Image by Getty Images via @daylifeIt is not true Carolyn Maloney is refusing to debate because she thinks she is too far ahead in the polls. That is not the reason. This race has been competitive for weeks now. (Standing At 40-60 Now, Reshma's Momentum: 70% Vs. 7%, 24,000 Vs. 8,000 Signatures, $2 Vs. $1.2 Million, Reshma's Momentum: Line Graph Or Curve Graph) BusinessWeek called it the top primary to watch in all of America and that was back in May. (Reshma's Is Top Primary Race To Watch In America: BusinessWeek In May) That list included the Senatorial primary in Arizona that John McCain himself is contesting in. If BusinessWeek called it the hottest primary in the country back in May, Carolyn Maloney was not the reason why. She has been an "ordinary" member of Congress. (The Washington Post) She has not exactly had star power. (Sep 15 - Oct 31: Obama-Reshma Should Crisscross The Country, Carolyn Maloney: The Alan Keyes Of District 14) And it is not because Maloney fears she might end up giving Reshma media attention she otherwise does not have. Reshma has been commanding more media attention than Maloney on her own. She needs no help from Maloney to get media attention. Reshma is the candidate with star power in this race. It is not Maloney. Reshma has been commanding national attention like she should. Reshma is not bothered she might share media attention with Maloney because she knows debating is the right thing to do.
So what is the reason? (Carolyn Maloney: Chicken)
One reason is Maloney is plain scared. It is like getting scared of a scary final exam. Reshma is super duper smart. She is sharp. She is prepared. And so Maloney is scared. I notice Reshma's smarts too. But I am not scared. I get impressed. I am like wow. And I am male.
A big reason Maloney is refusing to show up for the debates is because she is refusing to do the right thing by the cause of women. She needs to plan a graceful exit away from the stage to make way for Reshma. That would be the right thing to do. (Carolyn Maloney: The Alan Keyes Of District 14)
Show up for the debates, give a good concession speech the evening of September 14, endorse Reshma for the November election, wish the party all the best, and gracefully exit and enjoy your retirement. And watch Reshma do wonderful things for women. (September 14 Will Birth The New Woman)
History will remember but one thing about Maloney, and that is that she was in the seat that Reshma ended up taking. She should play nice therefore.
If Carolyn Maloney cares about the progressive cause, if she cares about furthering the cause of women, she should plan for a graceful exit, and that involves showing up for the weekly debates.
This has gone too far. It will take Maloney less time to actually show up for a debate than to keep dancing around the question if she will debate.
Is she saying she is too good for democracy? Is she saying she is too good for the good people of District 14? Is she saying she is too good for the people of New York City? What exactly is she saying?
The New York Observer: Reshma To Maloney: You've Been Talking To Whom, Exactly?!?: an interview Maloney did with WNBC's Melissa Russo yesterday in which the long-time Upper East Side Congresswoman said that, "my staff is talking to her campaign staff" about setting up a debate...... Saujani has been especially active as the campaign enters its final weeks, knocking Maloney for "silence" on the Ground Zero Mosque
NBC New York: Maloney Won't Commit to Debate with Democratic Challenger: Maloney danced around the direct question "do you intend to debate?" Maloney said her campaign staff was talking to Saujani's campaign staff and "the facts will come out and we're working forward." .... After repeated follow up questions about whether she'll debate, Maloney would only say "we're considering it. Stay tuned." .... Saujani's campaign disputes Maloney's claim that her staff is engaging in any debate related discussions. .... Saujani says Maloney is "running scared." .... Saujani's campaign fired back and said Maloney had been ducking them entirely. .... "Last night, when WNBC asked Carolyn Maloney whether she would be debating Reshma, the Congresswoman said that 'my campaign staff is talking to her campaign staff.' We must have missed those calls and emails -- because that’s news to us," said Saujani's manager Keving Lawlor. ""For more than three months, Maloney has consistently ignored requests to debate from both our campaign and third-party groups...On May 10th, the Maloney campaign signed for a letter inviting her to a series of debates with Reshma. Yet there has been no effort from her staff to even contact our campaign to discuss the issue."
WNYC: South Asian LGBT Community Marches In India Day Parade: Additional pressure on the parade organizers came from Reshma Saujani, a young Indian-American congressional candidate who's waged a high-level campaign against Rep. Carolyn Maloney. According to Jain, SALGA hasn't had that sort of political support before.
Capital Tonight: Saujani Decries Dem ‘Silence’ On Mosque: Most of the state’s 29 House members have so far shied away from taking a definitive position on the mosque .... Saujani goes on to note that she has repeatedly tried to get Maloney to debate her, including on Aug. 24 at Baruch College, but has so far failed to get the incumbent congresswoman to commit to going toe-to-toe. .... “It’s time for Carolyn Maloney to tell New Yorkers what she thinks about the issues that affect their lives. She has been silent on the construction of the Cordoba House, silent on Charlie Rangel’s ethics investigation, silent on passing the DREAM Act, and silent on new ideas to get New Yorkers back to work.”
Politi Fi: Saujani Slams Maloney for Declining Debate Invite
