No Energy Debate

The Greater Houston Partnership has been trying to put together an energy debate for the presidential candidates since October. The debate was scheduled to occur on February 28, 2008 – a week after the recently announced debate at UT (which took a total of 10 days to set up). In early February Barack Obama wouldn’t commit to the debate, and now according to a recent press release there won’t be a debate – just a speech to be made by Hillary Clinton. I’m disappointed that after over twenty debates by the democratic candidates they were given a chance to discuss a topic I think is of most concern to America and they are not taking the opportunity. While it’s good that there will be a debate held on campus (besides that it means I can’t go to my cycling classes for FIVE whole days, because the candidates are debating in the Recreational Sports Center! and the attendance is by an invitation only basis), I feel that the choice to hold the debate in Austin is probably the reason there will be no Houston debate. For those republican voters out there: Ron Paul has confirmed to be in attendance, but not John McCain. I am now reconsidering my voting choice for the coming primary on March 4^th. For the past several months I thought I would definitely vote for Obama, and now I’m really on the fence, because I feel this is such an important topic which might not have been as important to him as I thought based on his failure to attend this debate. I know there are other factors at play – Obama want the young vote and Austin is a young hip vibrant city, but he has also come to visit Austin twice since beginning his campaign. I’ll wait to see what Hillary says in her speech on the 28^th, and I’m sure it will be a topic of discussion when the candidates meet in Austin – though I doubt there will be anything said of substance more than what has been said in the past 20 something debates that have already taken place – before I make a discussion, but I’m definitely giving my vote more thought that I had before.