Respondents Overwhelming Say Johnson's Non-Debate Stance Has No Impact
Since this appears to be the only thing even remotely approaching polling on the issue, South Dakotans apparently don't care if Sen. Tim Johnson debates or not.
It's over 3 to 1 that respondents say the Senator's decision not to debate Rep. Joel Dykstra will have no impact on their vote this fall.
That's kind of where I thought the results would fall. And by the time October rolls around, it will really be a non-issue.
I still think Tim should debate at least once. But it looks like there's no public backlash by his decision not to. Until someone does something more scientific than SD Watch in terms of polling, I think the results bear out what I've been hearing from people.
Technorati Tags: Tim Johnson, Joel Dykstra, 2008 election, polls, debates, US Senate
It's over 3 to 1 that respondents say the Senator's decision not to debate Rep. Joel Dykstra will have no impact on their vote this fall.
That's kind of where I thought the results would fall. And by the time October rolls around, it will really be a non-issue.
I still think Tim should debate at least once. But it looks like there's no public backlash by his decision not to. Until someone does something more scientific than SD Watch in terms of polling, I think the results bear out what I've been hearing from people.
Technorati Tags: Tim Johnson, Joel Dykstra, 2008 election, polls, debates, US Senate
Posted on Wednesday, August 13, 2008
by
Todd Epp
in 2008 Election, 2008 U.S. Senate Race, Tim Johnson
|
4 Comments
Todd Epp
in 2008 Election, 2008 U.S. Senate Race, Tim Johnson
|
4 Comments
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Reader Comments (4)
I can understand why Tim doesn't want to debate. There is nothing to debate. Tim votes with the Republicans on critical issues. FISA, Iraq and the bankruptcy bill come to mind. To my way of thinking you have the choice this election of voting for someone on the Republican ticket or someone that is a Democrat In Name Only. Oh well either candidate will do Deny's bidding.
Tim's mind is in great shape and his physical rehab is miraculous, to say the least. He is solid in his representation of South Dakota and he is in an extremely good position to look out for the interests of the state. He has shown more courage than most humans will ever have to contemplate.
Maybe debating is the main issue here, but accessibility and honesty are. Johnson is doing neither in this campaign. He is not honest with the voters about his capabilities or abilities, i.e. only scripted meetings with voters allowed, limited media coverage, etc etc etc
We understand to some extent why that occurred immediately after his illness - to prevent the Dems slight majority in the Senate. It was all politics. We granted him that and time to recover. But now it seems that we are asked to again take his staff's word for it that he is fine. Sorry, isn't fair to the voters at this time.
I have a new word that evidently was coined by his own campaign actually. Johnson is having a "windshield tour" in Madison on Friday. So Johnson is now being WIND-shielded from his public.
Here is the fact: I am a voter who is hiring someone to represent me in Washington DC for the next SIX years. I am entitled to a job interview for the job conducted by the applicant himself, not his surrogates. The interview is not to be based on what he has done in the past or how much money he has in his bank account. It is to be based on my observations of whether I think he is capable of doing the job. I am being denied that basic right. And it is NOT fair to me or any of the other voters in this state.
Good luck with the WIND-shield tour! He's gonna need it!
Oh, and with regard to your poll. That's not exactly the results I have been hearing from people who actually voted for Johnson last time but aren't going to again. Maybe broaden the poll to include people other than Dems or Johnson supporters!