If the right-wing reaction at TownHall is any indication, Jim Webb cleaned George Allen’s clock on this morning’s Meet the Press. I tried to watch it but too much was going around me for me to be able to really concentrate.
I just finished watching the George Allen – Jim Webb debate on “Meet the Press.” For conservatives wishing for Allen to retain his seat, their best hope is that Virginians were otherwise occupied this morning or that the state’s NBC outlets were having technical difficulties.
Before offering my analysis, I should confess a pre-existing fondness for Jim Webb. Like virtually everyone who has read some of his books, I respect him as an artist but even more as a man. Webb is a war hero, an outspoken and outsized intellectual, a patriot who has tirelessly served his country, and all-in-all a tremendously admirable individual. Our political system is richer when people like Jim Webb decide to enter it.
That being said, I didn’t think Webb would be a very good politician. Webb’s background didn’t suggest that he would take to the tasks that a politician must constantly assume – relentless and humiliating fundraising, the endless happy tolerance of fools, and an uncanny ability to condense complex issues into 90 second sound-bites.
I should also say that given the vital partisan stakes involved this election season that Hugh and I have frequently discussed here, I squarely and unequivocally support Allen’s re-election.
Or at least I did until this morning’s debate. Now I’m not so sure.
I’m not quite so impressed with Jim Webb and his biography. I am kind of unethusiastic about his candidacy, actually. What I want is for George Allen to find a real job and stop playing the Village Idiot of the U.S. Senate. I want to take away the committee chairs from the Republicans. As for Webb, he’s not my kind of Democrat.
Having said that, I’m glad to see some conservatives recognizing what an embarrassment George Allen is. I especially liked reading this:
Even if Webb weren’t so impressive, Allen might well have cost himself the election with his continuing inept efforts to defuse “Macaca-gate.” Considering that Allen knew the issue was bound to arise in this morning’s debate, his defense of his comments was fairly shocking: He claimed that “macaca” was a word that he just made up on the spot when he called a young Webb volunteer that name while the video-recorder whirred.
When Allen offered this latest explanation, I’m pretty sure even in Massachusetts I heard the sound of half a million Virginia conservatives simultaneously slapping their heads and screaming, “Oy vey!”
Was that an example of a right-wing bullshit detector going off? Oy vey. That’s happens so seldomly, it’s quite refreshing to see.
Why is Webb “not your kind of Democrat”? Its Virginia.
I watched, and agree that Webb came off better by far. I didn’t know either candidate, although it quickly became obvious which one was the Republican. Webb seemed very stolid, in the best sense – very down to earth, unflappable, sure of his facts but feeling no need to play ‘can you top this’. He came off as very mature.
Allen came off as very partisan, very one-note, and that may fly in his party, but ugh, we have enough of that on the hill already.
Allen also kept talking over Webb, hardly letting Webb get a word in. But Webb finally learned to just keep making his point and ignore the interruptions.
I can’t believe I forgot to watch dammit. Good to hear Allen got mopped up. A bigoted spoiled rich kid gets his first spanking. Long overdue.
Well, Allen didn’t get mopped. But I have to admit, Timmeh nailed him pretty good on a bunch of issues – foreign policy, the racist comments, and his inability to promise to serve out a full term should he be re-elected.
Webb is not your kind of Dem because he used to be a repub. He even admitted that during the debate. He did definetely come out on top and Yimmy wasn’t allowing either one of them to give non answers.
why shouldn’t they? They get a warhawk right-winger no matter WHICH one wins.