The SF Chronicle ran a story this morning about the refusal of Gov Davis
to allow a guest in the room during a planned debate today with Wm.
Simon. Simon invited the Green candidate, Peter Camejo as his guest.
The LA Times is quoted below as being concerned with integrity.
Gene Coyle
Today's long-awaited debate between Democratic Gov. Gray Davis
and Republican Bill Simon could be scrapped over a dispute about
what to do with Green Party candidate Peter Camejo.
Simon has threatened to pull out if the Los Angeles Times, the
debate's sponsor, does not allow Camejo to attend as his guest.
Davis' campaign has said the governor won't show up if Camejo is
even in the audience.
Camejo said Sunday that he has been banned from the debate,
invited to attend and then barred once again by the Times, all in the
course of a day. He plans to be there, invitation in hand, for the
noon debate, which is the only one scheduled in the campaign.
"All I'm asking for is the most minimal respect," he said. "If the
governor is so insane that he won't debate Bill Simon because I'm in
the room, that's his problem, not mine."
The Times responded Sunday afternoon with a prepared statement
saying that Camejo is not going to be allowed in the newspaper's
downtown headquarters, where the debate is scheduled to take
place.
"The Camejo campaign has made several attempts to place their
candidate into the debate or into the media room on the debate
day," David Garcia, a spokesman for the Times, said in the
statement. "This pattern of behavior has led us to decide that we're
not willing to risk the integrity of the debate" by allowing Camejo
to
attend.
<snip>
