http://mycn2.com/politics/chandler-talks-funding-for-agents-and-drug-tracking-system-and-why-he-ll-only-debate-once

Publication Date: October 03, 2012

Author: Ryan Alessi

Chandler talks funding for agents and drug tracking system and why he'll only debate once

10/03/2012 06:41 PM

U.S. Rep. Ben Chandler said he would consider a tax on pharmaceutical companies as a way to pay for a national prescription pill tracking system aimed at cracking down on pain pill abuse.

In one part of an extended interview on Wednesday’s Pure Politics, Chandler talked about the need for more federal agents and the drug tracking system (0:10-3:10).

Chandler, who is running for re-election, faces Republican Andy Barr in a rematch from 2010 and Randolph Vance, a convenience store worker who was a write-in candidate in 2010, also is running as an independent candidate.

The candidates are slated to appear on KET’s Kentucky Tonight on Oct. 29 — as perhaps their only joint televised appearance of the election. Chandler explained why he doesn’t plan to do any more debates and why that’s different from when he ran for governor in 2003 and wanted to debate his then-opponent, Republican Ernie Fletcher, on a joint bus tour across the state. (At that time, Chandler talked of Augustus Stanely and Edwin Morrow, who famously campaigned against each other at joint town-hall meetings in the 1915 governor’s race.) He addresses what changed starting at 3:30 of the video:

In an online extra, here’s the rest of the discussion with Chandler about whether he could agree to more debates if the candidates renounce ads from outside groups.

About Ryan Alessi

Ryan Alessi joined cn|2 in May 2010 as senior managing editor and host of Pure Politics. He has covered politics for more than 10 years, including 7 years as a reporter for the Lexington Herald-Leader. Follow Ryan on Twitter @cn2Alessi. Ryan can be reached at 502-792-1135 or ryan.alessi@twcable.com.

Comments

  • Sam Freeman wrote on October 04, 2012 09:19 PM :

    Chandler is pathetic. This Nancy Pelosi minion wants the government to control free speech. He whines about money, yet he has his own PAC (Kentucky Forward) that he uses to toss money around to leftists. It’s time to take this piece of garbage out of office and replace him with someone with Kentucky values who wouldn’t try to saddle the nation with another era of Pelosi as Speaker.

  • Eunice Logan wrote on October 05, 2012 05:41 PM :

    Gee… why won’t Chandler debate more than once???? He’s the only politician I know of who has TWICE been picketed by a big yellow chicken!

    The first chicken appeared back in 1995, when Chandler was running for Attorney General. He refused debates with his opponent, so a guy in a chicken suit was dispatched to walk up and down in front of the Capitol Annex which housed the state auditor’s office occupied by Chandler. Statement from Chandler’s opponent: “If it takes a yellow chicken to get people’s attention that there’s a candidate here who refuses to come out and debate, then that’s what we’re going to do!”

    Then in 2010, another big yellow chicken showed up at KET for the Barr-Chandler debate; again the only dual appearance Chandler would agree to. Ben was out of his car and safely inside the KET lobby in 18 seconds flat! Not hanging around out in public! (Yes, I timed him later from video….)
    http://www.seebenspend.com/biography.html

    The only unanswered question about Chandler is this: what kind of chicken is he? Free range, or the regular hen-house variety? Whichever, look for him to lay an egg on debate night! There is sure to be a good bit of clucking…. He doesn’t take opposition well.

  • Randolph Vance wrote on October 05, 2012 09:00 PM :

    It would have been LESS than 18 seconds, but I made it a point to shake his hand in 2010 before he went into the KET building for the Chandler-Barr debate.

    http://tinyurl.com/rvance

    http://facebook.com/RandolphVanceForCongress

  • Ed Tackett wrote on October 08, 2012 08:54 PM :

    Debate? The man won’t even hold town hall meetings with voters in his district. It’s because the longer he speaks in public the stupider people think he is.

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