Will Sunday's Fox News showdown between U.S. Senate candidates Gov. Charlie Crist and Marco Rubio be fair and balanced?
Both men are telegenic and smooth -- even slippery in the best political tradition -- and neither camp is losing an opportunity to frame the impact of "Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace," which will air live from Fox News' Washington, D.C. bureau (check local listings for times).
Crist Press Secretary Amanda Henneberg told Sunshine State News Thursday, The debate on Sunday will provide voters with a clear choice. The choice will be between Gov. Crist, a proven leader, who has always put Florida first, and fought for less government, less taxes, less spending and more freedom, and Speaker Rubio, a Miami lobbyist-politician, who has used public office for his own personal gain, is in the midst of an ethical scandal, and has a record of lavish spending while in office.
"We are confident that the voters, once educated that Speaker Rubios record does not match his rhetoric on the campaign trail, will continue to support Gov. Crist as the best candidate for the U.S. Senate.
??Rubio Press Secretary Alex Burgos countered with this:
"We hope this discussion will center on the choices America faces and will draw a clear alternative to the (Barack) Obama agenda.
"??Rubio's camp also set a high expectations bar for Crist.
"We know we're up against a very skilled politician who ran for the Senate back in 1998. He's a skilled debater, and he'll do well," Burgos said.
Crist has been a regular on the national TV circuit since he was considered a vice-presidential running mate for John McCain in 2008. Last year, the governor appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," where he touted the Obama stimulus package.
Rubio had little media exposure until last fall, and Burgos said "Fox News Sunday" will be the former House speaker's first appearance on a national Sunday show.??Insiders say they expect both men to do well in their first head-to-head debate.
"Rubio is very good on his feet. Without preparation, and on the spur of the moment, he can give a 30-minute speech and make you think he wrote the book on the subject," a veteran Florida House member said on background.
This representative, who supports Crist, said Rubio's relative lack of experience -- "he never chaired a standing committee" -- could translate into an edge for the more seasoned Crist, who has held several statewide offices, including attorney general, education commissioner and lieutenant governor before ascending to the governor's office in 2006.
Crist's challenge, observers say, is to convincingly reconcile his soft or supportive positions on health-care reform and stimulus spending with the hardening opposition of Republican voters who tune in Sunday.
There's also the continuing buzz over Crist's poor poll performance, which fuels persistent speculation that he would fare better running as an independent.
Rubio may try to capitalize on those rumblings.
"It remains to be seen who our opponent will be and for how long," Burgos said.
Former Florida Senate President Tom Lee said he is looking forward to a "substantive" debate -- not a "series of sideshows."
"Knowing Chris Wallace's style, he'll try to keep the discussion on point," said Lee, who supports Rubio.
Noting the ongoing sparring over "4-year-old credit card expenditures and how the GOP handled accounts back in the day," Lee said the Senate race had "gotten away from the central issues."
The first 40 minutes of the 60-minute Fox program will be the debate, followed by the "Fox News Sunday" panel.
Crist and Rubio will be seated at a table with Wallace, who will serve as moderator of what is designed to be a free-wheeling exchange.
The format calls for Wallace to ask all the questions, some of which will be viewer questions received by Fox via e-mail.
After the program, Fox News Sunday's blog, "Wallace Watch," will post behind-the-scenes photos and commentary from the panel.
Al Cardenas, a former Republican Party of Florida chairman, said conventional wisdom dictates that Rubio, with a hefty lead in the polls, remain cautious in the debate and that Crist should come out swinging.
"That would be unwise on both counts," Cardenas advised. "Rubio should run as if it's a tight race and Crist should be aware that there's plenty of time."
"Five months (until the August primary) is a long time and paid media can close any gap quickly," said Cardenas, a longtime Rubio friend who supports Crist.
"This is probably the nation's most interesting race and the debate will be widely viewed," the Miami-based attorney predicted.
In the days leading up to the D.C. debate, Rubio is maintaining a low-key itinerary, with no scheduled public campaign appearances.
On Thursday, he taught his biweekly Florida International University political science class on "Legislative Process."
On Saturday morning, he said he will attend his son's T-ball game in west Miami, after which he will fly to Washington to prepare for Sunday morning's debate.
Before and after the debate, Rubio will be posting at Facebook and Twitter social networking sites.
Crist's spokeswoman declined to discuss the governor's whereabouts or to say what, if any, online activities the campaign will conduct.??"We dont discuss campaign strategy or internal campaign matters," Henneberg said.???
Contact Kenric Ward at kward@sunshinestatenews.com or at (772) 801-5341.
