Below is my review of the U.S. Senate Forum in Jefferson City Saturday for Missouri Record. After reading, visit MODecides.com and vote for your candidate choice.
Despite the wintry conditions in much of the state, about 100 people from all over Missouri gathered in Jefferson City for a US Senate Forum for candidates running for the seat of retiring Senator Kit Bond. The forum was co-sponsored by 60 grassroots groups from across the state. The goal of the forum was to give Missourians the opportunity to properly vet each candidate in the race and to encourage them to get engaged in this primary season.
Sixteen candidates from four parties were invited to the forum. Initially, all candidates except for Robin Carnahan and Roy Blunt confirmed their intentions to come. During the last day before the forum, four candidates either canceled or simply did not arrive. All were notified with ample time to adjust their schedules–apparently some of the candidates do not consider the Senate race to be a top priority or are not seriously interested in standing before the citizens of Missouri. This in itself was quite revealing.
Ninety-second response times were given for each question, with 30-second rebuttals allowed. There was also a lightning round, which required answers of only “yes,” “no,” or “undecided.” This was somewhat out of the ordinary for a candidate forum but proved to be very informative.
It was an educational experience for those in the crowd and viewing online. The US Senate seat is one of the most powerful offices in the country, yet several of the candidates had little or no legislative experience and were unable to answer some basic questions. Candidates were stumped by questions regarding the 16th and 17th Amendments and the purpose of the Federal Reserve. Many of the candidates did show an impressive knowledge of the Constitution and the current state of our federal government, however.
This year, Missouri broke a record with the most candidates filing for state and federal races in the state on opening day of the filing season. Sixteen of those candidates filed for Kit Bond’s seat. While this shows that more and more citizens are becoming politically engaged, the US Senate seat is not the place to “get your feet wet” politically.
One of the questions posed to the six Republican candidates was: “If you realized during your campaign that your momentum had stalled and you could not win the race, yet there is a true conservative who reflects your voice and values that has the potential to win the primary, would you be willing to withdraw from the race and throw your endorsement to that candidate to help elect a true conservative?”
The majority of candidates promised that they would be willing to step aside. After listening to some of the candidates on Saturday, several should seriously consider this option.
Readers are encouraged to watch the video from the forum in order to become better educated on those who are running for this office. Videos are available online by visiting www.modecides.com.
