De-bate or not debate? That is the question...

Incumbent Senator Patty Murray has agreed to only two debates with Dino Rossi, her Republican challenger.  A spokesperson for Murray said more than two would not be possible, with her busy Senate schedule, yet Murray has a history of "limiting debates."  This is typical of incumbents for the House and Senate, and Murray has continued in style, with agreeing to only one debate 1998 with her challenger, Linda Smith.  However, Dino Rossi is pushing his point across to the public: "Sen. Murray is shortchanging you and the other voters of our state by denying them the chance to hear directly from her about her votes which have jeopardized the economy and put our fellow citizens out of work." 

Brunner, Jim. "Rossi accuses Murray of "shortchanging" voters on debates." Seattle Times (2010): n. pag. Web. 18 Oct 2010. <http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/politicsnorthwest/2012908623_rossipressesmurrayondebates.html?prmid=obinsource>.

October 14 was the first of the two debates between our Senate candidates.  The two focal points were the economy and the war in the Middle East.  Dino Rossi believes that health care and stimulus spending are destroying our economy, and he supports tax cuts for those earning $200, 000.  Patty Murray, on the other hand, feels tax cuts for the wealthy will "destabilize Social Security and halt the cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and hurt student loan and construction projects that repair dams and other infrastructure."  She supports tax cuts for those earning less than $200, 000.  As for America's military controversies, Patty Murray feels the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy should be thrown out, and that sexual orientation should not be a means for dismissal in the military.  She also supports a withdrawal timetable of our military from Iraq and Afghanistan.  Dino Rossi says he is, "waiting for a study that is under way before deciding whether gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military."  He feels that a withdrawal timetable of our armed forces will aid terrorists by allowing them to manipulate attacks pending our departure. After this first debate of the 2010 Senate race, not much has changed. Both candidates are well known around the state, and so are their position's on many topics. Critics say that there was no clear winner to this first debate. A Spokane news reporter states that this is because both candidates were, "keeping it fairly safe." With both candidates avoiding getting into the most controversial topics in whatever way they could, it places more importance on the second and final debate.

Brunt, Jonathan. "Economy the focus of Murray-Rossi debate." Spokesman Review (2010): n. pag. Web. 18 Oct 2010. http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/oct/14/economy-focus-murray-rossi-debate/.


Allen, M. (2010, Oct 15). Murray - rossi debate ends in a draw. Retrieved from http://www.kxly.com/news/25408719/detail.html 

The second debate between Rossi and Murray occurred on October 17, and focused once more on the economy.  However, other important issues were healthcare, immigration, and the ever present "earmark."  Whilst Dino Rossi contends that earmarks are wrong and mentions how cutting them would improve the economy, Patty Murray feels they are "allocations" from the federal government, and often provide solutions to local projects.  Border control politics also raised disagreements.  Rossi was vague in his answer on whether children of illegal immigrants could embark on a path to citizenship, saying instead that the United States needs, "a high fence and a tall gate."  Murray, however, feels these children should be given the opportunity for citizenship, especially if they are going to college or joining the military.  Last, but not least, the highly contended health care bill sparked a great debate among the candidates.
Rossi: "Was that the part that calls for fines for people who don’t buy health insurance, tax increases to pay for it or more bureaucrats to administer it?"
Murray: "Glad you asked," Murray replied, saying she wrote the section to expand programs for family doctors in medical schools.

Camden, Jim. "Murray, Rossi debate taxes, earmarks, stimulus." Spokesman Review (2010): n. pag. Web. 18 Oct 2010. <http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2010/oct/18/senate-rivals-spar-again/>.