Thompson's Debate début
By JB Williams (10/09/07)
Unlike spineless Democrats, who only accept interview or debate questions from partisan pals at politically friendly networks, the Republican candidates will once again step into the lions den of opposition and field liberal framed questions from Democrat Party hack Chris Matthews of MSNBC Hardball.
LIVE on CNBC at 4: PM ET, October 9, 2007, in the heart of Democrat country, Dearborn Michigan, Presidential candidate Fred Thompson will make his first debate appearance in an environment typically hostile towards Republicans and their conservative ideas. Only fielding questions from Michael Moore in the conference room at MoveOn.org could be more hostile.
The Republican candidates will face off with career liberal political operative Matthews, in very liberal Dearborn, on the ultra-liberal network NBC [CNBC/MSNBC] as the nation looks on and all eyes will be on the new kid, Fred Thompson. [Those who can’t watch it live in the afternoon can catch the rebroadcast on MSNBC at 9: PM ET tonight.]
Maybe that’s as it should be. After all, what better way to test a group of men vying for the most thankless job in the world, President of the United States? If a candidate can’t handle Chris Matthews, how can they hope to handle Kim Jong-Il or Ahmadinejad? For heavens sake, even comedian Jon Stewart man handled Matthews on his Daily Show.
But what a shame that Democrats don’t have the same courage, to face their opposition in an open forum and field questions from those they consider their political foes. If Republican candidates were as spineless as Democrats, fair and balanced FOX would be the only place they could take an interview or a debate.
Tough on terror and international thugs, but scared to death of FOX News? Come on…! This confirms my suspicion that all liberals spent their childhood with their underwear pulled over their heads, picking their nose in the corner, or huddled in a fetal position every time some “bully” blinked in their direction.
But I digress… Thompson needs to hit a home run. That’s the story…
Not because any other candidate has mastered a home run in any debate yet. But because Thompson enters his first debate under the bright light of great expectations from those who drafted him into the race, and great skepticism from others and even some hoping to see him stumble off the front of the stage like Bob Dole in 1996.
Because anything less than a home run will be played in the press as a great failure by an over-rated Thompson.
The good news is – many Americans, conservative Republicans fed up with liberal RNC leaders and old Blue Dog Democrats equally fed up with the outright socialist leadership of today’s DNC, will want to connect with Thompson. They will be looking for Thompson to stand tall and speak for them today.
The bad news is – Matthews will be gunning for all of them, Thompson the most, as will much of the audience from left-leaning Dearborn. Candidates, who have been on the campaign trail for almost a year already without garnering more than a few nods from constituents, will be gunning for the candidate just now entering the race, who was all but leading the race before even officially announcing his run. Envy can be an ugly thing…
This is a Thompson moment…
If he manages to pull off a home run in this environment, his stock will shoot through the roof and he could emerge from his first debate as a clear front-runner for the RNC nomination. Of course, if he flops, his campaign could be on life support pretty fast. And if he just “holds his own,” the pressrooms on both sides of the aisle will play it as some massive failure of an over-rated candidate. To win, Thompson must win convincingly.
The Republican cup runneth over, with too many candidates for any one to get much of a crack at bat in this kind of debate forum, as Thompson described it, standing in a line like a bunch of performing seals, waiting for the next fish.
But no matter the liberal questioner, the liberal city full of liberal voters, the liberal network and ill-conceived format, or the other candidates waiting for their opening to land a shot, Thompson will have to find a way to land a few shots of his own.
Tune in to CNBC at 4: PM ET or to MSNBC at 9: PM ET to see what happens next. Either way, this could be reality TV at its best!
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