It’s Debatable: Are We Seeing Lincoln-Douglas?

“Singapore is a good starting point, in terms of law and order,” Gray Davis said here Friday night.

“Did he just say Singapore?” I asked a guy next to me.

“I think so,” he said.

All I know about Singapore’s crime prevention is that if you get caught there spraying graffiti, they can take you out and crack a cane across your back. But it could be Davis knew something I didn’t.

He was in the middle of a debate with Dan Lungren, his opponent in the November election for California’s next governor.

After a couple of softball questions were lobbed their way, Davis and Lungren engaged in a colloquy about the death penalty and how to deal with violent crime.

Later on, a cheerful Davis thanked everybody in San Diego for having him down, and added that the Padres have a good team.

“Excuse me, but what was that Singapore thing all about?” a guy simply had to ask.

Davis nodded as if he knew it was coming. He said, “I’m trying to let people know that I’m not going to tolerate violent crime. I believe strongly in the death penalty. I put it in all my ads.”

Yeah, but Singapore . . . ?

“I think Singapore has very clear rules,” Davis said. “They don’t fool around and they have very little violent crime. And if you don’t like it, you can get on a plane and go someplace else.”

Oh. Just like California would be under him.

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The first Lungren-Davis debate was not as great as Lincoln-Douglas, but give it time. These two are pretty good at give and take.

Lungren would like to have 18 of these debates before November, and I could see why. He’s a feisty little rascal.

He kept a needle in Davis all night. To several insinuations Davis tried to dance a little sidestep, whereupon Lungren would brag, “You don’t have to ask ME three times what MY position is.”

The two men have taken a vow to keep it clean, to refrain from dirty tactics. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Either way, candidates always know how to find an opponent’s weak spot.

Stephen A. Douglas, 140 years ago, told a debate audience that the first time he met Abe Lincoln, the gentleman was serving drinks across the counter of a general store.

“And an excellent bartender he was too,” Douglas said, to the delight of the crowd.

Up got Lincoln, laughing along with everybody else.

“What Mr. Douglas says is quite true,” he responded. “And I particularly remember Mr. Douglas, as he was a very good customer. But now there’s a difference between us. I’ve left my side of the counter, but he sticks to his as tenaciously as ever.”

I thought there was equally entertaining banter between Davis and Lungren, who even resemble Abe and Steve a bit.

(Although I must say, Davis actually favors Andrew Jackson a bit more. If you don’t believe me, check out a $20 bill.)

I knew things could become spirited, particularly after Davis’ campaign manager, Garry South, was quoted as speculating that Lungren in these debates would try “to badger Gray, to embarrass Gray, to interrupt Gray, to harass Gray, to surprise Gray.”

He left out annoy, irritate and irk, but I got the idea.

Lungren did call Davis “my friend” several times, but that was before badgering, embarrassing, interrupting, harassing and surprising Gray about abortion, NAFTA, offshore drilling, gun control and hanging around with Jerry Brown.

Davis in turn called Lungren “a decent man,” but retaliated by linking him with Newt Gingrich, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell. I don’t believe Lungren minded being in that company.

I gave the first debate to Lungren, by a 10-7 score. I deducted two points from Davis for accidentally referring to our current governor as “President Wilson.”

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Four more debates will follow. The next is Aug. 18 in Fresno, where I am sure someone will mention what a good team Fresno State has.

By then, Lungren, the Republican, hopes to address a link he has not to Gingrich, but to Dick Nixon.

In his big televised presidential debate with John Kennedy in 1960, Nixon had one big problem--he sweated like a pig.

“I know, I sweat too. Sorry,” Lungren said. “Richard Nixon had a 103-degree temperature, he was 30 pounds underweight and he wouldn’t take makeup. As you can see, I do use makeup.”

Lincoln didn’t.

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Mike Downey’s column appears Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Write to him at Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053, or phone (213) 237-7366.