1. STATE SENATOR JOHN THRASHER AND STATE REP. "DOC" RENUART AND COUNTY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN JOHN H. JAY MORRIS REFUSED TO ATTEND -- NO EXPLANATION OR TIMELINE GIVEN.
2. Favoritism and bias, e.g., some public questions never handed to moderator Grace Guido by Ann Palmquist. (Because not on 3x5 card? What utter nonsense).
3. No microphone for public (as there was at Flagler College debate). Public questions filtered on cards and ignored.
4. Dull, weak, irrelevant and flabby questions.
5. No rebuttal.
6. No followup.
7. Run by schoolmarms without knowledge of issues. Shallowness, shrieking shallowness. Inept decrepitude. A waste of two hours.
8. Inconsistent rules --- plenty of applause by Rep. RONALD DEON DESANTIS' Tea Party bullies; then after Congressional debate, schoolmarms belatedly announced we were forbidden to applaud -- one LWV schoolmarm tapped me on the shoulder to shush me.
9. Lack of proper introductions or placing questions on screen or courtesy or clear procedures, including failure to afford Congressman and opponent opening statement until they asked for it. Questioners sit with their backs to the audience, are not introduced, and the candidates are far away on a dais, their faces barely visible to the citizens in the room, with neither candidates or questions shown on large movie theatre style screens in the room, making it difficult to follow for visually or hearing impaired attendees.
10. Lack of followup, e.g., Unquestioned on First Amendment or science, fired former County employee and politician son-in-law CORY MARA lied with impunity and apparent immunity, pleading for election to non-partisan scientific and technical Mosquito Control District on the sole basis he was:
A. Catholic,
B. Republican and
C. Flagler College graduate.
11. Perennial sixth-time Commission candidate MERRILL PAUL ROLAND given only a few minutes because County Commission MORRIS did not appear.
12. Perennial self-serving speech by Supervisor of Elections VICKI OAKES about "democracy," with LWV never joining me in filing complaints about OAKES' refusal to provide early voting locations in the territorial limits of the City of St. Augustine, 2004-2014 (six primaries and six general elections). Read all about it here.
13. Biased St. Augustine Record, owned by right-wing Morris Communications, dominates the forum. Why?
14. Worst. Debate. Ever.
15. Haters and hick hacks given a pass by inept, bored LWV amateurs and inarticulate local newspaper editor.
16. CONCLUSION: PLEASE Get some competent people to run it, or cancel this embarrassingly undemocratic excuse for a candidate forum.
For more, see my July 6, 2014 St. Augustine Record column, here and longer blog report, here, stating in pertinent part:
In real political debate, candidates ask each other questions. Citizens ask questions of candidates and follow-up their answers. But in St. Augustine and St. Johns County, our local elections are deadly dull.
The schoolmarms in charge demand we write our questions on a card. Someone else decides whether it gets asked. Why? There is no follow-up. Why? There’s no information exchanged. Why? No one is held accountable. Why?
“That’s the way things have been run” in St. Johns County for years.
Why are there no questions posed directly by the public here in St. Augustine and St. Johns County? Authoritarianism? Fear of dissent? Distrust? Fear of embarrassing questions?
It’s all of the above.
Sir William Blackstone, 18th-century English jurist, said cross-examination is the greatest engine for uncovering of truth ever invented.
I will ask my own questions, thank you, as will “We the People.”
If I can’t ask questions, then don’t call your aspiring public forum a debate.
If politicians don’t answer live questions, don’t call it a debate. It’s a joint press conference; a sham, and a shame.
The debates need to be open, robust and uninhibited. Televise them on Government TV. Televise them on live and tape-streaming video.
Enough canned answers. Enough manufactured consent. Enough manipulation by campaign consultants.
Sinertia: a property of social relations by which they remain at rest or in uniform motion in the same direction unless acted upon by some external force.
ReplyDeleteBoycott: Collective and organized ostracism applied in labour, economic, political, or social relations to protest and punish practices considered unfair. The antidote to sinertia.
What you give your attention to is your god.
One does not wish to bash old ladies, but in this instance no criticism is too harsh for last night's League of Women Voters forum.
ReplyDeleteIt was DULL. These LWV events are well meant, but the doing leaves much to be desired.
For example: How about questions from citizens who attend these event? Voters would like answers, not canned responses to the same tired questions.
LWV, it is time for you to recruit some younger members! Is there an age clause in your by-laws?
This is a particularly exciting period in SJC elections, yet one could never tell by this forum. In fact, many candidates didn't show up.
Do better, or don't do it at all.
It is a waste of the public's time.
You don't want them to repeal the 19th Amendment, do you?
Voters are kept in the dark in this corrupt county and LWV is part of the problem. I have raised these concerns with LWV friends for eight hears. Enough.
ReplyDeleteDo you have permission to use/post the LWV logo? I doubt it, given your opinion of the organization.
ReplyDeleteNone of ID choices seems to work for me, but I don't choose to be 'anonymous'
Steve Imes
stimes-37399@mypacks.net
Fair use under copyright law. Fair comment. Eight years of concerns ignored by my LWV friends. Why?
ReplyDelete