I think it’s fair to say that 5th CD Republican Party congressional nominee Robert Hurt is not exactly getting rave reviews for his decision to flip flop on debating the tea party candidate in the race, Jeffrey Clark. To read what Clark has to say, click here. For now, an excerpt will do:
I was disappointed to hear of Senator Hurt’s change of position or the mix up that occurred concerning his opinion on the issue of the upcoming debates. I understand he believes that unless you have the money and backing you have no legitimate claim to be included in the political process because you risk being nothing more than a distraction in the important debate of how the two political parties intend to best govern us in the future.
On this matter, I respectfully must disagree with Mr. Hurt. Although it is true I am not independently wealthy and am nothing more than a common citizen that does not have the backing of the political parties…
Anyway, you get the idea — Jeffrey Clark is not happy with Robert Hurt. Not that this is surprising, given Clark’s need to appear in debates to have any chance at all of winning this election. Still, the fact is that Hurt did seem to flip flop on this one, apparently once his boss Chris LaCivita knocked some sense into him, and Clark’s not pleased.
Meanwhile, the Roanoke Times weighs in, writing that “Hurt, state senator who spent six years in the House of Delegates, should have nothing to fear.” Except that Hurt clearly does have something to fear, namely that Clark might take votes away from him and tip the election to Tom Perriello. It makes sense from a purely political point of view. The problem for Hurt is that this is about as anti-political a year as you’ll ever see. Does Hurt really want to be acting like a typical, calculating, conniving politician in the year of the Tea Partiers? Something tells me, in the end, that Jeffrey Clark will end up in these debates — whether Hurt’s puppet master, Chris LaCivita, likes it or not!
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