DES MOINES — Newt Gingrich knows that as the frontrunner he’ll be the target of several attacks at tonight’s Republican presidential debate at Drake University here in Des Moines. So he has been reading about how Ronald Reagan handled attacks in debates throughout his career.
In the last couple of days, Gingrich asked aides for transcripts of three Reagan debates. The first was a little-remembered May 15, 1967 debate between Reagan, at the time the new governor of California, and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy. The subject was Vietnam, and both Reagan and Kennedy faced hostile questions from a young audience. According to an account in National Review, Reagan biographer Joseph Lewis wrote that Reagan “talked easily and precisely without a hint of uncertainty or hostility,” in the face of challenging questions — in contrast to Kennedy, whom Lewis said seemed “deflated” and “anguished.” After the debate, the relaxed Reagan was viewed as the clear winner.
The second debate Gingrich requested was the February 23, 1980 Republican presidential debate in Nashua, New Hampshire in which Reagan, again under criticism, uttered the famous words, “I am paying for this microphone!” With that one statement — a show of some anger, but entirely under control — Reagan disarmed his critics and rivals, and went on to win the Republican nomination.
The last debate was the October 28, 1980 showdown between candidate Reagan and President Jimmy Carter in which Reagan, yet again under fire, disarmed Carter with the famous “There you go again” line.
There’s a pattern there. In each case, Reagan handled criticism without blowing up, without turning voters off by an overly-angry response. Gingrich knows that rival Mitt Romney, as well as candidates Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, and Ron Paul, will be looking to throw him off his balance. Gingrich’s efforts to stay positive as far as his rivals is concerned will be tested more than in any earlier debate. Look for him to attempt to incorporate some of Reagan’s style into his own.
But don’t look for him to telegraph any strategy. At a veterans’ event in Des Moines a few hours before the debate, Gingrich laughed off questions about the coming attacks. “I’m going to go in, say a prayer, be a witness to what America needs to do, answer the questions directly and honestly, and see what happens,” Gingrich said. Then he headed off to a waiting car.
