Debating Is Not About Media Attention To Reshma Saujani

Image via WikipediaReshma Saujani does not want to debate Carolyn Maloney because she thinks that will get her some media attention. Reshma Saujani has been getting a ton of media attention as is. Reshma Saujani has been attracting national media attention for months now. She has been attracting international media attention.

For Reshma Saujani it is not about media attention. For he debating is about debating itself. For her it is about debates being so very fundamental to the democratic process.

For her debates are about democracy.

For her debates are about respect. Respect for the voters of District 14 who deserve to hear from both the candidates who are running. A debate format will best allow the voters to look at both of them and then go make their own decisions.

For Reshma debates are about the issues that she cares about so deeply and that she has been working on her entire life. Those well thought out positions, you don't cook them up for one election. They are the work of a lifetime. When you debate you are appealing to the intelligence of the voters. 30 second TV ads at some level insult the intelligence of the voters. Debates respect their intelligence.

For Reshma debating is about the crisis that is the 10% unemployment rate in the country. It is about the 50% unemployment rates in some parts of her district.

Debates are the lifeblood of democracy. A Carolyn Maloney scared of debating is a Carolyn Maloney scared of her voters, a Carolyn Maloney scared of democracy, a Carolyn Maloney scared of the big issues of the day, a Carolyn Maloney not having the slightest clue as to how the unemployment rate will be brought down.

I find Maloney's staying away from the weekly debates absolutely disgusting.

When Carolyn Maloney finally shows up for the debates, she is the one that will get media attention. Reshma's media attention will get shared with her. And Reshma is okay with that, because she believes in debating so much. She is even willing to give Maloney some media attention.

Carolyn Maloney: Chicken
Maloney Refuses Debate Yet Again

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Charlie Rangel: The Bear Stearns Of US Congress

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThere are many people including several members of the New York congressional delegation (standing ovations to old man Charlie, come on) who seem to suggest Charlie is a good guy because other members of Congress have also been involved in the kind of behavior that Charlie has been involved in.

That is like saying because many banks were involved in the nefarious finance schemes, so the first bank you catch should be let go.

Charlie Rangel in the news is a US Congress that passed Wall Street reform but is itself fundamentally unreformed. Standing by Charlie is exactly the wrong thing to do. The right thing to do is to pass Congress reform. And there is enough time before the November election to do that.

The US Congress that made bad Wall Street behavior possible stays unreformed. That is the news here. The blame goes to both parties. And the work for Congress reform has to start NOW!

This is not a one party versus the other party issue. This is about the American people losing further faith in the US Congress, in the political system. This is about fighting impending cynicism.

This is not a one party versus the other party issue but is going to be if foolish Dems keep standing by Rangel. Rangel is indefensible. Instead stand on the side of Congress reform.

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