Spin Cycle

It's time for a NYS law requiring debates on a specific timetable during the course of primary and general elections for all offices in all political subdivisions. Maybe 2 (2 hour)required debates in a primary and 3 (2 hour) in a general election. We have to avoid cowardly frontrunning politicians (Suozzi is guilty of the same type of behavior in past local elections) from depriving the public of their ideas or their lack of ideas. Right now they're all just gaming the system. The media would then have the obligation to fairly cover the debates (maybe even provide transcripts). Perhaps even have the public submit questions (or heaven forbid even participate!) to the moderator(s) of the debate ahead of time.

why should a candidate be forced to debate when the sole pupose of the opposition is to knock him out..irregardless of the issues??? Look how nasty the Suozzi and Faso campaigns have been in reference to Spitzer???

The sole purpose of a debate is to discuss the issues. Your kidding us , right anonymous? If I was supporting Spitzer the first thing I would want toknow is why doesnt he just debate them and put them in their place. Big question mark on the attorney generals "heart"

now we have people advocating laws that dictate free speech--sounds rather strange in a democracy--if the voting public really wanted a debate then the noise would cause the candidiate who was not willing to debate to reconsider his/her position--i am not concerned on how nasty the debate may get--i am sure all the real contenders can give as well as take in that setting-suozzi is desperate--the not ready for prime time candidate would debate barney if he thought he could get a press clipping out of it---and as far as discussing issues--once you get past tom's talking points-he is lost--the large frog in a small pond is drowning- and all his "fans" can't rescue him--the public has clearly recognized that the state is better served with spitzer as governor than suozzi- for if he was elected the first thing he would be doing is figuring out how to run for president and forget to discharge his duties to the citizens of new york--watching tom run is like those people that go to stock car races in hopes of seeing a crash--in this case--he hits the wall-then hits the wall-then hits the wall--i don't think this is a act of bravery- and it is certainly not the act of a sane person--ask yourself-would you allow you child to act like this or would you send him/her to bed with milk and cookies--which is what the voters in the democratic primary will do the tom on sept 12th

Newsday refuses to print this article submitted by the PBA once again... why not?
Team Newsday and the Big Game

In response to the Newsday editorial of August 4, 2006 (Preseason Report), it is obvious that the 2007 Nassau County budget deliberations is clearly the Super Bowl of local politics. Normally in a sporting event of this magnitude, in addition to the two competing teams (Team Suozzi and Team Legislature) we would have the every present hometown media.
The local writers and commentators would be extolling the virtues of their team. Swirling around this event is the never-ending number of talking heads who feel compelled to offer their expert analysis of the strength and weaknesses of the two teams.
Naturally the game never turns out the way the local media predict, and the so-called independent experts usually miss the target. But that is the way of a sporting event.

The 2007 Nassau County Budget Bowl is somewhat unusual since it doesn’t follow the customary pre-game buildup. Firstly, the Coach, and some would say the only player on Team Suozzi, is auditioning for another job. Clearly Coach Suozzi wants to be anywhere but in Nassau County, this can’t be a comforting fact to his team. But it is a fact nonetheless.
The game can’t begin until the whistle is blown and that won’t happen until Team Suozzi presents the 2007 budget to Team Legislature.

What about the local media supporters of the competing teams? Sad to say but there is only one major media player, Newsday. Out the window goes the scenario of local media rallying around their team. Rather than being like the Super Bowl, this fact makes this game more like the big game between the two hometown high school football teams. Team Suozzi and Team Legislature. The local paper, not willing to be seen as taking sides, would run a series of articles supportive of each team, encouraging the teams to fight hard, but fair, and reminding the teams that is important that good sportsmanship should be the rule of the day. One would have hoped that Newsday would have followed this model and been a voice for reason in the upcoming budget debate.

Newsday seems incapable of being the voice of reason; instead it has chosen sides before the big game and has thrown its support behind Team Suozzi. Since Tom is out of town someone must be the mouthpiece for Team Suozzi.
Into the breach steps Newsday. It is clear from the recent editorial that Newsday has concluded that Team Suozzi does not have the superior arguments in the upcoming budget debate. Therefore if you can’t kill the message, you kill the messenger. In that editorial we clearly see the outline for the Team Suozzi/Newsday strategy in handling the 2007 budget deliberations. Team Legislature as well as the County Comptroller has come under fire from Newsday for daring to raise concerns about the County’s fiscal condition. Newsday seems to find it shocking that the Nassau Legislature and the Nassau Comptroller are stepping up to the line of scrimmage and are prepared to do their job of representing the interests of the citizens of Nassau County. If Team Suozzi/Newsday can’t push the line back, then someone must be blamed and targeted as the fall guy for the failures of Team Suozzi/ Newsday. To that end Newsday has, once again, gone back to the well-worn playbook, and is starting to put forth an argument that the Nassau PBA is the root cause of all the County’s budgetary ills.
Earlier in the year the Nassau PBA had to call Newsday on this type of behavior. We have attempted, once again, to have our voices heard in the op-ed pages of Newsday. Only now we are being told of Newsday policy to limit input from the PBA to four times a year. How convenient for Newsday, and for Team Suozzi. If Newsday really thought that the Nassau PBA was such a negative in the budget deliberations, it would stand to reason that they would encourage public discussion and debate in order to galvanize public support for the budgetary positions set forth by Team Suozzi/Newsday. Clearly, Newsday’s own policy is designed to make this a one sided debate. The Nassau PBA believes that an open and honest discussion of the issues is a critical component of all budget deliberations. We are confident that Team Legislature would welcome this public input. It is clear that Team Suozzi/Newsday can ill afford honest dialogue on this matter, never have and never will. The Nassau PBA will not sit idly by and permit forces that oppose reasoned discussion to control the debate. Once again we are being forced to use other media outlets to get all the facts on the table. We had hoped that after last spring’s confrontation with Newsday that they would have come up with a new playbook. It appears they can’t or won’t.

Making debates required (on dates certain) at the time petitions are submitted as a requirement of running for office is a good idea. It will level the playing field and give minority voices a chance to be heard. The public can not be expected to "organize" mass protests because there are few or no debates. It is a violation of the public's "right to know" not to have multiple debates on certain dates every year, not a violation of the candidates "free speech." Being elected to office is a privilege, not a right.

Also, if the public becomes accustomed to debates on the same dates every year, there may actually be more of an interest in watching them. Right now it seems candidates want debates open ended and purposely confusing so few in the public has time to focus and prepare for them.

stop the bs