Recall Candidates May Boycott 'Scripted' Schwarzenegger Debate

[_NorCal_D_]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/fc?cid=34&tmpl=fc&in=US&cat=California_Recall_Election


<snip>
(LA Times) - In a pincer move, Republican state Sen. Tom McClintock and Democratic Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante teamed up against a common foe Thursday, threatening to boycott the only debate Arnold Schwarzenegger has agreed to attend. Both candidates demanded that the format of the debate set for Wednesday in Sacramento be changed, saying it was inappropriate that questions had been provided in advance.

[qb]

1. Woo hoo! Squirm, Arnie, squirm!

[Frances]

2. I think McClintock and Bustamante

are right to boycott.

This is a gubernatorial election, not an audition for a movie.

[joeybee12]

3. Hooray! This "debate" is a television commercial...

...and a disgusting way of tricking people into thinking Ah-nuld actually might be abel to think for himself.

It's as disgusting as Dumbo's scripted press conference before his terrorist attack on Iraq.

[ronzo]

4. that would just be so...

funny. I'm for it!

[wtmusic]

5. He's trying to pull a Rove

nice try, Terminated!!

[flamingyouth]

6. Excellent

Buh bye, Gov. Gang Bang...

[BrotherBuzz]

7. Arnie is in the dark

Fun! I just caught footage on TV of Arnie entourage arriving somewhere when a reporter asked about this bit of news. He knew nothing of it, questioned reporter and was again informed, turned away with knitted brows then turned back and said that he had nothing to say till he was offically informed (read: my men haven't told me what to say). Man, this guy can't think on his feet. Fun!

[zbdent]

8. Turn the tables

have the candidates just hand in their answers to the press, and have them answer a question with "Well, look on page n!"

[bobthedrummer]

9. Arnie's spin doctors got Yeltsin elected that way

http://www.nyu.edu/gsas/dept/politics/pcm/faculty/dresner.html

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1037054,00.html

[PATRICK]

10. double teamed?

Wisely Bustamante suggested it as an off the cuff righteous remark. For Arnold's fellow GOPer to take the lead would have been bad. I can hear the wheels spinning in all three of their minds, but in principle they mnust boycott this farce and give the little guys with nothing to lose pointers on how to beat the scripted format and take down the big guy.

That latter is important because I think Arnold has to go ahead and make the best of the fraud to gain any ground. The lesser candidates must break the rules or otherwise make mincemeat out of the shallow competence of their host. It is also their big chance to steal some spotlight.

Politics can be fun- as seriously desperate as these times are.