If WFLA had left a microphone on in the newsroom, tonight’s gubernatorial debate would have come with a laugh track. And not just a string of demure chuckles. We were in full 80’s sitcom territory, with laughs, hoots, applause and the occasional derisive “oooooooOOH!”

All day - all week, really - the News Center had been preparing for the debate between Democrat Jim Davis and Republican Charlie Crist, moderated by “Hardball” host Chris Matthews. Just minutes before the debate, word arrived that we had to make room for one more: Reform Party candidate Max Linn.

In itself, the possibly narrowing gap between frontrunner Crist and second-place Davis would have made for a good debate. Add the “Hardball” style questioning and the fuss surrounding Linn’s arrival, and you get a great hour of TV and a mini-education for Florida voters.
This was the debate we deserved.

A huge thumbs-up to Matthews, who gets much of the credit for drawing great performances out of the three pols, even when they wandered away from his questions and started reciting their platforms. Typically, the moderators of these things are just too moderate for their own good. But Matthews was more than an aloof enforcer of the rules.

Probably the most memorable exchange involved Crist citing statistics showing that violent crime has decreased in Florida, but not, at first, acknowledging that murder, one of several violent crimes, is actually up. Logically, Crist was right to make that distinction, but practically, it just doesn’t add up. “To most people, murder’s the big one,” Matthews said, comparing the attorney general’s statement to similar ones from former D.C. mayor Marion Barry. You don’t want to be compared to Marion Barry. Matthews helped Davis hit that one out of the park.

I thought I’d be bored when Matthews asked about the Iraq war, which isn’t gubernatorial territory. Frankly, I thought I’d tune out during all the questions about national issues. But then I realized that by letting the candidates talk about issues beyond Florida’s borders, we got to hear more about their philosophies than we do when they’re just reciting planks from their platforms - blah blah FCAT, blah blah budget surplus. I counted one, two, three candidates in favor of civil unions for gay couples, an issue that hasn’t taken hold here yet. These questions offered a glimpse of the future.

Later, Matthews got each of the candidates to grade the governor (who was in the audience) and his brother the president. Suddenly, even the all-about-the-FCAT Crist was wishing he attended a gradeless school. But Matthews made them cough up the letters. Jeb’s report card? A predictable A from Crist and a mixed-bag C from Davis. Linn started out at a C, then gave the gov some extra credit for handing him a lucky Sharpie on the way in.

What of Linn, the wildest wild card in the room? A better speaker than most non-celebrities, he held his own with the two experienced politicians. I think that before the debate, organizers were afraid giving a candidate who’s pulling single digits in the polls one-third of a valuable hour of airtime would present too much of a distraction from the actual contest. Instead, he fit right in - a little punchy, but not nearly a nutball. And it’s still a two-way race.

The winner here? Davis. He spoke well to begin with, and Linn directed most of his wrath at Crist, letting Davis’ statements stand out more.

Davis needed a win - but he just won the hour. The real victory belongs to you and me - the voters. I’m not just saying that to be warm and fuzzy. I really think we came away with a better idea of where the candidates stand, how they respond to one another’s attacks, and - thanks to Max Linn and a sympathetic judge - how they behave when events take a sudden, unexpected turn.

You can talk about the debate - and answer a poll about who you think won - here in the TBO forums.

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