Barack Obama Rejects Hillary Clinton's Call for Indiana Debate By Kim Chipman April 27 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama rejected rival Hillary Clinton's challenge to debate ahead of primaries in Indiana and North Carolina, saying he wants to focus on speaking directly to voters. ``We're not going to have debates between now and Indiana,'' Illinois Senator Obama said in an interview that aired today on Fox News Sunday. Obama dismissed the claim he's dodging another one-on-one, nationally televised encounter with New York Senator Clinton before the May 6 primaries. Obama has participated in 21 debates, including four exclusively with Clinton. ``I'm not ducking,'' he said in his first interview with Fox News since declaring his candidacy. ``We've had 21. What we've said is with two weeks, two big states, we want to make sure that we're talking to as many folks as possible on the ground, taking questions from voters.'' Clinton said yesterday that she wanted to debate Obama with no moderators. ``Just the two of us going for 90 minutes, asking and answering questions,'' Clinton said while campaigning in South Bend, Indiana. ``We'll set whatever rules seem fair.'' Clinton, who trails Obama in total delegates, is fighting to build on momentum gained after winning last week's Pennsylvania primary. After the candidates' last debate, held April 17 in Philadelphia, Obama hinted he might be finished debating Clinton, dismissing the forums as little more than a chance for her to ``twist the knife.'' `Tough Questions' Clinton, referring to that debate, said, ``Senator Obama's supporters complained a little bit about the tough questions.'' ``The tough questions in a debate are nothing compared to the tough questions you get asked when you're president,'' Clinton, 60, said. Obama, 46, has said the Philadelphia debate ``set a new record'' because ``it took us 45 minutes before we even started talking about a single issue that matters to the American people.'' In the Fox News interview, Obama said Clinton won more blue- collar voters in Pennsylvania because ``they are less familiar with me than they are with her, and so we probably have to work a little bit harder.'' ``I've got to be more present. I've got to be knocking on more doors. I've got to be hitting more events,'' he said. To contact the reporter on this story: Kim Chipman in Washington, at kchipman@bloomberg.net. Last Updated: April 27, 2008 10:46 EDT http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p..._i8&refer=home
Barack is ducking and dodging. To claim otherwise is dishonest. Frankly, Senator Obama should have ducked and dodged a long time ago. He's not as good at debating as Hillary Clinton. There's no shame in that, just like there's no shame in being a politician, which he is. I don't blame Clinton trying to get as many debates as possible, since they tend to help her and hurt him. Will it hurt him to refuse? We'll see. Impeach Bush.
What? The GREAT UNITER is afraid to engage in dialogue? What a fraud this guy is... He's runnin scared folks...
The losing campaign always insists on more debates and the winning one always demures, regardless of who's better at debating. The only meaningful difference here is that it took 21 debates for the winning candidate to finally demure. Unless I'm mistaken, that's by far the most debates in any race for any office in any country ever. Hillary is desperate and she is trying every single thing she can think of to change the game that she has already lost.
So she lost despite winning the popular vote count to date? That doesn't seem right. Sincerely, Liberals after Nov 2000
Obama, whose supporters cite his oratory skills as being a big draw for them, refuses to debate. Does that not invalidate this perceived strength? If he has no experience, isn't his candidacy built on words? If he won't debate, what does that leave him with? Don't you think he owes it to the voters of Indiana and North Carolina to give them their due and address issues important to them? Chickenschitt move by Obama... it's hard to 'bring people together' when you refuse to get together for a dialogue... More of Obama's hypocrisy EXPOSED... no cred
LOL. Jorge doesn't even know that voters in Indiana and North Carolina have access to network and cable television and, just like the rest of us, saw as many of the 21 debates as they cared to. Talk about out of touch...
As the one who is behind, it was obligatory of Hillary to demand another debate. 21 debates is more than enough and good for him for declining. Now she can try to manufacture another campaign issue for NC & IN that has nothing to do with anything. I want the Dem contest to end and the general election campaign to start. It isn't very often that I can consider voting for either major party candidate. Bring on McCain vs. Obama soon.
It wants yet another debate?? It's still not dead yet?? I believe that any further discussion of it from here on out should take place here: http://bbs.clutchfans.net/showthread.php?p=3651546#post3651546
seriously, what's left to debate? They've talk about the same thing every time, and now it's all fluff and stuff that has nothing to do about american lives. Hilary wants to debate in every state on every day to put her on an equal stage as a front-runner.
I think it was a commentator from NewsHour who claimed the debates and mini flaps did not create any significant dents into the poling numbers. Dem voters at those states had mostly made up their minds and the undecideds didn't cause any distrubance in trends. More debates at this juncture is tired and superfluous. Well maybe not for deeply vested lapel pin manufacturers.
