Here is my grade for each candidate. Keep in mind the goal that I laid out for each of them.
Without a doubt, she showed that there is indeed fire in the belly. She consistently stood up to the smirking arrogance displayed by Gov. Perry and was willing to stand in and go toe to toe with him. She started a bit slow but closed strong. Her closing statement starts at the 55:32 mark of the video at TexasDebates.org.
She did have one tough moment on a question about Roe vs. Wade. The questioner wanted a Yes or No answer on whether or not Roe vs. Wade should be overturned. The Senator refused to fall into that trap, pointing out that the unintended consequences of doing that could result in a worse environment for abortions. While I agree with her and also think that this question did not hurt her in the big picture, it was an awkward moment. Her team needs to come up with a better response to that question.
Her goal was to prove that she belonged on that stage and without a doubt, she achieved that. At no time did she appear overmatched or timid. She demonstrated an indepth knowledge on each question she was asked and corrected Gov. Perry on his employment numbers. She seemed to be the only candidate aware of the Texas Advance Directives Act – maybe because she is a nurse but probably because she reads Big Jolly Politics.
I noticed in reading other reviews of the debate that people are saying she wants to legalize drugs. That is not what she said in the debate. She stated that the issue should be left to the states, that we have spent far too many resources in a failed “war” and that we shouldn’t be afraid to have an open, honest debate on the issue. Don’t believe me? View it for yourself, her answer starts at the 43:36 mark in the debate video. Most people are afraid to have an open, honest debate on this issue but the truth is that we need to, sooner rather than later.
Will she be included in the next debate? I certainly hope so. Once again, where is Cathie Adams? She should be out in front of this, asking Belo Corp. to reconsider. The Texas GOP cannot grow if it will not support legitimate debate amongst all serious candidates. Debra Medina is a serious candidate.
What was up with that chimp grin and head bobbing thing he was doing all night long? If I were good at videography and a part of the Hutchison or Medina campaigns, I’d take this clip at the 42:47 mark, and use it over and over and over again. Like: “Rick Perry ordered HPV vaccine for little girls” (insert chimp grin/head bob) “Rick Perry tried to give half the state to a company from Spain” (insert chimp grin/head bob) “Rick Perry has failed to protect our border” (insert chimp grin/head bob), etc. Seriously, what was up with that?
The point is that he failed to keep those issues from coming up. At one point, Mrs. Medina had to correct his job numbers. Saying that Texas has created a lot of jobs is great – unless, as Mrs. Medina pointed out, 9 out every 10 of those jobs are government jobs!
I know that his supporters are trying to spin this one away but in all seriousness, this was not his night. He gets another shot on the 29th and unless Belo Corp. backs off and allows Mrs. Medina to be on the stage, should do much better.
That is my take. I really do hope that Mrs. Medina is allowed to be on the stage in the next debate. She earned that spot with her performance last night.
Related: Cory Crow at Harris County Almanac: This is the time in Texas when we dance.
IMPORTANT: Click here to sign a petition to put Debra Medina on the stage in the next debate, even if you do not plan to vote for her. It is critical to have a full debate during the primary and that debate must include all serious candidates.