Edwards Says Bush Lead in Polls Is Temporary (NYT)

[Nambe]

Senator John Edwards insisted Sunday that President Bush's popularity in recent polls was only temporary, and that by Election Day he and Senator John Kerry would draw sharp contrasts with the administration that would win over American voters.

"I think what's happened is - and it's not unusual - is any time America is at war, the American people naturally rally around whoever the president is under those circumstances," Mr. Edwards, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, said in an impromptu news conference here before speaking at a festival sponsored by labor unions.

"What will happen now, between now and Election Day - particularly given the fact we are going to have debates, both presidential and vice-presidential debates - is the American people are going to see a very clear contrast," he said.
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[PartyPooper]

1. The changes in the polls will be permanent after the debates!

http://www.electoral-vote.com

:kick:

[loveable liberal]

2. is bush a master-debater?

Bush is going to get smeared. Although I saw something or someone say that bush is a good debater, that he beat Al Gore in the debates. Is that true? Is bush a master-debater?

[sally343434]

3. No, he's a master-bater

You asked for it.

[loveable liberal]

7. it was out there like a hanging curve ball....

i had to swing....

[bleedingheart]

4. bush got good marks because he didn't flat out fall on his face

kind of like the 5 year old who is allowed to race against a 10 year old... the 5 year old gets a head start and still loses but since he wasn't too slow he gets a bunch of kudos....

it's really pathetic.

i hope Kerry opens a can of whup ass on him and makes him either get really angry and stupid or he just flat out sounds like the complete dipshit he really is.

[shraby]

6. Bush can't even talk off the cuff

and pronounce his words properly if he is talking. The only reason they say he's good in the debates is because he doesn't drool and the press thinks that's great!

[tridim]

9. Bush is the best debater ever

He's undefeated, the guy's never lost a debate. TV told me.

[WindRavenX]

13. exactly

<touches nose>
Kerry is gonna verbally rape that AWOL, coke-sniffing monkey....and look might fine doing it. :bounce:

[Hello_Kitty]

10. Hell no!

Bush uses his ineptitude with language and sentence structure to position himself as an 'underdog' in debates. When he does a little better than expected he 'surprises' everyone. Only thing is, he's already pulled that routine with Ann Richards and Al Gore. So his underdog status has worn off a bit. Kerry's gonna make a fool of him in debates. Those are really his forte.

[PartyPooper]

17. If this were to be a "Spelling Bee" who would win?

My guess it would be John Kerry, of course. Hands down!

Okay here are a few short, simple words and acronyms: (I'm sure Junior doesn't even have a clue how to spell any of them-much less what most of them really mean!)

Florida

Supreme Court

PNAC

President

War

Illegal

Terror

Alert

Air Force One

Marine One

Yale

Cheerleader

Nepotism

Alcohol

Cocaine

Camp David

Crawford

Horse

AWOL

Deserter

Drunk driving (DUI)

Hit-and-run

Campaign

Golf

Military

Lump

Baseball

Oil

Social Security

Gay marriage

Bible

Evangelical

Pope

Well, you get the picture.

:evilgrin:

[SylviaNYC]

12. I would love to believe that, but we have to have a stronger message

We need to start hammering on a couple of key messages -- and giving positive reasons for voting for Kerry/Edwards. We can't rely on the debate. Clarence Page said today on the Matthews show that Bush is a good debater and that he thinks he'll do well enough that the pundits will say he won the debate. I feel so frustrated! My suggestions: keep hammering on some points such as: the 9/11 commission said there was no connection between Iraq and 9/11, and the war there has hurt our efforts in Afghanistan where Al Qaeda was; it does not make us safer for America to be hated more and more all over the world; this country is looking more and more like an oligarchy -- the middle class -- and the poor -- are getting royally shafted by this administration. Let's stand for something! I think a lot of people respect that, even if they don't agree with all the particulars.

[struggle4progress]

14. Kerry needs to be careful not to underestimate him.

Debate is often about style rather than substance.

Right now, Bush is touring the country, practicing easy down-home style delivery of Rove's soundbites.

The point of the restricted access is partly to let Bush become confident with his lines and to allow him to practice a "cozy" small room demeanor; this is why his Convention speech was essentially his stump speech.

As a dialectician, Bush is very weak, but if people have low expectations for him, he can play to anti-intellectual sympathies, and many will say "He's not as bad as I thought."

Kerry could cream him on the issues (and I think Kerry understands, and cares about, the needs of ordinary Americans better than Bush) but Kerry had really better get some good practice connecting with small crowds and sounding as he has spoken with vand listened to ordinary people.

And Kerry had better craft some nice soundbites, because the eyes of swing voters will certainly glaze over if his answers are hesitant, long, convoluted, or require attentive parsing.

[Brucey]

5. Yes, rational people think debates will win over voters.... but

the past has shown that it is not the debates that get to undecided voters, it is the spin of the debates. For example, every rational person watched and heard Gore demolish Bush in their first debate. However, the media spin said that Gore was too something or other and not enough of something else. In other words, the media is simply out to find something wrong with the guy who makes sense. It will be the same again. The media will declare that Bush won the debates no matter what is said or done by either candidate. Same thing with Cheney. That's the bitter truth. The debates are not our friends. The Electoral College is not our friend. The voting machines are not our friends. The Supreme Court is not our friend. The Congress is not our friend. Most state governors, and particularly Florida, but even Minnesota and California, are not our friends. The media are not our friends. The only friend we have is rational thinking; and that has rarely won an election. Sad truth.

[Geo55]

8. A friend in need, ..is a friend indeed !

[loveable liberal]

11. governor of minnesota...

really isnt that popular. the guy hasnt raised taxes, the state has lost federal funding, schools are suffering, and to top it all off, he didnt call out the plows during snow storms. that last one really made people mad.

[Beetwasher]

15. Man, Mainstream Media is TOTALLY Ignoring JE

He's really pounding the pavement though and that's what counts. But the mere fact that he gets so little coverage shows you how afraid they are of him, they KNOW how effective he could be if he gets on TV too much...

[are_we_united_yet]

16. I guess I was

hoping he'd be a little more prophetic about the outcome of the election (i.e. Kerry Edwards win).

I myself predict a Kerry landslide win but perhaps Edwards doesn't want to sound cocky.