Yesterday, the Phil Scott campaign issued a press release proudly announcing a series of three debates with Democratic challenger Amanda Janoo. Good on him, I guess, for showing up three times — although he turned down at least two others, including the traditional opener at the Tunbridge Fair.
But the debates will be crammed into a single week, and the first won’t happen until October 21 — less than two weeks before Election Day.
By then, early voting will have been in progress for more than a month. And more than two months will have passed since Primary Day. Why such a long delay?
Here’s the lineup, including the ludicrous scheduling of debates on consecutive days:
- Wednesday, October 21, broadcast on radio and television by Vermont Public
- Thursday, October 22, broadcast on WPTZ-TV
- Wednesday, October 28, broadcast on WCAX-TV
It’s a gross disservice to the voters, especially to those most likely to vote early: people with demanding work schedules and/or families with children, people with disabilities or suppressed immune systems, the elderly, and people of color who might fear the threat of ICE enforcement at polling places. Many of them will cast their votes without the opportunity of seeing the two major candidates exchanging views in open debate.
The lateness of the debates will also minimize the chance of some surprising event influencing the rest of the campaign. Say, for instance, a strong showing by Janoo or a blunder by Scott. There will be little time for such an event to resonate with voters. And zero time for anyone who will have already cast their vote by then.
I can’t say for a fact whether Scott or Janoo is responsible for this, but I can make an educated guess. Think it through with me: Is it the challenger fighting to establish name recognition? Or is it the well-known incumbent fending off an evident erosion in popularity?
My money’s on the Gloria Swanson character from Sunset Boulevard, the guy whose job approval has plunged from 60-70% last year to the mid-40s now. The guy who’s six points short of a majority in the opinion poll most favorable to him.
Compared to Donald Trump in 2024, Scott is doing a terrific job in participating in debates. Compared to anyone else, it looks like he’s playing the old Four Corners offense: desperately trying to bleed the clock and praying for the game to end ASAP.
Yeah, I was kind of surprised when I heard the announcement on VT Public this morning. Ready for a change.
Are you just catching on that 45 days of early voting is an incumbent protection racket disguised as “voter convenience” and “democracy!!!”
Oh hey, Rob.
Howdy!
And if Phil Scott loses?
Nope did not know that.
Eginton:
“As we enter the election’s crunch time, and Vermont’s economic, demographic and education problems metastasize, one candidate for governor has zero life experience with the issues at hand.
That candidate has never had a job — her resume is a mishmash of NGO stints (which we know are just money laundering mechanisms to employ progressive idealogues in feel-good luxury belief systems); she’s never hired and paid wages to a single human being; she’s never owned property in Vermont, so has no visceral understanding of the existential danger imposed on any working family by property taxes; has no children and thus has zero direct experience of the challenge of educating children in one of the oldest states in the country — which state simultaneously sponsors the most powerful (read: coercive) teachers union in the country.
This candidate lacks the liberal, critical thinking skills — and life experience — to lead. Hers is a campaign of narcissistic condescension….”
But I’m not gonna say WHERE I saw this, so as not to give you an excuse to ignore the message by ignoring the messenger.
Because I have so much more respect for unsourced content.
If I source it, you’ll attack the messenger and ignore the message, like the POS coward bully that you are. Shitbag.
Hey, I’m the one with my real name, face, and contact information posted for all to see. You’re the one hiding your identity.
“… which we know are just money laundering mechanisms to employ progressive idealogues [sic] in feel-good luxury belief systems…” Who’s “we?”
ATTACKING the messenger. Oops.
I don’t care who the source is, Mr. Goobledeegook mean guy’s source critique is just off.
“one candidate for governor has zero life experience with the issues at hand.
That candidate has never had a job” – That’s not even true, just a talking point.
There characterization of NGO’s comes from a corporate playbook that cherrypicks the worst and actually looks more like a typical corporation these days. And to think that just because Scott has kids, he knows how to deal with making an education system work is fantasy. Scott has brought in an Education Secretary that has made non-public charter schools a mainstay in Florida.
I don’t understand why people have such a hard time actually debating the issues these days and just use talking points to belittle the other side.