Was there an actual debate?
You can put lipstick on a pig, but it’s still a pig.
Last night we watched as the four candidates for United States Senate “debated.” It might have been called a “debate”, but according to WSAZ’s Jessica Ralston (@JessicaRalston), the Gazette’s Kathryn Gregory (@kitgregory), the Daily Mail’s Ry Rivard (@ryrivard) what happened on TV last night was anything but. Where were the hardball questions? No one raised their voices, no one debated. So I’m calling for a Twitter debate between the candidates. No, we all know it most likely won’t be them doing the tweeting, but since their campaigns cannot pick a mutually beneficial date to debate in Charleston, this seems like the most logical solution. Thoughts?
Changing the subject a little, the most surprising candidate last night was the Constitution Party’s Jeff Becker. Whoever prepared him for that debate should have given him a xanex. Someone tweeted asking if he even spoke English. Another tweep said he would be the Daily Show’s dream. Needless to say, he won’t be our next United States Senator.
Winners and losers from last night’s debate:
Winning moments:
-John Raese (@RaeseforSenate) had two quotes I rather enjoyed, the first one being “We win, you lose.” The second one being “It’s called demand.”
-Joe Manchin’s charisma, calmness, appearance, and perfect sound bites. The quote that ended the debate, was nothing short of cheesy perfection: "I believe in you, and I'm asking you to believe in me."
-Manchin taking on the “rubber stamp” tag and owning it.
Big fat fails of the so-called debate:
-Raese wearing his Rolex and black suit. It’s not a funeral.
-Becker’s inability to speak coherently (I appreciate nervousness but there are pills for that).
-Johnson waisting half of his closing “minute” to speak fussing about how he didn’t get to respond to previous questions.
And moments I was lost:
-Becker talking about physics
-Johnson asking “Are you sick enough yet?”
-Raese’s statements on global warming
-Johnson dwelling on penmanship
-No one asking about subpoenas
I think West Virginians need to see a the candidates speak for two hours and it needs to be an actual debate. You can call what happened last night a debate, but for many of us it wasn’t.
Best political observation yet, "No one asking about subpoenas" although I would still feed Raese to a pack of wild dogs! And feel bad for the dogs! Who cares if they bought overpriced drapes, if insanity is the option?
ReplyDeleteThe Constitution Party Candidate was Horrible... what kind of Party would ever put him up as its mouthpiece...? The Mountain Party Candidate was so far left it wasn't even tolerable. Both of these men were more interested with investigating 9/11 conspiracies than actually fixing the problems here in West Virginia and across the USA... thank goodness neither man has a shot at the office!
ReplyDeleteNow Raese and Manchin... the two men that everyone cares about in this race. We heard a lot of the same from both guys but a few glaring moments stood out...
Raese was Classic Raese... he has been a lifelong Conservative and he has never backed away from his positions. He was Conservative before Conservatism was "cool". Raese is a straightforward man and he tells it like it is... which in my opinion is very admirable and the true sign of a leader. The "WE WIN, YOU LOSE" was by far the best line of the entire debate... that was a Homerun. Mr. Raese set himself apart from the others with that singular comment... he said what many of us have been saying for years in regards to the War on Terror and our foreign entanglements throughout our History... We are in it to win it, no excuses, and failure is not an option. John Raese may have come across as abrasive but why is that a problem... have you looked at many of the people in the U.S. Senate... talk about pompous and arrogant (Charles Schumer, the late Ted Kennedy, Barbara Boxer, ect.) I want a guy who will throw his weight around and who will speak on behalf of his state and its greatness!
Now on Mr. Manchin... Joe was Joe... he is a savvy politician... he is calm, cool, and collected... we all knew this before the debate and we all knew this afterwards. Manchin is a man who is willing to work across the proverbial aisle and bring both sides together and he has spoken of his willingness to do so ad nauseam. The biggest flaw with Manchin is his willingness to also change his positions and go more Conservative just to get elected... this is a classic political move... move to the center. I cannot blame him but is that really leadership or is that simply pandering to certain groups of people at certain times?
Mr. Raese or Mr. Manchin will both represent the great State of West Virginia very well... I have no doubt about that... but I want a man who will push back against the policies of the Obama Administration for the next two years... not someone who is willing to work with them to find common ground. Obama's plan for WV is wrong and we do not need compromise on it... we do not need it period.
Finally, we all need to realize that we are voting for a two year term... in two years we will elect someone else to fill this seat... I personally want to keep Manchin here in WV as Governor, where I feel he has done a good job, to fight the Obama Administration until he is voted out of the White House in 2012... then I would like to see Joe run for the Senate or House and represent WV for many years into the future. Keep Manchin in Charleston and send Raese to DC... this is the best formula for our great state!
GO VOTE!!!
Interesting observations about the debate. How could anyone honestly beileve that "keeping Manchin here" in WV would be the best thing for our state?
ReplyDeleteWhy would you honestly deny someone with a great track record as governor the opportunity to serve the state on the national level? As if he would morph into something else as a senator ... Do we not typically promote or reward those who have excelled in their positions?
Placing John Raese in any public office is a nightmare. His performance at the debate leaves me no doubts about his arrogance or lack of direction.
Raese has not stated anything he truly would do as a senator ... other than "revive the spirit of capitalism." What does that even mean? Have you seen corporate profits lately? Capitalism isn't exactly hurting these days. Aside from his Bush-esque rhetoric, there is little substance.
Jesse Johnson performed admirably, but his Mountain Party still lacks a real base in the Mountain State.
Jeff Becker should never be allowed to speak in public ... I actually felt sorry for him because it appeared during the first question that he might burst into tears.