Texas Governors Debate Editorial

Editorial: Perry should enter debate

Web Posted: 07/31/2006 06:52 PM CDT
San Antonio Express-News

Public policy should be preceded by public discussion, which is why candidate debates are so healthy for democracy.
Texas is facing serious problems, from immigration to education, and it is not enough for citizens to see the hopefuls on television commercials or giving stump speeches.
Of the four major gubernatorial candidates, three have agreed to participate in a debate available for statewide broadcast Oct. 5.
The lone holdout is the incumbent, Rick Perry. Whatever his reasons, he should rethink them.
The three other hopefuls — Democrat Chris Bell and independents Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn — plan to participate. A spokesman for KERA-TV, the public television station in Dallas and one sponsor of the event, told the Dallas Morning News he expects Perry to enter the debate.
We hope he does.
"We have a number of invitations before us, and the governor has not made a decision," Ted Royer, a spokesman for the Perry campaign, said. "We're about 100 days from the election, and the governor's schedule is almost completely planned."
Avoiding the debate because of scheduling conflicts would be a disservice to voters and the political process.

source: http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/stories/MYSA080106.1O.debate3ed.620bee.html