Pols burn much energy and time debating over debates

It happens every election season, the debate debate. It must be stuffed next to the Hammurabi Code on the shelf of "Early Political Acts by Civilized Man."

First you get rules and then you dare your opponents to argue about the rules.

Hawaii voters endured an entire primary election season listening to various candidates challenge each other to debate and then question their dedication to democracy if they don’t immediately pick up the challenge.

According to the political dance, right after the debate, both sides announce they won and their followers are available to marvel before the news media about their candidate’s performance.

Some campaigns have taken to texting supporters during the debate, to point out why their opponent was losing.

Even before the debate, the simple act of deciding whether or not to debate becomes an issue.

The problem with making an issue out of whether or not your opponent will debate you is not so much that you are hinting that your opponent is tongue-tied, slow or shy — but if they accept, you no longer have an issue. Then you are forced to lean on your record, ideas and merit.

Former Rep. Ed Case got perhaps the most coverage from challenging Rep. Mazie Hirono to debate him in the Democratic primary campaign to fill Sen. Daniel K. Akaka’s Senate seat. But when she agreed to meet him live for 90 minutes of live television, the "debate issue" went poof.

These cautions have not stopped former Gov. Linda Lingle and Hirono from continuing to chew on each other about whether or not they would debate.

Hirono led off on primary election night in her victory speech, calling out the former governor.

"So I say to Linda Lingle tonight — let’s go. Let’s have debates on the issues and what is right for Hawaii — on every major television station in our state," Hirono said.

Lingle responded raising the ante, announcing that she and Hirono have been invited to 18 meetings and had accepted all 18, but who knows about Hirono.

That forced the Hirono camp to go back into the archives and discover "that in the 2006 election, Lingle reluctantly agreed to just one debate against her Democratic opponent Randy Iwase. Lingle’s sole debate was on Oct. 6, 2006, just one month before the general election."

The Hirono campaign then took to stalking Lingle’s appearances where Lingle had noted that Hirono didn’t show and pointing out that nobody was coming to just hear Lingle speak.

"At the candidate forum that Linda Lingle attended last night, the audience was a no-show. Lingle’s campaign quickly realized that this would look bad on the live Web broadcast of the forum, so she had her staff move the camera before the start of the forum," Hirono’s campaign said in news release with accompanying photos.

It was enough to make you pine for just one more debate over the Jones Act.

Finally, some debate rationality was imposed and the Lingle camp joined the Hirono camp in a decision to hold five joint appearances. Interested voters will be able to catch them next month at a Japanese Chamber of Commerce meeting.

In October, Hirono and Lingle are to debate on KHON, KITV, PBS and Hawaii News Now.

More events in school cafeterias and neighbor island meeting halls would be better, but this should be enough to allow the candidates to highlight their differences and ideas.

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Richard Borreca writes on politics on Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays. Reach him at rborreca@staradvertiser.com.