Debate Spotlight Is Giuliani’s — to Use or Lose
A candidate should be given points for saying what they believe. A candidate should be given points for telling the truth. The problem is in determining if a candidate is telling the truth and therefore saying what they believe. In a country in which elections have degraded to the point of supporting the notion the candidate with the most money wins, it is fair to say that candidate-speak is designed for fund raising. The trick is in raising funds from both sides of every issue.
That trick works with lobbyists because they hedge their bets and pay both parties to do their bidding. If the purpose of political debates is to first select a nominee for the two major parties and later to select a candidate for office, that choice is only under consideration for independents and loosely associated voters with party registration. Everyone else is already connected to special interest directly or indirectly by party and their choice was decided before the candidates were announced. They may have a preference but the bottom line is party and nothing else matters.
If Giuliani and McCain are the two front runners in the polls, then the debates are really not a benefit for them. The article below from WaPo suggests a common misconception that a leader in the polls has a critical task to perform in a debate to extend an existing lead. The conventional wisdom would suggest polling leaders have everything to lose and nothing to gain while lesser known or less successful candidates have everything to gain from the exposure or it will not harm their current status if they fail to impress.
Debate Spotlight Is Giuliani’s — to Use or Lose
By Dan Balz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 15, 2007; A04
Ten Republican presidential candidates will gather in South Carolina tonight for their second debate of the month, with much of the focus likely to be on former New York mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani and his continuing effort to extricate himself from a controversy over his position on abortion.
Beyond many details of their activity to date, the most memorable points about the Giuliani and McCain campaigns is this. Giuliani may have tied too much to the abortion issue and McCain’s campaign restart may have caused permanent damage. With the GOP looking for a phoenix-like restoration, having their two leading contenders displaying liberal attitudes or campaign incompetence should have someone reaching for the antacid tablets or a double Scotch on the rocks, single malt, at least 12 years old.
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com