A debate would help Tom Allen

Maine’s 2008 senatorial campaign is one of the most closely watched and important races in the upcoming general election for the Democratic and Republican parties. The Democratic challenger, Rep. Tom Allen, and the Democratic Party are devoting as much energy to silencing liberal factions within their own party as they are to challenging Republican incumbent Susan Collins.

During the Democratic primaries Allen refused to debate his challenger, political neophyte Tom Ladue. Now the Democratic Party is challenging the legality of Herbert Hoffman’s independent senatorial candidacy before Superior Court.

Ever since Al Gore’s defeat in Florida during the 2000 presidential election, Democrats have blamed Green Party candidate Ralph Nader for having divided Democratic voters. Consequently, Democrats have been anxious about the role of third-party or extra-party candidates in elections. While Democrats fear that these candidates will siphon votes away from their party, Mainers should be weary of the decreasing level of discourse and debate taking place in the political campaign.

While recent polls suggest that Maine voters are beginning to respond favorably to Allen’s candidacy, his campaign tactics may be detrimental to the democratic process. Up to this point, Allen and the Democratic Party have successfully restricted political opposition to the incumbent candidate. Thus, the debate is limited to two professional politicians and two sets of dominate ideas.

Designing and implementing successful policy, however, is not so simple. Politics are not as clearly defined as the ocean and the land; rather, they are like the changing shoreline and the clam-filled mudflats. They are messy. There are not two sides to every argument, but rather a plethora of positions. Democracy thrives when differences abound. If Maine is to receive adequate representation, it is important for political candidates to embrace this multiplicity. If Allen wants to present himself as a candidate of change in 2008, he must first change his campaign tactics.

Tom Ladue may never have had a serious shot at the Democratic nomination, nor Herb Hoffman in the upcoming general election, but their candidacies are still significant. The challenge posed by these candidates has the potential to bring more people and more ideas to the political table. Hoffman says, “I would have thought the Democrats would welcome a debate on single-payer health care, government accountability and what it will really take to end the war in Iraq.”

Top-tier candidates like Allen should not slink away from these debates. In his years of public service, Allen has developed rather sophisticated domestic and foreign policy. Allen’s universal health-care policy, for example, may very well be better suited to Maine than single-payer system. Nevertheless, voters would benefit from hearing his policy thoroughly vetted through discourse and debate. In addition, this engagement would provide Allen the opportunity to further refine his policy positions and expand his platform in order to best suit the needs of Mainers. Open debate would provide the opportunity for Allen to seek compromise and consensus – to cultivate potential voters by engaging dissenting factions in discourse rather than seeking silent conformity in the name of party unity.

The election between Allen and Collins will undoubtedly be close. A recent Rasmussen Reports survey shows that Allen has cut Collins’ dominating lead by more than 50 percent in the past five months. In January, polls showed Collins with a 20 percent lead in the race; by mid-June polls showed Collins leading Allen, 49 percent to 42 percent.

Due to the nature of the race, Democrats’ concerns about a third-party candidate like Hoffman are not unfounded. There is a high possibility that the election will come down to the wire or that the Democrats will lose the race as a result of a third-party candidate. In the end, however, this decision should be left to the voters not to the judges. The Democratic Party should mitigate this risk by confronting Hoffman toe-to-toe on the issues rather than through litigation. If Allen is the right candidate for the position, he should have nothing to fear.

Edward Erikson of Bowdoinham is a doctoral candidate in political science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.