Debate reactions

I managed to not see the debate last night. Bad political blogger, no biscuit. I'll try to make it up to you by linking to a boatload of other people's reactions to it.

Based on what I'm reading, the winners last night were Chris Bell and Rick Perry, though they're measured on different things. The expectations for Perry were low enough to make Dubya blush, but he did manage to exceed them. He needed to not say or do anything stupid - as Paul Burka put it in declaring Perry the winner, he "did nothing that would lose votes".

Bell, on the other hand, needed to gain voters. It helped that by every account I've read, Friedman and Strayhorn were awful. Looking around, I see a lot of indications that Bell didn't just do well among the people who already supported him, but that he also did well among people who had at least been considering one of the indies. For example:

Coyote Mercury

I flirted with Friedman and signed for Strayhorn, though I admit I lost the petition before I could mail it back.

[...]

Friedman was all over the place. Willie Nelson in charge of energy policy? Come on. He’s running against politics and while he's passionate about changing Texas, he has no idea how to do it. My brother said he doesn't think we need a comedian as our governor. I agree, but I'd still take him over the clown we have. Comedians are funny. Clowns are scary.

I had high hopes for Strayhorn; however, she came off flat and uninspiring. I'd take her over Perry, but only since I know she really is committed to education. She sounded desperate, which is probably what happens when you're fourth in the polls.

The best line of the night was from Chris Bell when he referred to the competition as his "three Republican opponents." Bell was knowledgeable and he seemed to have a strong grasp of the issues. At times, Friedman even helped him out, though probably unintentionally. Bell has solid positions on education and has made transparency and clean government one of his signature issues. He gets points for being one of the first to file ethics complaints against Tom DeLay. He's smart, witty and competent. Call me convinced.

The Star Telegram's J.R. Labbe:

Wow. Perry doesn't even acknowledge that Kinky and Grandma are in the race much less in the studio. "There's a clear choice between me and Bell."

Not sure how that will play with some voters if my 81-year-old mom's reaction is any indication. "Dismissive is not an attractive characteristic," Mom declared in a phone call immediately after the debate.

And for the first time in her life, she's thinking about voting for a Democrat. Bell scored at least one point.

Let's hope there's more where those two came from. I'll continue beneath the fold, but first, the best news of the evening for Bell comes from the Quorum Report:

Houston Attorney John O'Quinn, prominently featured tonight in Chris Bell's post-debate appearance, said he would do whatever it takes to raise Bell's profile in the race. Pressed by Wayne Slater of the Dallas Morning News in a post-debate press gaggle, O'Quinn said he was ready to put at least a million dollars into the Bell campaign, if not more.

"Chris Bell will not lose because of a lack of resources," O'Quinn said.

Better late than never. I just hope it's not too late.

RealGOP for Strayhorn in a comment at Burka's blog:

Perry did fine, but Bell clearly won (to my disappointment).

[...]

Bell was unexciting (as expected) but articulate and knowledgeable. I disagree with the direction he wants to lead Texas, but even his critics must concede that he has a vision (which we don't share) and a firm grasp of the issues. Bell managed his time well and answered most questions directly and with substance. Bell demonstrated a grasp of the issues which I expected from Strayhorn.

Bell's performance wasn't any more proficient than Perry's, but it was better calculated. Every statement where Bell demonstrated that his vision for Texas differs from mine was a statement that united Democrats behind his candidacy in a way that Perry's solid performance failed to unite Republicans.

Bell also positioned himself well to pick up the support of those who weren't too familiar with Kinky and dropped into the debate with an open mind about possibly supporting Kinky.

Importantly, this debate will most directly result in a flood of support away from Strayhorn, and Bell also positioned himself well to be the main recipient of those ex-Strayhorn votes.

Finally, this debate was the "last call" for the big money folks. From what I'm reading on the Quorum Report, Bell won this audience, too.

Perry did well, but Bell won the debate going away because he positioned himself to gain almost all of the voter support and campaign dollars which were up for grabs.

BOR's Karl-Thomas, a onetime Bob Gammage supporter:

I have to say, watching the debate tonight, I was proud of Chris Bell who performed beyond my wildest expectations delivering a clear message, positive solutions, and real reason for Democrats to stick together and elect him Governor.

BOR's Phillip Martin:

Seriously -- I'm realistic, I'm pragmatic, I can recognize good rhetoric and good reasoning, and folks that can avoid questions. But I swear -- Bell did everything I hoped for and ten times more in tonight's debate. The only other one who seemed even remotely competent was Governor Perry, and that's what years of experience and polish will do (and we all know how he really stands on everything).

PDiddie:

Chris Bell was poised, confident, and articulate. He never got cut off for time, and he answered the question he was asked and didn't just spout some talking point. It was such a strong performance in comparison to his inept three stagemates that he likely sent himself to the Governor's Mansion tonight.

Hal:

Who won the debate? Well let’s just say that the Republican gentlemen were full of ums, ers, pregnant pauses, and occasional looks of panic. When Grandma wanted to answer a question she would just open a file drawer and pull out a snippet from a speech or a campaign ad. Chris Bell was by far the best prepared, most spontaneous, and had the best tan of all of them

Muse:

I wish the Governor's debate was a reality TV show and that we'd get to see a new episode every Friday from now until the election. This was WAY, way, way more entertaining than the goofy reality TV shows the networks cook up.

Dallas Blog's Carolyn Barta:

If Texans were looking for the most viable alternative to jump out of the pack against incumbent Rick Perry in Friday night's debate, they were sorely disappointed. It turned out to be three other guys against the Republican, who's been in office long enough to have arguably good answers to every question he was asked. The biggest losers, however, had to be the independents -- Carole Keeton Strayhorn and Kinky Friedman, neither of whom made a case for their election over either of the traditional party candidates. Democrat Chris Bell held his own, showing himselves to be a smart guy who understands government and has substance. He and Perry appeared to have the best grip on state government and the issues.

Dallas Blog's Will Lutz:

The only televised gubernatorial debate just ended. My initial impression is the debate helped the two major party candidates -- Rick Perry and Chris Bell, while the two independents -- Kinky Friedman and Carole Keeton Strayhorn -- did not have a very good evening. Here are some other observations I had during the debate:

* Chris Bell did a reasonable job contrasting himself with his opponents and driving home his themes on ethics in government. He was able to portray himself as someone who had a different philosophy from the other three. He gave thoughtful answers to the questions, and was the only one who got both questions right during the quiz portion of the debate.

The Star Telegram's Bob Ray Sanders:

In the live televised debate among Texas gubernatorial candidates Friday night, Democrat Chris Bell was by far the most informed, prepared, articulate and poised of the four candidates who want to lead the Lone Star State for the next four years.

For those who say they didn't know Bell, and for those who do know him and have thought him to be too "dull," the appearance Friday evening should have convinced them that Bell is the most qualified candidate for governor of Texas.

Marc:

First, the bad news. Perry did well. His mission was to avoid any major gaffes. He did just that. I don’t think there is any doubt that Perry and his people are happy with Perry’s performance.

Now the good news. Bell did well. Bell doesn’t have the most dynamic personality, but he was the best of the four when it came to content. And his performance improved as the debate progressed. My wife has never been enthusiastic about Bell’s candidacy, but Bell impressed her last night. I think he just may have connected with other voters who have been lukewarm about the Democrat, but who certainly don’t want to see Perry get reelected. He came across much better than Strayhorn and Friedman.

In fact, during the closing statements, Perry addressed Bell, but conspicuously ignored Strayhorn and Friedman. Perry views Bell as his chief rival. Can all of us progressives who want Perry out agree that Bell is our best bet?

The Statesman's Jason Embry:

The format was so all over the map that it was hard for anyone to stand out. But Perry and Bell seemed the most composed by far. As the candidate who was the least known to voters heading into the debate, it stands to reason that Bell gained the most.

Vince Leibowitz:

There was only one clear winner in tonight's gubernatorial debate: Democrat Chris Bell.

While Carole Strayhorn dodged questions or simply failed to know the answers to them, as Kinky Friedman tried to convince the electorate he wasn't racist, and as Rick Perry tried in vain to appear as though his administration has made real accomplishments for Texas, only Bell offered answers that had both the sound and content of someone who should be Texas' next governor.

McBlogger, who was less impressed than most by Bell:

Only in a race like this can boring be considered good enough. The sad thing is that Chris is witty, quick and very personable none of which came across last night and all of which are endearing to voters. While it's a shame that Republicans and Independents didn't get to see that Chris Bell last night, I'm thinking enough D's saw it to close ranks and 'ring the Bell'. His policy was solid, he stayed on message and while he wasn't as pointed in his comments toward Perry (come on! If ever there was a time to call Perry a miserable failure it was last night. Chris, you missed an opportunity to dress down Perry and make him your bitch last night) he stood head and shoulders above the crowd as the voice of sanity.

Why am I so dissapointed in Bell last night? He missed an opportunity to overwhelm these clowns. Last night he could have secured himself an unassailable lead. Instead, he'll edge ahead but it'll still be close. What Texans are hungry for is the one thing Bell has to offer... leadership. I've seen it in him when talks about education and stem cell research. Last night, that fire wasn't evident.

What he thought of everyone else was far harsher than that.

Rick Perry vs The World:

Rick Perry looked like a governor. The others didn't.

There are many favorable comments to the Bell blog, and some good ones at the Chron Texas Politics blog.

If after all that, you still want to see it (or parts of it), Somervell County Salon has clips, and KHOU has the whole thing till October 10.

Posted by Charles Kuffner on October 07, 2006 to Election 2006 | TrackBack