Debate Finally Creates Some Name ID for Bell
With a larger viewing audience than anticipated, Friday’s gubernatorial debate helped nudge Chris Bell out of the shadows of his better-known rivals and shifted the race into a two-man battle between the Democrat and Republican Gov. Rick Perry.
“Bell rose in stature and was clearly the best informed,” said Democratic strategist Kelly Fero, who had initially written off the governor’s race as a lost cause. “He showed that, of the four, he deserves to be governor.”
Nevertheless, even Perry’s harshest critics agree that the governor won the debate, simply by not stumbling. How Perry and Bell both managed to outshine their more colorful competitors – funnyman Kinky Friedman and tough-talkin’ Carole Keeton Strayhorn – is anyone’s guess. But Friedman, dressed in his signature black hat and holding a cigar, landed only a zinger or two and later attributed his deer-in-the-headlights look to jangled nerves. And who could blame him? According to news reports, an estimated million people tuned in to watch what turned out to be a zippy, shallow game show of a debate studded with trivia questions.
Strayhorn, bedecked in a bright pink jacket, was surprisingly underwhelming, delivering the same sound bites and catchphrases she uses in her campaign speeches and TV ads. She also had the misfortune of drawing a tricky question – who is Mexico’s president-elect? – and flubbing with a rambling nonresponse. The fellow’s name is Felipe Calderón, who, as Strayhorn correctly pointed out, “won with a very narrow margin.”
“Strayhorn was so obviously nervous, it was almost possible to forget that she has been doing this since Richard Nixon was in the White House,” said Fero of the former Austin mayor, former Democrat, and ex-Republican. “And she failed to effectively land many punches on Perry, which is what she needs to do – and what Bell needs her to do.”
Perry did exactly what he needed to do: He held his own in the one-hour showdown. What the audience didn’t see was his refusal to meet with reporters for the traditional post-debate spin. Instead, he dispatched spokesman Robert Black to the press room to distribute a press release proclaiming Perry the victor in the four-way Dallas meetup. (Libertarian James Werner was not invited, sparking a lawsuit by him against Belo Inc., the media giant that sponsored the debate and had exclusive television-broadcast rights.)
Bell had the most to gain from the debate, and he did. “This is going to be a late-breaking campaign with a lot of late-breaking money coming in,” Bell spokesman Jason Stanford said the day before the broadcast. “There are a lot of people at a lot of different levels looking [at Bell].” He quickly added: “And this isn’t spin.” Indeed, Houston trial lawyer John O’Quinn rewarded Bell with a $1 million campaign contribution after the debate. And he’s promised to either raise an additional $4 million or dig it out of his own pocket. Also, former President Bill Clinton has committed to sing Bell’s praises in an upcoming Texas stump, according to the campaign.
The Democrat’s best-of-show response of the night came when asked what the term limit is for governor. “There is no term limit for Texas governor,” Bell said, “and that’s why people should be horrified.” He was referring to Perry’s recent musings about running for yet another term if he wins in November. “That’s the best reason I can give to you tonight to vote for me.” – Amy Smith
This article appears in October 13 • 2006.
