Robert Gibbs is an adviser to President Barack Obama.
The student-sponsored debate, moderated by political science Professor Rob Reich, transported the audience inside the Beltway for a tête-à-tête over immigration, jobs and political parties.
By Brooke Donald
Karl Rove, wearing a red tie, stood behind a lectern at stage right. Naturally, Robert Gibbs was to his far left.
Whether or not their positions on stage were calculated, the scene for the debate Tuesday between George W. Bush’s top strategist and Barack Obama’s adviser was set.
And they never strayed from their mark.
The tête-à-tête transported, at least for 90 minutes, the crowd at Stanford’s Memorial Auditorium deep inside the Beltway as Rove and Gibbs jibbed and jabbed over electoral numbers, swing states, "killer amendments" and Super PACs.
They voiced – sometimes loudly – their respective parties’ views on immigration, the economy, jobs and the role of government.
And each defended his party’s record and elected leaders, sparring over whom to blame for gridlock in Washington.
Asked by moderator Rob Reich , an associate professor in political science, whether the U.S. system of government was broken and the two parties should be scrapped, Republican Rove said it’s not the system that has failed, it’s the leaders.
But Democrat Gibbs, President Obama’s former press secretary, said the GOP has been unwilling to even come to the table.
"We cannot continue down this path of simply saying ’no, no, no, no, no’ as our problems get worse, then try to blame it all on somebody else as if you have no role and responsibility," he said.
Gibbs framed this year’s presidential election as about the middle class, echoing recent stump speeches by Obama and his surrogates.
"This is a big election for the middle class. We’re at a make-or-break moment," he said.
Rove, who was President Bush’s deputy chief of staff and the mastermind behind the 2000 and 2004 campaigns, blamed Obama for a weak economic recovery. He said the current administration has exploded the country’s debt and deficit.
The men were challenged by Reich to offer a plug for the other party’s candidate. But each managed ultimately to spin his answer into criticism.
Gibbs said Romney tries to sell himself to voters by trumpeting his work in the business sector, then argued Romney doesn’t possess the effective skills to continue the economic recovery.
Rove said Obama could make the case that he’s put the country on the right path, yet "he’s had three and a half years to go down that path" and his policies have failed.
The most heated exchange came over immigration. Rove said Obama "had his chance and he blew it."
Obama said he would make immigration reform a priority, Rove said, but he did "diddly-squat."
Gibbs countered that if anyone believes Romney is going to enact immigration reform, "I have oceanfront property in Wyoming with your name on it."
Reich asked Gibbs why Obama or the Democrats haven’t "gone to the mat" against apparent Republican obstructionism.
"The president believes in his heart that the only way we’re going to get solutions to really big problems is that we’re going to have to work together and figure out how to compromise," Gibbs said.
"How does compromise work with a party of no?" Reich asked.
"Not well," replied Gibbs.
Reich asked Rove about complaints that the GOP is "divorced from facts" and makes policies disregarding scientific evidence.
Rove said he, too, has been critical of some fellow Republicans and tea party members but also bemoaned that people don’t seem as outraged when Democrats have gone on the record with half-truths.
"We have got to stop in this country from saying that if we disagree about this issue, ’You don’t believe in facts, you don’t believe in science, you’re illogical, you’re an idiot, I’m morally superior, I’m intellectually superior.’ Forget it. We have to have a more honest and reasonable and rational debate than simply to apply a label and dismiss somebody else’s concerns," Rove said.
The only time the pair agreed was on the military.
A Stanford student and veteran submitted a question about the recent misdeeds by soldiers in Afghanistan, from taking pictures with the body parts of insurgents to urinating on the dead.
Rove and Gibbs thanked the student for his service and said the behavior of a few should not stain the entire corps.
Rove and Gibbs have participated in similar debates before various organizations across the country. This event was co-hosted by Stanford in Government and the Stanford Speakers Bureau.
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