Sherrod Brown v Mike Dewine on Meet the Press...

Well, it was definitely a free for all. I missed it yesterday so this morning I watched it online.

There is also a written transcript if you'd prefer to read what happened.

With the exception of those of us who are really hard core political junkies, the whole photo epsiode in the DeWine campaign ad isn't something that is really important to the majority of Ohioans. Most of them probably don't even know about it and to be perfectly frank, it doesn't have anything to do with the real issues of jobs, health care and the security of our country yet:


SEN. DeWINE: I keep citing, I keep citing—no. You know the funny thing is? My ad cam is based on votes that you cast. You just want to run from your record, that’s your problem.

REP. BROWN: You know, you know, interestingly, Mike’s first ad in this campaign, he ran an ad of the World Trade Center on fire. The problem is, he doctored the ad. He took the most sacred symbol of a U.S. tragedy, and...

SEN. DeWINE: Have you ever denied the facts? Have you ever denied the facts in the ad, that you voted 10 different times against intelligence, and voted against the Patriot...

REP. BROWN: You—he, he said—he says on his ads, we all say—sit there very efficiently and say “I approve, I’m Sherrod Brown, I’m Mike DeWine, I approve this ad.”

SEN. DeWINE: Well, deny the facts, Sherrod.

REP. BROWN: He approved an ad that showed—that, that doctored the picture of the World Trade Center. He also called--15 years ago, he said John Glenn was soft on Communism.

SEN. DeWINE: Tim, Tim, I, I said there was a mistake made in the picture, but there was no mistake in the facts.

REP. BROWN: This is how he runs ads. They aren’t—“It was a mistake. It was a mistake.”

SEN. DeWINE: You’re still not denying the facts. Are the facts incorrect?

REP. BROWN: But no—just, just like Mike DeWine, it doesn’t hold the drug companies accountable, doesn’t hold the Defense Department accountable...

SEN. DeWINE: He won’t, he won’t answer the question, Tim. Ten votes against intelligence, 10 votes against...

REP. BROWN: He didn’t even fire—he didn’t fire the ad agency.

MR. RUSSERT: Was there anything other than the smokestack—smoke...

REP. BROWN: What was wrong with the ad?

MR. RUSSERT: Was there any factual other mistakes in terms of...(unintelligible).

REP. BROWN: Well, other, other than the smoke—the doctoring a photo?

MR. RUSSERT: Well, you made that point. You made that point.

REP. BROWN: That’s a, that’s a pretty important point. It just shows that Mike DeWine...

SEN. DeWINE: There he goes.

REP. BROWN: I could, I could document throughout how he’s, he’s on—let me talk about taxes, from what he says on his ads on taxes.

SEN. DeWINE: He won’t answer the question, will he, Tim? He won’t answer the question. The facts are correct.

REP. BROWN: No, I, I will answer the—no, I will be—I would be glad to answer the questions.

He didn't answer the question, and Russert moved on to a different topic. If you had already decided to vote for DeWine? I'm sure you didn't change your vote. If you had already decided to vote for Brown? I'm sure you didn't change your vote. If you were undecided? You are probably still are undecided. I don't think either man "won" this debate, though if you read the press releases from the campaigns, I wonder if I was watching the same debate.

From Sherrod Brown's campaign:

On Meet the Press today, Congressman Sherrod Brown (D-OH) offered hard-hitting contrasts between his record and his opponent's, Ohio Republican incumbent Senator Mike DeWine.

"Viewers saw today why Senator DeWine relies on gutter-style politics, he's desperate to hide his record," said Brown Communications Director Joanna Kuebler. "Senator DeWine favored special interests and made Ohio families foot the bill. Fortunately for Ohio, he can't distort his way to a third term."

From Mike DeWine's campaign:

Washington, DC) On today's nationally televised Meet the Press debate, Senator Mike DeWine (R-OH) exposed Congressman Brown's 14 year record of ineffectiveness. As Mike DeWine outlined his numerous legislative successes with Republicans and Democrats, Congressman Brown continued to misrepresent his voting record, a record that led the bi-partisan National Journal to label Brown in the "fringe" of his own party.

Seitchik added, "The debate demonstrated Congressman Brown's 14 year record in Washington puts him on the fringe of his own party rendering him ineffective. While Mike DeWine works with Republicans and Democrats to pass legislation that benefits Ohio families and small businesses, Congressman Brown cares more about chasing headlines than solving problems and getting things done for Ohio families."

At least they shook hands when it was over...