Inside The Debate Spin Room, Where Everybody Wins
Pundits and campaign surrogates held court with dozens of journalists after both GOP debates Wednesday night in the spin room.
A spin room is a chaotic mob scene where reporter could ask maybe seven people the same question, and get at least eight answers.
On Wednesday night, I took it upon myself to ask as many campaign surrogates in the spin room as I could the same question: Who do you think won last night's debate? Here were some of the answers I got from campaign surrogates:
"Oh, Sen. Graham won, and he won big."
"Of course, my husband, Bobby Jindal. He rocked it."
"Rick Santorum, hands down."
"I think people will conclude that Sen. Paul won."
"I think Gov. Christie."
This went on — Gov. Huckabee, Jeb Bush.
It's what spin rooms are made for. Cheerleaders chanting that their team is the best, even if the scoreboard disagrees.
A few of the candidates came to the spin room, too. But instead of being so egotistical as to tell you how they won, they took shots at their competitors.
Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker, and Lindsay Graham all hit Donald Trump:
"Donald Trump is a narcissist, he's an entertainer — give him his reality TV show back, put him back on the elevator, fire him," Jindal said.
"I'm sure Donald Trump is a nice guy, and I certainly appreciate the work he's done in the private sector, but Americans don't need another apprentice in the White House," said Walker.
And from Graham: "He says he gets his foreign policy from watching TV ... I don't know what channel he's watching!"
Trump actually had few, if any, of his own surrogates in the spin room. But he did show up to defend himself. There was nearly a stampede when he walked through a side door.
And in typical Trump fashion, he got into it with a reporter over how much applause he received.
Even MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who's been a political pundit for years, couldn't defend the circus.
"It's almost, self ridiculing, the idea of a spin room. Why would you create a room and say, this is where we don't tell the truth? Why would you do that?" he said, laughing.
But people do do that.
And in this age of social media, now, people can spin anywhere.
Social media have totally upended post-debate spin, and maybe even made the spin room less important, said Brian Jones, a senior adviser with Chris Christie's campaign.
He was in the same room working for McCain in 2007, but said that now "so much of the perception of the debate is formed during the debate in real time on Twitter."
"What used to be conventional wisdom, which would have to be formed right here in these rooms — I mean everyone [now is] kind of sharing their experiences, so you get a sense of what people are collectively thinking as the debate is going on," he said.
Basically, the spin room — for better or worse — is everywhere now, in real time. The new spin is the wisdom, and the commentary, of the crowd.
So much spinning, it's enough to make you dizzy.
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Transcript
RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:
Well, let's hear what candidates tried to make of the facts when they met reporters in the post-debate spin room. NPR's Sam Sanders was there.
SAM SANDERS, BYLINE: A spin room is a place where a reporter can ask maybe seven people the same question and get at least eight answers. Last night, I took it upon myself to ask as many campaign surrogates in the spin room as I could the same question.
Who won tonight's debate?
Here are a just few of the answers I got.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #1: Oh, Sen. Graham won, and he won big.
SUPRIYA JOLLY JINDAL: Of course my husband, Bobby Jindal. He rocked it.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #2: Oh, Rick Santorum, hands down.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #3: I think people will conclude that Sen. Paul won.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #4: I think Gov. Christie.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #5: Ted Cruz did.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #6: Gov. Huckabee.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #7: Jeb Bush.
SANDERS: This is what spin rooms are made for - cheerleaders chanting that their team is the best, even if the scoreboard disagrees. A few of the candidates came to the spin room, too. But instead of being so egotistical as to tell you how they won, they took shots at their competitors. Here's Bobby Jindal, Scott Walker and Lindsay Graham hitting Donald Trump.
BOBBY JINDAL: Donald Trump is a narcissist. He's an entertainer. Give him his reality TV show back. Put him on the elevator. Fire him.
SCOTT WALKER: I'm sure Donald Trump's a nice guy, and I certainly appreciate the work he's done in the private sector, but Americans don't need another apprentice in the White House.
LINDSAY GRAHAM: He says he gets his foreign policy from watching TV. I don't know what channel he's watching.
SANDERS: Trump actually had few, if any, of his own surrogates in the spin room, but he did show up to defend himself. There was nearly a stampede when he walked through a side door.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #8: Let's go. We have to go over there.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN #9: Back up.
SANDERS: In typical Trump fashion, he got into it with a reporter over how much applause he received.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: The biggest applause was when she commented to you.
DONALD TRUMP: No, I think I got some of the biggest applause tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Not for that comment.
SANDERS: I asked MSNBC host Chris Matthews to make sense of all this spin room madness. He's been a political pundit for years, and even he couldn't defend the circus.
CHRIS MATTHEWS: It's almost self-ridiculing.
SANDERS: What is?
MATTHEWS: The idea of a spin room.
SANDERS: Why?
MATTHEWS: Why would you create a room and say, this is where we don't tell the truth?
(LAUGHTER)
MATTHEWS: Why would you do that?
SANDERS: But people do do that. And in this age of social media, now people can spin anywhere. Brian Jones is a senior adviser with Chris Christie's campaign.
BRIAN JONES: So I was in the same room eight years ago working for McCain in 2007, and I think this has all changed a lot since then.
SANDERS: Jones says social media have totally upended post-debate spin and maybe even made the spin room less important.
JONES: So much of the perception of the debate is formed during the debate in real time on Twitter, right? So what used to be conventional wisdom which would have to be formed right here in these rooms, I mean, everyone's kind of sharing their experiences. So you get a sense of what people are collectively thinking as the debate is going on.
SANDERS: Basically, the spin room, for better or worse, is everywhere now in real time. The new spin is the wisdom and the commentary of the crowd - so much spinning, it's enough to make you dizzy. Sam Sanders, NPR News, Simi Valley, Calif. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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