“I hate all politics. I don’t like either political party. One should not belong to them—one should be an individual, standing in the middle. Anyone that belongs to a party stops thinking.”
Those are the words of renowned science fiction writer Ray Bradbury, who died this past June, just as the summer campaign season got underway. I’m sure he believed every word. He would probably rejoice in knowing that our KET candidate programs are over and that the election — unless Hurricane Sandy’s damages cause interruptions to the schedule — is next week.
Throughout the summer, our “Kentucky Tonight” program endeavored to bring you serious discussion on key issues: Medicare, jobs and the economy, and foreign policy among many others.
This fall, candidates in all 6 congressional districts gathered to debate the issues. I thought we had solid, thoughtful, and reasoned conversations. We brought you some new candidates, 3 of the 5 incumbents who are seeking reelection, a couple of independent candidates, and a Democrat and a Republican running for an open seat in the 4th district.
Bill Goodman with 6th congressional district candidates Andy Barr, Ben Chandler, and Randolph Vance on “Kentucky Tonight” set
Monday night, candidates in the 6th Congressional District—incumbent Democrat Ben Chandler, Republican challenger Andy Barr, and Independent candidate Randolph Vance—met for the first, last, and only appearance on “Kentucky Tonight.” It was a robust discussion, to say the least.
I want to thank viewers and listeners in the 6th district who took the time to Tweet, e-mail, and call us with your questions, comments, and opinions; for those of you who wondered or asked about how fair I was with the timing of the forum, it breaks down like this:
- Chandler-23 minutes, 21 seconds
- Barr-19 minutes, 21 seconds
- Vance-5 minutes, 15 seconds
My apologies to Mr. Vance…he had a lot of interesting things to say.
As far as criticism of the moderator, it was mixed. Some thought I was partial to Barr or was partial to Chandler, some of you had compliments, some of you probably wished I had stayed home.
One person e-mailed, “It’s very apparent whose side Mr. Goodman is on. He is interrupting guests and even interrupts himself. Where’s his manners?”
My only goal was to be fair to all and have a vigorous discussion of the issues.
Watch the 6th Congressional District candidates on “Kentucky Tonight”
“Kentucky Tonight” airs on Mondays at 8 pm ET
Is this the first statewide election in Kentucky history where social media has played a major, significant role in campaigning and advertising?
It has come down to this: We will be less than 24 hours from knowing who will serve as governor and lieutenant governor for the next four years when we’re on the air tonight for Kentucky Tonight‘s last campaign program before Election Day tomorrow. And we’re doing it with an all-star line-up that includes: