Following up on Sue’s previous diary… I was also dismayed by Governor Shumlin’s decision to cut down on the number of debates, but for a completely different reason.

The decision itself didn’t bother me much. Shumlin faces an underfunded and longshot challenger; it’s basic politics to limit the amount of time he shares a stage with Randy Brock. I’d be upset about it if he only wanted two or three debates, but he’s agreeing to at least five or six, which strikes me as an adequate number. Do we really need a dozen or more? (After a while, I stopped paying attention to the seemingly endless Sorrell/Donovan debates.)

And I don’t especially mind that Shumlin only wants media-sponsored debates. I’ve never before lived in a state where gubernatorial debates were sponsored by constituency groups; their absence wouldn’t trouble me much.

So, what did bother me? The Shumlin campaign’s transparently disingenuous bullshit about him being too busy governing to bother with campaigning.

Look, the Governorship is an elective office. Campaigning isn’t a distraction or an annoyance; it’s part of the job.

The Governor serves at the pleasure of the people. That means staying in touch with them and periodically seeking their approval. I get it that Shumlin is trying to position himself as a diligent administrator, but there’s a flip side to the “too busy for campaigning” notion: it lends credence to his reputation for arrogance. That’s not politically helpful.

So there’s my position on debates. Agree to a reasonable number, and I don’t much care where they are held or who sponsors them. But Governor, please stop pretending you’re above politics. You are a politician. Your job is a political one. And besides, you’re good at it. Why run away from it?

A better position would go something like this: Tell us that you enjoy campaigning, but that you have to balance it with the demands of the job. Be visible, both as a campaigner who loves interacting with people (or at least is good at pretending you are) and as a Governor, efficiently conducting the people’s business.

That’s not so hard, is it?