This is how you win.
Listen as @KariLake challenges Katie Hobbs to a Gubernatorial debate in Arizona.
Kari agrees to let her opponent…
•Choose the venue
•Choose the moderator
•WRITE ALL THE QUESTIONS!
Absolutely savage! https://t.co/aiRPQaRYZD— Brick Suit (@Brick_Suit) August 21, 2022
The maxim Fortune favors the bold is a good short description of the world of politics. Voters vote for people; give them someone who looks and acts like a leader rather than a cautious non-entity.
Ms. Lake may be bold, but I think she’s being foolish. Allowing the other side to define or set the terms of the debate has played a significant role in enabling the left to wreak the havoc it has.
The lioness has the measure of the mousess.
The truth is that most people don’t care about debates.
There is a level on which most people don’t care about rational argument and thus don’t care about debates for that reason. But when we’re talking political debates there is very little rational argument anyway. They are venues for rhetoric and political grandstanding.
This move will energize the core base of Kari Lake, but no one else will care.
This move will energize the core base of Kari Lake, but no one else will care.
Midterms are almost always base elections.
Debates never matter unless they do. Romney was convinced by his first debate win in 2012 to sit on a non-existent lead. Reagan destroyed Carter in their one and only debate in 1980 at the end of October. Ford “liberated” Poland in one of his debates, was too stubborn and stupid to back down for a few days, and probably lost that very close election as a result.
Mr. Mockeridge, that’s only partially true. By challenging the governor to set the terms of debate, she can either critique the governor being unwilling to engage in a debate on “friendly turf”, …or else she knows the permissible questions. She can thus “set” the terms of debate more generally while not actually dictating anything. She’ll either critique the governor of n failure to abide by pre-set terms, …or know the questions. …Or have legitimate opportunity to critique the governor–or moderator–on failure to abide by the governor’s own declared terms. ..If the governor has a “slick” or “slippery” reputation, that might be key.
“This move will energize the core base of Kari Lake, but no one else will care.”
As Ms Lake’s voting base will be the most important to cause Ms Lake’s election, that’s most important. We assume the governor’s voting base will vote for the governor. By this move, Ms Lake may attract more to her base, especially undecided voters who may be looking for guts, common sense, or both.