Thread: Personalities of the Debate

Stumper : Four Thoughts on Wednesday's Republican Debate

The Personalities: I thought Anderson Cooper's first question--"In terms of the economy, are Americans better off than they were eight years ago?"--provided a fascinating window on the candidate's contrasting personalities.
Romney basically refused to answer, immediately changing the subject to his record as governor of Massachusetts; it was as if his CPU detected political danger and automatically emitted a distracting flurry of talking points (The rather ineffectual Cooper even called him on the dodge, asking, "Are you running for governor or are you running for president?")
McCain hedged, saying "you could argue that Americans overall are better off" but admitting that "things are tough"; he was the cautious frontrunner struggling not to alienate any potential supporters with divisive "straight talk."
Huckabee scored points on candor--he started his answer with a frank "I don't think we are"--but distinguished himself by acknowledging the existence of, you know, actual human beings: the folks "driving trucks" and struggling to pay for fuel and the "families... that don't have a paycheck." That sort of empathy--even when it borders on sappy--is at the heart of his appeal.
And Ron Paul was the only one who sounded like a person instead of a politician--no small feat for a presidential candidate. "No, no, we're not better off," he said. "We're worse off, but it's partially this administration's fault and it's the Congress."


3. The Petulance: What was up with Huckabee using all of his air time... to whine about not getting enough air time? "I'd appreciate maybe a question that we could talk about that would involve some of us down here at the end," he said when offered the floor, then repeated the complaint a few minutes later: "a while ago, you said you were going to shower me with questions, and I think then you turned the spigot off." It's a valid concern, but Huckabee had to know that the moderators would focus on McCain and Romney. C'est la vie CNN. He was so insistent, in fact, that it seemed inauthentic--like a strategy for earning sympathy instead of actual chagrin. Huckabee's usually even-keeled; this made him look small. And McCain came close to crossing the line a couple of times, too--especially when he "praised" Romney as a "fine man" by saying, "I think he managed companies, and he bought, and he sold, and sometimes people lost their jobs." Ick. Too many moves like that and McCain looks like a typical pol--which completely undermines his appeal.


4. Ron Paul: My favorite moment of the night? When Paul tsk-tsked Romney and McCain for sniping over Iraq strategy--an area where their positions are largely indistinguishable. "I find it rather silly, because they're arguing technicalities of a policy they both agree with," he said. "They agreed with going in; they agreed for staying, agreed for staying how many years? And these are technicalities. We should be debating foreign policy." The other candidates--not to mention reporters--often dismiss the Good Doctor, but as the field narrows, I have to say: it's fun to watch him give them a hard time. He was certainly talking sense tonight.

"He was certainly talking sense tonight"
he was, in the few seconds alloted him.