This new blog wants to provide a civil forum to discuss the positions held by the current candidates for the presidency of the UUA that will come to a vote at General Assembly in June of 2009.
After the first official candidate forum at GA in Ft Lauterdale I decided to create a neutral online forum where the platforms of our candidates can be discussed publicly in a civil manner. The transcript of that event with its scripted remarks and unscripted answers to specific questions seems like a good beginning. Other documents will follow as they become available.
How people make up their mind on a candidate has historically depended much on whether they had personally met a candidate (a big hurdle, given our huge country!) or whether they trusted the testimonials of ministers and peers who had. Unlike personal endorsements which rarely offer substance and simply reflect old friendships, juxtaposing the track records, public statements, ideas, and platforms of both candidates goes a long way toward an informed decision.
As stated above, the starting point is the candidates’ first public debate of June 28, 2008 in Ft. Lauderdale, FL at GA 2008. Video of the debate is now back online (albeit without Question One) at this official UUA site: http://www.uua.org/events/generalassembly/2008/112314.shtml
I’ll be posting all segments of the candidate forum in the coming days (segments, because they encourage more pointed comments). In addition, I’ll provide links to the segmented video, including question one. My complete verbatim transcript can be accessed below as a pdf file. The 14 page filecan be copied and printed: uuacandidateforum
Let your congregation know about this new moderated forum and invite their participation. The page “Tell your congregation” can be printed as a bulletin board poster, or use this pfd: poster-candidateblog
And of course: Visit both campaign websites and read what they have to offer. We have two very good candidates, but their positions and priorities differ significantly, as you’ll find out.
http://hallmanforuuapresident.com
http://moralesforuuapresident.org
Also of interest: The UUA bylaws under Rule IX Nominations and Elections:
http://www.uua.org/aboutus/bylaws/ruleix/index.shtml
(Note: I turned off comments for this introductory post)
