Bush Will Stay On Message

[DrFunkenstein]

I will be very surprised if Bush says anything that is not square on message. It is unlikely that either Kerry or any moderator will say anything that will make him do anything but stay the course.

This will either be a blessing or a curse, depending on how Kerry handles it. On one hand, you have someone who will not give you a chance to catch them veering into unfamiliar territory. On the other, you have a very rigid opponent who is unable to adapt to new developments in the debate (sound familiar?).

Bush has decided to go with the rose-colored glasses schtick in order to portray himself as an optimist that looks forward (cause he sure as hell can't look back), and Kerry's real test is whether he can land solid body blows without coming off like a naysaying nimrod. Personally, I think Kerry is at his best when he is charging with all guns blazing - not just to deliver red meat to liberals, but to demonstrate to undecideds that he has, in fact, a functioning set of testicles.

So long as Kerry speaks in short, declarative sentences, he should be just fine. He is nimble on his feet. He just has to remember that he doesn't have to answer exhaustively. He is not looking for the most truthful answer, he is looking for the most EFFECTIVE answer.

Kerry has to remember that being right is only half as important as coming across well to the American public. He's not making policy here, he's selling a used car.

[Mr_Spock]

1. Good analysis and I really like that picture too.

n/m

[Carla in Ca]

4. Same here, you got it right.

Where is that picture from?

[Mr_Spock]

6. It is an AP photo that had the exact caption I have attached to it.

I'm not sure of the exact date that man's family was killed, but I don't care either as they are dead FOREVER thanks to Lt. AWOL.

[Gloria]

2. James Fallows (Atlantic Monthly) on CSPAN just said in response

to a Kerry caller that he was sure Kerry's people were pounding it into him to be concise.......

Fingers crossed...........

[senseandsensibility]

3. Well, of course

chimpy has no choice but to be "on-message", since he has no ability to do otherwise. It's ALL he can do to remember what Rove told him to say, or parrot it through his ear piece. Kerry should find some way to make this obvious to the viewers, although the media will never mention it no matter how obvious it is.

[DrFunkenstein]

5. Do You Remember Bush On MTP?

And Russert was bringing pretty accomodating...Bush looked like a horse's ass!

[JI7]

7. if you like how things are going then DON'T vote for me

one of the things Kerry has been saying is DON'T vote for me if you are ok with fewer jobs than when Bush came into office. DON'T vote for me if you think this is the best we can do.

DO vote for me if you want to create more and better jobs. DO vote for me if you want to strengthen homeland security by funding to inspect cargo and guard our chemical plants. DO vote for me if you want to be respected in the world so the burden of fighting the wars and rebuilding iraq and afghanistan is not over 90 percent on Americans. etc.

of course say it in a better way than this. but this gets the point across that he offers change for the better. it's also a sublte attack on Bush's record without having to go through every failure which he has no time to.

[AnIndependentTexan]

8. Blessing for Kerry, curse for right now

If he stays stubborn then Kerry will win with a landslide. His stubbornness is fueling Democrats everywhere. Bad because right now it means America is going to hell in a hand basket the longer he stays in office.

[Southern Patriot]

9. Bush will stick to his stump speech. I have little doubt.

This could be great for Team Kerry.

Team Kerry should devise short, pithy, catchy rebuttals to Bush's themes on the stump.

Most of all, Team Kerry should work on language that will resonate with people--- not the flat, emotionless language of his current speeches.

Bush's staff provide him with verbiage that touches his core supporters. Listen to him use almost code words that relate to evangelicals, for example.

Most of all, Team Kerry should utilize understated humor and lampooning. I think that hammering the "Excuses President" theme would be fantastic. It could even be effective with weak Bush-leaning voters because it directly attacks Bush's "personal responsibility" theme.