Consensus - Forrester Defeats Corzine in Debate # 1

A Philadelphia Inquirer editorial on Tuesday’s gubernatorial debate between Jon Corzine and Doug Forrester notes “Corzine looked and sounded like a candidate who is taking the voters for granted”.

Corzine chose to react defensively to the first question of the debate, about a gift $470,000 loan to former girlfriend (and union president) Carla Katz. His performance was mostly downhill from there, with an inarticulate and disengaged presentation of his proposed policies. At one point, Corzine dismissively referred to Forrester as the "opposition candidate," as if his own coronation awaits and a debate is a trifling inconvenience. Forrester, in contrast, came across as aggressive, focused and - gasp - prepared.

That is in sharp contrast to the Star-Ledger’s opinion that Corzine started out tenuously, seemed a bit nervous, but quickly gained his footing. We apparently were watching the same debate as the Inquirer as we wrote: Forrester was in command, well prepared and clearly articulated his positions, while Corzine appeared shaky, nervous and confused. It was our opinion Doug Forrester won the debate and the Inquirer agrees.

But why rely on someone else’s opinion. If you didn’t have a chance to see the debate you still can when NJN rebroadcasts the hour-long program this Sunday at noon or you can view the video online here.

For more commentary on debate #1 check out Roberto’s series of posts: Corzine vs. Forrester Debate, Round One; More Debate Follow-Up; More Debate Follow-Up, Part II; More Debate Follow-Up, Part III