I've got to give KYW reporters Steve Tawa and Mike Dunn a lot of credit.
They had the five Democrats running for mayor in their radio station this morning for a live debate and they made the most of the 60 minutes.
No softballs here. In the first round of questioning, they pounced on each with a pointed question that had some of the candidates sputtering in protest.
First victim: Bob Brady. Brady was asked about his role in 2003 in blaming the Bush White House and Justice Department for the federal probe into the Street administration.
Brady and the Democratic political apparatus (including Chaka Fattah) saved John Street's bacon in that election by making it a referendum on the much-hated Bush. Later, Brady said the allegations of a political probe were B.S.
Tawa asked Brady is he had 2nd thoughts about using that tactic, especially given his later statements. He had Brady sputtering, making a nondenial about the B.S. quote. (Cue up boos here over Brady's less than credible answer.)
Later, it was Tom Knox's turn. The novice has a thin skin and a tendency never to take blame. He did it again on the issue of his involvement in payday loans. Knox said he didn't. By the way, he doesn't call them payday loans. He calls them "micro loans." Also, when asked about the Committee of Seventy's call for Knox to voluntarily cap his spending in the mayor's race, Knox said he had never heard of the demand.
It was in the papers, Tawa said.
I don't have time to read the papers, the candidate replied. (Cue up the sound of laughter on that one.)
Similar dart were aimed at the others, though Fattah, Nutter and Evans proved more adept at ducking them.But, Fattah did complain about the questions at one point, saying he wished the radio guys would focus more on the issues facing the city.
"I'm sure youo can find something to pick apart with any of us," he scolded.
You can listen to the 60-minute debate at KYW's web site.
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Great Expectations is a civic engagement project brought to you by The Inquirer and the University of Pennsylvania. Check out the Great Expectations Web site.
Chris Satullo is an Inquirer columnist and former editor of The Inquirer's Editorial Page. He was a founder of the Great Expectations project, which focuses on civic engagement and the issues in Philadelphia's 2007 mayoral race.
Tom Ferrick, a former Inquirer reporter, worked on the Great Expectations project throughout 2007 and into 2008.Other members of the Editorial Board will be weighing in on the blog, as will Harris Sokoloff and Jodie Chester Lowe, members of the Great Expectations team.
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