Presidential Candidates In First Ever Amish Debate
(Plain City, Ohio) For the first time the leading candidates for the presidency will hold a televised debate devoted solely to Amish issues.
The one-hour event will be held on August 9 and broadcast on Amish network DARK at 9:00 pm ET (6:00 pm ET) and through live streaming yelling at Amishoffline.com for people outside the event.
Ron Paul, Jim Gilmore, Tom Tancredo and Sam Brownback have confirmed they will participate. Several other Republican candidates also may join the debate. Newt Gingrich, who in the past has underwritten several grants for horse mechanics programs, who is said to considering an appearance stated “You can't trust anybody with power which is why all Americans love horse and buggies”
The debate will be conducted with a live audience in Plain City at the Der Dutchman Restaurant. On the panel questioning the four Republicans will be Amish Defense League president Friedrich von Steuben and seamtress Esther Stoltzfus.
The debate was put together by DARK and ADL.
"In the 2008 presidential election, issues of concern to the Amish community have already been at the forefront of the national conversation,” said von Steuben.
"From the repeal of “Don’t Cask, Don’t Yell” to the recent signing of apple butter legislation in Pennsylvania, there is no doubt that voters will demand answers to important questions affecting our community."
The panelists in a statement said they plan to cover a range of issues including inter-family relationship recognition, Hochmut and Demut, workplace fairness and child labor laws, current conscientious objector status, buggy safety, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome and other important issues such as Rumspringa.
The Amish vote is considered a decisive electoral force and according to exit poll data make up an unknown percent of the voting population.
Plain City was chosen as the site for the event because of the city's outstanding Snicker Doodles, Chow Chow and Schnitz and Knepp. Besides, if the debate were held in Columbus, it would be all night getting home.
"We're honored to give the presidential candidates an historic opportunity to share their views directly with the Amish audience," Amos Stoltzfus, Elder, Entertainment, DARK Networks Music Group, and Elder, DARK said in a hand written statement.
"This forum continues DARK Networks’ tradition of engaging vital niche audiences with voting and the electoral process. It's just too darned sad that we have no broadcasting equipment, but heck, no Amish have televisions. It's like, stups, no electricity"
In addition to questioning by von Steuben and Stoltzfus people will be able to pose their own questions through DARKoffline.com and ADL.org representatives who will be taking notes outside the restaurant prior to the event.
