Pubdate: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI) Copyright: 2000, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Contact: 414-224-8280 Website: http://www.jsonline.com/ Forum: http://www.jsonline.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimate.cgi Author: Steven Walters, Journal Sentinel staff GILLESPIE WANTS TO FACE KOHL AGAIN Senator Should Agree To Reschedule Canceled Meeting, Opponent Says Madison - Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Gillespie asked incumbent Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) to agree to a third debate or joint appearance with him, since Kohl could not attend one scheduled for Wednesday. Kohl "can find one hour between now and Nov. 7 to meet us," Gillespie said before his appearance at Madison's Downtown Rotary Club, one of the largest clubs in the country. Citing work in Washington, where Congress is struggling to pass a federal budget, Kohl aides canceled his noon Wednesday appearance with Gillespie before the Madison Rotary Club. It was to have been the third and final joint appearance between Kohl, who is seeking a third Senate term, and Gillespie, who retired in April as founder of the non-profit Rawhide Boys Ranch in New London. Gillespie urged groups such as the Racine NAACP and the statewide PTA that had earlier invited both candidates for appearances to ask again, hoping that Kohl would agree to a third joint appearance. On Wednesday, the Republican challenger instead squared off with Libertarian candidate Tim Peterson. The candidates agreed on several issues, such as granting China permanent normal trade relations - legislation that President Clinton signed into law Tuesday - and lifting the trade embargo on Cuba. But they staked out very different positions on the drug war and the dairy pricing system. Gillespie took one of his few swipes at Kohl for not being able to reform the system that sets milk prices according to how far a farm is from Eau Claire. Peterson said he favored scrapping the entire system and letting farmers rely on a free-market system to set milk prices. He also said the drug war had failed and argued that drugs should be legalized. Gillespie said he opposed legalizing drugs. In calling for a third joint appearance with Kohl, Gillespie said the event should be "before a live audience," not in front of TV cameras. Having a live audience "is a format we've not tried before," Gillespie said. On Sept. 29, the two were questioned by radio and TV reporters for a one-hour appearance taped and offered to members of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association. On Friday, the two were questioned by TV journalists for about 25 minutes on the Wisconsin Public Television newsmagazine "WeekEnd." Kohl was in meetings Wednesday in Washington and was not available for comment. But his campaign spokesman Jeff Gillis said he "did not see how" a third joint appearance could be arranged before the Nov. 7 election. Congress may still be in session next week, Gillis added. Juggling Kohl's time between campaigning and Washington "is getting to be a logistical problem," Gillis said. Gillis said that Gillespie "had two debates on statewide TV" with Kohl and that the Republican's campaign "hasn't said anything new in the last six months." "They really ought to spend more time campaigning and less time complaining," Gillis said of the Gillespie campaign. "Their campaign is dead in the water." Kohl, 65, a millionaire Milwaukee businessman who owns the Milwaukee Bucks, was first elected in 1988 and is on track to give his campaign about $5 million. The campaign of Gillespie, 63, is missing its fund-raising goals and Gillespie trailed Kohl, 64% to 23%, in a mid-September statewide poll. The Associated Press contributed to this report. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens