RickJourney's Blog

Inside Spin Alley...its a fascinating world.

Student volunteers to the campaigns walk the vast room with tall signs declaring their campaign allegiance with an additional name. Something like McCain-Palin-Giuliani or Obama-Biden-Axelrod. The placards and signs create a pied piper effect on reporters looking for post-debate spin and Ole Miss staffers anxious to spot political celebrity.

Lined down the temporary building, Rudy Giuliani, Sen. Trent Lott and Gov. Haley Barbour hold court with television anchors. Their message supports McCain.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean and Clinton's Secretary of State Madeliene Albright work a crowd lodged between the TV booths and print row. They tout the many successes of Obama.

Eavesdropping on these many clusters of spinners and journalists gives you a good idea what the repeated mantra of each campaign will be in the 48 hour post-debate cycle.

Sen. Obama's senior campaign strategist David Axelrod, for example, praises his candidate's "powerful case for changing priorities" in the nation. Influential Washington Post columnist Howie Kurtz rapidly jots notes as Ax spins. Minutes later, its a new group of broadcast, print and web journalists gathered (the notable now is Howard Fineman of Newsweek and NBC fame).  Again, Axelrod riffs on the notion of "shifting priorities" and observes McCain seems "strangely detached from the experience of average Americans."

Five feet and a cluster of reporters away, its Charlie Black's turn. He's a key strategist for Sen. McCain. He quickly tells me there are enough "strong points" to keep us here for hours. He kindly shortens his observation, calling the debate "John McCain's ground....federal spending cuts dominated the economic debate."

Black contends the foreign policy debate showed "McCain's experience, knowledge and vigilance" while Obama's "naive statements display bad judgements."

Move a few feet closer to the center of Spin Alley (they have signs pointing the way all through the secure area), McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds declares McCain has "led on the issues...has a record." Bounds believes the debate makes it evident "Obama was on defense, making promises when he doesn't have a record that supports it."

Around 10:30, Howard Dean moves through the center of the room.

McCain is "obsessed with the past... said nothing about the future tonight," Dean observes.

Months of planning this first in the series of presidential debates.
Days of discussing will McCain show?
Hours of debate prep for both men and the immediate judgement of the public is largely cast.

Spin Alley performers work to revise the storyline you may have developed in your head. A story line that may not readily fit their campaign plan.

Heading back to Alabama now. Spin safely.