MORE VOICES REGARDING THE GUBERNATORIAL DEBATE

Yesterday, I expressed my disappointment at both Charlie Crist and Jim Davis for not directly answering the questions asked of them during Tuesday night's gubernatorial debate. Instead, after spending 15 seconds or less giving a brief reference to the issue at hand, both men chose to revert to their standard general talking points and attacks. I would have done as well watching the World Series instead; although the St. Louis Cardinals won, I would not have been disappointed as much.

Looking through the editorial pages this morning, I see that I was not the only one who felt this way. From the Palm Beach Post:

For too much of the debate, the candidates beat their campaign slogans like two-bit motivational speakers. Rep. Davis parried Mr. Crist's criticism of his missed votes in Congress by saying that it wasn't about "showing up, it was about standing up." Then, he declared over and over that he would "stand up" to insurers and other interest groups. Mr. Crist continued to promise that he would "fight" for every Floridian as governor the way he has been "fighting" as attorney general. In their next debate Monday night, maybe the candidates will show up with answers and fight the impulse to duck so many questions.

And from today's Tampa Tribune:

People closely following the governor's race learned little more about the candidates Tuesday night than they already knew.

There's a final debate Monday in Tampa. We'd like to hear more from the candidates than sound bites. Tell us, gentlemen, how you expect to pay for and execute those plans you say will make our lives better.

I also note this opinion from the Miami-based blog Bark Bark Woof Woof:

Welcome to the Jim Davis / Charlie Crist Cliche Festival. I heard nothing that you couldn't get off either candidate's websites and commercials, and very little substance. The only kudos I'll give out are to Mr. Crist for taking a nuanced stance on stem-cell research and not falling into the Religious Reich's vise-grip on the Terri Schiavo case, and to Davis for apologizing for his vote in 1990 against restitution in the Pitts-Lee case.

Other than that, like [Monday] night's squint-fest between Sen. Bill Nelson and Rep. Katherine Harris in the Senate debate, it was a joint press conference, and amazingly enough, of the four candidates I've seen in the last 24 hours, Katherine Harris was the most interesting to watch, primarily because you never really knew what she was going to do. Not that that's an advantage in a politician.