Most of the "Meet the Press" debate covered old ground in terms of the issues, so I suppose the big question is the feel of the debate itself. Several of the people I talked to after the debate party at the Ramkota were commenting not on the issues, which I find more interesting, but on the personal aspects of the debate. Clearly, Daschle was coached after the thumping at the DakotaFest debate to be aggressive, but it really doesn't fit his carefully-constructed image. Mom, calling from camper cell-phone on the drive home from the Korean war memorial dedication in Pierre, said Daschle seemed "peevish." One reader noted:
My Mom, senior citizen, said regarding all the BS and how his mother and father raised him: "They apparently forgot the part about not interupting people and not to be rude."
Daschle also strayed into condescension, chuckling and grinning and being patronizing, which is odd for him. Clearly Daschle's strongest persona is as the earnest CPA, an image he should stick to, it seems to me. Daschle also seemed frantic, bobbing up and down, waving his arms and elbows, invading Thune's space, touching Thune, and making marks on his legal pad. One teacher from Hartford after the debate exclaimed to me "What was he pretending to write!?! I know when kids are pretending to write stuff and he was just playing games!" Yeah, I don't think he was writing anything either and the game metaphor is good. It reminded me of the home team under the basket raising a fuss so the visiting team's free-throw shooters mess up. This is a poor tactic against Thune, who has probably played more basketball than anyone who has ever run for the Senate (except perhaps Bill Bradley). At the end, Daschle turned off the frantic terrier routine and turned on the 'poor, poor pitiful me' victimhood persona (one emailer said "Daschle even has personality flip-flops!"). While conceding that it was a really bad idea to lash out at the Bush administration on the eve of the Iraq war, Daschle then went through his tearful victimhood routine. I guess I'm the wrong demographic for this approach, but to me it conveys weakness and the worst kind of cynicism, especially when the President is being shredded as a draft-dodging fascist and oil cartel-stooge by the Democrats every day. It's an election, for Lord's sake. There will be criticism. Opponents should feel free to hammer on President Bush for advocating war and people should be able to hammer on Daschle for attacking the President on the eve of war. I was stumped for earlier victimhood precedent, but then recalled Ed Muskie's alleged crying incident in New Hampshire in 1972 (some say it was tears, others say snow). And Nixon of course played the victim during his 1962 loss and his 1974 resignation (the "lowest valleys" speech). Clinton was also a master of the syrupy, tearful 'I'm a victim' routine. The tactic smells of desperation. And if Daschle opposes the war and thinks American involvement should end--a position which is obviously defensible--then he should just say it. George McGovern of South Dakota opposed the war and advanced serious arguments against it and said "Come Home, America." But he didn't wimper. Also, at one point, just like Kerry, Daschle said "I'm the veteran in this race," i.e. I'm above criticism (which is another odd argument since, unlike the Presidential contest, Thune was 12 years old when the last American troops left Vietnam). If Daschle simply opposed the war, the Dem base would be happier. Here's a Daily Kos comment:
Frankly, the Democrats would be well served to replace Daschle with someone who isn't going to always be trying to stay electable in a red state. If his constituents do it for them, I'll be able to name hundreds of worse things that have happened.
Really, what's worse? Advocating a war one sincerely believes in that some people seriously oppose or voting for a war one doesn't believe in for political purposes. Anyway, I think Daschle looked absurd and I think Thune was poised and articulate and ready to be a great Senator. But hey, I'm not in Daschle's demographic.
Ryne also weighs in:
We had Thune hammering Daschle on his obstruction, we had Russert trying to pin down both candidates, we had Tom Daschle choking up. Too bad Daschle won't agree to real, live debates in South Dakota. Or even to another Meet the Press debate for that matter. But I think ultimately that even when it's a wash, Thune wins. I don't think it takes a political hand to tell you that the more often you can get these two next to each other to talk about the issues, Thune emerges as the stronger candidate.
One other thing. After Russert ran the Daschle-hugging-Bush ad, Daschle said there are times when he had to agree with the President "as I did after 9/11." What a guy! I guess since he was bipartisan immediately after 9/11 he must not be an obstructionist!
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