CNBC/MSNBC/WSJ debate
Posted: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 10:05 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under:
Republicans
So are the expectations
artificially high or low for Thompson? Probably a combination of the two. "This is an opportunity for Fred Thompson to chip away at the rap his critics use against him by being very well prepared and very smooth," said Republican consultant Whit Ayres. "He needs to verify the hope and promise that many voters have placed in him."
"He has to overperform," said GOP strategist Alex Vogel, who described what he called a "huge buildup" for Thompson, followed by a "real or perceived letdown." The debate, Vogel said, "is either a real opportunity to kick things into the next gear or a real underperformance."
Politico's Simon wonders, "Has there ever been a major presidential candidate with lower expectations on the eve of his first debate than Fred Thompson? ... Never has there been an opportunity for any candidate to surprise his critics more."
What's worse than running as the GOP nominee having to defend Iraq in '08? How about running as the GOP nominee in the midst of a recession.
Bloomberg News reports on the possibility.
So how seriously was Giuliani taking debate prep? Per NBC/NJ's Matthew E. Berger, campaign officials said he was preparing for the debate yesterday, but for the second night in a row, he was taking in the Yankees in the Bronx.
This debate could show whether Giuliani can successfully interest voters while speaking about something other than terrorism. While he has been talking about immigration reform and energy independence on the road, the conversation always seems to come back to 9/11. It will be a challenge for him to make that transition at an economic policy debate, and could look phony if he does.
Giuliani has spent the last week touting his fiscal record as mayor of New York City, and is likely to continue that track in the debate today. He is certain to repeat that he lowered taxes in New York, decreased welfare rolls and cut the budget.
The major question will be how Giuliani handles the attacks he has received most recently from Romney on his fiscal policies and opposition to the line-item veto as mayor. While Giuliani has defended his record and attacked Romney through surrogates all week, he didn't address the issue at all on the stump. In fact, he has mostly refrained from mentioning his Republican counterparts by name, choosing to focus solely on the Democrats, and mostly Hillary Clinton. He's unlikely to take on Romney directly now, but may be coaxed into a comparison by questioners.
Speaking of Giuliani, the campaign indicates they will now starting participating in the so-called email spin wars. Does this mean they are now ready to engage Romney and Thompson?
NBC's Kelly O'Donnell reports, participating in his first debate since the 1996 senate race, Thompson's campaign says he has been hitting the books for months long before he was an announced candidate. Thompson advisors say drawing on his practice as a former trial attorney, he has worked solo pouring over debate materials and more recently has done Q and A practice sessions informally. To get ready for the Dearborn debate, Thompson called on friends to role play as his rivals. Former New York Senator Al D'Amato as Giuliani, four term Florida congressman Adam Putnam as Romney and lawyer Phil Perry who is Vice President Dick Cheney's son-in-law played McCain.
Senior advisors say Thompson's goal for the event is to demonstrate "intellectual vigor" and to show voters that "he is prepared to be president." Aware of criticism over his breezier campaign style and some fumbled answers to questions, advisors say Thompson's mistakes boil down to moments when he was "tired." To counter the attention given to Thompson missteps, advisors claim he "wears well over time" suggesting voters will come to "like him and be more comfortable with him and more convinced" he is ready. To further dampen expectations, they say Thompson was also heavily criticized during his last senate race which he won.
On expectations and the media assessments, team Thompson suggests "we don't need the talking heads, we need voters." On the more limited scope of the Dearborn debate which will focus on economic issues, Thompson advisors claim that is good territory for Thompson to further define himself for republican primary voters.
NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy reports that with the proverbial spotlight shining on Fred Thompson this afternoon, the newest GOP presidential candidate will also be the literal center of attention as he participates in his first political debate since 1996. Thompson's podium will be positioned at center stage and viewers will be watching to see if he seems more knowledgeable on the issues than he has on the campaign trail, more concise with his responses and more passionate about being in the race.
Since announcing his candidacy a little over a month ago, Thompson has come under scrutiny for a seeming lack of preparation and enthusiasm on the campaign trail. Some of this criticism is due to the former-senator's laidback disposition. As his campaign likes to say, he's not a sound-bite politician, but debates are geared towards concise answers. So first and foremost Thompson will have to prove that he is capable of conveying a clear point within a small timeframe. He will also have to demonstrate that he has a clear understanding of some of the more complex economic issues in a setting where he is less-than-comfortable.
On the campaign trail Thompson rarely speaks from behind a podium - let alone next to eight other candidates - so to help him catch up with opponents who have been debating each other for months, Thompson participated in several mock debates. These included former New York Sen. Alfonse D'Amato playing former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Rep. Adam Putnam of Florida playing Mitt Romney and Vice President Dick Cheney's son-in-law, lawyer Phil Perry, playing John McCain. Also involved in the preparations were GOP strategist Mary Matalin and the vice president's daughter Liz Cheney, who was recently named a national co-chair of the Thompson campaign.
With a month of campaigning under his belt, the introduction phase for Fred Thompson may very well be over. Conservative platitudes will only take a candidate so far and despite Thompson's claim that voters don't vote for the candidate with the most detailed plan, rumors within the Thompson campaign indicate that there are plans to roll out some more specific policy initiatives in the near future. Whether that means Thompson will be getting more specific this afternoon is anybody's guess.
