Noriega/Cornyn Senatorial Debate On PBS Tonight

The one and only time that Rick Noriega will be in a debate with Big Bad John Cornyn that will be seen throughout Texas is tonight. You will be able to see it on any PBS television station that broadcasts in Texas. It will be a one hour debate beginning at 8 PM. The Libertarian candidate will also be included in this debate for those who still have not gotten over Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged.

The debate comes at an interesting moment in the Noriega campaign, as it was just announced yesterday that Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairman Chuck Schumer had written off Texas, saying that Texas was out of reach. Or at least that is what they were saying at MSNBC. They later corrected themselves. From MSNBC:

“For the record, Schumer said Texas might be difficult. He declared it ‘expensive. That’s the problem.’”

Which is exactly why Schumer and others were simply drooling at Mikal Watts’ self-funded campaign early last year.

Drooling.

Then later, Rick Miller, a Schumer staffer, came back and made it clear that MSNBC got it wrong. All wrong. From The Chron’s political blog

“But late this afternoon, Schumer spokesman Matt Miller said MSNBC had misunderstood what Schumer was saying. Miller said Schumer was saying the committee was not spending any money on television advertising in Texas right now because the state is too big and too expensive. Miller said that did not mean Schumer was giving up on Noriega. ‘We're in no way writing off Texas, and it doesn't mean he (Noriega) won't get some money in the future,’ Miller said.”

Well I’m glad they cleared that one up before the debate. It would be pretty difficult to face an opponent who knows that his own party has written off the race as unwinnable.

Now I guess we are all wondering about how far into “the future” Miller was talking about. Because if "the future" is further than 26 days away, I guess they can keep their money.