At one point during the second governor’s debate, technical difficulties froze the action.
For a long moment Tuesday night, the moderator — Nadia Brown, a Purdue University political science professor — stared at the camera, waiting for something to happen. Then, a graphic promoting the debate filled the screen and jaunty music played.
Sadly, that was not the evening’s most awkward moment.
The candidates themselves produced worse, offering up some answers — or non-answers — that ranged from uncomfortable to cringe-worthy.
Perhaps the most notable was one from the Republican candidate, Gov. Eric Holcomb, about the possibility of redistricting reform. Holcomb delivered a full-throated defense of gerrymandering. The passion with which it was delivered was matched only by its incoherence.
Just slightly less painful to watch were Holcomb’s attempts to evade questions about decriminalizing marijuana and reforming the criminal justice system.
In both instances, the governor’s lips said the solution was a new way to study the problem. But his eyes said, with desperation, “next question, please.”
Then there was Libertarian Donald Rainwater’s ungraceful attempt to tap-dance around a question about Indiana’s shameful infant mortality rates.
Neither Holcomb nor Democratic candidate Woody Myers can match Rainwater in a pithiness contest, but both best him in one other small area.
Mastery of facts.
Nowhere was that more evident than when Rainwater was asked what he would do as governor to keep so many Hoosier babies from dying. It was a question that called for summoning information, not uttering a sound bite. The Libertarian stammered for a moment, then moved from talking about dying infants to the much greater tragedy — apparently — of government hampering small businesses.
Maybe Fred Astaire could have pulled off such complicated footwork.
But Rainwater isn’t Fred Astaire.
Only Myers came through the evening without shooting himself in the foot.
That was a change from the first debate a week earlier.
In that first exchange, Myers started out shaky, stumbling through his scripted opening statement and didn’t seem to settle himself until the debate was almost over.
The second time around was a different story.
The former state health commissioner summoned facts when he needed them but didn’t let his answers get lost in numbers. He pointed out that Indiana has lost 34,000 manufacturing jobs since February and that many of them won’t be coming back, which means the state needs to help its citizens find new careers and rebuild their lives. He also noted that 33 Indiana counties are maternity deserts without adequate healthcare resources for pregnant women and argued that any state that allows such things can’t be considered pro-family.
Myers also counterpunched with effect.
When Holcomb flailed on the marijuana question and called for more research on the question, Myers shot back with “34 states have already done the research” and suggested that Indiana could take a look at surrounding states’ studies, saving time and money.
And, when Holcomb said he was going to create a cabinet position to guide him on questions of criminal justice reform and racial equality, Myers pounced. He said that, while the governor might need someone to instruct him on questions of fairness and equity, Myers wouldn’t require such assistance because he had lived with those issues his whole life.
Overall, this second debate — the unscheduled break in the middle aside — was a livelier outing than the first one.
The candidates didn’t stray far from their overarching campaign themes.
Holcomb strove to present himself as a tested and steady leader during a troubled time. He played the role better in the first debate, but likely didn’t do himself any lasting damage in the second tilt. His incomprehensible advocacy for gerrymandering won’t leave any scars because — unfortunately — it’s been hard to get masses to march in support of redistricting.
Rainwater must be thrilled with where his campaign is. If the polls are accurate, he may draw more than 10%, a stunning achievement for a man whose solution to every problem — from cancer to crumbling roads — is to utter “government is bad” again and again.
Myers made a case for himself as an informed problem-solver, but he likely has done so too late. The most recent poll had him trailing Holcomb by almost 20 points with a week until Election Day.
And no more pauses, unscheduled or otherwise, in the proceedings.
John Krull is director of Franklin College’s Pulliam School of Journalism and publisher of TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students. Send comments to editorial@therepublic.com
