Carter Turner prepares for Thursday's debate*^Carter Turner gets a marvelous opportunity to show voters what they're voting for on a personal level Thursday at Bent Mountain Elementary School at a debate sponsored by the Bent Mountain Woman's League. It runs 8-9 p.m.
This will be a heavily-Republican forum favoring incumbent Morgan Griffith, but don't discount the impact of that boyish, gap-toothed smile of Turner's before the fact. Griffith will know more about the inside-baseball of the issues (and he's wrong on nearly all of them), but my money goes to Carter when it comes to charm, likability and good sense. He is not a policy wonk and will offer more philosophical differences than specific individual detail on some of these arcane issues.
I'm not sure that most debate audiences want to hear Clintonian detail on complex issues, in any case. Seems to me they want a chance to shake the candidate's hand, to make eye contact and see if they like him on a personal level. That makes it far easier to vote for the new guy and Griffith is so devoid of anything resembling an attractive personality that he finishes second in that area before Turner opens his mouth.
This election is more about Griffith's failure as a delegate (and it is complete) and Turner's positive, upbeat attitude and the idea that maybe the Salem area can actually take part in state government as something other than a "no" vote on every issue.
(*I'm not sure where I got this photo, but I think the Turner campaign furnished it. I didn't take it. If Valerie Garner took it, I'm sure she'll let me know and I'll pass it on to you.)
Dan
ReplyDeleteI always like to check in over here since your perspective and mine are so completely different. It's funny to me as someone on the ground in the 8th to hear you refer to Carter as "positive and upbeat" when his entire campaign has been to accuse Morgan of racketeering and extortion.
Frankly, as a guy outside of politics Carter is very friendly, engaging and thoughtful. His campaign, however, has been something wholly different. I know you love it since you've been dying for someone to "sling the mud hard" at Morgan so the defamatory nature of Turner's campaign may be exactly what you've been looking for. Certainly Morgan is a big boy and he can take it.
The good news is that, other than hardcore partisan Ds, Turner's campaign has turned off many voters, especially business leaders in the area, and Morgan's strength in the District is showing. Candidate forum should be fun though so I hope all your readers will come. Maybe I'll see you there.
Greg
This debate will be interesting,and we are likely to see some "fiery fireworks" there on Bent Mountain too.Both Ed Elswick ( who at times creates fireworks of his own!), and Sarah Goodman, who is virtually a "Democrate unknown", will also participate...
ReplyDeleteDon't be so sure Elswick will take this race with flying colors, even if the Windsor Hills area is highly Republican.... remember what happened, last year, Charlotte Moore won the Supervisors seat, in a very strong GOP area, Cave Spring--
I understand that folks will write anonymous questions, to be answered by the candidates---
I hope to goodness, someone out there ask some "issue oriented" questions---
Any takers on what might be ask of Goodman and Elswick---?
This is probably the first time, that either of these candidates have really faced the public...