The Virginian-Pilot has an article today regarding the declinations of the five Republican candidates in the LWV-sponsored televised debates that I have been writing about. My previous articles mentioned Fred Quayle, Nick Rerras, and Chris Stolle. Add to that list Hank Giffin and Tricia Stall. According to the Pilot:
About a month ago, [LWVVA 1st Vice President Lynn] Gordon said, she began contacting candidates from Norfolk’s 6th Senate and 87th House districts, Virginia Beach’s 83rd House district, the Peninsula’s 1st Senate district, and the 13th Senate district, which includes parts of Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Suffolk.
I can confirm that Gordon started contacting the campaigns in late August, as she asked me for some of their contact information at that time.
At first, she said, she received encouraging responses from some Republican candidates. Then, she said, they stopped returning phone calls.
Sounds like ducking to me.
After obtaining a copy of the letter which went out to the candidates, I’m even more mystified at the excuses being made in the Pilot article. The candidates were given a list of available dates to tape – the letter that I have shows eight different dates – as well as the format regarding questions, the composition of the panel, and the biography of the moderator. The letter shows just how unique this opportunity would have been: 30 minutes of debate, not just a “joint appearance,” where the candidates would have been able to rebut their opponent and even ask their opponent questions! And the taped debates would have run on Cox channel 11 multiple times.
Most of the candidate forums discourage debate and rely instead on the asking of questions without any rebuttal from opponents. Witness this email I received yesterday (emphasis mine):
This is NOT a debate so I hope you will understand that each candidate will provide their own positions and priority issues. As a non-partisan organization, we will not engage in any partisan action at this event. It is an opportunity for each of us to educate ourselves on the positions of the candidates. It would be inappropriate to wear stickers or signs indicating you have already finalized your decision for this important election. Since many of our members are new to the [organization], I wanted you to know that the process should be collegial rather than confrontational.
The voters in the 1st, 6th and 13th Senate districts, and the 83rd and 87th House districts have been denied an opportunity to see the candidates in way they will probably not see anywhere else.
Shame on those candidates who prevented this.
Technorati Tags: Tricia Stall, Nick Rerras, Fred Quayle, Chris Stolle, Hank Giffin
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
after ms stalls appearance at the debate in denbigh last nite I don’t think she wants to be on TV.
I attended that “forum” at Denbigh’s American Legion. There was a long line of people with questions, so I did not join the line. I did notice that many taking up places in the line were the same dopes who staged that phony protest at Miller’s headquarters. They even had pre-printed questions for them to try and use against John.
One of the thousands of Republicans who are supporting John Miller tried to ask both candidates a straight question about their top legislative goals. John Miller answered the question with a direct answer. Stall spent her time attacking the man who asked the question and really showed her evil side. Her lack of a response and attack on a citizen for having chosen her opponent, proved to me that she just doesn’t have what it takes to be a Senator; nor any elected official.
John Miller can win the First District if Democrats will declare an end to the war on White Men and spend the remaining days of the campaign reaching out to the “Bubbas” in places like Tabb, Yorktown and Poquoson.
Tricia Stall is the worst candidate for the Virginia Senate that has been on the scene in years. She’s a mean-spirited, vindictive and is devoid of any real ideas for progress. We can all help stop this trend toward electing mean and rotten people and instead promote a positive and uplifting spirit to our Senate, John Miller. To get this done, we need to put on friendly faces and gently encourage those conservatives to join John’s team. So let’s roll up our sleeves and get busy.
And yet some progress with the GLBT folks and a few Republicans…While some of the local Republicans skipped the Equality Fairfax/Partisans/Log Cabin candidate forums (GLBT) in NOVA (Hugo, Cooch, O’Brien, etc.) several have taken part. Mrs. Davis showed up for the Senate forum and both Rust and Hunt are expected at the House Candidate Forum on Tuesday, Oct 9 in Greenbriar.
Greenbriar Community Center
4615 Stringfellow Road
Chantilly, VA 20151
6:30 PM to 9:30 PM
In addition to Rust and Hunt, expect to hear from Simmons, Caputo, Vanderhye and Donahue. Should be interesting.
Stall’s campaign asked the Attorney General of Virginia to use the Freedom of Information Act to find out information on John Miller’s family!
Can you imagine? This person is so mean spirited that she is going after somone’s family!
McDonnell turned it down because it is illegal.
The campaign is almost done and this person is reduced to brazen acts like this.
dispicable.
McDonnell may have turned the request down, but that PROBABLY didn’t stop his evangelical-heavy staff from passing information out the back door. I suspect that the same bunch were behind the effort to embarrass Househusband Troy Farlow by leaking the information about his past conviction associated with his father’s hit and run to the Virginia Gazette.
This sort of tactic, when used by either Party is despicable and only sours the political process in the minds of the public. Fully fifty per cent of adults don’t even vote because they believe that both major parties are just a bunch of liars.
Good men like John Miller on the Democratic side and Adm. Hank Giffin on the Republican side (sorry Paula, its true) give Virginians hope that we will get a responsive and responsible General Assembly after November.
No offense to Clairese and I do agree with her response except of course to the mention of Hank Giffin. I am a blue collar worker and I see Hank as going to Richmond and giving the workers little more than a 10-20 % voting record for their issues. Most of the Republicans give workers and any one representing them the front door and refuse to even hear their arguments. I speak from experience having lobbied in Richmond for worker’s rights. Hank Giffin probably is an outstanding citizen but the Republican House Caucus will demand him to vote unanimously for their issues and he will not be able to decline them. I have seen them do this time and time again. Those are the rules.
Stall was a disgrace in the debate. She and her supporters are despicable human beings.
FOIA requests to dig up dirt on John Miller’s wife
Falsely accusing the city of VB of being a sanctuary city responsible for the death of those 2 poor teenagers killed by a drunk driver earlier this year.
Saying the 1.4B surplus under Warner was spent on expanding government when about 1B went to pay for Gilmore’s no car tax.
Not having the intellectual capability to do nothing more than turn the page in her binder to the issue raised and read a prepared statement written for her, I presume.
Trying to tie Miller to prolifigate state spending on the student center at CNU and these people don’t have a clue on how it is/was funded.
The republican leadership are selling their collective souls for a Senate seat by supporting this seriously flawed candidate and campaign.
I saw when Stall had her press conf. with Norment et all that her main supporter, Tom Gear, was asked not to attend. How strange is that? A strange tango.
And no one was there except a few reporters. Even stranger.
Stall turning her back on her only true supporter, Tom Gear was a serious and thoughtless mistake. It was the core right wingers, who got her elected in the primary. Now to turn her back on them for a few bucks from what is unquestionably the “enemy camp” is the height of idiocy. I too was at the Denbigh debate and was apalled at the nasty, viscous, ugly manner in which the Stall people conducted themselves. If Stall were elected, they’d need to back the trailer park up to the State Capitol building and let Jerry Springer run the show. I was surprised at the way she had to look at her notes before giving an answer to any question. Is everything she says controlled by the Virginia Senate Republican Leadership Trust now?
The same people who just two months ago sent out flyers that said; “Tricia Stall is unfit for public office” now tell her what to say? How bizzare is this?
There is clearly only one candidate who can think for themselves and answer questions without getting Richmond approval. John Miller. I agree with the Republicans one thing: “Tricia Stall is not fit for public office”.