When Tim Johnson announced that he was going to back out on an earlier pledge, and would not debate Joel Dykstra, I drew what I thought was the obvious conclusion. Johnson is not, as yet, fit to run for his Senate seat. One may question the value of televised debates, but they are a part of our contemporary election process and a candidate is ordinarily expected to be up that task. Senator Johnson decided he wasn't up to it.
This week, Keloland invited both candidates, Johnson and Dykstra, to be interviewed separately for a half hour. Johnson again backed out. From Keloland:
Tuesday night KELOLAND News aired a special Senate edition of Inside KELOLAND to give voters a better idea of who the candidates are. Joel Dykstra was the only candidate to appear on the program because Johnson cancelled his appearance after accepting our offer to be on the show. Johnson said he was not able to take part because he has to get ready for a banking committee hearing scheduled for Thursday, but Johnson did not attend last week's hearing on oversight of the bailout bill.
My earlier conclusion is confirmed. Keloland offered to interview Johnson at any time he chose, but he insisted that he was too busy.
KELOLAND TV made repeated offers to tape Senator Johnson's half hour portion anytime between their decision Friday night and his departure Tuesday afternoon. But we were told Senator Johnson does not have time.
In fact he withdrew because he and his staff concluded that he was not up to the interview or, what is the same thing, that his performance in a lengthy interview would undermine confidence in his fitness for office.
Steve Hemmingsen, blogging for Keloland, points out the consequences of Johnson's withdrawal.
I watched Angela Kennecke's interview with Republican candidate Joel Dykstra last night. Good interview. Informative and all that. It was a nice half hour for the glib Dykstra to make inroads against incumbent Tim Johnson. The problem is that without the other side being present to counter what you're saying even your good ideas don't have much impact, like all those right wing and left wing talk shows where you only hear O'One Side, spun like cotton candy. Dykstra just took the TV face time, sounded positive, hardly challenged Johnson and why not? There was no Johnson to challenge him. He challenged John McCain more than he did Tim Johnson, except for the opening salvo about the no-show and the meeting. I would think even a handicapped Johnson would have been better than no Johnson at all.
Well that is about it, isn't it? With little money and no recognition, Dykstra is in no position to offer the people of South Dakota a reasonable alternative. That is what the Johnson campaign has made sure of.
There is a lot of warm feeling in South Dakota for Tim Johnson, and I share it. I have met Senator Johnson, and once invited him to speak to one of my classes. He is a decent person, and no doubt a public figure we have had reason to be proud of. It would have been a serious challenge to any Republican to try to unseat him in any circumstances. But in this campaign, he has chosen to withdraw behind his many advantages rather than submit himself to the public. That will no doubt see him through, but this is not his finest half-hour.
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