The One and Only Gubernatorial Debate

I set aside time last night to watch the only gubernatorial debate we will see this campaign season. Here are my initial thoughts.

First, the bad news. Perry did well. His mission was to avoid any major gaffes. He did just that. I don’t think there is any doubt that Perry and his people are happy with Perry’s performance.

Now the good news. Bell did well. Bell doesn’t have the most dynamic personality, but he was the best of the four when it came to content. And his performance improved as the debate progressed. My wife has never been enthusiastic about Bell’s candidacy, but Bell impressed her last night. I think he just may have connected with other voters who have been lukewarm about the Democrat, but who certainly don’t want to see Perry get reelected. He came across much better than Strayhorn and Friedman.

In fact, during the closing statements, Perry addressed Bell, but conspicuously ignored Strayhorn and Friedman. Perry views Bell as his chief rival. Can all of us progressives who want Perry out agree that Bell is our best bet?

This wasn’t much of a debate. The debate lasted only one hour, and the candidates were usually given only one minute to respond to questions. With four candidates on the stage, we were not going to have a meaningful debate of the issues under this format.

During one round of questioning, the debate turned into a quiz show, with each candidate being asked whether he or she knew the answer to a particular question. This was just plain silly, in my opinion. But, I suppose it was humorous when Strayhorn couldn’t recall the name of the incoming president of Mexico (Felipe Calderon). Bell was thrown a softball question about whether there were term limits for Texas Governor. Give Bell credit, however, for knocking it out of the park:

There is no term limit for Texas Governor and that’s why people should be horrified, because Rick Perry says that he plans to run for another term if he’s successful this time. That’s the best reason I can give you tonight for voting for me.

This was definitely one of the evening’s highlights.

My sense is that Bell is gaining momentum, and many who have supported Strayhorn or Friedman now recognize that Bell is the only one of the three who has a chance to win. I sure hope this is the case.