Posted on 10/06/2004 10:23:13 AM PDT by Area Freeper
John Edwards was puppy-dog happy to be debating last night. Dick Cheney was the old hound who, only because he had to, agreed to show up and fetch some answers. So both men lived up to type and hype. Neither one stomped the other, but that doesn't make it a tie game. Republicans are still in trouble.
After the veep venom fest, the GOP team is walking wounded. Democrats have the momentum, and Edwards stayed on offense most of the night. He went hard after the key to victory - sounding almost Republican-tough about killing terrorists.
Cheney's job was to stop the bleeding that started with last Thursday's presidential debate. John Kerry's strong performance, at least compared with President Bush's lackluster one, helped to push the race back to neck and neck, which is why Edwards mentioned "last Thursday" six times by my count.
Cheney actually did far better than Bush did against Kerry. But the talking abilities of Edwards the trial lawyer gave him a built-in advantage that Cheney could not overcome.
Not that he tried very hard. Although the vice president came equipped with some zingers, such as the number of times Edwards has missed Senate meetings, his body language - from slumping a lot to slumping a little - spoke louder.
So did his hands. He went from clasping and wringing them to propping up his chin while he talked. At least twice he essentially passed on a chance to speak, suggesting he either couldn't be bothered or had nothing to say. It was not an inspiring performance, even though he scored solid points to those paying close attention. He drove home repeatedly, for example, the charge that Kerry's record showed him too inconsistent to be commander-in-chief.
Unfortunately for Republicans, a TV debate puts the emphasis on TV. And Edwards looks better, sounds better and comes across as more engaged and engaging. He leaned forward and became animated, conveying energy and the promise of change. He conceded he lacks Cheney's experience, but sought to make it a virture, saying the U.S. "can't take four more years of their experience."
And Edwards zeroed in on a few key tasks. He repeated several times that he and Kerry "have a plan." He used the phrase talking about Iraq, about health care, the deficit, jobs, even on lawsuits. I got the sense somebody told him the word "plan" tested well in focus groups.
Edwards' other task was harder - to convince voters he and Kerry would be tough on terror. Polls have shown huge gaps on that issue, and it remains the final obstacle for the Kerry campaign. Millions of Americans who have doubts about Bush's policies have greater doubts about Kerry's leadership.
Edwards confronted the issue, saying how tough he and Kerry would be. "I would find the terrorists wherever they are and kill them before they do harm to us," Edwards said.
If that's the quote of the day, the whopper was Edwards' claim that "John Kerry has been completely consistent about Iraq and so have I."
The election season has obviously taught Dems the public is more serious about terrorism than the party was just months ago. That Kerry and Edwards are now talking tough is a welcome change.
They should leave it at that. They shouldn't insult voters by insisting they've been saying the same thing all along. Even a donkey knows that's not true.
Thanks. I needed a good, hard, slap in the face:)
Note to Michael: Put down the crack pipe and back away from the keyboard!
Glad to see you took it in the spirit it was intended!
Perfect example.
Dream on baby...Cheney opened up a can of whoop a$$ on the Breck girl, and everyone knows it.
Almost? Bless his heart.
I'm a calm guy, I don't take it personal. Where have we heard that line before?
Hashish, LSD and booze all at the same time would not have changed what I saw. Although it would have been enjoyable when the Edwards creature unzipped himself and a lizard crawling out.
What have Fox News showed etc? All I have seen is the ABC poll oversampling Repubs saying Cheney won and the CBS laughinstock poll showing Edwards did.
We need more than that.
The dems didn't see the same debate I watched.
They can't use the on line polls any more. Democrats dweeped them last night (with a little right wing help). LOL.
They're discredited - big time! The sites had to toss them.
This guy must have watched the debate in the "other" America that Edwards lives in.
"Two Americas"
Pathetic.
Fox was quoting ABC this morning.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1237076/posts
What's this guy smokin' - I want some.......
Hope you are all ready for war, folks! See, it's like this! The "traitor" Democrat Party will do anything, and I mean anything, to win. They know that if they go down on November 2nd, they are cooked for many years to come. It is imperative that we stay strong, focused and keep our eyes on the prize no matter what the low life vermin of the Democrat Party comes up with. Bottom line is to make certain that we get out every vote for GW Bush on election day. This is a critical path election for our freedom and the future of the USA! John Kerry and the "traitor" Democrat Party must be destroyed at the ballot box this year!!!
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