Behold! The famous “Bedke Backbone.” My opponent Scott Bedke will not debate me on the Treasure Valley’s largest TV news station.
So, I am issuing the following statement—full of great self-righteousness and grave condemnation (tempered with passive aggressive restraint)—over my opponent’s unmitigated gall to deny Idaho voters the courtesy of debating our differences in public:
“I’ve agreed to the KTVB debate with no pre-conditions. It’s unfortunate that the people of Idaho will not get this opportunity to see, firsthand, the difference between my record of delivering conservative results versus my opponent’s empty rhetoric.”
Hah! Take that Mr. Bedke!
Okay. I’ll fess up. My statement is 100% plagiarized … from Mr. Bedke. It’s something he said ages ago, way back in April.
Now, I don’t blame Mr. Bedke for wanting to avoid public appearances. (To be fair, he has agreed to the Idaho Public TV debate).
When people meet Mr. Bedke and ask him hard questions, they get soft answers. Nobody likes that. The more people see this career politician who has risen on a chaotic tide of Idaho extremism, the more they want to just turn him out to pasture.
When folks meet me, they want me to be Idaho’s next Lt. Governor.
It’s worth remembering that Mr. Bedke issued his (our) statement when his primary opponent, Rep. Priscilla Giddings, refused to debate him. At the time, Giddings was being pilloried for harassing a teenage intern who had been raped by one of Giddings’ political allies. And Giddings had no defense for her work with the Idaho Freedom Foundation to starve public education and require the Government to say what can and can’t happen in our bedrooms and bookshelves.
Makes you wonder. Just what is it that Mr. Bedke wants to avoid talking about?