Tuesday night's governor's debate showcased all that is wrong with American politics as the three gubernatorial candidates squabbled over tax policies and gave the public a crash course in what not to do when campaigning for office.
Republican candidate Charlie Baker made himself look completely unprofessional throughout the debate, especially when he discussed immigration policies. Rather than simply saying that he believed in cracking down on illegal immigration, Baker saw fit to discuss his plan to deport immigrants to keep them from "terrorizing" local communities. Not only is Massachusetts's immigration problem far more mild than that of states like Arizona, but Baker's way of addressing the issue came off as bigoted and completely unprofessional.
Baker certainly has a lot to learn about tact in public speaking, as does his opponent, Independent candidate Tim Cahill. Both men had a hard time controlling themselves during the debate, interrupting other candidates and failing to remain calm. Cahill's chances of winning the election are growing increasingly remote, and he did nothing in this debate to further his cause.
Both men's cases throughout the debate amounted almost entirely to attacks on Gov. Deval Patrick, continually emphasizing his excessive spending and failure to get much done during his term. Neither was very good at formulating answers that did not include criticisms about Patrick.
Patrick had the best showing of the three, although he was far from perfect. Fortunately, his time in the public eye has provided him with the sense necessary to stay calm and the speaking skills needed to perform well in debates. However, he was unable to adequately answer to accusations from Baker and Cahill about his failures as governor, and just like all politicians, avoided answering many questions.
If any candidate stood out in this debate it was Patrick. However, this was more for his professionalism than his policies. It seems as though this election will be a choice between the lesser of three evils.
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