Presidential candidates aren’t ready to debate in New Orleans
20th November 2007
A presidential debate should be held in New Orleans, not for the benefit of New Orleans, but precisely because all of the problems of post-Katrina New Orleans illustrate in sharp relief the problems the rest of the country is experiencing now, or will experience in the future:
- Lack of affordable housing
- Crime
- The impact of media ownership concentration on local content and an informed, engaged citizenry
- Abysmal urban education systems
- Astronomical health care costs
- Crumbling, unsafe infrastructure
- Global warming, rising sea levels, diminishing fresh water
- Restoring and preserving healthy ecosystems
- Alternative energy, and energy efficiency
- Respect for cultural heritage
- Supporting small businesses
- Protection from natural disasters
- Government transparency
- Fair taxation
- Prioritizing domestic spending
- Prohibiting wars without exit strategies and plans to finance them
- Helping *domestic* economic development
- Fostering renewed civic participation and volunteerism
The head-in-the-sand rejection of New Orleans by the Commission on Presidential Debates as a venue is a shameful admission that both Republican and Democratic party officials aren’t prepared to address these issues.
New Orleans is ready for Monday Night Football, the Superbowl, the NBA All-Star game, hundreds of thousands of visitors who swarm into town for Mardi Gras, conventions for tens of thousands of visitors — yes, post-Katrina — but the Commission on Presidential Debates opted for a handful of sleepy college towns?
The CPD has demonstrated over the years that it will cave in to Republican and Democratic presidential candidates to host pageants, not debates.
We should fight back by, first of all, swamping the CNN/YouTube Republican Debate with questions to Republican candidates about why they won’t come to New Orleans to talk about the issues enumerated above. Either the candidates are running because they understand and want to address those issues, or they’re just hollow puppets getting yanked around by their masters.
The deadline for CNN/YouTube submissions is Sunday, November 25th.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Hi, I love your blog and posted you on today’s New Orleans News Ladder, a new daily Nola news site I just started last week. I am still yet on the road home but doing this blog keeps me out of McDonald’s with a rifle if you know what I mean…”strange places with odd customs.”
I hope that you like site and please feel free to say hello. I would be happy to include you in an upcoming links list if you like the scene…tell yer’ friends too.
Thank you,
Bruce Biles
editor / NONLadder
November 20th, 2007 at 11:42 am
“Now what’s this jock-a-mo fee-na-nay thing”
I always heard that line means:
“If you don’t like what the Big Chief say…
~~then ‘Jack a Morphine All Day’!”
November 20th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
Yeah, but V-Day is coming in April to set off transformation of the planet from the Superlove itself.
There are events, and there are Oprah-class events. What we have us here is an Oprah-class event — a very useful interface.
Ole Miss and Belmont? Let’em have it.
It’s going to be a very global, very pink V10 + FQ Fest weekend.
November 20th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
[…] on this topic: Here, here, here, here, here, here and […]
November 27th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
[…] is an appeal for the Republican candidates to challenge the Democratic opponent to an additional (non-CPD) debate in New Orleans. Hopefully, the CNN/YouTube people will fix the debate forum post — […]