Scott Ehrisman posts an e-mail exchange indicating that most of the Legislative candidates in District 6 are cool with three debates. Contrary to my initially erroneous and unfairly maligning post last week, Tea Republican Senate candidate Ernie Otten is willing to participate... as long as the Lennox debate slavishly conforms to the format set for debates in Tea and Harrisburg:
Michael, we thank you for taking the initiative to schedule this debate in Lennox. My Republican House candidates and I believe that setting a different precedent for this debate is neither fair nor even-handed to the constituents of Lennox. Debates are already set up in Harrisburg and Tea that include all the District 6 House and Senate candidates for 90 minutes (and include the County Commissioners).
District 6 contains many busy families with young children. In deference to them, and communicated in earlier emails, we'd agreed to one combined debate, for 90-minutes (formal or informal) in Lennox. Busy, but interested families shouldn't have to set aside two different school nights for separate debates when one 90-min format works well in Harrisburg and Tea [Ernie Otten, e-mail to Lennox debate organizer Michael Larson, September 4, 2012].
Otten misses the point that in the YouTube age, "busy but interested families" can log in to watch such debates any time.
Speaking of YouTube and openness, you can get an introduction to four of the six District 6 Legislative candidates on South Dakota Public Broadcasting's 2012 Meet the Candidates playlist. Democratic Senate Richard Schriever is there, but Ernie Otten is not. On the House side, you can watch the GOP's Herman Otten and Isaac Latterell (who babbles about Washington and a "pivotal point in our nation's history") and Democrat Joseph Weis (a Democrat who says "Less government is better"!), but not Democrat Michael Christopher Jauron.
The e-mail exchange above indicates Jauron has been incommunicado. I can't find any online campaign presence from Jauron. Folks on the ground in District 6: has Jauron knocked on your door or stopped by at coffee?
Everyone except Michael Jauron has accepted to the debate in Lennox on September 24. It will be recorded and posted on Youtube. Still waiting to see about the possibility of streaming it live. I am finalizing format (again) with the idea that five candidates will be on the stage. There will be a list of prepared questions for the candidates and God willing (and the lunch ladies helping), coffee and cookies for after the debate.
Food after the debate—excellent! Keep folks there, keep them feeling social, give them more opportunities to interact with the candidates.
Folks in district 6 should vote for Ernie Otten if their main concern is that the Feds are coming to take their machine gun. They should vote for Richard Schriever if their main concern is to have someone in Pierre who is serious about doing the people's business. The choice really is that simple. What Ernie is banking on is folks just voting for anyone with an "R" next to their name, perhaps this explains his reluctance to have much exposure.