| Yesterday, Dr. Kevin Hardwick hosted a debate on WBEN featuring Alice Kryzan and Chris Lee, the Democratic and Republican candidates for Congress in the 26th congressional district, respectively.
I listened and was very disappointed at the end. Hardwick didn't do his job yesterday. Sure, he ran the debate and asked the usual and predictable questions, but he didn't ask Lee about the incident involving Lee and breaking into a company's computers nearly 20 years ago. That incident led to Lee's firing and something he calls "a mistake."
I'm not going to pound on Hardwick, but I do remember quite well that he made it a point to bring up War Kids Relief and the issues raised with that to Jon Powers. I'm not looking for retribution. I'm looking for fairness.
Lee should have to speak, on the record, explaining his actions.
Now, there are also two versions of "mistakes": There are real mistakes where people screw up. Those things happen. I make mistakes on a daily basis. I might send an e-mail to the wrong person or forget to mail something my girlfriend asked me to do. It happens.
But then there are the other "mistakes." Those are the mistakes that aren't really mistakes at all. The word "mistake" just happens to be used to lessen the actual events and make it seem like it was something small. Sending an e-mail to the wrong person? Rather small and harmless. Using the credit manager's password to raise credit limits for his customers and other customers. That's not a "mistake." There was intent there.
Yes, it was 20 years ago. But what Lee did amounts to a crime. Certainly he isn't going to be tried and put away now and whether he faced criminal charges at the time remains unknown. That is exactly why Lee should have to answer questions about this. If Alice Kryzan has to answer questions about Love Canal, it is only fair for Lee to have to face questions about his "mistake."
And while I'm grateful that Lee's "mistake" was made public, the saying "it's better late than never" can't apply here. It was far too late to make a difference. Unlike Kryzan, Lee was never truly vetted. He has denied charges that he has shipped jobs overseas by saying that those are attacks on his family and his patriotism. He has dodged talking about this issue, as evidenced here. When is Chris Lee going to be straight with us? When is he going to be honest? If he can't be honest on the campaign trail, how will he ever be trusted as this district's representative?
ON THE WEB:
Alice Kryzan's ActBlue Page |
