No Debating Hilleary’s Hypocrisy

Last Thursday, Van Hilleary issued a press release criticizing Bob Corker for accepting an invitation to the Associated Press’s debate in Nashville rather than an invitation to the Main Street Journal’s debate in Memphis. Hilleary spokeswoman Jennifer Coxe specifically criticized “Corker's refusal to commit to the scheduled debate with his primary opponents.”

While we are confident Corker will beat Bryant and Hilleary soundly in the Associated Press debate as well as the debates that follow, the real story in Hilleary’s press release is Hilleary’s hypocrisy. In the 2002 Republican gubernatorial primary, Hilleary refused to debate Jim Henry. Specifically, Hilleary refused Henry’s offer to have a debate in each of the state’s six media markets. For example, Hilleary refused a Knoxville debate sponsored jointly by the News-Sentinel and WBIR-TV, two of the largest media outlets in the Knoxville area.

Hilleary’s press release raises questions about Hilleary’s hypocrisy – not Corker’s desire to debate. If Tennesseans want a solid, “strong-kneed” Republican Senator, I can guarantee you that it is not Mr. Hilleary.