Althouse: Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde — the U.S. Senate candidates for Wisconsin — had their one and only debate last night.

October 19, 2024

Tammy Baldwin and Eric Hovde — the U.S. Senate candidates for Wisconsin — had their one and only debate last night.

39 comments:

Birches said...: That moustache is off putting. I think Hovde would do better with women if it was a beard or went clean shaven.; 10/19/24, 10:56 AM
rehajm said...: Yeah nah…; 10/19/24, 10:58 AM
Curious George said...: Thought you were talking about Baldwin for a second.; 10/19/24, 10:58 AM
Peachy said...: Too early in the day for the "abortion" mention/obsession drinking game.; 10/19/24, 10:59 AM
Lazarus said...: Reminds me of that 1970s cop show, "Pornstache and Rugmuncher."; 10/19/24, 11:04 AM
Iman said...: With the attention paid to the upper lip squirrel distraction, I guess I’ll have to watch this.; 10/19/24, 11:23 AM
Iman said...: Bias and bullshit right out of the gate…; 10/19/24, 11:29 AM
Cacimbo said...: Is this continuing with the theme? I can easily see those two faces morphing together.; 10/19/24, 11:36 AM
Tina Trent said...: It's weird how much they look like each other. Somebody should do a DNA test.; 10/19/24, 11:44 AM
Lazarus said...: I hear the cottonwoods whisperin' above
"Tammy, Tammy, Tammy's in trouble"
The old hooty-owl hooty-hoos to the dove
"Tammy, Tammy, Tammy's in trouble"; 10/19/24, 11:44 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "I can easily see those two faces morphing together"/"It's weird how much they look like each other"

Must be the Wisconsin in them; 10/19/24, 11:46 AM
Howard said...: The introduction is exactly like a Saturday night live cold opening; 10/19/24, 12:14 PM
Iman said...: Tammy tell me true…; 10/19/24, 12:26 PM
Christopher B said...: Wisconsin Dem Sen. Tammy Baldwin Recycles Ad Showing Trump Connections; 10/19/24, 12:33 PM
paminwi said...: Really? You think women are so vacuous that a mustache would make a woman NOT vote for someone? Pretty pathetic.; 10/19/24, 1:00 PM
loudogblog said...: This is pretty funny:
https://x.com/TrumpWarRoom/status/1847289736546635911?_nlid=SsgwDFHNCr&_nhids=bGdysegVMZ; 10/19/24, 1:06 PM
Birches said...: You have to be willing to listen to someone before you can hear their ideas. If all you see is used car salesman, then you're not going to listen. There's a reason JD Vance lost 30lbs and has a beard. Appearance matters.; 10/19/24, 1:24 PM
Political Junkie said...: I have never been a Tammy fan. I am reminded of the longtime D female senators from MI and MD. But unfortunately, I bet she wins, and easily. Unles the polls are way off and DJT romps.; 10/19/24, 1:25 PM
EAB said...: I’m more interested in that freeze frame for the debate. Hovde’s photo looks relatively recent. Tammy’s is from when she was much younger. But, yeah, my husband and I were just commenting how he’d look better w/o the pornstache.; 10/19/24, 1:38 PM
Inga said...: Hovde comes across as a mansplainer, he starts his answers out with “look” as if he’s forced to clear up something little Tammy Baldwin said. Arrogant demeanor. So off putting.

He falls down on foreign policy expecting the US to help Israel with millions of dollars in military aid, yet he says Biden interfered in Israel’s military decisions. Sorry, if the US is helping them with military funding and weaponry, the US has a say in how it’s used. Hovde doesn’t seem to care what happens to Ukraine and the rest of Europe if the US cuts off aid to Ukraine.

Hovde doesn’t seem to understand what cutting farm aid would do to our Wisconsin farmers.

Hovde is OK with an abortion law from 1846. He tried to say Baldwin was in favor of abortion up to birth, same old lies.

Wisconsin doesn’t need a ditto head Senator that repeats Trumpist talking points.

He comes across as a jerk.; 10/19/24, 1:44 PM
Iman said...: Inga bringin’ da cheese…; 10/19/24, 2:04 PM
Big Mike said...: Inga hates him; Hovde must be a great guy. I'll send him some money.; 10/19/24, 2:32 PM
narciso said...: Certainly looks like it; 10/19/24, 2:58 PM
Original Mike said...: "[Hovde] tried to say Baldwin was in favor of abortion up to birth, same old lies."

Really? At what month would Baldwin prohibit abortion?; 10/19/24, 3:29 PM
Ampersand said...: Hard for me to trust anyone named Tammy. I don't know why.; 10/19/24, 3:44 PM
Original Mike said...: Speaking of lies, just watched another Kamala ad claiming Trump will institute a national abortion ban and cut social security and medicare. Indefensible.; 10/19/24, 4:44 PM
Former Illinois resident said...: Tammy Baldwin, the Tammy Duckworth senator of Wisconsin.

Neither Tammy has accomplished much as senators, are single-issue representatives, Baldwin of the LGBTQ, Duckworth of the disabled veterans, but neither even serve their particular signature constituency in any meaningful way. Tammy B has a nail-biter re-election campaign this year, all depends whether Trump wins or loses the state.

Hovde's mustache reminds of the "nice guy" '70s college men earnestly trying to court a pretty girl, prudently not pursuing the hot babes. Note, these same guys became the better husbands too, to their pretty wife. Steady Eddie.; 10/19/24, 4:51 PM
Peachy said...: anyone who uses the term "Mansplain" is someone who watches The View - and likes it. Cringe!; 10/19/24, 5:17 PM
Jim at said...: He comes across as a jerk.

I notice you didn't say anything positive about Baldwin. Just bitch, bitch, bitch about Hovde.

Talk about coming across as a jerk ....; 10/19/24, 5:24 PM
Drago said...: P-Inga: "Hovde comes across as a mansplainer, he starts his answers out with “look” as if he’s forced to clear up something little Tammy Baldwin said"

LOL

Joey Bag-O-Dementia, used "Look, here's the deal" about every other sentence....and P-Inga thought it was the dreamiest bestest thing ever!; 10/19/24, 5:27 PM
Mr. Majestyk said...: And Walz did it a bunch of times in his debate with Vance, too.; 10/19/24, 5:47 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Baldwin listens to all of her constituents, which is why she keeps winning. For many years Wisconsin political types knew Tommy Thompson as the single greatest retail politician. And then Baldwin defeated Thompson...decisively. Tommy is now considered the second best retail politician in Wisconsin. Tammy is #1...and she is going to end Hovde's fast-fading political dreams.; 10/19/24, 5:57 PM
Drago said...: Indeed.

However, in P-Inga's defense, she doesn't remember anything she has written or read after 15 minutes have elapsed.; 10/19/24, 6:10 PM
MadisonMan said...: In the Tammy/Tommy race (really, why wasn't a Timmy running too?), it really seemed to me that Tommy was only running because he was asked, not because he actually wanted to be a Senator. It reminded me a lot of the vibe when Tom Barrett ran against Gov Walker. I think that makes it hard for the person who doesn't really want it to win.; 10/19/24, 7:06 PM
Original Mike said...: No answer from Inga on my inquiry. Anybody else know? Baldwin surely supports abortion up to the point of birth, right?; 10/19/24, 8:49 PM
Mr. T. said...: Tammy Baldwin needs to be asked why she took money from her best bro, Brett Blomme...

Was it "for the children?" Brett loves himself some children...; 10/20/24, 8:13 AM
Curious George said...: Yes.; 10/20/24, 10:24 AM
JIM said...: Debates are useless, unless the questions asked were from actual constituents in the locality or state, randomly picked from a spinning basket.; 10/20/24, 7:35 PM
One Fine Day said...: "..hat a mustache would make a woman NOT vote for someone?"

The effect of personal appearance on voting propensity is well-documented and very understood by those who practice politics. And yes, a porn 'stache like Hovde's will be counted against him by many women, whether they are conscious of their reaction or not.

Will it be enough to change a vote? For a small number of liberal women who are poorly disposed toward him to start with (mostly because they value the ability to kill children in utero or up to birth more highly than all other considerations) that 'stache will be enough to determine their vote.; 10/21/24, 3:30 PM