Sobyanin Will Not Debate Navalny At the campaign headquarters of Moscow’s acting mayor, the refusal to take part in televised debates is being explained by a desire to avoid rudeness on air and by the alleged frivolity of his opponents. Read in full
And the explanation is simple: we ourselves allow them to treat us this way. Anyone seeking power is obliged to do what is expected of a public politician. Taking part in debates is one of the most important obligations. Those who neglect it should be torn apart by the press and the public. Their gnawed political bones should be left bleaching in the sun. And yet, year after year, we hear the same thing: they’re lightweight; we have no time, we’re administrators; professionals should not play with street-corner boys, and so on.
A candidate seeking power in a city of 15 million people, yet afraid to discuss the city’s problems with his rivals, is simply insulting both Moscow and Moscow’s voters. That is what real rudeness looks like. We, the campaign headquarters, will respond to this rudeness by stepping up our efforts to break through the blockade in electronic media through direct communication with voters, campaigning on the streets and so on. And the voters, for their part, will be able to answer this rudeness with their vote.