The reason Kerry said Bush won the debate against Al Gore.

[Bombtrack]

The smartest people seem to say that the person who beast expectations more in the debate actually wins the debate. He doesn't want the same thing to happen coming into this one where everyone was ready for Bush to complete be pummelled by Al Gore.

Very wise I beleive.

[slinkerwink]

1. exactly, and I'm glad Kerry did that

[democrat_patriot]

2. I agree.

From now on: * is a superb orator. He really has skillz.


(I feel dirty)

[UTUSN]

5. LOL. Hilarious. n/t

[krkaufman]

37. Boosh has never lost a debate. He's masterful...!! n/t

[CarolynEC]

3. I caught that, too -- thought it was a great move! n/t

[blm]

4. I think we all understand the debate game by now.

Hell, Gore probably advised Kerry to say that. I understand that they confer quite a bit.

[joeprogressive]

6. I took it differently

I originally thought that was what he was saying but I think he meant that those two people he debated, Gore and Richards, lost the election to Bush, IMO.

[soothsayer]

7. Hey, yeah! Cool.

Kerry is shrewd. And likeable. I am really digging him (and I thought i wouldn't!)

[Forest Gump]

35. I agree

I really like Kerry! He speaks so well. And, I think Tad Devine is really coming around now. He smilled today. Usually, he looks angry. But Kerry is looking good! Yeah!

[mconvente]

43. Kerry is a great speaker indeed.

He is nice and laid back. He isn't all in your face like Dubya; I don't like being intimidated and Bush acts that way all the time. It's a huge turnoff.

[Proud2BAmurkin]

8. Yep. Lowering expectations, but it didn't pass the guffaw test

Good move anyway

[Julien Sorel]

9. Everyone needs to adopt that mantra.

Bush is a dangerous debater. He is crafty, and charming as the baby Jesus. Bush has never lost a debate, and he's gone up against Ann Richards, John McCain, and Al Gore -- beating them all handily. Bush has had four years in the White House, which should make him a policy expert (remember what a policy monster Clinton was after four years?). Expectations for Bush in any debate should be sky high, given his record and the experience he brings to the table.


Yep, it sickens me to write tripe like that, and in fact, I'm going to go wash my hands right now. But it's the line people need to adopt, and with a straight face: Bush's real strength as a politician is his debating skill, and if Kerry is simply able to hold his own against a politician like Bush, he will be doing well.

[Nancy Waterman]

12. Absolutely brilliant strategy

but it is hard to stop laughing!!

[fearnobush]

14. Bush actually is a great debater... Kerry is toast!!!

Really.

[jefferson_dem]

10. Ye olde "expectation - raising" game

Kind of like the Repubs chirping about how Kerry would get a double-digit convention bounce.

[newyawker99]

23. Hi jefferson_dem!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[jefferson_dem]

45. Thanks for the warm greetings, newyawker99

It's nice to be "home" among friends.

[mediaman007]

11. I hope that Kerry is up to the challenge...

[Nancy Waterman]

13. He was just great tonight on the Daily Show.

Absolutely flawless, imo!!

[Must_B_Free]

15. He just means that Bush took office

get it? Bush won the debate because Al Gore lost the election. Ann Richardson lost the election.

[leesa]

16. BS. The debates were clearly won by Gore. Bush couldn't answer any

questions properly. The debates were called by the media for infractions such as sighing, and make-up. It was yet another in the long line of GOP media con games.

[AlCzervik]

17. Maybe Kerry was trying to raise expectations of *

that he can't meet? Like the way the gop was saying Kerry was going to get a 15 point bump after the convention.

[hansolsen]

24. Sorry to disagree, but it was clear to me Gore lost all three debates.

He lost in part by obviously trying to be three different people over the course of the debates. He was either too passive, or too agressive, or too boring or whatever -- and tried to correct that by going too far in the opposite direction in the next debate.

Kerry has put himself in a terrible position going into these debates, by trying to get to the right of Bush on the war in Iraq. As a Kerry supporter (and Gore supporter), I now Dread the upcoming debates with Shrub unless Kerry finally decides he can come out against the war in Iraq.

If Kerry goes into this debate maintaining that the war in Iraq is justified, and Bush just messed up the execution, Shrub will wipe the mat with him.

Just my opinion.

[Jaybird]

18. shrub is a MASTER deBATER

hehehe...

[sleepyhead]

40. I knew someone would say that. n/t

[seabeyond]

19. the cool though was stewart saying what bush does in debates

and lets hear more of that too. he says, you are frankenstien? and i am a great american? lol lol

[scarface2004]

20. bush is so intelligent, a master 'bater.....

yeah thats the ticket, hes so freaking good at what he does (play it for laughs)

[Lancer]

21. Strategery

n/t

[2bfree]

22. Oops

Didn't read far enough down the thread!

[peekaloo]

25. All bow down to Boo$h's superior orality skills.......

I appreciate Mr. Kerry's shrewdness but I'd still love to see someone literally smack that smirk off DimSon's face.

Letterman had a great clip of Boo$h sputtering last night.

[Jacobin]

26. Among sniveling, jock towel-snappers, Bush DID win the debates

I live among and work with people who are proud to be under-educated and ignorant of anything except NASCAR, college football and beer swilling. They don't tolerate anyone who speaks seriously about policy issues. They are fearful of and dislike anyone who is thoughtful, educated, and sincere, because all they have to offer in such discussions is stupid Limbaugh one-liners. They are insecure around serious policy people and dismiss them with the "liberal" "bookish" "wonk" label.

This disease is very widespread in America, due in large part to television, the emphasis of athletics over academia, laziness, a sense of entitlement to an easy good life based on jingoism promoted by fundamentalist churches, television and republican politicians.

The Gore/Bush debates, viewed from their perspective were an easy win for Bush. Bush was "cute", had a couple of simple "one-liners" in response to Gore's discussion of policy issues, Bush looked bored and confused (which his audience completely identified with), and Gore appeared to be "not cool" and too interested in all that complicated policy stuff.

Bush was the cool jock in school they always admired who got away with not going to class, having lots of spending money from his dad without working for it, got a cushy job without earning it, and "did well" because of his connections. This type of leech is a hero to these people.

For those of you who live in blue areas where academia is admired and respected, and purposeful stupidity is looked down upon....you will not understand these people. I'm here to tell you they are out there in droves, abosolute locust droves and fifty million of them will vote.

I think Kerry will do a much better job of dealing with Bush in the debates in a way that will not turn off the mouth breathers. At least, I hope so.

[Surf Cowboy]

27. Simply raising expectations for the Prez

that we all know he won't be able to meet.

[AP]

28. Bush did win the debates. He came out of them with more votes than Gore

and that's how you decide who won. Of course, the media gave him a big assist, but the fact is Gore was terrible. He had the wrong strategy. He tried being smarter in one, more in-your-face in the next, and oranger in the other one.

He was all over the place, clearly struggling, trying to find something that worked, clearly without knowing when he went into it what he wanted to be.

He should have had one strategy which addressed both Bush and the media and he should have had the confidence to stick with it while at the same time actuallys saying powerful things.

Bush, on the other hand, knew the persona he wanted to present, and stuck with it (and they also were working with the media to spin that strategy out effectively).

That's how Bush won the debates.

[Bombtrack]

29. But that was amplified by the expectation everyone seemed to have

including myself, that Gore was going to destroy him in a debate.

[AP]

30. I agree. That's part of the way he won them. Not the only way, but it

was definitely a big part of it.

[Larkspur]

31. But polls right after debates proved that Gore won all 3 debates

It was the Media pundits who bailed out Bush.

[Monte Carlo]

32. It's not whether you have the higher score, it's if you beat the spread.

It's strange, but true.

[Bombtrack]

33. right

[Name removed]

34. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[wabeewoman]

36. Hi mr/ms 3 posts

You are so funny! smarmy huh? and nervous? I watched the same show and I didn't see it. If I were you I wouldn't worry my little head too much about how Kerry will get beat.
Opps sorry 4 posts...

[GiovanniC]

38. Five Now

The fifth was explaining how the Republican lawyer helping the Not-So-Swifties shouldn't have resigned.

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mikeysnot]

41. With logic like yours

Looks like we will have a hangover from partying to much....

Oh, yeah.... Kerry in a landslide!

[yankeedem]

42. Gee, little edgy?

Worried about your AWOL in chief? Because yours is a typical reaction when your shallow conceptions are shattered. Go back to frei republic and brush up on your talking points before you come back.

[Bombtrack]

44. what did he say?