Political Debates Even On Points Support Incumbents

Two debates. Two ties. Status quo.

Consequently, two gains for Gore-Liberman, two losses for Bush-Cheney. In status quo, incumbents win.

Dick Cheney and Joe Liberman were models of classic debate – polite, charming, and informed. They did not commit any gaffes to upset their running mates. They received a deserved, standing ovation at the conclusion.

Best one-liner of both debates was a rejoinder by Cheney. When Liberman asserted his opponent had benefited as an oil company executive from the Clinton-Gore economy, Cheney replied – with a smile – “I assure you, Joe, the government had nothing to do with it.” The audience violated the silence rule for the only time to applaud heartily.

Cheney also came up with a political slogan that Republicans would do well to emphasize: “A new course for a new beginning.”

Challengers have to convince voters of reasons for change. Bush and Cheney have good plans but have not yet explained them adequately.

Bush began his campaign with a persuasive banner – Compassionate Conservatism. However, he was psyched out by liberal ridicule of his lips shape, pronunciation and shaky grasp of parlor game trivia. The Republican candidate began trying to placate critics. It can’t be done.

Nevertheless, W stood toe-to-toe with Super-debater Gore in the first presidential debate – to the consternation of liberal pundits.

Gore rattled off statistics dear to the hearts of bureaucrats. Yet, he demonstrated inherent meanness that will cost him dearly it he keeps it up.

It started with the “walk-on” at the debate hall. This sounds silly to the unwashed, but candidates strive for first-impression dominance. In the pro-forma handshake, Gore took the governor’s hand then bumped him belly-to-belly, forcing Bush to step back.

Cute, but schoolyard bully stuff. Apparently this was part of his attempt to achieve “alpha male” persona - - for which he hired a psychologist to teach him. However, Gore blew the bit by then blowing a kiss to the audience. Eech!

During the debate, Gore was rude and overbearing. He would not stop when his time was up. He took extra times to have the last word to Bush’s statements, despite Moderator Jim Lehrer’s exasperated admonitions. Strangely, Lehrer let him get away with these breaches of debating rules.

During Bush’s statements, Gore would sigh loudly, shake his head and roll his eyes – again contrary to debate etiquette. Even the post-debate liberal spinmeisters were apologetic for their darling.

Future historians will have great fun playing back videos of Gore’s walk-on and sighs – along with The Kiss that wowed the Democrat convention.

Gore’s most grievous fault was his persistence in exaggerating supporting anecdotes. He brought a 79-year- old Iowa woman to the debate and pointed her out as an example of insufficient senior care. She was said to patrol the roads every day of the week to pick up and sell beverage cans in order to buy food and prescription drugs.

It turns out that she has Social Security payments, a labor union pension, a mortgage-free home and an affluent son who pays her taxes and other large expenses. He says, “My mother wanted to speak for elderly people less fortunate than her.”

Gore also made much of a Sarasota, Florida, high school girl who had to stand in science class because there were not enough desks. It turns out that she was late for the first day of school, and had to sit on a stool because $100,000 worth of science lab computers had not yet been uncrated. There were 20 vacant desks in the next room, and plenty the next day in the science room.

A third Gore whopper was his claim to have visited Texas with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Director to inspect a wildfire disaster. Records dug up by local newspaper disclose that Gore flew into Huston to pick up some large contributions from lawyers opposed to damage-claims reform.

Gores seems to have a penchant for aggrandizement – starting with his claim of inventing the Internet.

He also has claimed as a baby being lulled to sleep by a labor union song that wasn’t composed until he was 27, that he was involved in the “first days” of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve two years before being elected to Congress, and falsely that his mother-in-law paid more for an arthritis drug than for the same medicine for the family dog.

Gore has inspired his own suffix for a misdeed – Tale Gate. But this probably will not affect his campaign. Bill Clinton has given his get-out-of-jail-free card to his buddy.

FOR THE RECORD

Responding to query

Reagan’s Budgets

U.S. Constitution Article 1:

“All bills for raising revenue

shall originate in the House”

Year Proposed Final

1982 695.3 745.8

1983 773.3 808.4

1984 862.5 851.8

1985 940.3 946.4

1986 973.7 990.3