Green Party rival asks Pryor to reply to debate challenge
Posted on Thursday, October 16, 2008
U. S. Sen. Mark Pryor’s Green Party opponent publicly challenged him Wednesday to say why he hasn’t responded to her request for a debate.
Pryor, D-Ark., who is seeking re-election in the general election Nov. 4, was taking questions from the audience after speaking to the Political Animals Club meeting at the governor’s mansion.
Rebekah Kennedy of Greenbrier raised her hand, and Pryor called on her.
“I was just wondering, my campaign wrote you a letter back in August questioning you about scheduling a debate and had several follow-up calls since then and received no response,” Kennedy told Pryor. “Do you feel like the voters in Arkansas are entitled to a debate ? If not, do you feel responding would be an appropriate response ? Do you feel like a straightforward refusal would be more appropriate ?”
Pryor responded that “certainly” voters are entitled to “hear from” those seeking election.
“I go all over the state all the time, talking to people, listening to people,” Pryor said. “Sometimes people chew on me a little bit. That’s the way it is. We call that democracy. I hear from them and listen to them and try to get out as much as I can. In terms of a debate, we’ve not been contacted by any news organization that says they want to host a debate like in 2002. It’s so late, I don’t know if we would be able to schedule that. But we can talk about that later.”
Pryor, 45, a former attorney general and state legislator, defeated U. S. Sen. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark., in 2002. He has no Republican opponent this year.
Political Animals Club President Steve Ronnel told the gathering that Pryor is only the third U. S. senator from Arkansas to face no major party opposition for a second term. The others were Joe T. Robinson and J. William Fulbright, he said.
After Pryor’s speech, Kennedy, 29, an attorney, waited to speak to the senator.
The candidates spoke politely. Kennedy talked about growing up near Quitman. Pryor told her he was familiar with the area.
Then, Kennedy again brought up the idea of a debate.
“Tell me what you have in mind,” Pryor said.
She suggested a “public ac- cess channel” or AETN would be willing to host it.
“We would work with your schedule,” she said.
“My schedule’s pretty busy,” Pryor said, adding that regardless he hasn’t heard of any group willing to host a debate and that it’s probably too late in the campaign to schedule it.
Kennedy responded, “I dare say if you wanted to make it happen they would do it.”
“Well, I don’t know,” Pryor said.
“Did you get the letter ?” Kennedy asked.
“I haven’t seen it,” Pryor responded.
“Did your campaign get it ?” she asked.
Pryor responded, “We probably did.”
Kennedy said she wished she had received a response.
“Could you send me a letter [accepting or rejecting a debate ]?” she asked.
“Sure,” Pryor said.
According to the Federal Election Commission campaign finance report due Wednesday, Pryor has raised $ 5. 55 million. A report for Kennedy wasn’t available, but she’s said she’s raised $ 12, 000. Pryor addressed other topics before the club.
He said the country has been “going the wrong way fiscally” by having an $ 11 trillion debt, but that he’s “optimistic if we work together through bipartisan work” that things will improve.
He said he was “proud of the Senate” for it’s “nonpartisan” work in passing the $ 700 billion “economic rescue.” He said the Bush administration failed initially by not properly framing the issue and allowing people to call it a “bailout.”
He also predicted the Democrats could end up with as many as 59 senators after the election. The Senate now has 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two independents that caucus with the Democrats.
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