“Robotic” Ossoff
Jon Ossoff has proven throughout the campaign he is desperate to be everything to everyone, and last night’s WSB-TV debate was no different. It was also clear that while Ossoff hopes to avoid certain issues, they continue to plague his campaign. Worse, as much as he tries to memorize lines, he still doesn’t have good answers to simple questions.
Key Issues Plaguing Jon Ossoff:
-Ossoff can’t escape the fact that he lives outside the district, and won’t be able to vote in the upcoming June 20 special election. Watch here.
-95 percent of Ossoff’s donors come from outside of Georgia, and as much as he tries, he can’t hide his newfound status as Nancy Pelosi’s rubber stamp. Watch here.
-Just like Nancy Pelosi, Ossoff supports the dangerous Iran Deal, making our country, and our world, less safe. In fact, Ossoff was called out by a moderator last night for his weak answer on Iran, and asked to elaborate. Watch here.
-Ossoff said he’d be willing to work with President Trump, but we can’t imagine that goes over well with all his extreme liberal online donors who were part of his “Make Trump Furious” online campaign. Watch here.
-While Karen Handel could easily point to her strong record, Jon Ossoff would stick to“generalities without really answering the questions (on three — three! — occasions, moderators had to ask him to clarify his answer to what amounted to yes/no questions).” Watch here.
When it comes to debates, delivery and performance are also important. In case you missed it, here’s a recap of Jon Ossoff’s “stiff,” “robotic,” and “scripted” performance:
In the News:
Aaron Kall, director of the University of Michigan’s debate team, said Ossoff “sometimes appeared as robotic and scripted.” “Both candidates generally remained smooth and on-message, and they were given time to engage one another on issues such as campaign funding and health coverage. Aaron Kall, director of the University of Michigan’s debate team, said Ossoff ‘came across as quite polished for having less debate experience, but sometimes appeared as robotic and scripted.’ Of Handel, he said she “was more aggressive and remained on offense for a good portion of the debate, which could indicate she thinks she is slightly behind in the race and needs to make up some ground in this debate.’” (Tamar Hallerman,“6th district candidates debate national issues, avoid Trump,” Atlanta Journal Constitution, 6/6/17)
AJC’s Kyle Wingfield Says Ossoff’s “Act” Looks “Pretty Gimpy” Next To Handel’s Experience. “The first debate between Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel was Tuesday night, and it’s pretty clear there are two reasons Ossoff didn’t want to be in a debate that would have been sponsored by the Atlanta Press Club and nationally televised on CNN. The first is that he surely didn’t want too many of his supporters back in California, Massachusetts and New York to see him playing budget-and-defense-hawk. But the second, and more important, is that none of his act makes up for the fact his promises to work across the aisle and be fiscally responsible look pretty gimpy next to Handel’s list of things she’s actually done on both counts. (Kyle Wingfield, “Opinion: Karen Handel’s experience vs. Jon Ossoff’s lack thereof”, Atlanta Journal Constitution, 6/7/2017)
Handel Said Ossoff Was A “Tool Of Nancy Pelosi.” “Republican Karen Handel insisted repeatedly during a debate Tuesday that Jon Ossoff, her opponent in Georgia’s 6th Congressional District, is a tool of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and “the most liberal elements of the Democratic Party.” (“In Georgia, runoff candidates Ossoff, Handel cast each other as rubber stamps,” Associated Press, 6/7/17)
In the Twitters:
@DailyCaller: Watch Jon Ossoff Lose The Entire Special Election Debate In Less Than Four Minutes [VIDEO] trib.al/UpLg7EO
@BrentScher: The moderator is trying admirably hard to get Ossoff to give a concrete answer on Iran
@ericbradner: The #GA06 dynamics via a travel ban question in debate: Handel calls it “travel, ah, proposal.” Ossoff ducks, has to be prodded for yes/no.
@kwingfieldajc: Once again: Handel can name things she did with Dems on Fulton Commission, Ossoff can only talk vaguely about it. The experience gap yawns.