Republicans Contend Trump's Debate Heat Will Fire Up The Base
President Trump was widely criticized for being too aggressive, even unpresidential, in his first debate performance Tuesday night, but Republicans think his showing will resonate with the base.
“If you like Trump, and I understand not everybody does, you saw a lot of what you liked last night,” said a Washington, D.C.-based Republican operative.
Even if Trump did not win over new voters, these Republicans say he might have maintained his enthusiasm edge. Trump supporters saw the president hammer Democratic challenger Joe Biden, and while the former vice president was sharper than his doddering image, he was frequently equivocal in defending policy proposals that are popular among liberals.
“No question, this was a fiery debate with multiple dust-ups,” said Republican strategist Ford O’Connell. “While Biden was light on policy specifics and at times refused to answer questions while resorting to name-calling, what’s clear is that from the economy and jobs to the Green New Deal to the violence in the Democrat-run cities, Biden’s positions are really no different from those of Bernie Sanders and the far left of the Democrat Party, despite his linguistic somersaults.”
Read more from W. James Antle III at the Washington Examiner
Who's In, Who's Out: Selection Day For The GOP Presidential Debate
The final polls are in and the stage is set for Thursday night's first Republican presidential debate.
Those who made the cut, according to Fox News: businessman Donald Trump, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, neurosurgeon Ben Carson, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.
Relegated to an earlier debate Thursday evening: Texas Gov. Rick Perry, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, former New York Gov. George Pataki and former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore.
The choice on who to include was a tough one for Fox, which had to decide exactly how to fit so many candidates on stage amid a ballooning field.
Fox's ultimate decision was to base who made the main debate stage in Cleveland on Thursday night at 9 p.m. ET on five of the most recent national polls that met their standards. Surveys from Bloomberg, CBS News, Fox News, Quinnipiac University and Monmouth University were averaged.
"It's 'must-see TV,' but the 'must-see' starts with Trump," said Republican strategist Ford O'Connell. "Is he going to be a statesman or is he going to be an outspoken bomb thrower? Who knows."
Both O'Connell and Bonjean said the other top candidates, like Bush and Walker, would be wise to avoid taking on Trump directly, since they have nothing to gain and more to lose by doing so. But other candidates who need a surge of momentum might benefit from some direct attacks.
"He's got to be just livid," O'Connell said. "It's unfortunate for Rick because this time around, it's hard to make a first impression the second time."
Can The Other GOP Candidates Trump Donald Trump In The First Big Debate?
With just two days until the first Republican presidential debate, all eyes are fixed on Donald Trump, the unpredictable, brash, billionaire real estate mogul who has found himself at the top of the polls – and sucking up nearly all of the 2016 oxygen in the process.
The never-shy, always-controversial Trump will almost certainly score the coveted center-stage slot on the Cleveland debate stage. And that puts his fellow candidates in a tough position: How do they deal with this boastful birther? Do they engage with him? Do they try to talk with him seriously and substantively? Do they shrug him off as some kind of carnival barker? Do they attack him? Do they avoid him altogether?
It’s a tricky balancing act; after all, he does have a quarter of the GOP electorate behind him, and the more serious candidates lagging in the polls will surely be wary of alienating Trump backers by dissing The Donald.
Ford O’Connell, a GOP strategist and another former McCain adviser, didn’t buy Trump’s talk. “He’s going to come and debate,” said O’Connell, adding that his M.O. is “undersell and overdeliver.”
Which strategy will pay off? O’Connell said it depends on the candidate. If you’re doing well in the polls – like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush or Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker – “engaging Trump is not the smartest option. Stick to the issues and stay above the fray no matter what Trump does. No need to roll in the mud just yet.”
But if you’re a lower-tiered candidate, like Christie, Paul, or Huckabee, “Tussling with Trump could get you headlines, it could give you momentum. But Trump punches pretty mightily, so you have to be careful.”
Barack Obama Won The Third Debate, But Mitt Romney Won The Debate Season
President Barack Obama won the foreign policy debate last night in Boca Raton, Fla. He pressed the advantage of incumbency effectively—he knows precisely what went into every decision made over the last four years because he made them. Only Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta could've stood a chance.
But at the same time, Fox News's Chris Wallace had it right: If you knew nothing about American politics, and you tuned into last night's debate, Wallace said, you would have thought Mitt Romney was the incumbent protecting a lead and President Obama was a desperate challenger trying to score points any way possible.
Romney's primary goal was not so much to win as to pass thecommander in chief test. He needed to not allow the president to portray him as a warmonger or international cowboy. He needed to present a sensible, coherent plan to keep America strong and safe, and he did.
So, advantage President Obama last night; advantage Romney for the debate season as a whole. Will it matter November 6? It's unclear. But if you live in Ohio, let's just say you'll have a lot of chances to see the president over the next two weeks.
Did Mitt Pass The Presidential Test?
Mitt Romney passed the “commander in chief” test by presenting a sensible, coherent plan to keep America strong and safe, and by not allowing President Obama to portray him as a warmonger or international cowboy. On that front, mission accomplished! The question now is: Can Romney win Ohio?
Recap Of Presidential Foreign Policy Debate At CBC News
Ford O'Connell joins CBC News Now's Heather Hiscox to discuss the third and final presidential debate on foreign policy between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, and what lies ahead for both candidates as they vie for the Oval Office in the final two weeks of Election 2012.
Obama-Romney Debate Round 3: Parting Thoughts And Shots
Republican strategist Ford O’Connell: “Romney has one job tonight: To make voters, who are more far more concerned with domestic issues, comfortable with the idea of Romney as Commander-in-Chief. Look for Obama to counter by portraying Romney as an international cowboy.”
GOP strategist Ford O’Connell: “After 30-minute mark, Obama came out swinging and Romney deflected well. The longer the foreign policy debate focuses on domestic issues, the better off Romney is.”
GOP strategist Ford O’Connell: “President Obama keeps trying to set traps for Romney, but Romney is smart not to take the bait. By stressing global stability, a strong domestic economy and holding America’s adversaries accountable, Romney is doing what is necessary to succeed in this debate. One of Romney’s strongest lines of the night: ‘Attacking me is not an agenda.’”
GOP strategist Ford O’Connell: “President Obama tried to rough up Romney, and Romney stood his ground and looked presidential. Strong closing by Romney, he passed the Commander-in-Chief test.”
Different Debate Tactics Reflect Changes In Campaign Landscape
It started off as a foreign policy debate, but domestic issues soon took center stage at the third and final presidential debate Monday, an event that showcased fewer fireworks and much tamer exchanges between President Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, who are running virtually neck-and-neck in the campaign's final two weeks.
Romney and Obama, who went after each other aggressively in their showdown last week, took very different approaches Monday and it said much about how each views the race.
Unlike the earlier debates, Monday's produced no clear winner, allowing both sides to claim victory.
"Romney's primary job was to make Americans comfortable with the idea of Romney as commander-in-chief," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell told The Washington Examiner. "On that front, mission accomplished. Romney looked and sounded presidential. Obama came out swinging and Romney deflected well."
No Second Debate Bounce For Obama Or Romney
From Nate Silver At The New York Times:
The bad news for President Obama: it’s been almost a week since the second presidential debate, in Hempstead, N.Y., one that instant-reaction polls said was a narrow victory for him. But there is little sign that this has translated into a bounce for Mr. Obama in his head-to-head polls against Mitt Romney. Instead, the presidential race may have settled into a period of relative stability.
There is bad news for Mr. Romney as well, however. The “new normal” of the presidential campaign is considerably more favorable for him than the environment before the first debate, in Denver. However, it is one in which he still seems to be trailing, by perhaps 2 percentage points, in the states that are most vital in the Electoral College.
The FiveThirtyEight forecast was essentially unchanged again on Sunday, with Mr. Obama retaining a 67.6 percent chance of winning the Electoral College, little different from his 67.9 percent odds on Friday and Saturday.
5 Things Mitt Romney Must Do In Tonight's Foreign Policy Debate
Tonight's final debate should be fought on President Barack Obama's turf. He has the experience—presidents conduct foreign policy; corporate chieftains, even those at the top of the heap, do not. And he has the record—Osama bin Laden is dead, in case you haven't heard.
But there also is much in that record with which challenger Mitt Romney can take issue when he meets the president on the stage at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla. He can take another shot at the president's dissembling on the attack on our consulate in Benghazi, Libya. He can discuss China, the Middle East, Iran, Israel, and immigration.
But Romney must keep one goal in mind: His job tonight is not to deliver memorable haymakers. It is not even, in a sense, to "win" the debate. It is to show an American public far more focused on domestic policy that they can trust him to do a credible, consistent job on the one issue presidents handle primarily alone—and, if he can, to show President Obama has not succeeded.
How does he accomplish this? By stressing five key points.
