Do you have the debate jitters ?

[Blue_Roses]

I'm feeling a heightened case of the jitters myself, however, I do remain cautiously optomistic.:)

[Mistress Quickly]

1. Nope just coffee jitters

;)

[Longhorn]

2. In a way, I do.

I have to keep reminding myself that I'M not the one doing the debate!

But I'm confident that Kerry will do a good job. I was a debater in high school and being a good debater is not just about scoring zingers -- it's about making your case in a way that appeals to the judges. Here, the American people are the judges and I think Kerry can make his case (though I am hoping for a few zingers anyway!) :D

[Gothmog]

3. I am a little nervous

I hope that Senator Kerry does very well tonight.

[ChocolateSaltyBalls]

4. I don't think that I'll be able to watch...........

I may stick to Air America and DU.

[michigandem2]

5. yeah that is a good description of how I feel

jittery...bugged out...anxious...but optimistic that Kerry will remain calm and composed..and Bush might get a little pissed off...

[johnnie]

6. No

I don't know anyone would feel jittery. It's not the end all of existence or anything.

[Blue_Roses]

9. no it's not the end of existence, but for those of us

who care about this election, I can understand the jitters.

[johnnie]

16. I do care about the election also

But I have been through 22 years of these things and I think John Kerry is a great speaker and will get his point across just fine.
I will get the jitters on election night though.

[Ready4Change]

7. I've got POST debate jitters.

I've no doubt in my mind that I'll see Kerry as the better of the two candidates at nights end.

However, I've also little doubt that the media will peg Bush as the winner, despite how the debate actually goes. The only thing that may hinder them doing so is if Bush so badly bombs out that they've got nothing to spin into a win. Likely his coaching over the last few days has been on how to avoid horrendous failure.

So, to me, the real issue is whether the public will by the upcoming media spin?

[ChocolateSaltyBalls]

12. There is no way that I would ever watch..........

what the pundits have to say about the debate.

It's too predictable and infuriating.

[crispini]

8. YES.

But I get nerves for everything. I'm always nervous around big events.

[Rambis]

10. I can't decide

I think I am going to a party just to make sure what I see is validated by others. Of course we will all be on the Kerry Koolaid but I need to watch the spin with others. Last time I watched by myself and thought Gore cleaned the POS's clock. What do I know-

Remember, Terrorists will kill you and your children if you elect John Kerry.
I am George Bush and I approved this Threat!

[LiberalCat]

11. Yes, because I'm afraid of a rerun of the 2000 debates.

People were saying Al Gore was a great debater. He did well in the first debate, but, of course, the media said he didn't. In the second debate, he tried to win over the critics by agreeing with most everything *bush said.

I hope Kerry sticks to his message, makes clear statements, and doesn't worry about how the media is going to crucify him. He'll win over undecideds that way. He needs a landslide to counteract the vote fixing.

I'm afraid he'll be unclear, like the clip on the Daily Show last night about whether the Iraq war was worth it. He implied that it would have been worth it if the outcome had been good. Then he said that we have to fix the Iraq situation. He couldn't bring himself to say it wasn't worth it.

I'm afraid he'll have meandering answers to try to explain everything to everybody. He needs to have confidence in his beliefs and stick to his point.

I hope he proves me wrong and that he's as good as people say.

[ladjf]

13. No, because the outcome is too predictable.

[lukasahero]

18. Exactly.

I will watch but I probably won't be too emotionally involved. Everyone (the talking heads) is already setting this up so there's absolutely no drama whatsoever in the outcome - they will declare shrub the winner regardless of what happens.

Low expectations for shrub (I've even seen posts here about how "the repugs are nervous" - no they're not - they just want to make everyone think that way to lower expectations) and I'm hearing over and over again how the debate is soooooooooooooo critical for Kerry (setting up unrealistically high expectations).

There is no way the media will allow Kerry to win this regardless of what he does or says.

[GOPNotForMe]

14. YES

Which is why I'm glad I'm having a debate party with a DRINKING GAME. Should calm the nerves, heh.

[ItsMyParty]

15. Very much agree with a poster above

Kerry will not make a mistake, come unglued or even "go on too long" - he now has it all down pat. It's the fact that the whores will be fighting each other over the microphone to be the first to scream "Bush clearly won", "Kerry failed to deliver". These bastards could make you believe your own kid wasn't yours. They make me nervous. The airwaves have to be blanketed tonight with important Dem talking heads and, God, not some goddamn Liebermann who will whine on about how good George was!!!

[Neecy]

17. naw

I'm not jittery at all - I'm looking forward to it.

We'll see Kerry - looking, acting, and sounding presidential - next to a shifty, head-bobbing, inarticulate ninny. I think the side-by-side will be devastating to Bush. This administrations record is so horrible that he'll be playing defense all evening, and we all know how snippy Mr. God gets when he has to answer for his disasterous policies.

I think it's going to be completely fun. I'm not a bit nervous.

[wadestock]

19. It would have been nice if it were a real debate....

but it won't be....and since people have generally lost their ability to think...they'll tune in to all the post game show to have people figure it out for them.

They'll talk about Kerry's new tan look. They'll say that he didn't really say anything new. They'll say that his approach is nothing really different than Bush's. Then quickly they'll fall back on what they think is proof that Kerry has flip flopped.

The debates will be of little significance.
What is significant in all of this is the trumping up and renormalizing of the polls attempting to show Bush has momentum and will win it.

This could have some effect on the swing vote. However we have to have faith that the party has made some significant stides in attracting new voters...and that the Dean voters will come out in strength...and that the real base of Dems is much bigger than they're predicting. If this all falls in place, we'll have one of the sweetest victories of all time.

[Nashyra]

20. Shit sober for almost 9 years

Wish I could have a drink to calm my nerves, but I won't.

[AmerDem]

21. no