Chickens Come Home to Roost in US Senate Race

9/12/2000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Tim O'Brien
313-562-5778
248-591-3733

WESTLAND. "Too bad Spence Abraham doesn't steal our political ideas instead of just our campaign ideas," lamented Chris Pellerito, campaign manager for Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate, Michael Corliss.

He was referring to Abraham's ploy of sending someone dressed in a chicken suit over to Democrat Debbie Stabenow's campaign headquarters to illustrate his opinion of her reluctance to join an October 16 debate at the Economic Club of Detroit.

The LP's 1994 candidate for this same senate seat, Jon Coon, sent two "chickens" to follow his major party opponents around the UM/MSU football game when they refused to face him in a debate before that election. Then Democrat candidate, Bob Carr, took the jibe in good humor and ultimately consented to debate Coon. Abraham, apparently forewarned, managed to elude his "chicken" pursuer and, likewise, steadfastly refused to face the Libertarian in debate -- at least until a judge prohibited the PBS sponsored event from going forward without Coon being included.

"Spence avoided our chicken man," Pellerito continued, "but obviously got the idea. "That's fine," he added. "We're delighted to see that Mr. Abraham now understands the true nature of a political candidate who refuses to debate his opponents."

Corliss' campaign manager said his candidate is not just willing but actually eager to take on both Abraham and Stabenow in any forum, whether broadcast on radio or TV, or merely staged for the public to attend in person. He said Michael Corliss will accept an Economic Club of Detroit invitation to debate without any conditions.