My Take on the Debate

Carl Paladino's Campaign Manager Michael Caputo reportedly said that Jimmy McMillian (Rent Is Too Damn High) won tonight's gubernatorial debate. I would say it was a tie between all of the 3rd-party candidates. By no means am I endorsing any of the candidates, but if anyone watched the debate, all of the 3rd-party candidates provided great one-liners and gave innovative, new ideas. For example, Kristen Davis (Anti-Prohibition) thinks the state's fiscal crisis will be solved by legalizing marijuana and casinos; Charles Barron (Freedom) wants the Governor to control the MTA; Warren Redlich (Libertarian) wants the MTA to be made a private corporation.

I watched the debate recap by NY1 and WABC and the overwhelming response is that the 3rd party candidates won. I have to agree. The debate rules provided that each of the 7 candidates had equal time to state their cases. Paladino and Cuomo have dominated the airwaves and chose to hold their lines. The other candidates, I felt, said the things and the ideas, no one else wanted to say. Since they suddenly had the free airtime to promote their ideas, they put in the one-liners people would remember.

However, as each person responded to questions, the Cuomo campaign actually tweeted responses to all attacks and supplemented all ideas said during the debate in real time. In terms of new media, then, Andrew Cuomo won the debate.

Every candidate, I will admit, had good ideas. Each of them would pursue their plans in different fashions. Frankly, I like the fact that the debate wasn't limited to being just Cuomo vs. Paladino because political campaigns are supposed to be about the exchange of ideas and when candidates hear minority opinions, they have no choice but to answer to the public about the issues affecting the average Joe or Jane. Having open debates, I feel, keeps our democracy open and accountable to us in that no issue is off the table and every opinion is available to be discussed, debated, and scrutinized.

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On a semi-un-related note: I was watching the debate with my parents. The camera came to Paladino and my mom saw how he was wearing a few plastic bracelets and asked about it. My father responded, jokingly, "He is out on parole." I found the line funny and I tweeted it (I have since deleted the tweet). After the debate, I saw this @ reply to me from Caputo "@seamuscampbell Paladino's bracelets were made by his daughter to remind him of her and his late son who died last year. Thanks, tho. #cuomo." I gotta admit, Caputo put me in my place and I do apologize for my insensitivity.