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.
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.
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.
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
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. 
