MCBRIDE LEFT AT ALTAR:

McBride lost the chance to make case (PETER WALLSTEN, Oct. 23, 2002 , Miami Herald)

[T]he onus was on McBride, as a challenger who polls show remains largely unknown to nearly one in three Florida voters, to pull off a dramatic performance.

At times his performance was dramatic -- dramatically abysmal.

That was particularly true during an exchange between Russert and McBride on how he would pay for his priorities, which include a proposed amendment to the state Constitution to cap class sizes in public schools.

The exchange led to a perennial losing issue for Democrats -- taxes -- and gave Bush the perfect opening to again tell voters that his Democratic foe would force them to pay more.

McBride, on the other hand, looked slippery.[...]

When Russert asked McBride if he disagreed with the state teachers union on even one issue -- the union has bankrolled much of the Democrat's efforts and its leading officials hold key campaign posts -- McBride paused and looked a bit dazed.

''I could have gone out and gotten a drink of water, and then come back in,'' joked Mike Murphy, Bush's media consultant, who was sitting in the audience.

This is just a brutal analysis.
Posted by Orrin Judd at October 23, 2002 2:28 PM