New Jersey Gubernatorial Debate: Round 1

The first debate in New Jersey’s race for Governor between Jon Corzine and Doug Forrester has just finished. If you are a supporter of Jon Corzine, you must be horribly disappointed in his performance, as he appeared shaky, nervous and confused.

If you are a supporter of Doug Forrester, you too must feel disappointed. Disappointed because Forrester cleaned Corzine’s clock, but realize the audience was probably very small and won’t have the impact on the race it should.

Democrats often make fun of President Bush’s public speaking, but Corzine makes Bush sound like Cicero. Forrester was in command, was well prepared and clearly articulated his positions. In all respects, Forrester was the clear winner of the debate.

Corzine was on the defensive for most of the debate, although the panel asked tough questions of both candidates. The Senator tried to interject Hurricane Katrina, FEMA and the Bush administration into any number of his answers, but this tactic made him appear weak and incapable of debating issues relevant to the state and the opponent in the room, Forrester.

More later if Blogger doesn’t continue to eat our posts.

Update: For those that didn’t have an opportunity to watch last night’s debate, the Corzine vs. Forrester debate video may be viewed here. Decide for yourself how well each candidate presented himself, defended his proposals and record. You can decide if the Star-Ledger’s take - “Corzine, who started out tenuously and seemed a bit nervous, quickly gained his footing “, is an accurate description or partisan spin.