The Richmond Report has a look at the above, which aired live at 5pm and repeated at 7pm.
But perhaps the most stunning moment came at the end, when Matthews started grilling the two candidates about the upcoming presidential contest.
“Final question. if you had to vote right now on a piece of paper in front of you, Hillary or Mark Warner, who would you vote for?”
Miller said, simply: “Mark Warner.”
But Webb, perhaps forgetting that Warner is practically a rock star in the state Webb is hoping to get elected from, said: “I remain undecided.”
UPDATE 1: AP reporter Bob Lewis has this story up. I swear, this guy saw a different debate than I did (and I watched it twice).
UPDATE 2: If you missed it, the video is now available on this page.
VIVIAN J. PAIGE | All Politics is Local 
Wise answer on Webb’s part. If Webb wins the primary, he could get support from Sen. Clinton, or Pres. Clinton. Miller could not.
It sure would be nice to get three samples of voters–one each to watch the debate, listen to it, and read the transcript. I have a feeling you’d come up with three very different sets of perceptions.
Miller and Webb really did say a lot of the same things, down to Miller repeating verbatim Webb’s answer to the inane “should Hillary run” question. With the exception of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, I’d say they’re closer to each other than people think.
They weren’t at all close on screen, though. Webb was in the studio with Matthews, talking to him, relaxed, smiling on occasion. Miller, in a remote studio, was staring directly into the camera, unsmiling, in classic “deer in headlights” mode. He had his head tilted upward in such a manner that I found myself staring at his throat, and on repeated occasions his head twitched sideways in a most uncomfortable manner. Since he was getting Matthews’ questions through a wire, he seemed to hesitate slightly on each one, also.
Perception can be everything in these matters, and I don’t think people will get a good perception of Miller from this, unless they close their eyes and listen.
I watched it and I couldn’t believe Miller trapped himself on Warner/Clinton thing.
Miller’s not going to get any backing from the Clnton’s in case he wins on Tuesday. Someone said, if you know the Clintons, they take things very personal.
And as for the RTD, you know where the stand already Vivian- they are backing MIller which I have no problems with.
Randy, are you serious? That all got thrown out the window when Webb didn’t support Warner.
This is a race in Virginia after all. Not in New York. Miller and Webb have to first get past the primary, then they can worry about national support. So Miller scored points by default tonight by sticking with the very popular ex-governor. Whereas Webb decided to stick with the national crowd, yet again.
Looks don’t mean a thing when something unbeliveably stupid comes out of your mouth.
The “stickiness” factor from this will be the Warner question and Webb’s “undecided.” I am somewhat amused at the line of argument growing around the blogs this evening that Webb was smart not to offend the Clintons. That’s rich. On June 14th, whomever wins the primary is not going to look to the Clintons. It will then be a general election campaign, and the proven horse is Mark Warner.
VJP,
This is what I’ve been worried about.
Terrible campaign, terrible campaigner. Does this make Webb a bad person? Absolutely not! But this does point to another critical issue:
Didn’t Webb at least get the memo that clearly stated that if you do not believe in Warner’s candidacy for President, you ought not to be running for office in Virginia Democratic politics?
Really, who in the DPVA would say what Webb just said on national television? It is as though Webb is running a state-wide/national campaign instead of a primary.
Didn’t Webb understand that 3/4+ of the Democratic primary voters fully support Mark Warner as a viable candidate for Presidency? Didn’t Webb understand that Warner’s exit poll numbers as he left the Governorship was VERY HIGH?
I saw the broadcast and felt that the whole interview was a non-issue, no one won and no one looked very good–even Matthews did not make himself look good. Buth then came the very end, with Miller fully behind his longtime friend AND political ally Mark Warner and Webb not necessarily behind his new “friend” and political “ally” Mark Warner.
This is what will be the endpoints in the articles in the morning. Why? Because Mark Warner is DPVA, and he is our best shot at representing the successes of Virginia on a national level.
Miller gets it. Kaine got it when he debated Kilgore last year at the FCCC debate (Russert asked virtually the same scenario questions about HRC and Mark Warner). 75%+ of the Democratic primary voters gets it. Webb does not get it.
Will that turn out to hurt Webb? We will see…
FCDC: That’s lame. Is it all about Warner? What are the voters, chopped liver?
Arturo,
You and “Stomp Allen” hang out lurching, waiting to pounce on peoples opinions–especially if they do not swear allegiance to Webb.
This is my opinion, and I am entitled to my opinion. If you have an opinon, please share without bashing my point of view. Bashing is really is not necessary. In fact, it is counterproductive and rude.
I find it amazing to think that people really believe that this primary is going to hinge on whether or not the candidates take a loyalty oath to Mark Warner. Heck, I support Warner myself, but I can’t imagine that 1/4 (let alone 3/4) of the voters will decide their votes Tuesday based on Warner worship, not even in a Democratic primary in Virginia.
This is a Senate race, and it’s going to hinge on two points — perceived ability to serve in the Senate, and perceived ability to beat George Allen. All those Democrats are going to go into the voting booth and look at the two names on the ballot, neither of which is Mark Warner.
(Keep in mind that Warner isn’t about to snub the primary winner. It is vital to him to take out Allen now because it will bolster his own ’08 credentials while devastating Allen’s. In the short term, he needs the nominee as much as the nominee needs him.)
As for me, I’m still up in the air. I’m attracted to Webb’s message and to the force of his personality. But I also see a Webb organization that isn’t, while Miller has all his ducks in a row. In the matter of tactical politics, at least, he has demonstrated management ability, and that takes leadership too.
I’d like to be persuaded, one way or the other. But believe me, fealty to Mark Warner isn’t going to seal the deal, and I doubt it will matter that much to most other voters, either.
For the Democratic insiders, the Warner comment means a lot (Miller supporters) or a little (Webb supporters). Unless the MSM makes a big deal about it, the average person will never even know it occurred. Blogs aren’t a part of the MSM and even RK is reporting that they only get about 1200 visitors a day. Even if that were unique visitors, that’s still a drop in the bucket in terms of 100,000+ votes on 6/13.
As far as persuasion – I think that you have to set aside all the hyperbole of the blogsphere and figure out what is most important to you. Once I did that, my own decision was quite easy.
Randy,
You could be right. Again, we will see…
My concern is the continual pattern of the Webb campaign. As a volunteer, I grew very frustrated with the behavior within the Webb campaign, and I left.
I suppose you can say I am leaning heavily toward Miller.
A disciplined campaign staff and a sound campaign strategy is key to a winning campaign in the general election. Miller has his faults, and so does Webb. We must get past that, for the good of our party and for the benefit of (hopefully) more independent and republican cross-overs in the general. However, no candidate will get any cross-overs in the general if his campaign lack clarity and focus. In fact, an undisciplined campaign often results in democrats just staying home on election day.
I have seen lots of campaigns, and as bad as primaries can be (the brutality of it all), primaries also sharpen campaign staff, campaign discipline, and campaign projection. I was one of those true believers that within 60 days after Webb told the Washington Post that he was running for Senate (that was February 8th), Webb would have an efficient campaign machine — ready to take on Miller and almost ready to take on Allen. Instead, the opposite has happened. By mid-April, Miller’s campaign had managed to bog down Webb’s campaign as National vs. Virginia, called into serious questions issues like AA, DADT, and women’s rights; and his past history as a republican.
Whether you like that strategy or not, it has been very effective. Miller has defined the Webb campaign, and that proves that Miller’s staff is something special (good or bad, depending on your point of view). To me, it is becoming painfully clear that, while Webb is clearly a good man and might deserve the nomination for his appeal alone, Webb AND his campaign are not ready to face Allen.
With Allen and $10M, we won’t have another 60 days to regroup. Miller’s campaign is demonstrating that they are ready, even though Miller is not the picture-perfect war hero candidate. Miller is very smart and capable to be sure, and he seems to fully understand what he must do in the general if he wins the primary.
That’s my case, Randy. Good luck with your decision, regardless if it may be different from my eventual (and pehaps inevitable) decision.
VJP,
The not supporting Warner statement is featured in the WAPO and the RTD, WT, and I am sure many others. While I agree that blogs do not reach many people the newspapers do. Not supporting Warner before a primary was a dumb move by Webb. You know that is true. When Webb said undecided you could hear gasps across the state. Just like when both said they support Right to work laws. Webb can brag about grassroots all he wants. the fact is Miller has reached more people with TV and mailers in one day than the bloggers will in a whole year.
I asked a friend of mine in Nevada to watch “Hardball” and give me her perspective, as a Democrat getting a first impression of the two candidates. Her remarks:
“As far as your candidates go, my impression is that Webb seems to be a bit of an opportunist regarding party affiliation. He says he’s a “Reagan Democrat,” which makes me wonder just how much of a Democrat he really is. He says that he “came back to the party” because of social and economic issues, but I’m wondering how anyone who was a Reagan Democrat can justify the massive debt that Reagan incurred. My guess is that if things were a little different he’d be a Republican. His appearance and body language may appeal to people who want a “strong” leader, but I think he really wants to play “Let’s Make A Deal.” He also lost points with me for endorsing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”
“Miller, on the other hand, make a tragic mistake in my eyes by even mentioning John McCain’s name. I think McCain is one of the biggest hypocrites in the Senate (like there’s really much of a difference). He also comes off as being a bit whiny and unfocused. He does, however, get credit for stating that he is totally behind Mark Warner and that he feels that gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military.
“I was more than a little disappointed that there were no questions on health care or women’s issues. I would have liked to know where both candidates stood.
“In the end, though, the name of the game is who can beat George Allen, and my gut feeling is that Webb will have more crossover appeal, so to speak. I hope that VA will get a Democratic senator that can help defeat all the crap we’ve been fed for the last 6 years.”