hackett, the Republican challenger to Chris Carney's Congressional seat proposed a series of three debates between them to be held prior to election day, including one they wished to hold at Susquehanna University. In March of this year, we hosted the Republican debate between Chris Hackett and Dan Meuser with great success and positive comments from all observers.

In the time since the primary election, our organization has embraced the idea of potentially hosting a debate on campus. The event in March proved to be informative, interesting and fun for us planning it and we as a group were eager at the prospect of another opportunity to prepare a political debate on campus. In the interests of fairness and bipartisanship, we extended the invitation to the SU Democrats to help plan and coordinate our contacts with the Hackett camp and theirs at Carney's.

I find it unfortunate that the Carney campaign still only wishes to have one tentative debate with Chris Hackett. As an incumbent, Chris Carney has much to lose and little to gain by sparring with his Republican challenger in an overwhelmingly conservative Congressional district. However, debates are an important hallmark of our election season, one where the public is afforded an opportunity to see candidates under a microscope, challenged to defend their positions, policy stances, and their record. While I can understand Carney's hesitation to debate, the discussion and vetting a debate provides are invaluable information to voters, information which allows us to determine who is the better candidate that appeals to our personal values. Aside from that fact, a series of three debates is not unreasonable by any measure. I feel that the Congressman was elected to serve the best interests of his constituents, and debates with opponents are always in the best interests of constituents.

In my contact with the SU Democrats, they share an enthusiasm in jointly hosting an event and it speaks volumes towards the character of both organizations' leadership and members. While we might not agree on issues or ideology, we can agree that bringing debate and political discussion to campus is beneficial for all. I do sincerely hope that the SU Democrats will step up, call on Chris Carney's campaign to attend our proposed debate at Susquehanna University. His hesitation to debate is troubling, especially with no real valid reasons to oppose it aside from self-preservation. The parameters of debate are reasonable and the SU College Republicans and SU Democrats are eager to host - the only thing missing is a willing incumbent.