Despite a rocky start to the week, after McGinty called Pat Toomey an “asshole,” a strong speech performance would surely have put the controversy behind her. But as the reviews pour in, McGinty’s performance was anything but strong.
In case you missed it, click to watch McGinty’s disastrous address, with a little censorship help from the NRSC:
[youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS9FlvxG05s&feature=youtu.be"]
What they are saying:
"I. AM. KATIE. MCGINTY. AND. I. AM. DELIVERING. A. SPEECH." (Twitter: @JoePerticone)
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“Her address to the tens of thousands of people about lifting up the middle class failed to resonate. She wasn’t able to muster crowd reaction at all. The arena spoke over top of her and drowned out even some her money lines…” (Billy Penn)
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"Not a lot of crowd-engagement during McGinty’s speech. They chattered through her line about Donald Trump blaming the Pope." (Twitter: @lauraolson)
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"real talk i wondered why katie mcginty was losing her winnable pa senate race and then i saw her speak to #demsinphilly and now i get it" (Twitter: @nicktheandersen)
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“Pennsylvania’s Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate received blistering reviews on social media Thursday for a speech at the Democratic National Convention attacking election opponent Pat Toomey, whom she described this week during a union event by using a salty expletive.” (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
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"Katie McGinty isn’t a dynamic public presence. Think that’s been clear since the very start of her campaign." (Twitter: @Alex_Roarty)
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"Katie McGinty huh? Well, that was underwhelming. Yikes." (Twitter: @StuPolitics)
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“Aside from a smattering of applause from the Pennsylvania delegation during her six-minute speech, the rest of the crowd appeared to mostly ignore it based on the growing din. The only significant applause came when the speech ended. Nick Riccardi of The Associated Press wrote, ‘Wow this lady cannot deliver a speech.’” (Pittsburgh Tribune Review)
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"Katie McGinty is getting negative attention for her speech. Insiders say she did not engage the crowd and she rehashed her foundational campaign talking points…a reporter for The Guardian called it a Saturday Night Live spoof version of a plastic political stump speech." (WPXI)
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“Democratic Senate candidate Katie McGinty had an opportunity to boost her image during this week’s Democratic National Convention in her hometown of Philadelphia, but a major gaffe and a lackluster speech have critics questioning whether the Democrats chose the best candidate to win Pennsylvania’s crucial Senate election.” (Washington Free Beacon)
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“McGinty’s weak performance on stage follows an already a bad week for McGinty. She was forced to apologize to Republican opponent Sen. Pat Toomey after she called him an ‘a*hole’ on Monday. She was even criticized by her own campaign chairman, former Pennsylvania governor Ed Rendell, who said the comment was ‘extreme’ and said that he is ‘not one for name calling.’” ([Washington Free Beacon*](http://freebeacon.com/politics/katie-mcginty-terrible-week-democratic-national-convention/))
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“I hear tell that Katie McGinty is legit, but she sure has trouble getting that across.” (Twitter: @dbernstein)
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“The Democratic Senate candidate in Pennsylvania hit the headlines when she called the Republican she is hoping to defeat, Sen. Pat Toomey, ‘an asshole, damn it,’ at a union rally on the fringes of the convention on Monday. Amid immediate blowback, McGinty issued a statement saying she regretted the remark and apologizing to Toomey. McGinty addressed convention delegates on Thursday and received a lackluster response.” (The Hill)
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“Whatever virtues recommended Katie McGinty to the Democratic Party, public speaking is not on the list.” (Twitter: @mattyglesias)
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“Katie McGinty, running for US senate in Pennsylvania, just gave the Saturday Night Live spoof version of a plastic political stump speech.” (Twitter: @RobertsDan)
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"McGinty getting pretty much ignored by this room. Probably not a great sign. #demsinphilly" (Twitter: @gabbilevy)
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"McGinty sounds like she’s speaking to a kindergarten class, not a convention hall. #PASEN" (Twitter: @HotlineJosh)
- “Two pieces of news surrounding McGinty have made national headlines — neither of which could exactly be considered positive, introductory pieces. The first came in June when BuzzFeed reported that McGinty had falsely claimed that she was the first in her family to go to college…The other moment that made serious headlines was this week, when McGinty finally showed a moment of realness she’s struggled to portray all election season…She addressed a demonstration put on by members of the Communications Workers of America union and led with ‘Pat Toomey, he’s an asshole, damnit.’” (Billy Penn)