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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Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
James Of England
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. · 17 hours ago
If this really is a tactical move, it's a meaningless one (not to mention a huge slap to Kerry). No one -- and I mean no one -- will change their vote because of Obama's debate prep partner.
Re: How Not to Prepare for a Debate
Mark Wilson
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. · 18 hours ago
I do genuinely think he can adopt the opposition's mindset. As much as I loathe Schumer (every time he speaks I get the same physical sensation as in that brief moment when you're not sure if something's stuck in your windpipe or not), he is one of the sharpest political strategists that Democrats have in office. Whereas Kerry is so thoroughly marinated in liberalism that I doubt he can produce anything more than a caricature of a center-right argument, Schumer relishes the fight enough to give the other side its due. But grandstanding and gloating? You've got him nailed there.
Edited on June 20, 2012 at 6:40pm