This much we can all agree on: Someone will win the Republican senatorial primary Aug. 14. And that person will face incumbent Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson in November.
This much we should all agree on: Connie Mack IV should pay dearly for his arrogant opt-out of the only primary debate–scheduled for July 26.
Mack’s strategy has been obvious all along.
First, hope enough uninformed voters confuse him with his father–or even great grandfather–and then pander to the usual primary suspects with a track record of grandstanding moves such as signing the Taxpayers Protection Pledge. He can’t run effectively on his unimpressive public-service record.
Second, because of name recognition and a relatively lackluster field, he has a lead in the polls. It’s a political rule of thumb that the poll leader has more to lose in a debate. Of course that’s the rule. A poor performance is a challenger’s best hope. Why chance it?
But a debate is also a discerning voter’s gauge. What makes sense in the political abstract as a self-serving strategy is not to be confused with doing the right electoral thing. A debate, especially when it’s the one and only, can be a legitimate forum for comparing and contrasting candidates. It can be a mettle-detector. Political ads and stump speeches tell you more about fund-raising and staffing than how a candidate handles himself. Ask Rick Perry.
Yes, Republican primary voters won’t get to see the latest McGillicuddy incarnation debating his GOPster competition. But if the no-show strategy works, they surely will get to see Nelson ads noting who was too arrogant and too entitled to even debate his opponents.