McCollum - Scott "Debate" Insults Floridians?

[stjr]

If you want a few laughs (sadly), read the transcript of this "debate" between Scott and McCollum.  While both candidates come across as very shallow in their stances, Scott hits the lower lows.  Consider this as either an insult to the intelligence of Florida voters or a sad commentary on the electorate that we accept this as a standard for discussion of the State's issues.

Extra Extra: McCollum-Scott debate transcript from Univision in Miami

Submitted by Joe Adams on August 20, 2010 - 2:28pm From the editorial page

For those hungry for more views on key issues by governor candidates Bill McCollum and Rick Scott, here’s some fresh reading you won’t want to miss.

Courtesy of the kind folks at Univision, read an English-language version of the recent McCollum-Scott debate as hosted recently by Univision at its Miami TV headquarters and carried in Spanish by the station and various affiliates in Florida.

[Transcript: http://news.jacksonville.com/specials/pdfs/univisiondebate.pdf ]

The debate was one of only two between the candidates before this Tuesday's primary election. See the Univision debate in segments here on the Univision Web site. The other debate, hosted by Fox News 13 in Tampa, can be found in pieces on the Fox News 13 Web site but does not include a transcript. And neither of the debates were televised statewide, which was unfortunate for voters.

By the way, I noted in a previous blog that I had trouble getting the Univision videos to play. But that apparently had to do with technical difficulties with my computer and not Univision.

In the Univision debate, panelists asked the questions in Spanish, McCollum and Scott answered in English and their responses were dubbed in Spanish for Univision’s audience.

The English translation of the debate provided by Univision offers those with limited or no Spanish-speaking or reading skills the ability to learn what the candidates said that night on such issues as job creation, helping Floridians avoid foreclosures, property taxes, illegal immigration and education.

Readers can also catch a good deal of jousting between the two candidates who sought to land square punches against the other’s credibility. Given the Hispanic audience, some of the questions and answers are geared specifically to Hispanics, which you would expect in this case.

Much of what the public has heard from these two candidates has come from their combative TV ads, which have been about as bent on defining the other candidate’s positions as outlining their own.

So these 18 pages are about the best chance you’ll have to get the full dose of what the candidates said in one of the two debates.

The questions at the Univision debate came from Univision anchor/political reporter Sandra Peebles, El Nuevo Herald Editor Manny Garcia and Miami Univision Radio show host Bernadette Pardo. Mario Andres Moreno, Univision's "Noticias 23" (News 23) news anchor, moderated the debate.

Thanks again to Univision for hosting the debate and for providing an English-language transcript to the Times-Union that can enlighten people who want more insights into the candidates.

http://jacksonville.com/opinion/blog/406107/joe-adams/2010-08-20/extra-extra-mccollum-scott-debate-transcript-univision

As an example, just read the section regarding an answer (starts on page 13) about the future of the sorry state of our education system and where the funding for improving it will come. Just platitudes.  No substantive answers provided.

Question: Florida ranks 36th in the nation in terms of how much we spend per student
in our public schools. The current downturn in the economy continues to
affect our state's funding for education. What alternatives do you propose to
bring more money to Florida's public school system? We’re going to start
with Mr. Scott.

Scott: Well, education is clearly for the benefit of children, and everything we think
about with regard to our education policy has to be what’s good for our
children. So what’s good for our children is we need to make sure that we
get the best teachers, you get the best teachers by paying the best. So we
have to have a measurement program that’s fair to teachers and fair to our
students. My daughter teaches, my second daughter teaches special needs
children, and when you look at measurement systems you clearly have to
measure them differently. We have to pay the best teachers the most; we
have to measure them fairly. Now, on top of that, we’ve got to take, use
technology to our benefit. You know the world has changed; we’ve got the
ability to use the internet to teach our children better. We’ve got to make
sure we do that. Finally, we have got to give parents the right to choose
where their children go. If we do that to the parents, they will figure out the
best schools and they will take care of our children the best.

McCollum: Our three sons, Ingrid and my three sons, all went to the public schools of
Florida. I understand Florida’s schools. I also understand what Gov. Jeb
Bush did to give us an accountability system; one that does measure the
progress of schools and students and as a result of that reading and math
tests, especially among 4th graders, has gone up dramatically, and I am very
proud of the fact that Gov. Bush has endorsed me for the governor. There’s
a reason why he’s done that and part of what I’m doing and my plan that’s
up on the website which you can find, I haven’t seen Mr. Scott’s plan on his,
is to layout how I would go about improving our schools, first with merit pay
for teachers, second we’re phasing out tenure for new teachers,
particularly, and third creating more choice in the system which is very
important for us to do. But it concerns me a lot what I’ve read Rick, in the
papers recently, if it’s true I’d like you to comment on it, about what you
suggested that color should be a factor in our schools. And you said that
schools have 70% minority students who have different issues. The system
is the problem, not students. Every child has the ability to learn equally.

Scott: Sure, if we’re going to fix our education system, if we need more funding for
our system, the only way we are going to be able to afford that is by growing
the Economy. That’s what I’ve done; I’ve built businesses all my life. My 7-7-
7 plan will do that. We will grow this economy, so we will have more
funding, so we can make sure that our children have absolutely get the best
education they can get, so they can have jobs in any industry we that we
have here in Florida.

[CS Foltz]

Neither one of them have enough brains to pour pee out of a shoe without picture instructions! Not only am I insulted.......I will not vote for either one! Mickey Mouse could do a better job and he is a cartoon!

[reednavy]

The more I think about it, I can see Sink winning by a heavy margin over either one of these dumbasses. I don't care for McCollum and Scott is just a scary, arrogant jackass with no experience and will do unbelieveable harm to the State of Florida.

[buckethead]

http://www.youtube.com/v/lj3iNxZ8Dww



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww

I suppose I shouldn't call someone stupid when I can't even manage to embed a youtube video.

[stjr]

I suppose I shouldn't call someone stupid when I can't even manage to embed a youtube video.

Based on current political standards, she qualifies for high office!  But, then, this is a beauty contest (just as our races for political office have become) and she seems to be imminently qualified.   

By the way, she represents South Carolina, home to the famous Governor Mark Sanford who used state funds to fly off to Brazil and see his mistress without telling even his closest aides where he was!  And, then had them say he went hiking on the Appalachian Trail and was unreachable.  Until the press was waiting at the Atlanta airport when he returned from Brazil. Uuuuuhhhhhh?....!!