Are you ready for a Great Debate?
A one-hour debate between gubernatorial candidates Virg Bernero and Rick Snyder will air on live television statewide at 7 p.m. on Sunday, October 10.
The Center for Michigan and a coalition of 19 co-sponsors representing business, labor, education, and nonprofit groups are extremely pleased to bring this one-and-only 2010 gubernatorial debate to Michigan voters.
It will be broadcast live on public television stations and also offered statewide to commercial broadcasters for live broadcast. Check your local listings for availability. The debate video will remain available on the Center for Michigan’s web site and on MiVote.org beginning on Monday, October 11.
Moderators from the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News will question the candidates on three main themes during the debate: economic growth, education, and reform.
The debate will be filmed in-studio without a studio audience.
However, the Center for Michigan is eager to encourage wide public discussion of what you hear during the debate. Post your comments online on the Center for Michigan web site.
Or, host a Great Debates party including a post-debate discussion. We’ll help you pay for it!
Send a post-debate email of 500 words or less to info@thecenterformichigan.net indicating how many people attended your party and detailing the conclusions and insights of your crowd. We will publish your thoughts in our online newsletter. The first 50 party hosts to take advantage of this offer will receive $20 to help offset the cost of your party supplies.
Credentialed members of the media may reserve space to watch the debate at the public broadcast studios in Wixom and have access to the candidates after the debate.
To reserve space in the media area, email us at info@thecenterformichigan.net.
5 Comments
This bears asking again yet again:
Okay, so you have two of the five candidates slated to appear, now what about the other three?
Stacey Mathia?
Ken Proctor?
Harvey Mikkelson?
The Center for Michigan has been unusually silent regarding even mentioning their names as candidates for Governor? This alone calls your objectivity into question.
Do you remember this, Mr. Bebow?
“The Center believes that the Michigan political system has in large part failed to live up to its responsibilities in that it has tended to be excessively partisan and largely driven by ideologues of the left and the right and thus failed to scope adequate policy responses to our present crisis. One result has been that most people, who are naturally in the middle of the road, feel discontented and left out in the cold. The Center intends to encourage a citizen movement of people who are moderate in attitude, bi-partisan in approach and aggressive in policy orientation.”
http://www.thecenterformichigan.net/about-the-center/
Is this just a nifty mission statement, or will you actually stand behind your organization’s position and have a five person debate?
A two-person debate is valid as a broadcast event when the two candidates to be presented together poll an overwhelming percentage majority (not party specific) relative to the other three candidates.
The production values required to effectively stage, do live camera switching, and then broadcast also dictate a two person debate for the audience’s sake.
To fulfill their fairness mission, the Center should make viewer comments, in the form of a ‘live’ blog (with editorial filtering only to redact obscene content) available in parallel to the broadcast (and promote the blog’s URL in parallel with the broadcast (FYI – I have a 4 letter URL you can use for free). The Center should give highlighted precedence to comments from the other three candidates, including allowing those candidates to post their positions on the Center’s website and to support blogs associated with those as well.
p.s. Hi to Phil.
I am working on getting a debate party together. This is a great idea. Thank you.
The majority of the candidates won’t be at the debate!?!?!? How is that considered “a Great Debate”? I would love to see what Harley Mikkelson, Ken Proctor and Stacey Mathia have to say about turning Michigan around!
I called John Bebow. I want to debate the two party system!! Call him if you want to help 734.769.4625.
Thank you!! Stacey Mathia