Roberti proposes a dozen debates in 10 weeks

Democratic congressional candidate Dan Roberti pitched 12 debates in a radio appearance today on WNPR. And that’s a dozen debates before the Democratic primary on Aug. 14, not the general election in November.

Roberti is competing with state House Speaker Christopher G. Donovan and former state Rep. Elizabeth Esty for the Democratic nomination for the the open 5th District seat.

Spokesmen for Donovan and Esty say their candidates look forward to debates, though both seemed amused at the prospect of dozen in 10 weeks. The campaigns say they have no outstanding invitations to debates.

Here are Roberti’s proposed debate topics.

1) Jobs and the Economy 1 – “Learning from History”
a) Rebuilding our country’s infrastructure
b) Restoring a manufacturing base and recognizing ‘new’ manufacturing opportunities
c) Solving the national housing crisis

2) Jobs and the Economy 2 – “A Look to the Future”
a) Growing fields for employment
b) Green jobs
c) Dealing with a global economy

3) Jobs and the Economy 3 – “Small Business”
a) Helping small businesses
b) Entrepreneurship and start-up companies
c) Incentives: what works?

4) Federal Budget and the Economy
a) Balanced budget
b) International trade deficit
c) Long-term deficit reduction
d) Federal debt service

5) Foreign Relations 1 – “America the Superpower”
a) Democracy building and America’s role
b) Dealing with China
c) An emerging Russia and START

6) Foreign Relations 2 – “Facing the Threat”
a) Iran and nuclear proliferation
b) War in Afghanistan
c) Syria and the role of the U.S. when atrocities are committed
d) Terrorism today

7) Immigration
a) Securing our borders
b) A clear and fair path to citizenship
c) Protecting children born here of illegal immigrant parents

8) Health Care and our Seniors
a) The Supreme Court and President Obama’s Affordable Care Act
b) Medicare and Medicaid
c) Social Security

9) National Education Issues
a) No Child Left Behind and Race to the Top
b) Early education and vo/tech schools
c) Math, science, and global competition
d) The achievement gap

10) Veterans Affairs
a) Supporting our returning heroes
b) GI Bill 2.0 and beyond
c) Health care options and the VA

11) Equality and the American Dream
a) Women’s rights
b) LGBT issues
c) Education gap
d) Wall Street reform and essential fairness

12) Energy and the Environment
a) Alternative energy
b) Energy consumption and the global marketplace
c) Protecting our environment