Some Quick Thoughts on the First Debate
Nearly a year ago the editors at Red Maryland, myself included, enthusiastically endorsed Larry Hogan for Governor. Never were we proven more right than in Hogan’s dominant debate performance today over Anthony Brown.
It was very clear that Larry Hogan was the only candidate who understood the issues that were facing our state. He understood our budget situation, our business climate, and the solutions that necessary in order to bring our state economy out of the doldrums that the O’Malley-Brown Administration brought upon us.
Anthony Brown’s debate performance showed us two things.
- One, it proved again how Brown’s internal polling must show him down significantly to Larry Hogan. Most of Brown’s comments were attacks aimed at Hogan, and even most of those attacks have already been previously discredited.
- Secondly, it showed why Brown’s handlers have tried to keep him out of the public eye. Anthony Brown is not somebody who is comfortable at public speaking, and certainly not comfortable talking without prepared remarks or notes. Brown is definitely not somebody who is capable of great oratory when speaking extemporaneously. Probably why Larry Hogan was willing to stay and take questions from the press after the debate and Anthony Brown left as soon as he could.
Larry Hogan was the only candidate who looked like a Governor on stage and he won the debate, yet oddly there’s another significant story here as well.
Of all of the questions that were asked during the debate, not one of them was about Anthony Brown’s failed leadership on the Health Care Exchange. Not a single one. Vic Carter and Andy Green were quick to query Larry Hogan about the many broadsides launched at him by Brown and his surrogates, but not one single solitary question about Brown’s failed leadership on health care (or, for that matter, his failed leadership on the East Baltimore Development project). Given the fact that both WJZ and the Baltimore Sun have had been accused on more than one occasion of media bias in favor of Brown, it is unconscionable that this question did not get asked. And because of that, it is really journalistic malpractice that Vic Carter and Andy Green didn’t ask Anthony Brown about his failed leadership on the exchanges.
It’s journalistic malpractice that @VicWJZ and @andrewagreen didn’t ask @BrownforMD about the Health Care Exchange #mdpolitics #mdgovdebate
— Brian Griffiths (@BrianGriffiths) October 7, 2014
#RedMaryland pic of Hogan talking to reporters. Sorry, no pic of Browns’ SUV leaving TV Hill- it did. #mdgovdebate pic.twitter.com/dwddGLcfku
— Duane Keenan (@ProducerDuane) October 8, 2014
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