Posted on 01/14/2010 6:57:26 AM PST by deport
AUSTIN Hillary Rodham Clinton and Sarah Palin have helped shift the landscape, but gender issues are still tricky for male candidates in political debates.
Rick Perry may discover the pitfalls when, for the first time in his long political career he's the only man on stage tonight against two female contenders. From gestures to tone to r-e-s-p-e-c-t, the age-old tussle between men and women will be magnified by stage lights and close-up cameras during the hourlong Republican gubernatorial debate in Denton, broadcast live on public television......
Communications and political experts said that in facing off against women, Perry must stay steady and calm. He must not seem to attack. Mostly, he must stay unfailingly polite because TV amplifies a tone and a look and assumes an attitude.
And if he slips, as plenty of male candidates famously have, TV also provides an endless instant replay and becomes the one thing remembered from the debate and not just for the relatively few watching, but for the millions who didn't.
Kay Bailey Hutchison, in her fervor to score political points, must not come across as too "shrill" a word reserved almost exclusively to describe women in debates.
She must avoid a high-pitched tone and anything that resembles scolding. What comes across as forceful for a man is sometimes seen as churlish in a woman. .....
Adding to the peril for both Hutchison and Perry is the presence of Debra Medina, an outsider with little to lose. Tea Party followers have coalesced around Medina, who has pushed gun rights, border defense and state nullification of federal mandates. KERA said it decided to invite Medina to the debate because she had attracted media and public interest.
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(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
First Reading: by Jason Embry, American Statesman
Perry: He is trying to frame the campaign as Texas vs. Washington. Perry needs to convince the audience that he has put Texas in better shape than almost any other state. If the polls are true and Perry is in fact ahead, his most important task may be to avoid a major gaffe that will make the debate more than a one-day story. He also needs to protect himself from getting drawn into any prolonged exchange with Medina.
Hutchison: Texas Republicans have voted in past elections for both Perry and Hutchison, and now Hutchison must convince them that they like her more. She needs to articulate a few clear, compelling reasons why Republicans should replace Perry with her something that could change the narrative of the campaign. She also needs to neutralize Perrys Washington attacks by highlighting the ways she has used that post to help the state and advance conservative principles.
Debra Medina: Expect her to hammer both of her opponents as establishment politicians and attack Texas government as too costly and too big. She needs to move beyond soundbites and demonstrate a working knowledge of state issues.
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Hutchison leads Perry in campaign cash
WAYNE SLATER / The Dallas Morning News
Kay Bailey Hutchison leads Rick Perry in campaign cash, with more than $12 million in the bank as the Republicans go into the final stretch of their high-stakes, big-money gubernatorial battle.
Hutchison raised $6 million in the latest period, which means she has collected more than $20 million in her bid to unseat Perry. The Republican governor raised more than $7 million in the last six months and has $11.6 million in the bank.......
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Countdown:
- 18 days until the last day to register to vote.
- 33 days until early voting begins.
- 47 days until the March 2 primary.
gender issues?
I really hate how the media tries to divide people
horsehockey. Texans know both very well the gender differences will not make one iota of difference. imho
Hmmm. So having a uterus makes KBH qualified to be governor? I think not.
who’s the most conservative in this race? I have no idea. I thought Perry was good as a governor (that’s from an outsider) and I thought Hutchinson was a good conservative senator. And what about Medina?
Freepmail me or ping me from the original thread to get on/off the 2010 Texas Governor's Race ping list.
Perry is a decent governor. [At least he has the sense to stop tilting to the left if you smack him hard enough] The 'schoolgirls in Texas will have the MANDATED HPV vaccine' comes to mind.
Hutchinson might as well put a 'D' behind her name. I've written to her on a couple of occasions, and the standard reply is 'We need to adhere to federal guidance' on pretty much everything under the sun.
Medina is the least known candidate, but I REALLY like the State sovereignty noises she's been making. It would be great if she could manage to survive the primary and eventually win the position of Governor.
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IMHO, we NEED fresh conservative blood wherever we can get it, since it seems the entrenched politicians are the ones who are killing us.
You well maybe correct but stupidity mixed with a gender connotation can be devastating, imo. Remember Clayton Williams?
Clayton Williams,lol. Hadnt heard that name in awhile. Ann beat him didnt she. I loved the ads he ran.
whos the most conservative in this race?
Good question. The answer may well get down to when in the course of the candidate’s tenure do you make the judgment. Hands down Perry would win if it is in the campaign portion and he’s got a funded challenger. He seems to forget that conservatism when the campaign is over. IMO he’d be up front today leading the charge trying to get the federal school money that he’s making a big issue about of turning down if it wasn’t a campaign season.
I guess fortunately Texas has a relatively weak Gov. and more power lies within the Legislature and others. Perry will have 14 years as the Gov should he win this fall and Hutchison has been a senator since 1993. They seem to think they are entitled to a gov’t teat for life.
Clayton Williams,lol. Hadnt heard that name in awhile. Ann beat him didnt she. I loved the ads he ran.
And he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. The campaign should have locked him up and not let him out until after the campaign was over.
“Gender pitfalls” sounds like the reason for a trip to the dermatologist. “Ouch, my gender pitfalls are flaring up again, must be the weather.”
Gov Goodhair and KBH are both RI”NOs, but she is worse. Medina is a Paulbot, so my vote will go to the gov by default - I hate to have to vote for the least bad.
Clayton put his own foot in his mouth. The fact that he made a statement that could have been made by any man of a certain age did not help.
Of the three, Medina is definitely the most conservative. Unfortunately, the media won’t give her the time of day, and are trying to foist yet another false choice between RINOs on us again.
Dat’s what I was thinkin’........oh well, Medina may get her foot in the door on this campaign but with things the way they are today, wouldn’t it be a hoot if she pulled the biggest upset in political history??? :)
I hope pistol packin Debra Medina kicks azz tonight on Governor Hair Gel & Ms. Hyphenated
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