Bush vs. Kerry Debate

[Andykev]

Tonight , and it is not done at this writing, but this debate reminds me TOTALLY of the Kennedy-Nixon debate of 1960.

George Bush looks ill at ease, and is "unprepared".

Kerry on the other hand looks polished and at ease.

Anyone want to comment?

 

[Renderking Fisk]

I'm not watching it, I'm listening to it.

More then half way through the debate these are my thoughts.

"Dubya" started off sounding unsure but eventually got his "grove" soon. He's doing a great job reminding people of Kerry's record, “you said you voted for it, then you said you voted againt it� and makes the issue that Kerry’s voting record illistrates how Kerry would NOT do what he says he would do. Points against “Dubya�: Takes a bit too long to find his words, sounds TOO much like one of us good ol’ boys.

Kerry sounds mean and overrehearsed. Tonight is an exsample of why Kerry is doing an aweful job in this campain: Talking poiints and Bumper Sticker rhetoric. He talks like a lawyer and a senator. I have to conceed that he does make a good case that we’re fighting the wrong way agaisnt terrorism but from his voting record I know he’s talking out of his butt.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

Everything I needed to hear from Dubya I heard in his closing statement: Not outsourcing our national security dessions to forgien leaders. He didn’t say it with enough conviction and he sounded like he was exausted. I agreed with everything he said but he didn’t say it with the Eye Of The Tiger. He stayed on message. Dubya ate Kerry’s lunch on pandering to The UN.

John kerry CONTRDICTED what he’s said YESTERDAY on Good Morning America in this debate. Kerry sounded the most conservitive and the most Hawkish I’ve ever heard him, and I’ve been listening to Kerry for more then a decade and a half as a political junkie.

Bush said most of what he needed to say but didn’t sound confident enough and didn’t retort with Kerry over his record. The worst was when Kerry said Dubya sent men into combat with out body armor, Bush should have struck back by reminding Johnny that HE voted against that armor.

I have to give a slight margin to Kerry.

 

[Matt Deckard]

Quite a dance.
Though I thought Bush was stumbling a bit I thought more so that Kerry was hard to listen to (just something about the cadence of his speach). I think Bush won this round because he stuck to his message. He was good as a defender on several accounts, one being when Kerry tried to throw statistics at Bush on how money is being misused, Bush retorted with laying out in plain terms where the money went. I think in the end of this debate people will be thinking alot about how Kerry had the same info as Bush and voted for war and is now stating that war was the wrong choice.

Bush was un polished and did sound less confident, though to me he won this round. Lets see what happens next time.

I still can't put a finger on what Kerry is running on other that "I'm here to get Bush out of office". He needs to lay out in a clear way why he thinks he would be better as president... I'm not Bush as an arguement doesn't in my mind make him a better choice than Bush... I don't yet know where he stands, and if he goes into office and we are still unclear, he might decide not to stand and instead sit down which would really piss me off.

 

[Dave McCone]

I would have to agree that Bush seemed ill at ease and unprepared (even to the point of stammering)-- and seemed to sidestep several direct questions, much to my dissapointment. Interesting to watch Bush's body language while Kerry was talking - Bush was openly hostile/disrespectful of Kerry when Kerry was talking, but Kerry seemed more composed and respectful of Bush when Bush was talking. This was a shock, since my expectation was that Bush would be more presidential -- and he wasn't.

I thought that Kerry came off well; he was well prepared and confident, and stayed "on message". I was pleasantly suprised that Kerry had a better grip on foreign policy issues than I thought that he had.

I thought that it gave a good side-by-side view of the candidates, without the spin/sound bites filters that we normally get when listening to the media. Ultimately, the debates worked in that they illustrated the different (and often opposing) viewpoints that both men had.

Since this board is an international one, I would be interested to hear from some of the folks who aren't here in the US -- I find that they often have a different (and interesting) take on our political processes. As an example, I find that the Canadian CBC or British BBC often take a more even-handed and factual approach to our politics rather than listening to our own sometimes biased media (FOX, as the worst example).

In any case, I thought that this round went to Kerry.

 

[MK]

Kerry's 20 years in congress payed off tonight. He looked and sounded very good. He was smooth and well rehearsed. He did a good job of trying to sound clear on his stance.

That is my take of his "performance". I still think he is on the wrong side of most of the issues.

Bush looked off his game. He seemed frustrated and as usual he was choppy in his thoughts. He didn't do very well at illustrating a vision.....but I felt he was right on target for most of the issues.


The problem is that the election is decided by "swing" voters. These are people who are not sure....which is often times due to not being educated on the issues. Many...if not most...vote on how they "feel" about the candidate.

My concern is that it will be decided on symbolism instead of substance. If that is the case....Kerry wins by the looks of things tonight.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

When I woke up this morning before I turned on the radio and the computer I gave the debate more thought. Less then 12 hours later I found myself deep in thought over the debate again.

Morning impressions: If it’s at all possible- I hate this Kerry guy even more then I did yesterday morning. For an hour and a half this guy back peddled and back-flipped: “No I’m not going to rely on foreign leaders to make my dissisions, yes I am.�

I’m a little angry with Dubya for not coming back and hammering Kerry for his contridcitions. I read this which made me even angrier: “Bush inner circle suggests Bush visit with Hurricane victims earlier in day was emotionally draining, contributed to "tired" appearance in debate...�

I don’t want to come off as insensitive, but what was Dubya doing visiting with hurricane victums when he should have been getting ready for the debate. With everything that’s at stake, the debate should have been the priority and then vist the damage victums AFTER. I know that makes me sound like a creep, But Dubya was off his game, looked and sounded exausted and it might have cost him.

While Hanoi Kerry was allowed to lie and contridict himself, Johnny gave Dubya his his own head but George was too tired to put it on a stick.

 

[Senicko_Spain]

My take on the whole thing was Bush looked and sounded as if he was exhausted or on medication or both. I have stuck by Bush the entire 4 years, but after hearing him stammer and stumble last night, I question his ability to make sound judgments or react under stressful situations, he should have handed Kerry his ass, yet he looked and acted like a lost puppy. I am getting more and more disgusted by the minute with the whole deal. I would like to be a fly on the wall when he's at his ranch discussing foreign policy with some world leaders

 

[MDFrench]

While I did listen to the actual debate, I was very interested in watching the reactions of the candidates to each other's answers. Frankly, Bush appeared in these reactions to Kerry like a petulant child - he looked cocky, angry, and unpleasant the whole time.

Overconfidence is a weakness, and one that Bush displayed with flourish during this debate.

I guess in this election I could be described as a swing voter, and I have not made a decision yet as to what my vote is, but I will say this:

Meetings with foreign leaders and diplomats are not scripted like speeches, there is no paper to read from when you shake hands with a prime minister or king, and if Bush has handled his meetings with global leaders the way he fumbled through this debate, it's little wonder a large part of the world is mad at us.

I don't think Bush is all wrong nor Kerry all right, but I think that Bush needs to swallow his pride and admit to some mistakes. There is a difference between political "flip-flopping" and changing your tactics for the greater good of your nation and your people. Bush's hound-dog, hard nosed, damn the torpedos attitude was fine in the aftermath of 9/11, but now three years later it is time to take the blinders off and continue with some degree of rationality. I think if he'd just admit to a few of his blunders, he would win back a large number of American voters.

Even Darth Vader changed his mind in a crucial moment for the betterment of the universe. And no, I am not comparing Bush to Darth Vader, so don't get all upset about that.

 

[Renderking Fisk]

What! George Bush is actually Darth Vader? I knew he looked too much like Hayden Christiansen!

That darn Lucas... mucking up the Origninal Star Wars and now Politics!

All kidding aside, I don't want Dubya to win this election because Kerry gave up. I want this to be a fair and tough fight. Besides, this is all great ammo for Talk Radio and Editorials.

French: Good points.