Republican Gives Funny Insider View of Prepping For Political Debates

Politicians are most fragile toward the end of their race. Lets face it is has been a up and down marathon and now they are expected to do a perfect sprint at the end. Part of that is the infamous debate!!! This of course is far worse than it used to be because the Internet now has a very critical public taking even greater fun in giving criticism of every facial tic.

Michael Murphy , who has run quite a view races, gives a insider view at what happens in these debate prep sessions. These two parts are pretty funny

Though it sounds secretive and glamorous, debate prep is magnificently unpleasant for everybody involved. The candidates have gripped and grinned their way through a savage jungle of fund raisers, powerful local idiots, soggy state-fair corn dogs and rabid, preening reporters just to get to the debates, a dangerous pinnacle where one slipup could cost the election. The campaign staffs are equally exhausted and by now more than a little frustrated with the candidate they have come to both love and hate. Put them all in a room together in what are often poorly planned prep sessions, and you have the perfect recipe for disaster: the staffers discover great catharsis in firing increasingly nasty "prep" questions at the candidates, who in turn become more and more itchy under fire until finally exploding with a gusher of recriminations at their staffs for failing to prepare them for so many impossible questions.

and this while also funny shows that in the end we are dealing with human beings

It is vital that your candidate not hear your opponent's answers for the first time onstage, since that will often lead to panic if a candidate feels the opponent's answer is far better than his or her own. Hmmm. Great answer. I've got nothing like that. I'm a loser. I'm going to lose this debate. In high school, Belinda would have wanted to go to the prom with him, not me. Anger. MUST ... ATTACK ... NOW!!! At that point something very bad usually happens.

Great Stuff. Read it all

Tip of the Hat to The Weekly Standard Blog