Brody File Reaction to You Tube Debate
November 28, 2007
The headlines from this You Tube debate in St. Petersburg will focus on the intense squabbles between Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, especially on sanctuary cities. Or John McCain and Ron Paul going at it over the Iraq war, But it was Mike Huckabee who may have had the best night.
Put aside the issues for a moment. Don’t you get the sense that Huckabee comes across as an extremely effective communicator? Whether you agree with him or not, it seemed like every issue he talked about Wednesday had a well thought out, coherent argument behind it. When he speaks, the tone and words flow harmoniously. I mean his answer about the Bible being the word of God came across as humble, accurate and inclusive. Hard to do. On a question about “What would Jesus do” when it comes to the death penalty, Huckabee’s answer was heartfelt conflict yet strong. And then this line of the debate: “Jesus was too smart to run for public office!” Even on the tricky question of whether he’ll accept the endorsement of the gay Log Cabin Republicans group, Huckabee said that he needs all the help he can get. So sure he’ll accept but won’t change his position on same sex marriage. He even said he wants to be that group’s President and everybody’s President. Good answer, right? Or how about the line about space exploration when he said, “Maybe Hillary can be on the first rocket to Mars.”
Huckabee really didn’t come under attack tonight. At one point Mitt Romney got on him for Huckabee’s desire to see the children of illegal immigrants get tax payer funded money for college but Huckabee’s answer came across as compassionate and reasonable. He didn’t get harmed. It was a night where Huckabee could have been a major target. Instead, he continues to move right along. He’s tied for first in Iowa and you can see why after tonight’s performance. His eloquence on stage is what he’s doing on the campaign trail everyday.
As for Romney, he started off strong by going after Giuliani on sanctuary cities and seemed to have the upper hand. Yet Giuliani’s line about Romney’s “sanctuary mansions” was a dagger. Romney tried to recover but the damage was done. Romney started out so aggressive by going after not just Giuliani but Huckabee too. Yet as the debate went along, Romney got caught in some very uncomfortable situations. Romney said he would consult advisors on whether water boarding was torture. John McCain took him to task for that. Also, Romney was caught in his past when Anderson Cooper brought up how Romney once said he would “welcome the day” when gays could serve openly in the military. Romney now says it’s not a good idea. Not at this time at least. Huh? A stumble for sure. Another stumble came when he was asked about the Bible being the literal word of God. Romney first answered that it was the word of God. But when pressed to say whether every word was true, he hesitated. Hesitation doesn’t score you points with Evangelicals in Iowa. Overall, a shaky night.
As for Rudy Giuliani, I can’t quite put my finger on it but he seemed sluggish tonight. He’s normally pretty sharp but the energy level wasn’t there. He operated as the human punching bag tonight with Romney attacking him, Thompson attacking him and even You Tube videos attacking him. His answers on gun laws (reasonable regulations) came under scrutiny and the Mayor had to also admit that he would NOT sign a federal law banning abortions. (Like he really wanted to answer that question) and he even had to admit that he doesn’t believe the Bible word for word. He even said Jonah and the Whale didn’t exist. (Like he really wanted to answer that one too) Not Giuliani’s best performance.
As for John McCain and Ron Paul, I was ready for them to take it to the parking lot and duke it out over Iraq. McCain is always sharp on the war yet Ron Paul stood up to him. McCain’s best moments were in that context.
Fred Thompson’s best moment was probably his campaign commercial where he slammed Romney on abortion and Huckabee on taxes. But he seemed to be more in the background tonight. If Thompson wants to make a serious move, he’ll need better debate performances in the future.
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