Jim DeMint, Inez Tenenbaum to Debate on Meet the Press
By CraigLinton Posted in Miscellanea — Comments (8) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Red-state-endorsed Jim DeMint and Inez Tenenbaum, candidates for U.S. Senate in South Carolina, will debate on Meet the Press today (Sunday). A full report will follow after the debate. Consider this post an open thread for comments leading up to and during the debate.
The most recent poll (.pdf) puts DeMint's lead down to three points--within the margin of error. (Thanks to Country Fried for the heads up.)
If you've got insomnia or are politically hungry, you can read up on the latest news in this hotly-contested U.S. Senate race on my diary page.
Update [2004-10-17 8:22:22 by CraigLinton]: analysis of debate below the fold.
Both candidates suffered under the difficult questioning from moderator Tim Russert. DeMint's toughest line of questioning dealt with his statement about gays and single pregnant women teaching in the classroom. DeMint responded to the question the way that he did during last week's debate: that he apologized for the distraction that the comment created.
MR. RUSSERT: But you apologize for distracting but are you apologizing to gay teachers or to single mom teachers?
REP. DeMINT: No. I'm apologizing for talking about a local school board issue when the voters want us to talk about how we're going to make them safer, win the war on terror, how we're going to create jobs, how we're going to fix our health-care system. And these are things I've worked on in the Congress and that's what I plan to do in the Senate.
Russert continued to press DeMint on the issue. Although he had to begin repeating himself, DeMint made it clear that he was only apologizing for the distraction the comment made. He further stated that the issue of who should teach is a decision for local school boards to make.
This was the best he could have handled the question. Had he reaffirmed his stance, changed it, or apologized for the substance of his remarks, it would have re-ignited a firestorm that would have distracted from the other important issues in the Senate race. DeMint looked evasive during the interview, but dodged the fall-out of a potential press bonanza.
When DeMint attacked Tenenbaum's record as South Carolina Superintendent of Education, Tenenbaum tried to shrug off the attacks, saying DeMint was attacking the children.
MS. TENENBAUM:...And, you know, Jim keeps harping on education to try to attack me when really he is attacking our students and our teachers and our parents who work so hard to produce the wonderful results in the last few years that we've accomplished in education. It really is so unfair for him to attack educators in that way.
If Tenenbaum really wants to say that DeMint is attacking the children when he attacks her, is Tenenbaum blaming the children for poor test scores and high drop-out rates? This silly defense ignores that she's where the buck stops for education in South Carolina.
Tenenbaum looked trapped when Russert asked her if life begins at conception.
MR. RUSSERT: Ms. Tenenbaum, do you believe life begins at conception?
MS. TENENBAUM: I believe that a woman and her family and her physician should decide whether or not to exercise the freedom of choice.
MR. RUSSERT: But you believe life begins at conception.
MS. TENENBAUM: It depends on were you talking ensoulment? Are you talking about physical life? I believe that a woman should decide whether or not to have an abortion with her family and her physician. I can't answer that scientifically when life begins.
DeMint had confidently responded a few seconds earlier that he believed life did begin at conception, and that he would favor laws to make abortion illegal.
During the debate, Russert didn't grill Tenenbaum on what she would do with the federal tax code; he didn't ask about social security reform; he didn't ask about health savings accounts; he didn't ask about jobs and free trade. These are subjects that would have absolutely crushed Tenenbaum.
You've got to respect Russert--he avoided some big issues, but he still won this debate.
Update [2004-10-17 10:13:30 by CraigLinton]: A full transcript is now available. (Scroll down about half-way.)
Update [2004-10-17 10:23:45 by CraigLinton]: block quotations added from NBC News' Meet the Press.
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Jim DeMint, Inez Tenenbaum to Debate on Meet the Press 8 Comments (0 topical, 8 editorial, 0 hidden) Post a comment »
Just thought I should clarify a little. I agree with the majority of Mr. Demint's positions. This bomb is not the result of those positions.
-bro
Can you explain why De Mint "literally worries" you?
His evasiveness on several questions was infuriating, I admit. It is part of a general trend: on all the really important questions which, being moral in nature, go to the big political question of who we are as a people -- on these questions, politicians will not answer.
Pathetic.
Russert really hit DeMint over the head with the gay issue. He's a tough questioner, and I don't think either candidate did particularly well under his interrogation.
But why couldn't DeMint just stand by his comments. The damage is done already (if there really was any damage); let him defend himself. Didn't he know that the question was coming?
He should have been more prepared to answer the question. At the last debate, they softballed the question and let him go.
I think it actually helped him to avoid the question. Those who watched MTP probably didn't like it, but the press will have a difficult time making news from it. Now had he reaffirmed his stance from the first debate, the media could go wild with that. So, while it didn't make him look good, it doesn't give the media any more bait.
First, DeMint didn't handle the question on gay teachers that well. He was too defensive. He should have shot back at Russert.
He could have fielded the question much more effetively by saying something like:
"Look Tim, the issue about gay teachers isn't really relevent to my decisions as senator. But I will say this. There lots of competent gay and lesbian teachers who would do wonderful work with kids.
There are, however, a vocal minority of gays who not only do not share the conservative values that I hold, and that most South Carolina people share with me--they actively oppose them. I would not want them teaching if their sexual orientation would become an issue in the classrom. That decision is for schoolboards to decide. And that is all I'm going to say on the matter."
Second, I thought Russert was a bully. He belabored the point when it wasn't necessary.
While your wording is very tactful--that's what he should have said in the first debate--saying something new on the issue would only serve to bring up the issue once again in the media. DeMint needs to stay out of the news on this issue, rather than bring up a new nuance.
I'll admit first off that I don't know much about Mr. Demint. I had taken the word of this page that he was a good man and a good candidate. But, wow, he was absolutely horrible on this interview. Mrs. Tenenbaum was extremely intolerable as well of course, but Mr. Demint literally worries me.
-bro