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Friday, November 3, 2006

Heath Shuler Pulls Campaign Stunt

11/03/2006 03:31:00 PM 11 comments



I have just heard a desperate Campaign Stunt pulled by Heath Shuler, orchestrated by his handlers. I am going on the record as stating that Heath Shuler is a coward by using any excuse to avoid getting beat down by Charles Taylor in a debate.

I am familar with some of the background on this debate, as related yesterday by Deb Potter on Heads Up America, that the Shuler campaign would not agree to the 5 to 6pm frame first offered as conflicting with another engagement, nor would they agree to 4 pm. Taylor had an out of county event sheduled that would make it unlikely that they would make it for the start of the debate, but would participate by phone until his arrival at the radio station in the event that he didn't make the start.

The debate started off with Taylor by phone from the WHKP studios, and shortly after the opening remarks, Heath Shuler showed his true colors (yellow), and left.

I will have more later, and links up to various audio when the podcast becomes available.

I suspect that this was the intent of the Shuler Campaign from the beginning.

Update 5.05pm Download Podcast of 1st hour of Take A Stand with Matt Mittan.

Update 6.15pm A caller on Matt's show referenced this webpage as being up before the debate.

I have put a request in for the emails Matt said were released to the media via email to Matt, and a phone call to News Director April Williams who said she couldn't, that the Program Director could, and I emailed him, and he said that the emails were Matt's. I'll let you know what transpires. Since I sent him an email as the Shuler Walkout was happening telling him some of the background, and that he was being used by the Shuler Campaign like Toilet Paper, I don't really expect a response, as I have the reputation (not undeserved) as being a "partisan" republican.

Update 7.07pm The Asheville Citizen-Times has an article on the Walk Out:


Shuler walks out of debate after Taylor changes plans (updated with audio)

by STAFF REPORTS
published November 3, 2006 3:23 pm

ASHEVILLE – A debate scheduled to take place this afternoon between Congressman Charles Taylor and challenger Heath Shuler fell through after the candidates' opening statements.

Shuler walked out of the studio, saying he would not debate Taylor if the congressman would not show up in person as originally agreed.


Audio

and check out the progressive response at Scrutiny Hooligans.

Also check out the comment sections on this blog and Screwy's as readers participate in the discussion, and where there are links to more information on the Walk Out.

11 comments :

They made an agreement.

Taylor did not abide by that agreement.

The agreement was made in order to ensure that the candidates were not helped by staff (each was to be allowed one staffer in the studio). Taylor would not follow the conditions he agreed to.

It's just another example of Taylor expecting to be able to break the rules without being held accountable.

Heath Shuler held him accountable, and the voters will too.

You apparently didn't read the post.

I'll give more background:

Shuler had a previous engagement that made 5pm not good for him.

Taylor had a previous engagement in Henderson County that made 3pm unlikely, and wanted 4pm, but Shuler said no.
Taylor then said he would try to be there, and would call in by phone on the way to the station.
Then, today...at what point, I don't know, decided to call in from the WHKP Studios.
Heath could have made legitimate hay out of the no show, but instead, decided to walk out.
This shows the lack of deep thought by him and/or his Campaign Staff.

Instead, what they have is two legitimate debates that Heath has pulled out of to date.
The rest have been candidate forums, not debates, and it is a lie to call them debates...this is the issue...that caused me to lose all respect for Heath Shuler. Calling a candidate forum a debate is a lie, and I have saved web pages to prove that the sponsors were calling them forums, not debates.

And the out of district forum held in Rutherford County...most of the attendees were from Buncombe County, and of a Progressive nature. I spoke with several people on the phone who have attested to that when I was chasing down the report of a debate in Rutherford County.

Taylor should have made an effort to be on the way to the studio, so Heath's planned Walk Out would have had less impact.
The Walk Out was a greater error in judgement, and we don't need a hothead in congress like John Kerry.

Matt Mittan makes it clear in the audio at the AC-T site that Taylor violated the agreement.

It's on audio that the moderator of the debate told Taylor to stop lying.

You can buy Taylor's lies, or you can listen to the audio and hear Matt Mittan tell the listeners that Taylor broke the rules.

Further, judging from the long awkward pause during Taylor's opening statement, he likely had his team feeding him lines. This was why it was important to have the men together, to protect against any sort of coaching.

Taylor blew it. Shuler just held him accountable.

Again, listening to the audio makes it clear that Shuler was calm in making his decision to hold Taylor accountable for breaking the rules.

And the JK comparison is really disingenuous.

The candidate forums could have been debates, but Taylor didn't bother to attend. If he'd attended, I'll bet they would've debated the bejesus out of each other.

Taylor wants it Taylor's way. He seems incapable of following the rules.

I guess that depends on the meaning of "is" as in a candidate forum "is" a debate?

Come on, Taylor gave him two shots.
The first was a hour-long infomercial, and the second a Mittan-moderated radio debate, with virtually no danger of hard questions.
As I said, an intelligent move would have been to make hay out of the no-show.
Shuler could have prefaced every reference to Taylor with, "my opponent, who is hiding out in the WHKP Bunker..." as so on and so forth.

Maybe you guys can put Shuler up again in 2008, or find a Progressive who isn't ashamed of what they believe and will give us more than straw man politics. I think maybe you should be the campaign manager, which would have been better than what he has. If I had sold my soul, I could have been his manager, and he would be 20 points ahead, instead of within the margin of error.

BTW, I have been polled, and gave every answer the opposite of what I felt...so don't trust the polls too much.

Talk at ya later...gotta go watch some movies. (Omen III, IV, and the new one)

This was entirely a Shuler dodge. The only reason the debate did not take place is because Shuler backed out, once again. Taylor did not hang up, Shuler walked out. Shuler knew when the time was changed from 5PM to 3PM that Taylor would be unable to attend in person that he would use this as a pretext for walking out and thus dodging an actual debate where he would have to think on his feet and submit to challenges. Shuler is a petulant, scheming coward.

Agreed. We need to counter the Progressive Spin on The Walk Out, although Dodge might offer us the opportunity to say, "I thought Heath played Football, not Dodgeball!"

that's not what Matt Mittan says:

AP: "Mittan said he spoke with Taylor spokeswoman Deborah Potter on Thursday after televised reports said Taylor might not attend the debate in person. Mittan said Potter confirmed the congressman would be in the studio, as was required by the rules of debate.

"They were the ones who made it very clear about being face to face," he said. Mittan said he learned Taylor would not be in the studio about 2 1/2 hours before the debate began."

Matt Mittan is not exactly known for being completely truthful in situations, I have heard him dissemble on many occasions. I know he will edit emails as short as 2 or three sentences that have one viewpoint, while he will read ones that agree with him that are more than a paragraph long.

Let's use the battling NC Legislative Surveys as an example:
The NCPPRG that was associated with Mark Crawford took a pounding from MIttan on air.
I sent him hard evidence that The NC Center for Responsive Politics was actually a Progressive front group, and he ignored it except to mention that some are calling it left-leaning.
I analyzed the links to their website, and they were vastly progressive in nature, and most of the conservative sites linking to the group, were identifying it as a progressive group.

Screwy, you've been in politics long enough to know when someone, or some group, touts themselves as being "non partisan," then watch-out, because the B.S. is about to fly! The same goes for self-described moderates. These guys and gals are simply waiting on a winner to associate themselves with, or don't have a dog in the fight. Or, they could be like West and Center, flying a false flag. Others have to operate under false pretenses because of the work environment, especially at the NC DOT and the North Carolina University System. Many County Employees have to hide their political affiliation.

All this just to say that Matt spent five years previous to WWNC bashing the left. He should remember that websites are forever, as long as someone either keeps the archive available, or someone mirrors it, or you know where to look. And there are those who have recorded...

If Heath or Matt really felt so strongly about "the rules," the show would have started with Matt explaining what had transpired. Instead, Heath, or his handlers, thought they could make more hay with this stunt, and avoid some hard questions at the same time.

Ten years ago, that would have been a win-win situation for both Heath and Matt. Not now. The stranglehold of the Main Stream, I mean Legacy Media, has over us has been loosened by the internet and a very few talk radio shows. And I can promise you that you have seen nothing yet. The 2008 Campaign will see our side populated with many more voices. Right now, there are a very few one-legged conservatives in this ***-kicking contest, that will change.

Is Heath planning on refusing to negotiate with other legislators because they "don't follow the rules?"

The M.I.A. Nancy Pelosi, and the Socialist Voting Bloc in The House would eat him alive, as they have all the other Blue Dogs, who are only Blue Dogs because that gets them elected.

The Legacy Media is working over-time to keep republicans at home, and I believe it may have backfired.

I will be posting more in a new article, a when this stupid word verification is convinced I'm not a Spambot!

The whole thing was a game for ratings. It had been advertised and promoted to the hilt. The big debate. ON the take a stand show. The best I remember my opponent said he would come on the air and then backed out. How much was said about that by the honest balanced Matt.

For this debate, what happened. Had anyone tried to get to Asheville from the west lately with all of the leaf lookers and the road construction on I-26.

Shuler walked out like a spoiled kid. Then the bigger kid actually said cut the mike off a sitting congressman.

This happened after Shuler slamed the President.

Shuler ran, Matt shut it down period. Immediately the phone lines were jammed and only a few pro taylor calls got into the studio. I know of five people trying to get in. They could not.


I know a 15 year old boy from Madison County that said when Matt shut off the mike for Taylor, we have just heard the beginning of the end for Matt.

That young man may be smarter than Shuler or Matt.

Matt should have continued the discussion with the ones that were there. All three had accepted the terms of the three or they would not have started the debate with opening comments. Once they both made opening comments they had committed themselves to the debate.

Hey Shuler ran, Matt turned off the mike to Taylor. Taylor stayed in the studio in Henderson and finished the hour. No wonder that Taylor did not want to walk into a trap. Matt proved it was a trap when he shut the door.

Matt you blew it and everyone that understands the geopolitical make up of NC knows it too. See where pearl jam gets you now.

You would think that Shuler's old football instincts would tell him that Taylors physical absence in the studio would be an advantage for Shuler.

Shuler could look Mittan in the eye and give hand and face signals and control the flow of conversation in ways that Taylor could not from afar.

In face of this advantage, Shuler threw that ball in the ground.

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