How Not to Prepare for a Debate
I have a hard time processing this news as anything other than further evidence of the often-thumbless nature of the Obama campaign:
As he approaches his three critical face-offs with Mitt Romney this fall, President Obama needed to find the perfect person to stand in as his Republican rival during mock debates.
He has found one.
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts will pose as Mitt Romney, campaign officials said, bringing a wealth of knowledge about Mr. Romney’s record and his reputation as a skilled debater who knows the pressure of the presidential spotlight.
Come again? If anyone's been touting John Kerry's "reputation as a skilled debater" they've been doing so on Kerry letterhead.
This feels a little like witless TV movie casting ("I know, we'll get James Brolin to play Ronald Reagan!"). If Kerry is the perfect fit, then the only criteria were follicle count, ZIP code, and bank account size. And while I say that in jest, it does seem to be part of the rationale. The Times piece, noting the superficial similarities, describes them as allowing Kerry to "... [bring] a personal background that should provide him with insights into Mr. Romney that others lack." Because he too has applied Pomade while on a gigayacht off of Saint-Tropez?
Romney, it bears remembering, turned into a rather sharp debater late in the primary season, thanks partially to the help of coach Brett O'Donnell, who was then quickly dropped by the campaign (according to the new E-book by Tom Bevan and Carl Cannon, his departure owed to the fact that Romney was unhappy with media coverage focusing on staff work instead of the campaign itself). But whether or not O'Donnell is brought back into the fold, Romney will surely bring an aggressive energy and focus to the debates that cannot be replicated by John Kerry, the only shaved tree sloth to serve in the United States Senate.
If I'm Obama, I want to spar with someone who's almost exactly the opposite of Kerry: Someone who can genuinely adopt the opposition's mindset, who isn't afraid to take the gloves off, and who will relentlessly hit me as hard or harder than Romney. If I'm Obama, I want Chuck Schumer.
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Sep '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
By that logic, Romney should prepare for his debate with Oprah Winfrey. She's black, from Chicago, and real good with a teleprompter.
Jan '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
What was the story last week? Conservatives can grasp and explain liberal arguments, but liberals can't do the same in reverse.
John Kerry is a classic case of that. He's a liberal who only sees and registers his own assumptions and premises. When he sees other people reaching different conclusions, therefore, he's mystified - and then attributes the disagreements to bad faith on the other guy's behalf. He genuinely doesn't understand how others could disagree with him.
Remember how Newt Gingrich scored debate points when he challenged the assumptions, and then re-framed the questions in the way that conservatives understood it? I wish that was a teachable skill, because Romney will need to do that constantly.
At some point, Obama is going to throw out the accusation that "See? They don't even believe in the same America that we do." That'll be a Reagan moment ... as Reagan said, "I heard those speakers at that other convention saying, "we won the Cold War" -- and I couldn't help wondering, just who exactly do they mean by "we"?
Apr '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
I wonder if the announcement is designed to be psychological and draw associations between Kerry and Romney. I've heard it said, more than once, than Romney is the Republican Kerry. It's not a bad association to try to draw, two wealthy men from Massachusetts, one of whom was tagged as a flip-flopper and lost, and the other the Obama people hope to tag as a flip-flopper and hope will lose.
After all, when had it ever been significant who the president used as a sparring partner for debate practice?
Jan '12
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
A new, peppier Romney has been appearing lately. Kerry may be too lethargic a foil for Obama, who isn't all that energetic himself.
Edited on June 20, 2012 at 4:30amJul '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
I've got a better suggestion for a debate sparring partner: someone who not only has a reputation as a fine and engaging speaker, but who has voiced many principles and positions that are antithetical to President Obama's actions in office:
I speak, of course, of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.
Nov '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Sorry..I am still laughing over "shaved tree sloth"...
Nov '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
This I want to see. The practice debate would be more fun than the actual debate.
Dec '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Thumbless and all thumbs, but it won't matter; Obama doesn't strike me as somebody that diligently prepares.
Romney, on the other hand, should prepare, perhaps with a different twist. Have Bernard Goldberg and David Horowitz act as prep-moderators doing their connivng best to channel their previous, lefty, incarnations. Romney needs some people to really bring the evil.
Sep '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Wylee Coyote: I've got a better suggestion for a debate sparring partner: someone who not only has a reputation as a fine and engaging speaker, but who has voiced many principles and positions that are antithetical to President Obama's actions in office:
I speak, of course, of Senator Barack Obama of Illinois. · 31 minutes ago
Perfect. The GOP should edit together a you tube debate with Obama of now debating himself as Senator. Subjects: Afghanistan, Guantanamo, the Patriot Act, Presidential Executive orders, Gay Marriage...can't wait!
Mar '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Wasn't the syphilitic camel available?
Apr '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
John Kerry is fine with me. He won't believe a word of what he is saying and will present arguments that are caricatures of Mitt Romney's actual positions. This means that team Obama will be less well prepared when they actually get in the ring.
Jun '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Kerry as Romney in debate prep: "It is not only because we are anti-woman and anti-gay in my party, or that I like my private equity friends on Wall Street to be unregulated, Wolf, it is also because I believe it is important for my rich friends to keep more of what they have not earned. By the way, did you know that Senator Kerry serve in Vietnam? Who amongst us did not know that?"
May '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Troy Senik, Ed.
If I'm Obama, I want to spar with someone who's almost exactly the opposite of Kerry: Someone who can genuinely adopt the opposition's mindset, who isn't afraid to take the gloves off, and who will relentlessly hit me as hard or harder than Romney. If I'm Obama, I want Chuck Schumer.
Troy, I don't get your choice of Chuck Schumer. Taking the gloves off, hitting hard, I get. But you think he can genuinely adopt the opposition's mindset? He has always come across to me as one of Washington's biggest grandstanders and gloaters. I don't detect a lot of sympathy for the other side of the debate. Please explain.
Apr '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Quinn the Eskimo: I wonder if the announcement is designed to be psychological and draw associations between Kerry and Romney. I've heard it said, more than once, than Romney is the Republican Kerry. It's not a bad association to try to draw, two wealthy men from Massachusetts, one of whom was tagged as a flip-flopper and lost, and the other the Obama people hope to tag as a flip-flopper and hope will lose.
After all, when had it ever been significant who the president used as a sparring partner for debate practice? · 3 hours ago
I think this is very likely to be the case, particularly given how far ahead the news is being broken. It's also worth considering the possibility that Kerry is being buttered up for some reason.
Regarding the second claim, though, Rob Portman's excellence as a mock debate partner was helpful in past presidential elections.
Dec '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts will pose as Mitt Romney, campaign officials said, bringing a wealth of knowledge ...
Speaking of wealth, how different can two politicians be?
One married it; one earned it.
Jan '12
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
The motherlode of YouTube bonanzas, no?
Jan '12
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
EThompson:Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts will pose as Mitt Romney, campaign officials said, bringing a wealth of knowledge ...
Speaking of wealth, how different can two politicians be?
One marriedit; one earnedit. · 24 minutes ago
Agreed, but then wasn't Romney's dad rather rich.
I can imagine he could make the argument you suggest, but there may be traps. ... I don't know for sure; I just suggest caution.
Jan '12
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
CJRun: Thumbless and all thumbs, but it won't matter; Obama doesn't strike me as somebody that diligently prepares.
Romney, on the other hand, should prepare, perhaps with a different twist. Have Bernard Goldberg and David Horowitz act as prep-moderators doing their connivng best to channel their previous, lefty, incarnations. Romney needs some people to really bring the evil. · 6 hours ago
Brilliant suggestion! Horowitz will know the lefty protocols and how to translate them for Romney's comprehension.
You should send an email to FrontPageMagazine. I can't prove it, but I do believe that Horowitz's smarts helped Bush in Florida back in 2000--at least with suggesting that his people provide counter-demonstrations.
Nov '10
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
At the risk of giving the O campaign some reasonably good advice, if they really want a good proxy for Romney's arguments, who is also ideologically inclined to assist them toward their goals, they ought to hire Jon Stewart. Among leftist talking heads, "thinkers" and speakers, he has a number of very good characteristics, one of which is that he is able (when so inclined) to articulate the "other"s positions very well. This is why his political humour is so much more effective than that of most on the left: He appears to have some genuine (intellectual) empathy. Not to mention enough intellectual curiosity to first research what the targets of his humour actually hold, instead of some caricature thereof.
The problem with this idea is that Stewart, even speaking insincerely, would slaughter BHO in verbal battle.
As recently observed here, the vast majority of leftists are simply incapable of articulating the conservative position. (Yes, I know ... Mitt himself has had some trouble with that. But, you know, he's gotten remarkably better last couple of years. The primary did him some good.)
Edited on June 20, 2012 at 5:38amDec '11
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Noesis Noeseos
EThompson:Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts will pose as Mitt Romney, campaign officials said, bringing a wealth of knowledge ...
Speaking of wealth, how different can two politicians be?
One marriedit; one earnedit. · 24 minutes ago
Agreed, but then wasn't Romney's dad rather rich.
George Romney was a successful CEO of American Motors and of course, the governor of Michigan and later, HUD Secretary in the Nixon administration.
Was he in the same financial league as his son, Willard Mitt? Not even close...