Indiana

That Didn?t Impress Me Much

By Abdul Hakim-Shabazz

Dan Coats was a lobbyist.  Brad Ellsworth supports the Obama-Pelosi agenda.  We need smaller government.

If you missed Monday night’s debate from the IUPUI Campus I just told you in 15 words virtually everything that you missed.   I was expecting more from 8th District Congressman Brad Ellsworth, former U.S. Senator and Ambassador Dan Coats and Libertarian Rebecca Sink-Burris.   I was hoping for details and substance.

Instead, all I got was the same old stuff.  No one really said anything they haven’t already been saying for months.   There were a couple places that did surprise me, Brad Ellsworth’s support of charter schools puts him out of sync with most of his party in Indiana.   And all three candidates basically had the same position when it came to abortion and sex education.

Other than that, there wasn’t much.  Ellsworth went on the attack early and because he got to speak first and Coats third,  Coats spent most of his early time responding to Ellsworth’s charges and not really able to answer the question that was brought up.  As the debate went on, I thought Coats finally got the measure of his opponent and did a better job responding to the attacks.  Meanwhile Sink-Burris tried to come across as the grown up in the room pointing out to the bickering between the two main candidates as why individuals should vote third party.

Unfortunately, these type of debate formats never allow for specifics and details.  It is more punch and dodge.  So if I was an undecided voter, I’m still undecided.   If  I had to call a winner, I would say Coats, only because while Ellsworth got some good punches in,  he didn’t move the needle enough.

Luckily, for all parties there are two more debates scheduled.   And hopefully, someone will offer up something more than  Dan Coats used to be a lobbyist, Brad Ellsworth supports  the Pelosi-Obama agenda, and free markets are the answer to everything.

Full post as published by Indiana Barrister on October 12, 2010 (boomark / email).