Sunday, October 01, 2023
Actor and comedian Woody Allen was once asked about the key to his success (before all the weird controversies came out). His answer was, “Eighty percent of life is just showing up.” I always thought there was something of a ring of truth to that. As long as you get out on the playing field, you’re going to get some bumps and bruises, but you’ll get wins and losses along the way, too. Well, many years later, Donald Trump may have proved just the opposite in presidential politics. Let’s “brunch” on that this week.
“Debate Disaster” – I’ve covered every election cycle since 1978 and I can honestly say that the Republican presidential debate Wednesday night at the Ronald Reagan Library in California was an absolute disaster. It looked and sounded like a WWE “Battle Royale” wrestling match on steroids. I mean it was like a contest on whether the candidates or moderators could embarrass themselves more than the others. It was a buffet of “empty calories.” Did any voter get anything out of it? I doubt it. It reminded me of the old saying that “people only go to NASCAR races to see the cars crash.” To that end, it did not disappoint.
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“The Worst of the Worst” – I try my best to defend my fellow media mates, but the worst moment of the night goes to moderator and former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino. Believe it or not, in the middle of the debate Perino said it was clear that former President Trump would win the primary race if nobody dropped out, so she asked who should be the first candidate to go, “off the island.” Perino instructed the candidates to use their whiteboards to write down a name, like the competitors give their answers during the TV show segment, “Final Jeopardy.”
“What was Perino Thinking?” – OH MY GOD!!!! In all my years of covering politics, this was among the all-time lows, and the candidates were visibly taken aback. “Are you serious?” asked former U.N. ambassador and Gov. Nikki Haley (R) South Carolina. And whether you like or support him or not, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) Florida had the most appropriate response. “I’ll decline to do that, with all due respect,” DeSantis said. “We’re happy to debate. I think that that’s disrespectful to my fellow competitors,” he added. The only candidate who started to write down a name was entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, but the awkward moment ended before we saw his answer. As a five-decade media professional, I’ve faced a lot of tough challenges covering politics as best I could in a balanced, professional manner. Dana Perino embarrassed herself and our profession.
“On the Other Hand” – I’m not defending Perino here, but the moderators have a tough job. With seven candidates on the stage, it’s tough to give enough time to each in a two-hour format. There were lots of arguments and people yelling and talking over each other. At times, it was a shout fest, with no useful information being imparted to voters. As I watched, I saw only five people whom I believe are still viable and two who are fading away. I won’t name them. The media is not here to pick winners and losers but rather to give those still running a forum to give voice. The key spring primaries and caucuses in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina will be the winnowing process. Let the voters – not network anchors – decide for themselves.
“Give a Trump Thump” – Of course, the whole exchange left a gaping opening for the one candidate who was not on stage – former President Donal Trump. “I’d vote Donald Trump off the island right now,” said former Gov. Chris Christie (R) New Jersey. “Look, this guy has not only divided our party. He’s divided families all over this country. He’s divided friends all over this country,” Christie added. But indicted three times yet Trump rises in the polls. Thus, the theme of “winning by losing.” It’s just emboldens his base.
“Trump’s Retort” – Trump really doesn’t need to say a word. He’s so far ahead that it almost looks like the rest of the field is competing to be “first-runner up” at Miss America. The latest Real Clear Politics composite poll has it at: Trump 57%, DeSantis 14%, Haley 6%, Ramaswamy 5%, Mike Pence 4%, Scott 3%, and Christie 3%.
“A Florida Flounder?” – The next debate is November 8th in Miami, Florida. It’s the home state for both Trump and DeSantis and a “must-win” state if the GOP wants to regain the White House in 2024. Will Trump, who skipped the first two debates, show up? I honestly don’t know. He “won” the first two debates by being a no-show, with a huge lead in the polls. He could easily do the same in the third debate. But Trump is a fighter. It’s hard for me to imagine, he won’t try to defend his home-court advantage over DeSantis and finish off the governor’s challenge once and for all. To use a boxing metaphor, it would be like Muhammad Ali not showing up for his third legendary fight with Joe Frazier. My money is on Trump showing up to debate in Miami.
“We Are Not a Match!” – I like it when the candidates get feisty and combative. The exchanges between Nikki Haley and Vivek Ramaswamy are getting epic, as were the punches she and Sen. Tim Scott (R) South Carolina threw at each other. I think in both instances the lady politician got the upper hand and showed the men that, “she got game!” I think she’s a real force in this GOP primary and could well wind up on the ticket as Trump’s VP if he’s the nominee again.
“In Other News” – The weirdness wasn’t just limited to the debate stage. This week, Senator Bob Menedez (D-NJ) was indicted on various corruption charges. Prosecutors say they found gold bricks and thousands of dollars in cash in the Senator’s possession that were ostensibly the payoff for bribes. Some in his own party called for Menendez to step down (he’s been charged and acquitted of similar charges before). It reminds me of when the feds found tens of thousands of dollars stashed in the freezer of former Rep. William Jefferson (D) Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina victims needed help. A wee bit of indiscretion in both cases, it seems.
“Crossing the Aisle” – And legal troubles aren’t just limited to Democrats. Former New Your City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is already charged criminally in the George election fight, but now comes more trouble and you can’t make this stuff up. Hunter Biden has sued Giuliani for allegedly hacking Biden’s “smoking gun” computer, filled with stripper photos and alleged corrupt foreign business deals. On top of that, former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson says Giuliani groped her during the January 6th fracas. If true, this is all quite a fall for the man once praised as “America’s Mayor.”
“Rest in Peace Senator Feinstein” – I first met Sen Diane Feinstein (D) California when I was a Senate Aide in 1993. I later went to work for a Sen Francisco TV station for 15 years and interviewed her often. She was a gutsy trailblazer and a force, but also a genuinely nice person in a business of hard-nosed, mean people. She was always kind to me. May God rest your soul, Senator Feinstein.
Mark Curtis, Ed.D., is Chief Political Reporter for the seven Nexstar Media TV stations serving West Virginia, its five neighboring states and the entire Washington, DC media market. He is also a MINDSETTER™ contributing political writer and analyst for www.GoLocalProv.com and its affiliates.
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