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Carter, Deal Debate: This round goes to Carter.
Race for Governor: Carter, Deal throw jabs in a testy debate. This round goes to Carter.
October 20, 2014 Rebecca Burns
Last night I opted to sit in the GPB studio instead of the media “spin room” for the Atlanta Press Club’s gubernatorial debate, and I am glad that I did. Not only did it offer me the first chance to see the candidates together in person, but also the opportunity to watch their supporters react during what turned out to be an aggressive exchange between Republican incumbent Nathan Deal and his Democratic challenger Jason Carter—with the interjection of occasional verbal curveballs courtesy of the third wheel on the ballot, nanotechnologist and Libertarian Andrew Hunt.
Rather than tweeting while cloistered with other journalists and the campaign flaks, I watched First Lady Sandra Deal, one row in front of me, wring her hands throughout the hour-long exchange, and glanced back to watch the reactions of Carter’s stepfather and aunt, one row behind. At the front of the studio, DuBose Porter, the chair of the Georgia Democrats, shook and nodded his head energetically as the debate zigged and zagged from Ebola to ethics to HOPE scholarship funding, to—of all things—the suspension on NCAA allegations of profiteering of UGA football star Todd Gurley. (No big surprise here: all three candidates suggested that restrictions on student athletes should be reexamined)
Porter should be pleased. At the debate held earlier this month at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Carter’s performance was, to put it charitably, lackluster, while Deal stayed on the offensive and unleashed a series of scripted zingers. In last night’s exchange, however, the edge went to Carter, who obviously prepped to counter Deal’s attacks on his experience (“There are 21 bipartisan bills that have my name on that you signed into law”) and lob his own charges at Deal (“The governor has played Washington politics with healthcare.”) Carter obviously crammed for this debate, bringing far more specifics to his arguments; in Perry, addressing overcrowded classrooms, he talked about his son’s kindergarten class, a line that might draw sympathetic agreement from a supportive campaign audience but didn’t add much to a debate. Last night he addressed statewide education cuts with particulars—an average of 26 students in each Georgia kindergarten class, instructional days cut in two-thirds of school districts, 9,000 fewer teachers, and 91 districts that have raised property taxes. Carter remained vague in several responses—“You beautifully gloss over it,” said Hunt, when Carter did not offer a specific answer as to how means testing might be implemented for the HOPE scholarship—but overall came prepared to fight.
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If you missed the debate, you can watch the full exchange below:
October 20, 2014 Rebecca Burns
Last night I opted to sit in the GPB studio instead of the media “spin room” for the Atlanta Press Club’s gubernatorial debate, and I am glad that I did. Not only did it offer me the first chance to see the candidates together in person, but also the opportunity to watch their supporters react during what turned out to be an aggressive exchange between Republican incumbent Nathan Deal and his Democratic challenger Jason Carter—with the interjection of occasional verbal curveballs courtesy of the third wheel on the ballot, nanotechnologist and Libertarian Andrew Hunt.
Rather than tweeting while cloistered with other journalists and the campaign flaks, I watched First Lady Sandra Deal, one row in front of me, wring her hands throughout the hour-long exchange, and glanced back to watch the reactions of Carter’s stepfather and aunt, one row behind. At the front of the studio, DuBose Porter, the chair of the Georgia Democrats, shook and nodded his head energetically as the debate zigged and zagged from Ebola to ethics to HOPE scholarship funding, to—of all things—the suspension on NCAA allegations of profiteering of UGA football star Todd Gurley. (No big surprise here: all three candidates suggested that restrictions on student athletes should be reexamined)
Porter should be pleased. At the debate held earlier this month at the Georgia National Fair in Perry, Carter’s performance was, to put it charitably, lackluster, while Deal stayed on the offensive and unleashed a series of scripted zingers. In last night’s exchange, however, the edge went to Carter, who obviously prepped to counter Deal’s attacks on his experience (“There are 21 bipartisan bills that have my name on that you signed into law”) and lob his own charges at Deal (“The governor has played Washington politics with healthcare.”) Carter obviously crammed for this debate, bringing far more specifics to his arguments; in Perry, addressing overcrowded classrooms, he talked about his son’s kindergarten class, a line that might draw sympathetic agreement from a supportive campaign audience but didn’t add much to a debate. Last night he addressed statewide education cuts with particulars—an average of 26 students in each Georgia kindergarten class, instructional days cut in two-thirds of school districts, 9,000 fewer teachers, and 91 districts that have raised property taxes. Carter remained vague in several responses—“You beautifully gloss over it,” said Hunt, when Carter did not offer a specific answer as to how means testing might be implemented for the HOPE scholarship—but overall came prepared to fight.
------
If you missed the debate, you can watch the full exchange below:
- See more at: http://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/race-for-governor-jason-carter-nathan-deal-throw-jabs-in-testy-debate-round-goes-to-carter/#sthash.d99e8jrm.dpufhttp://www.atlantamagazine.com/news-culture-articles/race-for-governor-jason-carter-nathan-deal-throw-jabs-in-testy-debate-round-goes-to-carter/