Letter: Democrat leadership ‘cowardly’ for avoiding debate partnership with GOP

To the editor,

For our candidates, and those associated with campaigns, it can become easy to believe that every likely voter is familiar with the individuals on the ballot and his/her positions. Some voters opt to vote straight ticket, and in small communities like ours, personal relationships have already cemented decisions for others. However, the reality is a significant number of Nelson County voters who will cast ballots this November could not tell you the names of any candidates. If you don’t know who the candidate is, how would you know what their stances are, or their qualifications for the office they are seeking? For many Nelson County voters, do you know what the office they’re running for is responsible for? Traditionally these questions are answered through public debates, but thanks to the Nelson County Democrats, you won’t be given that opportunity this year.

The Kentucky Standard and PLG-TV will not be hosting debates for any of the candidates this year. The Kentucky Standard Publisher, Scott Moore, has claimed that the debate production has, for many years, caused the paper to lose money, and they continued to carry them as a public service. I don’t begrudge the Standard for discontinuing a project which caused them to lose money. Realizing this invaluable election tradition was in jeopardy, I, along with other members of the Republican Party of Nelson County, entered into discussions with the Nelson County Democrats’ leadership, and private production companies, to put together a bipartisan debate for all partisan races. Unfortunately the local Democrats voted not to take part in the bipartisan debate.

This outcome would be understandable if we were attempting to negotiate in bad-faith, or we were proposing ideas that would have disproportionately favored Republican candidates. The production company we were working with is run by an elected Democrat from another county, and the only named moderator we were discussing is a Democrat. Local Democrats can’t cry poverty either. When it was proposed that they might have problems coming up with their half of the funds, we offered to cover the entire cost, but still run the debates as equal partners. We had no concerns about locations, times, or formats, everything was on the table. We wanted our candidates to have a forum to discuss his/her ideas alongside their Democrat opponents, and we wanted it on video, and streamed for free.

I was left wondering why then, would Democrats reject this opportunity. The answer, it turns out, was very simple; local Democrats thought they would be helping “our” (Republican) candidates by participating in live debates. If that is truly the answer, their reasoning could not be more cowardly. It does not help Republicans, it helps voters. The most simple ideal of our democratically held elections is that opposing sides make their positions public for voters to then decide who they believe will best represent them. Democrats in Nelson County are willing to sacrifice an informed electorate, because of their misguided perception it might allow them to retain a Coroner?

There are other debates and forums being planned, but none offer the same overall exposure that the PLG debates historically have, and we intended to. They either will not be broadcast, or will only host the County Judge Executive candidates. I’m sorry Boston, Democrats don’t think it matters if you know how M.T. Harned and David Avis each feel about allocating your tax dollars to a new recreational sports facility. Too bad Fairfield, Democrat leadership doesn’t think it’s important if you know how Justin Hall and Steve Campbell plan to purchase an expensive scanner to reduce drugs entering into the Nelson County Jail.

Four years from now we will come to this time on the calendar again. Based on registration trends though, Republicans will firmly be the majority party, and will realistically control the majority of positions on the ballots Nelson County voters will cast votes on. When that time comes, local Republicans won’t be petty and stonewall Democrats, because it’s not good for democracy, and it’s not good for the people of Nelson County,

James Victery
Vice Chairman – Republican Party of Nelson County
Youth Chair – Republican Party of Kentucky, 2nd District