Serving the Flathead Valley & Montana since 2006. A reality based independent journal of observation & analysis. © James Conner.
Montana’s voters were ill-served by the format of last night’s debate between U.S. House candidates Ryan Zinke and John Lewis:
Sitting the candidate side-by-side across a table from a single interviewer — the Bill Moyers and Charlie Rose format that brings out the best in television — makes much more sense. So does extending the debate to 90 minutes and limiting it to one topic.
How many debates? One a week from Labor Day to Election Day. And shorten the early voting period from 30 days to one week.
Update. Only a select group qualifies for the drawing for tickets for the 19 October Daily InterLake sponsored debate between U.S. House candidates Ryan Zinke (R), John Lewis (D), and Mike Fellows (L):
To participate, you need to live within 60 miles of the Daily Inter Lake’s office in Kalispell, like the Inter Lake’s Facebook page and provide an e-mail address, phone number and some other basic information.
Here’s a sample from the InterLake’s ad for the debate:
The John Lewis on the right is actually Libertarian Mike Fellows.
The 60-mile radius from the InterLake’s office (why not the intersection of Highways 93 and 2?) probably includes Libby, Thompson Falls, Plains, St. Ignatius, and East Glacier, but not Browning. If the 60-mile limit is highway miles, then Polson is the limit. Both measures exclude Missoula, which not only lies beyond the InterLake’s market, but shelters hordes of Democrats.
The Arts and Technology building at Flathead Valley Community College in Kalispell will shelter the debate.
Those who apply for a ticket may well receive phone calls, email, and snail mail, from the InterLake and others whether or not they win a ticket.
If the debate is televised or webcast, I’ll watch it. But I won’t surrender that amount of personal information or give the InterLake a Facebook like just to earn a chance to win a ticket.
