Presidential Debate Reaction
Now, I did have a horse in this race, but my perception was this:
At the end of the debate, there wasn't enough left of George W. Bush to pick up with tweezers.
I'm having a difficult time imagining how things could have gone better for Kerry.
posted by VMM at 7:35 PM
11 Comments:
I note that the bulk of journalistic spin is starting to shift towards a Kerry debate victory, with, strangely, the exception of Bush goons. (Chris Mathews just floated "Kerry won" as I write this.)
And we made the point where it really counts - John Kerry proved that he is taller.
If the score is based on repetions of your campaign themes, Bush nosed ahead. But Kerry didn't lose. People who were were only guilty supporters or who were genuinely on the fence probably came away thinking Kerry might not be as stiff as he's cracked up to be.
I think it's a real stretch to find a facet of the debate in which Bush was anything but demolished. The only thing I can say is that Bush probably came off better on the radio than on television.
As for Bush's overall demeanor, delivery, tone, gestures, etc: I've see more credible, articulate, and presidential men being arrested on Cops.
Huh. I guess I was expecting so much less of W that I came away pleasantly surprised. -I mean, shocked and concerned that we're probably going to hand that buffoon another 4-year lease on 1800 Pennsylvania. For such is what I still believe.
I said probably.
I doubt very much that Bush lost anybody already in his camp, and probably wooed a few fence-sitters his way. But at least Kerry didn't screw up, and those who watched the debate saw him doing something he's really, really good at. I hope he can build on it.
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I really can't imagine a "fence sitter" being wooed by that performance -- in my wildest dreams or nightmares. I'm really not trying to convince myself that Kerry has it in the bag just because of this debate -- Bush still has the advantage, unfortunately. But I think that you have to either be a Bush-supporter in denial or a pathological pessimist to think that this debate is a positive for him in any way. Even his most adamamt supporters are damning him with faint, Special-Olympics-level praise. I will drop dead of shock if we don't see Kerry gain in the polls starting tomorrow.
One could always amend the definition of "fence-sitter" to specifically exclude people who thought Bush did well last night. But I saw one interviewed on local news who said he was starting to lean Bushward based upon the debate (because W was so "certain" about Iraq). And an email associate in FL who has long claimed to be "fairly liberal" was aghast at how horribly Kerry did (in his opinion).
Things would have gone better for Kerry had he landed a knockout punch, but W's hesitation and the "you forgot Poland" gaffe don't seem to having a great effect for now.
Given the stakes, I feared Kerry would be too careful, too staid, and he wasn't. But he almost was. His strategy sill seems to be to win on points, but we might need a knockout.
I don't want to be construed as being overwhelmingly negative about Kerry's performance. I thought it was great, inspiring, and will open a lot of eyes to how powerful a thinker and speaker he really is.
He demonstrated that he got where he is by brains and talent and not just luck or privilege, and that's very important. One hope is that he wins back the "fair weather" vote, people who were slinking over to W because they were embarrased by the popular conception of Kerry as a stiffly stuffed suit. And he definitely made progress in that direction.
I don't have to ammend the definition of "fence-sitter" to specifically exclude people who had already made up their mind as to who they will vote for. How do you know the guy they interviewed on the local news as a legitimate undecided voter?
In the first paragraph an article in the Miami Herald today quotes an "fence sitter", name Ted Lyons, as saying that Kerry sounded like an "idiot". Much later in the article, we learn that this gentleman, one of eight selected for this focus group of "undecided voters", is a Republican political consultant.
The guy on your local news may not have been a Republican political consultant (assuming KTUU has more credibility than the Miami Herald), but could well be just a self-selecter that want's to be on TV.
True. Will these Republicans stop at nothing?
I just wanted to note - this is the record high number of comments for Eisengeiste. Congrats!
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