Based on the neutral headline in today’s very pro-Democratic Cleveland Plain Dealer — ‘’In first of three scheduled bouts, Senate hopefuls come out swinging’’ — I’m forced to believe Josh Mandel won the debate.
The best quote from Sherrod Brown the Plain Dealer, which supports Brown, could find to highlight was the banal, ‘’Unlike Josh Mandel, I trust Ohio women to make their own health-care decisions,’’ while they highlighted Josh Mandel’s zinger to Brown, ‘’You’ve had 20 years to try and solve these problems. That is a record of failure.’’
Since very few people actually listened to the debate, the Plain Dealer’s front-page highlights must have helped Josh Mandel.
Let’s hope someone on Mitt Romney’s campaign staff, which is focusing so much time and energy in Ohio, reads today’s Plain Dealer front page and adapts Josh Mandel’s statement for use by Romney in tonight’s debate: ‘’You have had four years to try and solve these problems. That is a record of failure.’’
If such a Romney quote were to be highlighted tomorrow on every newspaper in America’s front page, Romney will win. Otherwise, Big Bird or some equivalent nonsense will again dominate America’s news media in the post-debate discussions. But Romney has to SAY it.