Editor,
Guest columnist B. Lee Drake expounded on the importance of the student vote in Friday's column. We at College Republicans heartily agree, and, moreover, believe this vote should be informed and thoughtful. To that end, we wrote to Drake on Aug. 22 in his capacity as co-chairman of College Democrats, proposing two debates to be held at UNM between Lisa Torraco and her opponent for Bernalillo County district attorney, and between Rep. Steve Pearce and his opponent for the U.S. Senate.
Drake responded positively on Aug. 24, suggesting a venue and a plan for contacting local media. College Republicans has since written to Drake three times to establish the specifics of the debate: format, moderator, questions, duration and date. We have heard nothing.
UNM is the foremost educational institution in the state. It is the appropriate place for the consideration and debate of weighty matters of public policy. Political ads on radio and TV, while having their role, are limited in content and do not accommodate rejoinder and full discussion. Shall we elect people without having them expound and defend their positions in a serious forum, subject to their opponents' counter arguments?
Drake's Democrat candidates apparently think yes. Drake's instincts, as shown in his initial response, are forthright and public spirited. We urge him to follow them further, engage with his candidates and convince them to have these necessary debates at our worthy University.
Donald Gluck
President of UNM's College Republicans
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