Posted on 09/30/2004 8:01:24 AM PDT by BibChr
Having predictively nailed John McCain, I'd like to offer my brief thoughts on what Kerry will do tonight, and invite yours.
Today's Democratic Party's notion of Real Leadership could be defined thus: the ability to say, with the most nuanced conviction, "Wahh!!"
And so, since the Swift Both Vets' ads and Bush's ads have scored some tellingly accurate direct hits, and since those hits have cost Kerry dearly, I think this is Kerry's biggest plan. I think that he is being advised that the knockout punch will be to cry and moan and complain, and to put the President on the defensive. He will whine that the ads are mean-spirited and despicable. He will bellyache that they're the worst he's ever seen. And since evidently this vampire hasn't yet been staked with sufficient authority, he will whimper that (sing it with me) his Patriotism is Being Questioned.
The design of this will be to force the President to be on the defensive, to apologize, to disown.
Now, what Mr. Bush should say (but won't) is to ask, "So let's review. I'd like Mr. Kerry to say what I have said so far, repeatedly, about his patriotism, and about these ads. And if he can't, I'd like him to explain why anyone should think he'd hear tonight what he's failed to hear for lo these many weeks."
Or he should say (but won't), "I support Mr. Kerry's right to free speech. Does he not support the same right to other veterans, if that speech is critical of him?"
Or he should say (but won't), "I have wondered again and again: what exactly did Mr. Kerry mean when he said, 'Bring it on'? Now all we hear is 'Call it off!'"
Or he should say (but won't), "Someone should tell Mr. Kerry that being President is a rough job. It inevitable involves being the target of a lot of harsh criticism. If he can't take the pressure at this point, when he is selling his strength of character to the nation, perhaps he should reconsider his own immediate career plans."
So, Kerry will say "Wah!" about twelve different times, in about twelve different ways. I'm betting that's his main plan.
His other supposed knockout punch will be to ask where bin Laden is.
You know, I agree... but on reflection, that kind of worries me.
He has made SO many hellaciously bad moves, statements, decisions... what if it ends up being his own version of W's rope-a-dope?
Dan
" I predict that Kerry will also move away from his podium and attempt to invade the President's space. Lehrer will do nothing about it."
I don't think Kerry can physically remain at the podium.
I have observed Kerry closely since the debates.
In every appearance, Kerry fidgets and can rarely sit still.
I've noticed that he seems to have a very fine hand tremor and he may compensate for that by constantly picking at his fingers.
The gross arm gestures may also be another device Kerry uses to disguise the hand shaking.
His hand picking was so obvious in the 60 Minutes interview, that Lesley Stahl commented when Teresa attempted to grab both of Kerry's hands and force them to her side.
A technique Teresa successfully used when Kerry started the hand picking on LKL.
In the primary debates, Kerry hunched his shoulders up and down a number of times when he arrived at the podium and when the camera was on other candidates-he appeared to be talking to himself.
If the podium is open, Kerry will march in place,putting his weight on one foot and then another.
Some Freepers have described it as that of a little kid with a full bladder.
We will probably see the Buddha bow and I've noticed Kerry doing what I call his hernia handshake.
He takes both hands and clasps them and pushes in on his suprapubic area.
Kerry has a bunch of grand gestures in his routine- waving his arms to both sides,
the pointing,sometimes with a corkscrew,
the breast stroke -he literally looks like he is swimming,
the tongue flicking,
the lip licking,
a move I call the D cup- he circles both arms up, out and back again
and the rising up and down on the balls of his feet.
Since we know nothing of Kerry's physical health, we can only guess why Kerry has these constant tics.
If these tics disappear tonight and Kerry calmly remains at the podium, it will probably be because they have drugged him.
A risky proposition, but, it may be the only way to keep Kerry from wandering.
I think the same thing. Kerry knows he has this one last chance to turn things around. He will try something spectacular, but it will fall flat. I think he will be to desperate and try to hard to make whatever lame thing they have planned work, and it won't. It will be like Gore striding up to Bush and getting laughed at.
1. Kerry may not mention his Vietnam service in his opening statement, but he will mention his service within the first 15 minutes of the debate (not a high risk prediction, to be sure, but a prediction nonetheless). 2. Kerry will look for an auspicious moment (e.g. when the President mentions his Senate voting record on defense and intelligence) to make a "how dare you question my patriotism? Have you no shame?" kind of remark, a remark he may well follow with a not so cryptic reference to Mr. Bush's National Guard service. 3. Kerry will start out calm, and with a well modulated voice and a scholarly tone; until the President steers from the path of "ideas" and "vision" by mentioning Kerry's contradictory statements on Iraq or the WOT, at which time Kerry will start feigning righteous indignation (a la AL GORE), and act like the demagogue he is.
His famously deliberative style, in which he ruminates on the complexities of questions rather than answer them directly, was on vivid display. It's a style his longtime aide, Jim Jones, who has great respect for Kerry's keen intelligence, calls his "stumbly-mumbly crap."
Here's hoping we'll see lots of Kerry's "stumbly-mumbly crap" tonight!
Kerry gets caught up in his flip-flops and takes all sides of each issue. The MSM declare him the winner (or is that whinner) anyway.
Kerry will point out that he cant ask questions of Bush but that the American People should have plenty. He will also directly address W in a confrontational manner.
He's going to salute/report for duty/refer to war experience.
He's going to try and paint GW as a flip-flopper.
He will reference the "pajama people".
Say "Foreign leaders who support me".
May make reference to how GW mis-pronounces words.
Kerry will first blame Bush for the reason he's orange. LOL.
Then it will be all downhill pompous doublespeak.
As for Bush...he will be as natural as he always is. And he will be very much to the point. Ya dont have to have a great memory or be a genious when you tell the truth. Not much to remember. On the other hand, for someone who lies often and opportunely, you need a great memory or be able to out dance Fred Astaire. Kerry may have to do a number of dance steps, which he is great at....but when a dancer falls, its embarrassing.
In his comments about how horrible the war is going in Iraq, he will say "why just today there were several children killed in Iraq by bombs". He will also make a comment when the warning light on the podium comes on and imply that it's all Pres. Bush fault that he can't finish what he is trying to say. He'll also pound the podium when he says things like "...and that is just WRONG, WRONG, WRONG!"
Looks about right, one a minute during his half of the debate. Oh wait, he'll lurch into part of Pres. Bush's half, so I'll predict 55 lizard tongues.
Teresa wears a suit that makes her butt look humongous.
Bump
Kerry has several times said he carefully laid out a "seven (?) step plan for Iraq" and that we are in trouble because Bush did not follow them.
I would like Bush to ask him to 'splain those "seven steps". I have yet to see anywhere that they have actually been spelled out.
I think when he has to do this, his whole train of logic and presentation will fall apart. I don't believe he has a coherent plan, and what ever he does list will be so obviously a combination of screwyness and inconsistency, he'll be (are you ready for this?) flushing himself down the John.
Bush debate strategery....
Crush Kerry, drive him before us and hear the lamentations of Te-RAY-zuh.
Heads exploding on MSNBC and CNN after their initial adulation of Kerrys performance gets shot down by the public at large.
I also predict that he will sweat profusely, his makeup will melt and he will leave orange puddles on the floor.
He will ignore the rules and continuously go over his time limit with the lights flashing like a disco.
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