Bush May Skip One Debate

[liberalpragmatist]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A3586-2004Sep7.html

President Bush may skip one of the three debates that have been proposed by the Commission on Presidential Debates and accepted by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.), Republican officials said yesterday.

The officials said Bush's negotiating team plans to resist the middle debate, which was to be Oct. 8 in a town meeting format in the crucial state of Missouri.

<snip>

The audience for the second debate, to be at Washington University in St. Louis, was to be picked by the Gallup Organization. The commission said participants should be undecided voters from the St. Louis area.

A presidential adviser said campaign officials were concerned that people could pose as undecided when they actually are partisans.

***

:mad: This PISSES me off. We need more debates, not fewer ones. What, is he afraid of undecided voters? Well, I guess he is, given he doesn't let them into his rallies.

I hope the Kerry campaign resists this with ALL their might. They SHOULD not yield.

There's a more personal angle to this too. I'm a Washington University student who's REALLY hoping to be a part of the debate and be a volunteer. I will be SOOO pissed if they do skip this debate.

[coloradodem2005]

1. I think Kerry could take advantage of this.

By holding a town meeting himself. Talking to people in Missouri. He could build bridges there while Bush is ignoring them.

[guitar man]

3. good idea

He could start by saying, " my opponent was supposed to be here tonight, but this isn't out of character for him not to show up. Juat ask tha Air National Guard!"

[dmr]

19. If he can't handle a debate, how can he handle terrorism?

I agree, coloradodem, Senator Kerry hsould run with it alone in Missouri. The message given will be crystal clear.

[OneTwentyoNine]

31. Damn right,Kerry should show up on schedule a debate an empty chair...

Golden opportunity if there ever was one to show that Bush can't handle the tough questions.

David

[Union Thug]

2. Start the Bush is a Coward meme...

Taunt the wimpy little shitferbrains until he starts to cry.

[madmax]

4. Kerry wanted a debate every week on issues

*bush won't do 3 debates. He knows he's a bit light in the loafers.

[pa28]

5. If the polls begin showing a Kerry lead he'll change his mind.

I think there will be three if Kerry so chooses.

[Sandpiper]

6. Kerry should show up for the debate anyway

And point out to the voters that he's not afraid to face them in an unscripted forum.

[genius]

7. They should have the debate without him. They did that to Dean in DC

They had an empty chair and they kept addressing comments to it. Perhaps someone could dress up in a Bush costume and act as a stand in giving responses past experience says Bush would give.

[Sandpiper]

9. Or better yet

Dress someone up in a big, yellow, chicken suit and say that the Bush campaign decided to send a stand-in.

[Algorem]

8. They'll probably assassinate Kerry in Miami anyway.

[NightOwwl]

10. This is f*ckn bullshit. Partisan plants my ass.

[Snellius]

27. So why not just change the criterion for the audience?

Why abandon the whole debate because they have a problem with how the audience is selected?

His handlers are obviously terrified. This is not like the Gore debate. Bush has too much to hide this time.

[sandnsea]

11. Afraid of a little partisan girly-man Georgie?

I thought we were Americans too. So what if we're partisan, we can't ask questions?? :shrug:

[PurityOfEssence]

12. ...because he fucking feels like it, peon, so SHUT UP.

We'll tell you what you think when we're good and ready. Remember, he can designate enemy combatants; just ask Jose Padilla...

[gardenista]

13. NO SHOW BUSH- Doesn't keep his promises. nt

[Cronus Protagonist]

14. I think Bush is afraid the truth might slip out

He's afraid of being found out. I don't blame him for being fearful, because he's not really smart enough to mastermind anything like what's been going down, but he needs to come clean so we can put all of this behind us.

http://brainbuttons.com/home.asp?stashid=13

[tuvor]

15. bush skipping out? I guess old habits DO die hard.

[Dem2theMax]

16. I think this calls for some action.

With CHICKEN FEATHERS! Any time you see a * sticker, yard sign, you name it, tag it with chicken feathers. lol.

[JI7]

17. but can't they do that to John Kerry also ?

in fact republicans seem more likely the type to lie about being undecided in order to get a chance to ask kerry a tough or controversial question in an attempt to hurt him.

[Carla in Ca]

18. I need an answer to this question

from another thread...
If he wants to cancel the town-hall debate with questions from an audience, does that mean they get the questions ahead of time for the other 2 debates?
Why would be choose that one to cancel?

[TheWebHead]

20. he'll show up

only if attendees sign this:

[Guava Jelly]

21. I think kerry needs to do a commercial from inside a

Chicken coup..
saying George ......George where are you while sounds of clucking is heard in the back ground

[sidestreamer]

22. Bush must be assuming he's ahead in the polls

That's actually a good strategy when you're ahead to avoid debating, since any foul up can give your opponent an advantage in the polls, whereas you have less to gain if you're already ahead by trouncing the guy. However, if Bush pays any attention to this poll, his handlers may reconsider. Otherwise though, Kerry's going to have to goad Bush on for that third debate.

[VOX]

23. FOUL! Who's the **real** turn-tail, Mr. Bush*? YOU PATHETIC C.S.!!!!

And with cozy family friend James Baker heading up the debate negotiation team, too. Can't this fucking family do anything without their right-wing pals on hand to change diapers? Jesus, this pisses me off majorly!

What are you afraid of George? How about you agree to the town-hall format, and bring Uncle Dick with you -- will **that** help???

Any moderate Republicans (assuming that there still is such an animal) who can't see that their emperor ain't wearing a stitch are far, far gone.

Sorry for the rant, but this is too fuc*ing much!!!! :grr:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5926845/
<snip>
The Bush-Cheney campaign announced that its debate negotiation team will be led by James A. Baker III, who was secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush. Baker headed the Bush campaign's Florida recount response in 2000 and is the current president's personal envoy on Iraqi debt resolution.
<snip>

[moondust]

24. George Bush is way too weak to debate in the adult leagues.

He's a little girlie-man looking for a toddler's T-ball game or some nerf ball in a padded room where his tiny ego won't be nicked or slightly bruised. Ouch, that would hurt.

[colonel odis]

25. coward. pure and simple. n/t

[LimpingLib]

26. Without Nader /Camejo ,what can they "debate" anyway?

Bush and Gore were so similar in 2000 that all everybody remembers was the Saturday Night Live spoofs.

When discussing the nearly identicle drug plans (their overall health care plans were identicle , with drugs being the one small difference) the parody of Gore was classic .

"Under my plan , her drugs will be covered , under my opponents plan her house will be burnt down to the ground" -Farell/Gore

The "her" was the straw girl Gore used in a 2000 debate , an old lady.

I can almost hear Edwards now. "Under my plan her tummy will be filled , under my opponents plan , her house will be sprayed with oil and ignited" refering to his starving straw girl. The sad thing is there REALLY are hungry children all across our nation but no real starving people will be taken care of by Edwards.

Without 3rd partys , especially progressive ones , I wonder if the subject of the poor will even come up. I think Edwards has phased that rhetoric out and the convention was the last use , both as a hollow bone thrown to a progressive audience and to lay down some infrastructure as a possible alternate route if "pandering to the poor" is something the pollsters tell them to do , which would be considered highly unlikly.

However as a vehichle to help the Kerry / Edwards ticket , this can only help. Its not like politicians wont do what they always do , ignore the poor and middle class and try to portray each as a "diometric opposite of my opponent" magnifiny the small differences or outright making up fictional differences. Anotherwords dont expect Kerry or Edwards to say " you agree 100% with our trade policys including the pivitol PNTR China trade act " or Bush and Chenny to say "the net federal income tax changes you propose Senator is only about a 1.5% average difference in the marginal tax rates on a total scale".

I imagine the creativity in dramaticism over the divergent nuances of disagreement on the few issues there is ANY measure of difference will be quite a bore to 80% of the adult population to say the least (and thats what the "debates" are about , debating the least and talking the most, at least fewer debates is more intellectualy honest as total lip flapping time becomes more consistent with the real issues discussed:very little).

[WI_DEM]

28. It doesn't surprise me that he skips the one debate where real people

ask questions. Kerry should do it and the networks should carry it alone without Bush.

[Tabasco_Dave]

29. This looks like a Rove trick to me

to bring expectations down. The press and other people will start saying that bush is not good in debates with regular people asking questions. Kerry and the press call him a chicken. At the last minute Bush will change his mind and debate. People will have low expectations for bush in the town hall debates, so if Bush dosen't screw up too much he will look like the winner. Be carefull of this.

[drscm]

30. The one question that caught *Bush entirely off guard last time

was a question from a gentleman at a town hall debate against Gore. Paraphrased: "Every time you talk about the death penalty, you seem gleeful. Are you?"

*Bush was stunned that his face gave him away.