LAT: One Debate Set in California Governor's Race

Debate Set in Gov.'s Race
Schwarzenegger will face Phil Angelides once -- on Oct. 7. The challenger's campaign manager criticizes the event's format.
By Michael Finnegan, Times Staff Writer
September 14, 2006


NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME? The event's timing — at 6 p.m. on a Saturday during major league baseball playoffs — could limit the number of viewers. (Reuters/AP)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Democratic challenger, state Treasurer Phil Angelides, reached agreement Wednesday to hold one debate on a Saturday night next month in Sacramento.

The deal to debate Oct. 7, the third anniversary of the California recall election, came after Angelides gave in to an array of conditions that appear to favor the Republican incumbent.

In an effort to make himself better known to voters, Angelides had hoped to debate Schwarzenegger as many as 10 times. But the governor agreed to debate just once, and the event's timing — at 6 p.m. on a Saturday during major league baseball playoffs — could limit the number of viewers.

Also, the moderator, Stan Statham, is a former Republican assemblyman who is now a registered lobbyist for the California Broadcasters Assn., the debate's sponsor. The association has reported lobbying on several bills that have passed the Legislature and are now up for approval or veto by the governor....

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For the debate, he said, the association's board of directors will review thousands of proposed questions from the public....Cathy Calfo, Angelides' campaign manager, expressed disappointment at the format. In a letter to Steve Schmidt, the manager of Schwarzenegger's reelection campaign, she said she was "mystified" that the governor had refused to have the two candidates stand at lecterns and face "tough questioning by a panel of journalists."...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/politics/cal/la-me-debate14sep14,0,1442087.story?coll=la-center-politics-cal

Why would Phil agree to that deal?

The Repubs have an airtime advantage of at least 10-to-1, probably more than that.

Angelides has to take any debate he can get at this point.

One slip of the tongue by Phil and that will get 50 hours of airtime.

this is just wrong! how many people are sitting home in front of their teevee at that time? HE wants as few people as possible to see this, because HE cannot debate!

phil, why did you cave???

I sometimes think Bob Shrum is still running campaigns behind the scenes.

Angelides is one of the worst candidates that I've seen

the voters made a real mistake in not choosing Steve Wesley and thanks to them, we're going to have four more years of Ahnuld

The days of legitimate, fair elections are long gone. Boycott the election, it is rigged.

isn't that what they want us to do?