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THERE’S A heartening whiff of bipartisanship in Wednesday night’s planned debate on health care reform between the two men who hope to unseat U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Philadelphia, next year.
Granted, there’s some self-interest involved – it is politics – but a debate on the merits of health care reform from two opposing viewpoints is very much in the public interest right now. So hats off to U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, a Democrat, for the idea and former Lehigh Valley Congressman Pat Toomey, a Republican, for accepting.
This debate started as dueling press releases on health care, particularly the public option. Sestak suggested a face-to-face meeting that would let voters ask questions. There is a moderator from host Muhlenberg College who will keep things moving.
The event is scheduled for 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. There are no more tickets available, but it will be broadcast live on WFMZ-TV, and both campaigns expect a live stream on their Web sites, www.toomeyforsenate.com and www.joesestak.com.