“He’s not man enough to be governor.” That’s Gina Hinojosa, standing outside Greg Abbott’s mansion in Austin Thursday morning, publicly calling him out for being too cowardly to debate her. She brought two podiums and a moderator. She’d accepted four debate invitations from Texas media outlets. Abbott accepted none, and he didn’t come out of the house.
This is a trend in politics, and it’s remarkable to this reporter. How is it that in a world where the people select your job, politicians keep getting away with refusing to be interviewed by the people?
I know it’s a product of team sports. The left right, blue red, liberal conservative, up down, conspiratorial control narrative. But it’s amazing that it works.
The entire country gets to go into the voting booth and literally pick who they want. And in a great many races, one party just flat out refuses to be in public.
Our own congressman is an extreme case of this.
John Joyce holds the seat for the 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania. On this beat, he’s seen in public in the district at official Republican fundraising, and he’s a background fixture at those. He doesn’t debate. He doesn’t meet constituents. And he doesn’t seem to be interested in much of anything that affects the 13th Congressional District of Pennsylvania, which happens to be the congressional seat he holds.
His challenger, Beth Farnham, says that in eight years on the taxpayer payroll he hasn’t held a single public in-person town hall or agreed to a single debate. She accepted WGAL’s debate invitation in May. She says she never heard back. His office has run telephone town halls, where the screener picks the callers and the mute button handles the rest.
On the other hand, his opponent talks to anyone. She’s all over the district and will discuss her ideas and policy positions with people from the custodian to the CEO. This reporter knows about the custodian. She did. She’s holding a town hall in Johnstown today, 2 to 4, at Studio 404.
Somehow it’s still highly unlikely she’ll be elected over him.
Why? Because people are fine with being lorded over and having to be boot lickers to get what they need.
The burden of thinking, of ensuring our representatives are doing the job, is just too much. As voters we’ve left that burden aside for the purity of color-coded politics, even for our most important positions.
I don’t care how you pick the alderman. Though if you pick someone well paid by another party instead of your neighbor, you’ll get our Congress in your city council.
But using a red blue test for important jobs is crazy.
Pick a congressman and a governor that show up. That hear your views. That tell you how they’re going to meet them.
Twelve counties, every day, no appointment necessary. — Silas Corvin.
Sources
- San Antonio Current, “Greg Abbott MIA as Gina Hinojosa shows up to Governor’s Mansion ready to debate” — sacurrent.com
- WFMD, Hinojosa mansion event and four debate invitations — wfmd.com
- Beth Farnham for Congress, “You asked for Town Halls…” (Sept. 6, 2026) — bethfarnhamforcongress.com
- Beth Farnham for Congress, “This Democratic Nominee Has Agreed to a Debate on WGAL!” (May 24, 2026) — bethfarnhamforcongress.com
- Beth Farnham for Congress homepage, Johnstown town hall Oct. 17 at Studio 404 — bethfarnhamforcongress.com
- Tribune-Democrat, Joyce telephone town halls — tribdem.com
