This election will come down to the debates

[ALago1]

Assuming that we do not have another terrorist attack and the situation in Iraq remains the way it has been thus far, I believe the debates between Bush and Kerry will decide the upcoming election.

Reports from both media outlets and polling institutions have essentially reported that the polarization of the electorate has already taken place. However, it seems that the dem. side is more united than the republican side (which is why Bush is rushing to solidify his base).

So what I am seeing is a stalemate in which the marginal 5-8 percent of the people who are undecided will decide the future of our country. Now, if these people don't know who to vote for now, how will they decide? They could use some dumb method such as "who looks tougher" or "who would I want to have a beer with" or "who is cuter". More reasonably, they could see the two candidates pitted against each other talking seriously about the issues.

This is why I'm optimistic. Bush has no chance with Kerry during the debates, unless he manages to set the expectations so low that the media declares him a de facto winner because he didn't shit his pants.

So, I hope Kerry is studying how to make Bush look like the biggest fool possible in the eyes of the American people (and Edwards too with Cheney!).

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Making a fool out of Chimpy

will be an easy task for Kerry. Folks that I know already say Chimp is an idiot.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

2. As regards the debates:

I hope that John Kerry and John Edwards walk into them carrying the Black Flag: No quarter given, no prisoners taken.

Rip their heads off, fuck the hole, shit in the hole. Right in primetime. Nothing else will do.

[David Zephyr]

3. The Debates Will Be Kerry's Opportunity to Close It

Bush's fondness for cracking jokes like "fuzzy math" and such are not going to sit well with the American people after 9/11 and this shitty economy.

Hillary Clinton had, in my opinion, perhaps the finest line during the Democratic National Convention which was: "John Kerry is a serious man for a serious time".

That's the message that Americans want to hear...that the individual that sits in the Oval Office is up to the job. And the jokes? They can watch Letterman and Leno.

[theboss]

4. The debates worry me....

Bush is better at debates than we give him credit for, and Kerry is capable of a bad performance. Granted, Bush seems to actually be digressing in live performances over the past year, but it is the height of arrogance to assume that Kerry will clean his clock. I thought Gore was a better debater than Clinton, and he stepped on his dick in the debates last time around.

[ALago1]

12. I disagree

Well I do agree with you in saying that Gore fucked up. He tried to handle W. with kid gloves instead of running on Clinton's record and W's lack thereof in Texas.

I think in 2000 that serious issues were put aside for stupid, mundane shit like "who is more down to Earth?", "who does the average man identify with?".

Now, we are more serious, and rightly so. Thus, when the focus goes to issues that matter to everyone, Kerry will run circles around Bush. I'll bet the farm on it.

[wurzel]

15. Kerry's advantage over Gore? Bush now has a record. n/t

[ALago1]

18. Good point

Kerry has an arsenal to choose from in deciding what to hit Bush with during the debates. He also knows the limited attacks coming his way from Republicans (War vote, 87 billion vote, etc.) so he can adequately prepare and effectively explain to the people why his votes were the correct choices.

[AlinPA]

5. Kerry should clobber * in debates; but I worry * will use some one liners

or zingers and perhaps amusing that the media will pump as deciding "gotchas" and people will see as cute or some crap like that.

[Skip Intro]

6. Exactly, exactly, exactly

I've started to post that subject line a few times recently.

The only thing that worries me is what the last-ditch, desperate, plan-x might be. There's no doubt now the terror card is all they have. They've already overplayed that with this latest run of warnings that are based on years-old info, and have outed a queada mole in the process. What would they do after a Kerry KO win in the debates? It would have to be something that would trump a Kerry debate triumph, so it'd have to be something more powerful than any new spate of "warnings" and "alerts."

What that would be, I hate to imagine, but I'm pretty sure some innocent blood would flow.

Barring that - I agree, the debates will cement this thing.

[David Dunham]

8. Kerry will do fine in the debates.

[Skip Intro]

10. I have no doubt about it

I cannot wait to see it

substance vs. nonsense

hero vs. coward

and on and on

:D

[wurzel]

7. I doubt the debates will happen. Bush will be "too busy" saving USA

Either that or Bush will demand to have questions in advance.

[ElementaryPenguin]

9. Kerry will destroy him and the networks will spin it as a draw -

Or a narrow Chimp victory! Claiming, in part, that Chimpy somehow exceeded people's expectations (because everyone thinks he's retarded) and that was enough for a "win" - because he exceeded these incredibly low expectations - even though he's the friggin' president!!!

:puke:

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

26. Said process began after Reagan's "PCH speech."

The exposure of an unhinged candidate became "Gosh, he's so everyman!"

The beginning of spin as an art.

[canuckybee]

11. What was it CJ said about Ritchie on West Wing?

About low expectations in the debates? Something about " if people think he can't tie his own shoes, and he ties his own shoes, then he has won?

[ALago1]

13. I dunno. I've never seen the show

But the quote expresses the sentiments that the rw is going to try and manipulate into the media's consciousness.

[Name removed]

14. Deleted message

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

[ALago1]

21. Please don't bother

The "there is no difference" schtick worked 4 years ago.

Use your energy doing something productive instead.

[welshTerrier2]

16. this is a republican talking point

kerry is not only ahead right now but he's gaining ground ...

all the republican talking heads on the sunday talk shows kept trying to hammer home the point that nothing means anything right now ... what else could they say?

their strategy is to defer, defer, defer ... "everything will be fine when the Great Pumpkin arrives" ...

the problem is, if Kerry keeps his big mo going for another 6 weeks or so, bush may have dug himself into a whole deep enough for a transplant ... so that's today's slogan: transplant bush ...

[ALago1]

20. I don't think this is a repub talking point

Kerry is ahead because he's got an army of dedicated citizens fervently backing him as their only hope to change the direction of this country.

Aside from the religious nutjobs, the uninformed, and the uber rich who profit from Bush's administration, the republicans are kinda ambivalent towards Bush.

So, I'm claiming that the truly undecided will decide definitively after the debates. I don't think that's a right-wing thing to say

[Zynx]

23. I agree. The undecideds will make their big move after the debates.

They are just looking for Kerry to prove himself in primetime against Bush one on one just as they did with Reagan against Carter.

[lunarboy13]

17. Setting Expectations...

While the Bush team effectively set the expectations for his debate performance very low during the 2000 election, this is a ploy that cannot be as effective in 2004. Some in the middle gave Bush leaway when he did not know or remember names of foreign heads of state and they laxed their criticism of his overall knowledge of the position of President. However, having been the President for four years now, no one will give him an inch on these issues. I doubt seriously that many will even forgive a major slip of the tongue that results in yet another Bushism. U.S. credibility is shakey at best right now and we are not well percieved in other countries. Having a leader who cannot effectively articulate our interests and concerns abroad is yet another example of how ineffective and dangerous Bush is.

My view? Kerry will not fall into the traps that Al Gore fell into in 2000 and he will gain momentum with each debate.

[bobbieinok]

19. Kerry team should be very careful in debate arrangements

Remember 2000???

Bushco agreed to debates, then backed off, then set 'weird' format demands ..... when democrats disagreed, republicans and media spun it as democrats backing down on having debates.

So bushco BLACKMAILED-THREATENED and got their way. One debate was sitting down. Wasn't one with Larry King as moderator??

Question arrangements, time alloted, follow-up questions, candidates demanding answers from each other........ALL WERE DECIDED IN W'S FAVOR

I HOPE THE KERRY TEAM LEARNED WELL FROM THE GORE TEAM MAJOR MISTAKES

[ALago1]

22. Didn't know about this

We should send a quick email about this issue to the campaign

[Barret]

24. Kerry is not debating bush

he is debating rove. They will see to it the debates are as scripted as possible. Rove will prep bush and he will do/say what he tells him to.

Not only this the media will see to it that certain segments of the debates stand out more.

Unfortunately because the corporate whores control the debate I suspect they will find ways to give kerry a disadvantage.

[Aunt Anti-bush]

25. Bush refused to debate earlier.

Would he get away with not debating Kerry at all? Has that ever happened before?