What’s the one thing that matters most in a presidential debate? That’s actually a trick question, because the thing that matters most in a presidential debate takes place after it — the spin. In the Spin Room, everyone’s a winner, everyone crushed their opponent, and everyone wants to convince the media and pundits to say that in writing and/or on the air. Last night I took my camera into the Spin Room crush and interviewed representatives of five of the participants to get their spin.
First up was Tim Pawlenty’s proxy Matt Whitaker, his campaign’s Iowa chair, who assured me that Pawlenty didn’t attack Michele Bachmann during the debate but just gave a clear contrast of their records of accomplishment:
After talking with Pawlenty’s proxy, I looked for Michele Bachmann’s team to get her side of the spin. Political strategist Ed Goeas also assured us that the exchange didn’t define the debate, saying it was “only ten or fifteen minutes” out of a two-hour event. The team was also careful not to criticize Byron York’s question on “submissive” wives, focusing more on her response to it. Team Bachmann tried to sell themselves as the underdogs, having only done “five weeks” of organizing and telling everyone that they are the underdogs in Iowa:
Mitt Romneys’ proxy had to be happy after everyone on stage attacked everyone else but Romney, and he low-keys it here in the Spin Room, probably not wishing to push their luck. I asked why Romney won’t stick around for the straw poll, especially since he won it in 2007, and get the resources-conservation response:
I ran into one familiar face on the Spin Room floor, Campaign for Liberty’s Jesse Benton, who was representing Ron Paul. Jesse and I get overwhelmed by the noise at times in this exchange, but Jesse says that he’s pleased the debate focused on monetary reform, a big Paul issue for many years. “I think any time we as Republicans don’t talk about entitlement reform,” Jesse responded when I asked him about the lack of questions on the topic, “I think we’re missing a huge opportunity.”
Finally, Jesse may not have wanted to criticize Fox News, but former Congressman James Barrett wasn’t quite so shy while representing Rick Santorum after the debate. Santorum almost got forgotten in the debate as Fox concentrated on Bachmann and Pawlenty, but then made a stronger move later in the debate when he went after Ron Paul. Given his status in the race, Santorum’s team had to be pleased, and Barrett was, especially with his attack on Bachmann’s no-debt-ceiling-hike position, which Santorum called “showmanship, not leadership.” Barrett says that his organization should win an award for “stretching a dollar,” but insists that Santorum has done enough for a strong showing at tomorrow’s straw poll:
Today the Salem team will be out at the Iowa State Fair, where several of the candidates will be making appearances. We may also get Debbie Wasserman-Shultz on camera as well, as she will appear at the same Des Moines Register “soapbox” stage as the Republican hopefuls. Stay tuned.
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