Walker, Barrett: Governor's Debate #1

I was on the road and away from TV when Scott Walker and Tom Barrett had their first debate, but I did listen on radio.

Here's a shock: The Barrett campaign is claiming victory.

In an e-mail from Phil Walzak, he writes:

Tom clearly won this first debate. Now show Tom that you are ready to lead us to victory by clicking here to watch a key moment in the debate and sign up to volunteer or donate $5 now.

Barrett most definitely did not win the debate. Listening on the car radio allowed me to focus on what was said and how it was said rather than being distracted by images.

Based on the audio alone, Barrett's performance was awful. At times he was whiny. Then he was combative and angry. He was so negative. He spoke too quickly. He wasn't clear and calm.

Walker, on the other hand, took a dramatically more positive approach. He sounded confident and relaxed in the sense that he was in control. He wasn't sniping at Barrett. He simply shared his experience as an executive and shared his positive vision for the state. He was so much more likable than Barrett.

Barrett's obviously rehearsed line about Jim Doyle was a flop. He failed to distance himself from Doyle because his proposals amount to a Doyle third-term. That's the way it is. No canned line is going to change that.

From WisPolitics:

“Scott, Governor Doyle is not running,” Barrett said to Walker. “There are two of us on this stage right now. I’m the only one who ever ran against Governor Doyle. I ran against him eight years ago, and I ran against him because I thought I could do a better job. You started running against him four years ago, but you dropped out. You dropped out because the party bosses told you to drop out.”

True, Doyle isn't running, but his clone is.

The "party bosses" stuff is hilarious. "Party bosses" forced Barrett to run in 2010, dragged him into the race, because the Democrats had no one else. It was clear that he had no interest in being governor. He didn't want to run.

Maybe that's why he was so testy and unpleasant during the debate. He's pissed he's in the race.

Barrett really has to work on his delivery. He was horrible in this outing. Try listening to just the audio if you can stand it. The attack dog, aggressive Barrett was terribly grating.

I wonder if we'll hear from a different Barrett in the next debate -- a kinder, gentler Barrett.

Unlike Barrett, Walker came across as competent and sincere and genuinely interested in cleaning up the mess Doyle has made. He has a winning attitude.