W. Va. Senatorial Debate

The debate just ended and I was impressed with the performance of Sec. Tennant. The moderator also impressed me and he hasn't always done that in past years. His questions were well-placed and worded and led to very good debate discussion. Rep. Capito tried to fight, but sounded too canned and awkward when she tried to either repeat a prepared argument or to speak her own words. Sometimes she said things which were ungrammatical and she couldn't make sense. That's not to say she didn't land a few punches.

They talked about West Virginia, its economy, its people and the nation's foreign policy. They didn't try to nationalize the race and talk about the national issues unless they were closely related to the state and our people. That kind of focus can be good, but when you're talking about a U.S. Senate seat it's important to realize those senators vote to confirm federal Court judges and they usually have much longer and more complete debates about all issues, particularly foreign policy. I want a senator who is capable of thinking and standing up to a wayward president or Court nominee and not just someone who thinks about W. Va.

Sec. Tennant's main blows against Capito were her recent t.v. ad arguments that Capito is too tied to Wall St. bankers and the difference between Capito's words and official votes. I thought this part of the debate was clearly good for Tennant and Capito didn't have much of a rebuttal.

I suspect Sec. Tennant's experience with television broadcasting made it easier for her to handle this debate. Many people wouldn't be comfortable in front of t.v. cameras. Well, she showed by her discussion points that it wasn't just her comfort level which made her appear relevant, it was the content of her arguments. Bravo Sec. Tennant.