Whitmer/Dixon debate 2

[bmw]

Suspicions rising.

Rapidly.

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Suspicions rising.

Rapidly.

You clearly didn’t see the debate.

Go away.

[Rate This]

Suspicions rising.

Rapidly.

You clearly didn’t see the debate.

Go away.

Sorry your girl lost tonight. I just calls ‘um as I sees ‘um.

Vamoose.

[A1B1C1D1]

It certainly helped Dixon, as did the first debate. I don't know enough about how far Dixon went in challenging the 2020 election, but it should have been a beating point for Whitmer. In both debates, Dixon shut her down when accused of election denial immediately. In that sense, she certainly succeeded in appearing as a normal politician. Whitmer never should have let it go... But she took blow after blow and got distracted as she kept defending her record. I'm curious what ads Whitmer is running taking credit for the $400 auto insurance rebate as I haven't seen one.

For Dixon I think an opportunity lost wasn't attacking Whitmer's executive orders on Covid 19. What exactly did banning the sale of bird seed and live plants early on do to keep people safe?

This race is a toss up.

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It certainly helped Dixon, as did the first debate. I don't know enough about how far Dixon went in challenging the 2020 election, but it should have been a beating point for Whitmer. In both debates, Dixon shut her down when accused of election denial immediately. In that sense, she certainly succeeded in appearing as a normal politician. Whitmer never should have let it go... But she took blow after blow and got distracted as she kept defending her record. I'm curious what ads Whitmer is running taking credit for the $400 auto insurance rebate as I haven't seen one.

For Dixon I think an opportunity lost wasn't attacking Whitmer's executive orders on Covid 19. What exactly did banning the sale of bird seed and live plants early on do to keep people safe?

This race is a toss up.

I think the idea with the garden centers was that people would figure “well… nothing better to do let’s garden!!” And then there would be tons of people gathered in close quarters buying the stuff.

My gripe with Whitmer is that she kept trying to ignore the attacks against her instead of addressing them. There was one time she lost her cool a little bit and looked at Tudor and said “do you think the banning of books is more important than keeping our kids safe?” which is something she needed to do over and over on every subject. Saying “I’m not even gonna respond to that I’m gonna stay focused” came close to giving the impression that she didn’t have an answer no matter what goofy things Dixon said. Whitmer still probably wins by 4-5 in the end but needed to be much more in attack mode. She can’t pull off the implication “you’re so ridiculous it’s a waste of time” bit.

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

I know of 3 different women my age that are voting for proposal 3 that haven’t voted since Obama first ran in ‘08. They are also voting for Whitmer. I am not worried.

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I know of 3 different women my age that are voting for proposal 3 that haven’t voted since Obama first ran in ‘08. They are also voting for Whitmer. I am not worried.

Neither am I, I gave to hand it to the Republicans for their fervency and being sure of themselves. All democrats do is worry.

[Taco]

I'm pro Whitmer 100%. Dixon is bad for Michigan. Too extreme.

[Matt]

I know of 3 different women my age that are voting for proposal 3 that haven’t voted since Obama first ran in ‘08. They are also voting for Whitmer. I am not worried.

Neither am I, I gave to hand it to the Republicans for their fervency and being sure of themselves. All democrats do is worry.

Nobody on our side is acting like we have this, and most of us acknowledge Dixon winning would be an upset. For you all to not acknowledge that this is turning into a close race is serious denial on your part. Gretchen Whitmer has done a TERRIBLE job and needs to be replaced.

I'm pro Whitmer 100%. Dixon is bad for Michigan. Too extreme.

Was the challenge to say you're an idiot without saying you're an idiot?

[bmw]

In case I haven't been clear (though I think I have), I still believe Whitmer is the favorite to win. I have simply pointed out that places like RealClearPolitics are projecting a Dixon win and that people who gamble on these things thought Dixon had strong debate performances.

As it stands right now, I would call this race a 3-point lead for Whitmer with her being a 2:1 favorite to win. That is way closer than I had this just a few weeks ago where I was giving Dixon nearly no chance at all.

[Matt]

I find this to be pretty spot on. The News has endorsed Dixon, but they also endorsed Benson and said no candidate is fit for AG...

Finley & Buss: What Michigan gubernatorial debate showed us
Nolan Finley
Kaitlyn Buss
The Detroit News

Tuesday night's second gubernatorial debate was far more aggressive and carried a greater sense of urgency than the first face-off between Republican challenger Tudor Dixon and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

That reflected the reality of a race that has tightened to a near dead heat in the 12 days since their first meeting.

Dixon clearly was the victor in that first debate, simply by virtue of her exceeding expectations.

Tuesday, the expectations were heightened, as were the stakes.

Dixon faced a governor who came out punching much harder and far more focused on dismantling her opponent.

The governor's job was to knock Dixon down, and she didn't.

Instead, the Republican never buckled. She was never caught by surprise, answered nearly every question with confidence, and, more importantly, demonstrated that her showing in the first debate was not a fluke.

She proved she deserved to be on the stage with Whitmer. That marginalized the governor's primary advantage — her experience.

That's not to say Dixon was perfect. Her attempt to cast Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist as an election denier came off sophomoric. She missed opportunities to tie Whitmer to an unpopular President Joe Biden. She didn't talk enough about inflation. And she should have elaborated more on her plan to ease away the state income tax, a winning position against a governor who has vetoed a series of tax relief proposals from the Republican-led Legislature.

But she did force Whitmer to defend her record, including on school performance, roads, and why, after four years in office, she hasn't fulfilled her promise to repeal the tax on government retirees and other 2018 priorities.

Dixon was more specific on education, and deftly countered the governor's promise to improve education with tutoring programs — "I haven't seen any schools that have literacy coaches yet" — and reminded that student achievement has continued to decline under Whitmer's leadership.

One of her best moments was when she parried Whitmer's attack on her school safety position with, "You've been governor for four years, and in politics for 20, and you haven't managed to keep schools safe."

That's an effective strategy for a challenger — remind voters what the incumbent didn't get done.

Again this time, Dixon never got rattled in what is still an unfamiliar setting for her. She was prepared to answer every question quickly and with precision. She was calm and mature.

Whitmer focused too much on Dixon, and not enough on painting a vision of what Michigan would look like after four more years of her leadership.

Her attempts to land a knockout punch repeatedly missed the mark. Do voters really care about Betsy DeVos? Or are their minds more on Joe Biden?

Mostly, Whitmer missed the opportunity to inspire. And that's an incumbent's basic challenge, as well as her opportunity.

As the one-hour encounter at Oakland University wore on, the answers and positions of the candidates seemed less important than the demeanor of the two contestants.

The contrast on issues has already been drawn. What mattered was demonstrating the candidates could take Michigan to a better place.

Voters are intimately familiar with Whitmer, and she has a record to run on, for better or worse.

Dixon presented a fresh voice and a comfortable alternative for voters looking for one.

In accomplishing that, Tuesday was another very good night for Tudor Dixon.

[MotorCityRadioFreak]

I find this to be pretty spot on. The News has endorsed Dixon, but they also endorsed Benson and said no candidate is fit for AG...

Finley & Buss: What Michigan gubernatorial debate showed us
Nolan Finley
Kaitlyn Buss
The Detroit News

Tuesday night's second gubernatorial debate was far more aggressive and carried a greater sense of urgency than the first face-off between Republican challenger Tudor Dixon and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

That reflected the reality of a race that has tightened to a near dead heat in the 12 days since their first meeting.

Dixon clearly was the victor in that first debate, simply by virtue of her exceeding expectations.

Tuesday, the expectations were heightened, as were the stakes.

Dixon faced a governor who came out punching much harder and far more focused on dismantling her opponent.

The governor's job was to knock Dixon down, and she didn't.

Instead, the Republican never buckled. She was never caught by surprise, answered nearly every question with confidence, and, more importantly, demonstrated that her showing in the first debate was not a fluke.

She proved she deserved to be on the stage with Whitmer. That marginalized the governor's primary advantage — her experience.

That's not to say Dixon was perfect. Her attempt to cast Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist as an election denier came off sophomoric. She missed opportunities to tie Whitmer to an unpopular President Joe Biden. She didn't talk enough about inflation. And she should have elaborated more on her plan to ease away the state income tax, a winning position against a governor who has vetoed a series of tax relief proposals from the Republican-led Legislature.

But she did force Whitmer to defend her record, including on school performance, roads, and why, after four years in office, she hasn't fulfilled her promise to repeal the tax on government retirees and other 2018 priorities.

Dixon was more specific on education, and deftly countered the governor's promise to improve education with tutoring programs — "I haven't seen any schools that have literacy coaches yet" — and reminded that student achievement has continued to decline under Whitmer's leadership.

One of her best moments was when she parried Whitmer's attack on her school safety position with, "You've been governor for four years, and in politics for 20, and you haven't managed to keep schools safe."

That's an effective strategy for a challenger — remind voters what the incumbent didn't get done.

Again this time, Dixon never got rattled in what is still an unfamiliar setting for her. She was prepared to answer every question quickly and with precision. She was calm and mature.

Whitmer focused too much on Dixon, and not enough on painting a vision of what Michigan would look like after four more years of her leadership.

Her attempts to land a knockout punch repeatedly missed the mark. Do voters really care about Betsy DeVos? Or are their minds more on Joe Biden?

Mostly, Whitmer missed the opportunity to inspire. And that's an incumbent's basic challenge, as well as her opportunity.

As the one-hour encounter at Oakland University wore on, the answers and positions of the candidates seemed less important than the demeanor of the two contestants.

The contrast on issues has already been drawn. What mattered was demonstrating the candidates could take Michigan to a better place.

Voters are intimately familiar with Whitmer, and she has a record to run on, for better or worse.

Dixon presented a fresh voice and a comfortable alternative for voters looking for one.

In accomplishing that, Tuesday was another very good night for Tudor Dixon.

Dixon wouldn’t do anything to make our schools safer. Gretchen hit that question and rebuttal out of the park.

And there is no bigger asshole in the press than Nolan Finley.

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I find this to be pretty spot on. The News has endorsed Dixon, but they also endorsed Benson and said no candidate is fit for AG...

Finley & Buss: What Michigan gubernatorial debate showed us
Nolan Finley
Kaitlyn Buss
The Detroit News

Tuesday night's second gubernatorial debate was far more aggressive and carried a greater sense of urgency than the first face-off between Republican challenger Tudor Dixon and Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

That reflected the reality of a race that has tightened to a near dead heat in the 12 days since their first meeting.

Dixon clearly was the victor in that first debate, simply by virtue of her exceeding expectations.

Tuesday, the expectations were heightened, as were the stakes.

Dixon faced a governor who came out punching much harder and far more focused on dismantling her opponent.

The governor's job was to knock Dixon down, and she didn't.

Instead, the Republican never buckled. She was never caught by surprise, answered nearly every question with confidence, and, more importantly, demonstrated that her showing in the first debate was not a fluke.

She proved she deserved to be on the stage with Whitmer. That marginalized the governor's primary advantage — her experience.

That's not to say Dixon was perfect. Her attempt to cast Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist as an election denier came off sophomoric. She missed opportunities to tie Whitmer to an unpopular President Joe Biden. She didn't talk enough about inflation. And she should have elaborated more on her plan to ease away the state income tax, a winning position against a governor who has vetoed a series of tax relief proposals from the Republican-led Legislature.

But she did force Whitmer to defend her record, including on school performance, roads, and why, after four years in office, she hasn't fulfilled her promise to repeal the tax on government retirees and other 2018 priorities.

Dixon was more specific on education, and deftly countered the governor's promise to improve education with tutoring programs — "I haven't seen any schools that have literacy coaches yet" — and reminded that student achievement has continued to decline under Whitmer's leadership.

One of her best moments was when she parried Whitmer's attack on her school safety position with, "You've been governor for four years, and in politics for 20, and you haven't managed to keep schools safe."

That's an effective strategy for a challenger — remind voters what the incumbent didn't get done.

Again this time, Dixon never got rattled in what is still an unfamiliar setting for her. She was prepared to answer every question quickly and with precision. She was calm and mature.

Whitmer focused too much on Dixon, and not enough on painting a vision of what Michigan would look like after four more years of her leadership.

Her attempts to land a knockout punch repeatedly missed the mark. Do voters really care about Betsy DeVos? Or are their minds more on Joe Biden?

Mostly, Whitmer missed the opportunity to inspire. And that's an incumbent's basic challenge, as well as her opportunity.

As the one-hour encounter at Oakland University wore on, the answers and positions of the candidates seemed less important than the demeanor of the two contestants.

The contrast on issues has already been drawn. What mattered was demonstrating the candidates could take Michigan to a better place.

Voters are intimately familiar with Whitmer, and she has a record to run on, for better or worse.

Dixon presented a fresh voice and a comfortable alternative for voters looking for one.

In accomplishing that, Tuesday was another very good night for Tudor Dixon.

Nolan Finley… purveyor of straight down the middle opinions. At least he went with one of each option… Republican, Democrat and…. screw it.

I do think this is a 2-4 point race and Whitmer will likely win. I never said she was gonna win by 10 anymore.

[km1125]

This is why incumbents don't normally want to debate. It normally does nothing for the incumbent but allows the challenger to attack the record the incumbent has.

It puts the challenger on par with the incumbent. The incumbent is compelled to debate at least once to seem like they're not "dodging" or "afraid" of the challenger.

For a first term Governor (or anybody in their first term) it should give them the ability to highlight exactly what they HAVE accomplished and how they stepped up to the challenges.

This governor COULDN'T do either.

SHE didn't "create a balanced budget", the LEGISLATURE did and she just signed it. SHE didn't do "without raising taxes" because it was the LEGISLATURE that preventer HER from raising the gas tax by 45 cents a gallon!!

And did SHE really have anything to do with filling the state coffers with cash when the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT was handing cash out like candy to every single one of the states?? Nope.