Last year, televised debates between Tim Kaine and Jerry Kilgore arguably helped push Tim Kaine to a last minute, eyebrow-raising (ha) surge that carried him to the governor's mansion. This year, there has yet to be a full-fledged, televised debate between Jim Webb and George "Macaca" Allen, only the Saturday morning Homestead debate that hardly anyone outside the blogosphere saw. Conventional wisdom, of course, holds that it is to the challenger's advantage to have more debates, since the incumbent is usually better known and better funded. Thus, back in June, the Webb campaign called for a series of five debates with George Allen. And thus, the Allen campaign never accepted that proposal. One YouTube video later, and "my how times have changed!"Today, according to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the Allen campaign has agreed to a full-fledged, live, televised debate on October 9 in Richmond. The debate will be sponsored by the League of Women Voters and will be available for "live or delayed broadcast" all across Virginia.
Now, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that this debate, coming just one month before the election, could decide the winner in what has become essentially a dead-heat contest. In addition, there are two other debates already scheduled, one a "joint appearance" on Meet the Press (September 17) and the other at the Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce's luncheon meeting on September 18. Finally, according to the Times-Dispatch, "Dick Wadhams, Allen's campaign manager, did not rule out further debates."
All in all, I'd say this is great news for Democracy, and great news for Jim Webb. As noted earlier, the challenger almost always wants more debates, the incumbent fewer. But after George Allen let loose with his recent, racist outburst that caused his poll numbers to plummet, perhaps the Allen camp had second thoughts.
Unfortunately for Allen, there's not much for him to talk about when he gets up on those stages with Jim Webb. Accomplishments the past 6 years in the "wounded sea slug" Senate, where Allen says he is "bored?" Uhhhh....I'm thinking, I'm thinking. An independent force for Virginia in the U.S. Senate? Uhhhh...does being a 97% rubberstamp for George W. Bush count? A representative for ALL Virginians? Uhhhh...kinda tough after Allen dissed everywhere outside of Breaks - anyone who lives in Hampton Roads, Richmond, Fairfax, Arlington, Charlottesville, Gate City, Roanoke, you name it - as not being part of the "real Virginia."
Still, one should never underestimate a polished actor like George F. Allen. Just as nobody should have "misunderestimated" Allen's political soulmate, George W. Bush. And who knows what tricks that tricky Felix has up his sleeves? Anyway, stay tuned; we're almost at Labor Day and the time when people really start focusing on the November elections. And that's not debatable! Ha.
Lowell Feld is Netroots Coordinator for the Jim Webb for US Senate Campaign. The ideas expressed here belong to Lowell Feld alone, and do not necessarily represent those of Jim Webb, his advisors, staff, or supporters.
Allen's new theme: I may be a racist, but I can read a map.
They have agreed to this debate to try to tarnish Webb bc they really have nothing good to say about themselves.
I hear the Army has a new incentive out I.Pub! Free pringles (I'm sure nacho style too) and a room that's not in mom's basement. I'd give Not Don Rumsfeld a call ASAP, before Lieberman replaces him.
1. How did Allen win the debates? His knockout punch on Robb: "He's voted with Clinton 88% of the time. I don't think Hillary agrees with Bill 88% of the time!"
This had the effect of:
A) Tying Robb to Clinton when Bill's approvals were very low in the Commonwealth
B) Reminded the audience Bill-Monica, which in turn got many thinking about Robb-Playboy lady.
Despite this, Allen ran behind Bush (truly Bush-lite) and beat a man who only beat Ollie North (!) by three points. I very much liked Senator Robb, but he was a dead duck.
Additionally, Allen wanted to be a Senator in 2000. I think there's quote where he said "Being in the United States Senate is like being apart of the World's most important board of directors." I think the world's greatest legislative body would have been fine, but George "Exxon" Allen has corporations on his mind all the time.
As for Allen being likeable in person; if you dig his act, then sure. I find him horrifically unauthentic, but maybe I'm just a left wing wacko. He is NOWHERE in Reagan or Clinton's league. Many GOP insiders say he comes across as a lightweight and in need of a real identity, because he tries so hard to be Reagan it hurts. As for Clinton, take a look at this clip:
Clinton is actually being heckled, and he actually responds with POSITIVE IDEAS. If Allen got this kind of negative presence at an event, he'd probably shoot someone.
This takes you to see how someone with REAL charisma works a crowd and even responds with POSITIVE IDEAS to someone who is an ACTUAL HECKLER and not a volunteer with a video camera.
Everytime your hand touches a keyboard, a puppy dies.
I nominate that for best response ever. I thought I was being witty.
"Humor, a good sense of it, is to Americans what manhood is to Spaniards and we will go to great lengths to prove it. Experiments with laboratory rats have shown that, if one psychologist in the room laughs at something a rat does, all of the other psychologists in the room will laugh equally. Nobody wants to be left holding the joke." --Garrison Keillor
And every time George Allen speaks, a racist gets their jollies.
Look, here is Allen during his Neidermeyer moment!
To paraphase the scene between Neidermeyer and Boob in Animal House:
Allen: How does it feel to be an Democrat, Webb?
Webb: How does it feel to be an asshole, Allen?
Doug Neidermeyer went to Vietnam where he was "killed by his own troops."
Can George Allen's Presidential bid expect the same outcome from the Republican Party after losing his Senate seat?
Life is full of symmetry.
Now all we have to do is somehow get George Allen to call Webb Hitler, and have Jim Webb putting out an ad surrounded by young children saying how he thought this was going to be a clean race, and that while he respects George Allen, those remarks have no place in Virginia...
So anybody feel like trying to get Allen to call Webb Hitler, do YOU have the ability to infilitrate one of his rallies, and ask him a question in a way that would frame it towards only being answered Webb is Hitler...
It would be gold, I tellz ya...GOLD!!!