Debating the debates

**hadassahchana**[$] · #1 09-29-2004, 08:51 AM

Good lordy, they can't even hold a debate without bickering. It must be getting close to November.

Cindy

**drmomentum**[$] · #2 09-29-2004, 10:12 AM

LOL! I thought it was going to be an argument between the candidates, when I clicked that link.

-JP

frazzledspice · #3 09-29-2004, 10:23 AM

Lincoln and Douglas would, I'm sure, be rolling over in their graves.

Perhaps David Letterman's top ten list from September 27 should be followed....

http://www.cbs.com/latenight/latesho...20040927.shtml

Quote:

Top Ten George W. Bush Debate Strategies

10. Ask the question, "We've never had a horse-faced president so why start now?"

9. Instead of witty retorts, have secret service wrestle Senator Kerry to the ground.

8. Use Kerry's long-winded answers to take much needed bathroom breaks.

7. Hope one of them hurricanes cancels the debate.

6. Instead of water, fill Kerry's mug with Red Bull and vodka.

5. Find time to work in joke prop--giant waffle.

4. Moving his lips to pretend microphone isn't working.

3. Handle it same way he handled national guard duty--don't show up.

2. If Kerry makes a good point, distract him with some chaw spit in the eye.

1. Point out Senator Kerry's mispronunciation of the word "nucular."

**mjfrombuffalo**[$] · #4 09-29-2004, 12:45 PM

Here's an idea:

Conventional wisdom has it that Nixon lost his debate with JFK because JFK looked better; however, people who listened to the debate on radios thought Nixon won on the strength of his answers.

How about some of us listen to the debate without watching, while others watch the debate on TV, then have the two groups compare notes the next day?

erik_kosberg · #5 09-29-2004, 01:05 PM

And what about the post-debate debate?

frazzledspice · #6 09-29-2004, 04:15 PM

USA Today says that Bush has the advantage of everyone's low expectations, just as he did when he debated Gore.

If he can just exceed those low expectations, he wins.

I think I'll be out during the first debate, but I will videotape it. I'll try not to listen to any of the commentaries until I've seen it for myself.

I think what Kerry needs to do is establish trust in himself as a potential Commander-in-Chief, because that's about the only area in which Bush is perceived to be superior.

And I think he needs to stop letting Bush and the Republicans define what the issues are.

I heard the Iraq War described as "a huge diversion" and sometimes I think it is....if we're just preoccupied with it long enough, we'll wake up in 2008 with a Supreme Court that's trashed all the amendments in the Bill of Rights except the Second, unendurable deficits, many more jobs offshore, and many less Americans insured.

In other words, a clear path for Hillary.

erik_kosberg · #7 09-29-2004, 04:27 PM

FWIW, I heard some pre-debate analysis on the radio yesterday that seems to me to make a lot of sense: if the debate is boring, Bush wins; if it’s full of fireworks, Kerry wins.

realtraveller · #8 09-29-2004, 08:13 PM

Quote:

erik_kosberg said

FWIW, I heard some pre-debate analysis on the radio yesterday that seems to me to make a lot of sense: if the debate is boring, Bush wins; if it’s full of fireworks, Kerry wins.

Unless the fireworks are coming out of Kerry's ears. If he loses his cool, he loses. If he sweats, he loses. If he looks snooty and talks in long convoluted sentences with lots of "ifs" and "buts" he loses.

Kerry has to try and make himself "likeable". You can read the men's positions in the paper. The "debate" is more a chance to size up the person.

erik_kosberg · #9 09-30-2004, 09:20 AM

The cameras for tonight’s debate will be controlled by Fox News so we can rest assured that they will be fair and balanced.

**drmomentum**[$] · #10 09-30-2004, 09:58 AM

If Bush mentions Iraq, he loses. :p

erik_kosberg · #11 09-30-2004, 02:28 PM

“Top 10 Secrets They Don't Want You to Know About the Debates”

erik_kosberg · #12 09-30-2004, 07:00 PM

No need to watch tonight, the debate is over. Screenshots of the recap are here.

erik_kosberg · #13 09-30-2004, 07:07 PM

http://www.tnr.com/user/nregi.mhtml?...s=benson093004

Quote:

...the rules forbid Kerry from asking Bush any direct questions, a prohibition that constrains Kerry's options and makes a mockery of our civic process precisely when open debate matters most.
But Kerry does have an amazingly simple way out of the predicament imposed by this last rule: He can ignore it. Americans have a right to ask tough questions of their president. So does the Democratic nominee.