It's no surprise that the vast majority of Daily Kos commenters gave the edge to Tom Barrett over Scott Walker in tonight's Wisconsin gubernatorial debate. Barrett and Walker are facing off in a special recall election June 5th, and one would expect the left wing blogosphere to declare Barrett the winner.
But hey, gang. There's a very interesting consensus building out there about tonight's debate. Here's the headline on the Minneapolis Star Tribune's web site:
Feisty Barrett goes after Walker in first of 2 debates before recall election in Wisconsin
Trust me, Barrett has never before been described as feisty. He was on fire tonight, though. While Barrett scored repeatedly with solid jabs about Walkers lack of leadership skills, Walker continued his tired string of lies about jobs, the budget, and public schools. One could almost hear the laughter rolling across the dairy state as Walker told anecdote after anecdote about his imaginary Democratic friends who told him they were going to vote for him in June. If given another 30 seconds, Walker would have claimed that Wisconsin cows now shit jelly beans thanks to his reforms.
From the AP article in the Star Tribune:
A feisty Barrett kept Walker on the defensive throughout much of the hour-long debate in Milwaukee, which was broadcast live statewide just 11 days before the election.
The comment section of the Wisconsin State Journal, normally flooded with anti-Barrett screeds from right-wing Walker apologists, is showing a majority of commenters agreeing that Barrett came out swinging.
The comment section of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel remains a cesspool of unreadable vitriol, unfortunately. There is not enough sane commentary there to make any judgment about public opinion.
Scott Walker actually tweeted shortly before the debate that a win for him would be "simple." Bad move, soon-to-be-former-Governor Walker. It turns out debating is hard when your opponent is armed with facts and motivated to crush you. Overconfidence can get you killed.
From Amanda Terkel at Huffington Post:
Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) aggressively went after Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) in the first of two gubernatorial debates, taking him to task for an ongoing corruption probe, repeal of an equal pay enforcement law and out-of-state fundraising. Walker largely stuck to his talking points...
From WTMJ radio in Milwaukee:
Barrett goes after Walker early in debate...
Notice a pattern? Tom Barrett, the guy who lost to Walker in 2010, was "feisty", "aggressive", and "went after Walker early" in the debate. That's a win. I happen to believe Barrett won on the substance of the arguments, too, but his main weakness going in to the current race was that he was perceived as having been a bit too relaxed during the 2010 campaign, that he was removed, unplugged, even weak.
Tonight, Barrett was the wise Ward Cleaver chewing out Governor Eddie Haskell caught in yet another lie. The visual of tall Tom Barrett turned toward a slinking, head-down Scott Walker was powerful. And real. Barrett's disappointment in young Scott's decision to divide the state was genuine. Barrett scolded Walker time after time, and all Walker could do was make up more stories. Even Walker's one admission of a mistake - that he pushed his anti-union bill too aggressively without explaining it to people - seemed phony and scripted. The classic non-apology apology. I'm sorry if the way I dehumanized and degraded public employees offended you. Next time I will tell you first that I plan to dehumanize and degrade others, make them scapegoats, and strip them of their civil rights and their dignity.
I saw an energetic Barrett deliver a rousing acceptance speech after the primary, and tonight I saw him start strong and never let up. Will it sway Walker voters? No. Will it sway undecideds? Maybe, if there are any undecideds left, but Barrett proved tonight that he will fight for the good guys, the underdogs. He motivated his base and his leaners. Tonight's performance will get some asses off the couch and down to the polls on June 5th.
Fri May 25, 2012 at 10:56 PM PT: More reaction coming in. Washington Post headline (hat tip to humphrey):
Gov. Scott Walker challenged by Tom Barrett in debate on Wisconsin recall.
MILWAUKEE-Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R), facing a recall election on June 5, came under sharp attack here Friday night from his Democratic rival, who accused the governor of creating a political civil war in the state and of seeking to become “a right-wing rock star” at the expense of the people he serves.
Says politico (hat tip to itskevin):
Democrat Tom Barrett castigated GOP Gov. Scott Walker in their first debate Friday as a divisive political figure who needlessly sparked a “political civil war.”
The Milwaukee mayor took a decidedly aggressive posture for most of the 60-minute face-off, invoking the “civil war” charge at least a half a dozen times
Here is the ultra-convenient Wisconsin recall ActBlue page set up by honorary cheesehead
madhaus...
---
UPDATE Saturday May 26, 2012 5:00 PM CDT...This anti-Walker video is one of those "so bad it's awesome" videos, and the makers know it. I love these guys, who freely admit that "We can't rap, we're not good at recording, and we're even worse at lip syncing", but they are top-notch Walker-mockers, so please give them some views.