The Great Debate Farce
Is it really a debate if two-thirds of the field doesn’t show up?
Like many of you, I sat down to watch the Maryland Republican Gubernatorial Debate tonight. Then, I turned it off.
Why? One simple reason: Is it really a debate if two-thirds of the field doesn’t show up?
Only three candidates, Douglas Larcomb, John Myrick, and Shannon Wright, bothered to show up to what will presumably be the only televised debate before the June 23rd primary election.
Conspicuous by their absence were the two self-proclaimed “front-runners.” Ed Hale wasn’t there, keeping with previous trends. The idea of hanging out in a room full of Republicans answering questions was probably not appealing to a lifelong Democrat like Hale.
But Dan Cox also failed to show. Unlike previous debates, Cox did not offer any reason he declined to debate. His absence was especially conspicuous considering that Cox was already in the Baltimore metro area this morning.
I find it highly amusing that four years after Dan Cox and his supporters whined about Kelly Schulz dodging a debate, Dan Cox dodged the debate.
The debate itself became a farce in the opening minutes anyway, with two candidates (Larcomb) and one who used a plethora of words without saying intelligent anything at all (Wright). Only John Myrick appeared to be even a vaguely credible candidate for any political office.
The lack of participation by the Republican field again reinforces the absolute amateur hour nature of this gubernatorial election by the Maryland Republican Party. It also further reinforces the fact that nothing short of an act of God is going to stop Wes Moore from being re-elected.
The debate was much like the primary itself: a farce.