Two debate moments in South Carolina shook up the Republican primary campaign and catapulted Newt Gingrich to the front of the pack, and both were driven by a noisy crowd.
Now I wonder – did the formats of those two debates, with raucous crowds often interrupting the proceedings, revive the Gingrich candidacy? Though this is a campaign year in which the debates have had an outsized influence, would the former speaker’s two “moments” have had nearly as much impact if they were spoken in a silent auditorium?
When Gingrich sarcastically chastised Juan Williams of Fox News, a debate panel member, at the first South Carolina debate, the crowd ignited, applauding cheering, hooting, hollering – and booing Williams. The atmosphere was electric, much like what is typically experienced at a boxing match.
That moment, within 24 hours, became the centerpiece of a widely mentioned Gingrich campaign ad. The audio in that spot would not have been nearly as enticing without the crowd reaction.
In the next debate, the Gingrich moment came almost instantly when he lectured moderator John King of CNN for leading off the event with a question about the former speaker’s ex-wife. Obviously eager to create another theatrical moment, Gingrich engaged in hyperbole like only he can, essentially claiming that King’s question marked one of the most “despicable” moments in the history of U.S. politics.
The audience loved it. Again the crowd applauded and cheered and again Gingrich had generated one of the most memorable sound bites of the entire campaign.
But the Monday debate in Tampa, Fla., presented a very different situation. Gingrich was his usual pugnacious, ornery self but his remarks were largely met with silence. No buzz-worthy moments there.
In fact, the debate had virtually no impact at all on the race.
One blogger on the New York Times website offered a fairly simple explanation:
“That may be because of the admonition that the moderator, Brian Williams (of NBC News), gave the audience members before the TV cameras came on, urging them to refrain from applause during the debate.
“Or it may reflect a more academic audience, as the debate is being held at the University of South Florida. It might also have something to do with the fact that this is the first debate in a while that is not sponsored by a state Republican Party.
“Or maybe it reflects the fact that Mr. Gingrich has been on the defense, not able to get to his usual rhetoric about criticizing the media — which usually fires up the audience.
“Either way, it’s been a very quiet, polite night in the hall.”
We’ll see how quiet it is in the hall tonight when Mitt Romney and Gingrich face off again in Jacksonville at 8 p.m. on CNN.
If you have any doubt about where Gingrich stands on all this you can read here about his threat on Tuesday not to participate in any debates where the audience is not allowed to cheer or boo.
If you have any doubt about where Gingrich stands on all this you can read here about his threat on Tuesday not to participate in any debates where the audience is not allowed to cheer or boo.
