Wonder Why Corrupt Blue Dog Tim Holden Is Afraid To Debate Matt Cartwright?

Polls show corrupt Blue Dog Tim Holden losing the Democratic primary in two weeks to progressive Matt Cartwright. Holden is running a series of negative slash and burn ads against Cartwright that seem to be backfiring. And he's getting the money for these ads from the Koch brothers, who appreciate the key role he played in passing the Halliburton Loophole that allows for fracking all over Pennsylvania. Local papers are reporting that Holden, who has never represented over 70% of the newly redrawn 17th CD, is still refusing to face Cartwright man to man and debate him in front of voters.

U.S. Rep. Tim Holden, in the midst of a competitive primary battle against fellow Democrat Matt Cartwright, said Tuesday there will be no formal debates against his challenger before the April 24 primary.

Citing his job duties as a 10-term congressman plus the rigors of campaigning against a rare primary election opponent, Holden said he doesn’t have the time to debate. He also said he believes the public has a pretty good idea thanks to news media and campaign efforts where both candidates stand on the issues.

The decision is a digression from the Holden campaign’s comments made on March 15. At that time, Eric Nagy, a campaign spokesman, said while Cartwright’s request for a debate in all six counties in the 17th Congressional District was not feasible, one debate was likely.

...When asked why no debate could be held on a weekend or at night in the next two weeks, Holden said it was a scheduling issue.

“I don’t know what his schedule looks like, but I’m booked right through this election,” Holden said.

...“I don’t know what to say about a man who will circulate vicious falsehoods on television about me and my family and then refuse to face me in person,” Cartwright said. “He can’t defend his record of voting to create the Halliburton loophole and against health care reform even though he has access to the best health care in the world. He’s hiding from his own record and it’s a disservice to the people of the 17th District. Period.”

Shane Seaver, a spokesman for the Cartwright campaign, said he reached out to Eric Nagy, his counterpart at the Holden camp, two weeks ago on setting up debates and never got a response.

He said Cartwright is willing and able to shuffle his schedule any time leading up to the primary to debate Holden.

Holden, one of the very few Democrats caught accepting bribes from Jack Abramoff, is now one of the very few Democrats accepting bribes from the Koch brothers. In a press release, the Cartwright camp urged him to return the Koch blood money and to try behaving like a real Democrat for once in his miserable career:

Five minutes on Google, and any American who doesn’t want our environment destroyed, all labor laws eliminated, no limits on Wall Street traders, our judicial system in chains, and the federal government out of business so the age of robber barons can return would tell Tim Holden, “Give that money back.”

"Tim Holden has said he will begin voting more like a Democrat,” Matt Cartwright recounts from statements Mr. Holden has made since beginning his 2012 campaign. “Well, this is his first chance to prove it. Give the money back. It’s that simple. These guys want nothing less than to destroy the Democratic Party, so they can help turn the USA into their own China with no regulations, no labor laws and no legal system. Give the money back. And then stand before the people you seek to represent and debate the issues.” 

Last week, a documentary on the Koch brothers was released a few hours after a Wisconsin newspaper exposed an FBI investigation involving the two billionaires. The video can be seen here:  http://www.kochbrothersexposed.com/  Some facts:

·        Koch Industries began in the Soviet Union with engineering contracts under Joseph Stalin, and today they are worth more than $50 billion, a fortune exceeded only in America by Bill Gates.

·        Their business is among the top ten polluters in the United States. One product they produce that has received little attention is formaldehyde. They produced 2.2 billion pounds last year while working to keep it from being classified as a carcinogen. (Sounds like the Halliburton loophole. No need to wonder where they came down on that. The same as Tim Holden.)

·        They have pledged $60 million to defeat Obama, after they began the American Energy Alliance, which is already spending millions on the same cause and after spending tens of millions trying to defeat health care reform. (Can anyone recall which Democrat from Pennsylvania opposed this core Democratic initiative?)

Blue America is running billboards in key areas all over the district, highlighting Holden's pivotal role in the fracking catastrophe. If you're interested in helping replace Holden with Matt Cartwright, you can do so on this ActBlue page. Here's one of the billboards: