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Herschel Walker Shocks His Critics at Debate With Raphael Warnock, Resets the Race in Georgia
Townhall ^ | 14 Oct, 2022 | Bonchie

Posted on 10/15/2022 6:22:34 AM PDT by MtnClimber

I’ve got a confession to make. When I saw that Republican Herschel Walker had accepted a debate with Democrat incumbent Sen. Raphael Warnock, I wasn’t exactly enthused. Yes, to some extent, Walker’s communication issues have been overstated, but no one was ever going to confuse him for a charismatic speaker, and certainly, no one thought he would be a good debater.

The running assumption for the month leading up to the event has been simple: Walker would be lucky to get out alive, and absolutely no one was entertaining the possibility that he could excel.

In a shocking twist, though, that’s exactly what Walker did. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but far from bombing, people are actually suggesting that the Republican candidate may have won the debate. That’s a far cry from the predictions of total meltdown being made just prior to showtime.

We’ll go through some of the highlights and then I’ll give my thoughts on where I think this leaves the race. But first, if you want to know how well Walker did, here’s a columnist from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a leftwing outlet, giving her thoughts.

You know he did what he needed to do when someone who writes for the AJC and The Daily Beast (an outlet currently producing non-stop stories trying to take Walker out) can only muster up that “some of those answers won’t play well, but no catastrophes.”

Anyway, let’s dive into it.

With a story breaking recently that Walker paid for a girlfriend’s abortion back in 2009 (a story he denies), it’s actually surprising that he was willing to go that hard on the topic. Having seen him do it, though, I’m convinced it was the right move. Walker did not need to give up on the chief way to paint Warnock as an extremist, especially when the Democrat is limited in how he can respond because he has his own skeletons in the closet he doesn’t want to be brought up. All in all, it was a good strategy.

On the economy and other policy questions, Walker pressed Warnock on his support for Joe Biden and his inability to make positive change for Georgians. It was another good segment for the Republican candidate.

The common theme with Walker’s approach tonight was aggression. He did not show up to play defense, and I think that played to his advantage. Instead of sitting back and waiting for the moderator and Warnock to hit him on his scandals, he kept pressing Democrat policy failures at every turn. It completely shifted the debate in Walker’s favor, again, something almost no one thought was possible.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: midterms; walker; warnock
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To: TexasFreeper2009

We’ll see...24 days.


21 posted on 10/15/2022 6:56:13 AM PDT by EEGator
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To: Roadrunner383

I saw him speak about a month ago, and a friend who is running for a state house seat saw him a few weeks before that. We both thought he did fine from the podium before good-sized crowds.

A key point is to get people to not believe the BS attack ads being funded from NY and CA, and to actually look at the candidates. Warnock has real issues with his ex-wife and child support payments, as well as the eviction of low-income folks from apartments owned by Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he is preacher. Plus the fact that he is completely on board with the Biden/Dem agenda that is killing us economically.


22 posted on 10/15/2022 6:56:22 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: MtnClimber

I have a good feeling about this election. Walker in GA, Oz in PA, Masters in AZ, Laxalt in NV, Bolduc in NH, Vance in OH, and Smiley in WA will all win senate seats. I also believe republicans will win the governors races in AZ, NV, PA, MI, and maybe but less likely, WI, MN, and NY.

The ONLY ads I’ve seen here in MN for democrats are on Abortion, some on January 6th, and Gov. Walz is trying to convince everyone that everything here in MN is just fine, no mention of the riots, crime, or his role in the Feeding Our Future scandal.


23 posted on 10/15/2022 6:58:47 AM PDT by euram
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To: sauropod
Unfortunately, I live in the Jaime Raskin State so I can’t vote for him.

If you think that's bad, try living here in HELLINOIS with Dickhead Turbin Durbin as one Senator and Tammy Not Worth A F***worth as your other Senator.

Getting my two sons relocated to TN in a few weeks, I'll be following shortly thereafter.

24 posted on 10/15/2022 6:58:48 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: usconservative
Debate performance seldom if ever changes minds or votes.

I would argue the opposite. Nixon probably lost the 1960 election because most people thought Kennedy won the debate. Gore lost a very close election against Bush because his debate performance was terrible. I thought Trump's awful debate against Biden cost him re-election.

25 posted on 10/15/2022 7:01:53 AM PDT by Right_Wing_Madman
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To: MtnClimber
Walker vs. Warlock Debate (Youtube - 57 minutes)
26 posted on 10/15/2022 7:03:45 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14/12 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15/12 - 1030am - Obama team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: MtnClimber

Good news...I suppose.


27 posted on 10/15/2022 7:03:47 AM PDT by exPBRrat (.)
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To: MtnClimber

I watched the entire debate. First of all, let me say the moderators were fair and had tough questions for both candidates. Warnock’s refusal to answer questions will hurt him with some Georgia voters. Walker was far more forthright and came across as more genuine and honest.


28 posted on 10/15/2022 7:04:21 AM PDT by Dan in Wichita
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To: Right_Wing_Madman

As I said “seldom if ever” ... The Nixon - Kennedy debates fall squarely into the “seldom” part of my statement.


29 posted on 10/15/2022 7:05:28 AM PDT by usconservative (When The Ballot Box No Longer Counts, The Ammunition Box Does. (What's In Your Ammo Box?))
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To: EEGator

I’m a south central Pa resident. Pre cOvid mail in/drop box days, I’d say Oz could pull it out. But Filthadelphia is SOOOOOOooooo corrupt, you just have to think they’ll steal it.
Pa republiturds leadership completely dumped on our R nominees, I think they are actually in cohoots w the scumbag DemoRATs.
All that said, flip a coin, but it should be close as h3ll. The economy,(food/gas), retirement acct balance decay, illegals, what’s a boy/girl, crime, are all common sense everyday Pennsylvania issues. Hopefully common sense becomes common again !!!


30 posted on 10/15/2022 7:06:08 AM PDT by bantam
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To: bantam

Walker seems to do well from all acts👏👏👏👏
Praying 🙏 he comes through


31 posted on 10/15/2022 7:07:47 AM PDT by bantam
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To: bantam

I’m in Chester County, a little west of Philly.
I expect Philly County, Bucks, Montgomery, Chester, and DelCo to go D.
Hopefully Pennsyltucky shows up en masse or it’s done.


32 posted on 10/15/2022 7:08:22 AM PDT by EEGator
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To: MtnClimber

I would be nice if to become a US Senator one had to be a man of letters and learning - but when you look at some of the utter morons holding Senate seats today media criticisms of Walker’s intellect seem completely absurd.


33 posted on 10/15/2022 7:09:19 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: usconservative
the biggest impact comes when one candidate has been portrayed as an extremist or otherwise backlisted by the media, but comes across as relatively normal in the debate. That was basically what happened with Reagan/Carter, and it may have happened with Walker.
34 posted on 10/15/2022 7:14:13 AM PDT by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: usconservative
Debate performance seldom if ever changes minds or votes.

A good debate performance probably won't do much. A bad performance certainly will hurt in most cases.

A lot of us remember algore's plastic mannequin makeup and his heavy sighing costing him.

We also remember Reagan's "There you go again" helping him.

All said and done, most debates aren't even debates. Usually the candidates repeat, ad nauseum, their stock talking points regardless of the question. IMO most debates are beauty contests for the moderators. They are pushing their images more than the issues. The PBS presstitutes are the worst at that.

35 posted on 10/15/2022 7:16:00 AM PDT by pfflier
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To: Mr. Jeeves
I would be nice if to become a US Senator one had to be a man of letters and learning - but when you look at some of the utter morons holding Senate seats today media criticisms of Walker’s intellect seem completely absurd.

Right. There is a tendency today to push for populists everywhere, but the problem is that senators and representatives are legislators who write and enact laws. And if you like the gray matter to understand how laws interact with each other, and why the correct drafting of a law is so important, you cannot do your job correctly no matter how pure your intentions.

36 posted on 10/15/2022 7:16:44 AM PDT by Bruce Campbells Chin
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To: Mr. Jeeves

Repeal the 17th Amendment!


37 posted on 10/15/2022 7:16:55 AM PDT by Reily
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To: PghBaldy

Wow, almost 600K views of the youtube vid of the debate you posted the link to. The lib comments are pretty amusing.


38 posted on 10/15/2022 7:19:58 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Exactly why the rats have employed the Biden campaign model for nearly all their candidates this season. Keep em in the basement, let the rat media carry the water.


39 posted on 10/15/2022 7:21:27 AM PDT by skeeter
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To: usconservative

I have a Republican friend thought Walker was to dumb to get elected and he was refusing to vote for Walker until he saw the debate. Warnock was shifty, danced around booby trap questions. Walker seemed much more honest. Warnock tried to claim his church trying to evict people was a lie and an attempt to smear Martin Luther King’s church. Walker shot back, “ I have read the papers”. It was clear Walker did his home work. Warnock was caught flat footed.


40 posted on 10/15/2022 7:21:48 AM PDT by carcraft (Pray for our Countr)
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