Posted on 09/30/2004 5:57:19 PM PDT by Admin Moderator
Thread 1 - Pre-Debate discussion
Sorry, you are nuts.
Bush cannot possibly lose a 6-8 point lead in a debate only a small percentage of the voting population even bothered to watch.
Do you have a "Psychic Readings" sign in your front window?
I do not think your opinion will pass the global test.
Modern Debates are framed by individual moments.
Reagan's 'there you go again', Bush smiling at Gore as he came into his space' etc.
This debate will be remembered simply as 'the global test'-that sums up the difference between the two men, which one is going to stand for our security.
Amercians do not believe in letting the world have a veto over our security.
This Dick Morris guy makes me sick! He's whining and spitting on and on. I never liked this guy! Is it just me?
Here's the email the Kerry camp just emailed out
Dear XXXXXXX,
John Kerry won tonight's debate on foreign policy, and we need you to make sure the media reports this right.
Jump into the post-debate debate and keep the record straight.
America saw John Kerry as our next President tonight. Bush had a record of failure to defend, and he failed to defend it. Bush refused to take responsibility for his go it alone rush to war. Bush had no plan, no clue for ending the chaos. Bush can't fix the mess in Iraq because he pretends things are fine. Pretending is no substitute for planning.
Your assignment: Immediately e-mail and call all the major networks and programs listed below saying that John Kerry won the debate. The Republicans are going to do everything possible to spin the debate in their favor. We need you on the offensive.
Everything you need is in this e-mail, including contact information for the major news networks and programs.
Here are some things to emphasize:
America saw John Kerry as our next President tonight.
Kerry showed strength, conviction, and a steady command of the facts.
Kerry left no doubt he can lead the fight to hunt and kill the terrorists.
Kerry offered hope for a fresh start in Iraq so we can finish the job. Kerry has specific plans: Bush had shallow promises.
Here is a phone/e-mail list for the major news networks. Commentators like Larry King, Chris Matthews, Sean Hannity, and Alan Colmes are on TV right now offering their view of the debate results. Hosts of network news shows on ABC, CBS, and NBC are also busy offering their reviews. Hosts of tomorrow's morning shows, Good Morning America, The Today Show, and American Morning, are sure to do the same beginning at 7:00 a.m. EST tomorrow morning. Don't let your voice be cut out.
CNN
(404) 827-1500
Larry King LIVE: comments form
American Morning: comments form
MSNBC
(212) 664-4444
Hardball with Chris Matthews: hardball@msnbc.com
FOX
(212) 301-3000; 1-888-TELL-FOX
Hannity and Colmes: colmes@foxnews.com
FOX Morning News: foxfeedback@foxnews.com
ABC
(212) 456-7777
Nightline: nightline@abcnews.com
Good Morning America: webform
CBS
(212) 975-4321
CBS Evening News: evening@cbsnews.com
NBC
(212) 664-4444
Nightly News: Nightly@NBC.com
The Today Show: today@nbc.com
C-SPAN
(202) 737-3220
Everything you do right now will bring us closer to electing John Kerry as our next president.
Thank you,
Kerry Debate Team
P.S. If you have an extra moment, share your hard work with us. Click here to use our Media Corps reporting page. Just make sure to select "Debate response" as the assignment name. If you are a member of a Media Corps team, please give your team credit by putting your team name in the referral textbox.
I lurk a lot and post a little here and there, but there are a lot of "FREEP" name here tonight that I've never seen before. It makes it really hard to filter out the BS from the real stuff. It will take a few days to get the real result. I heard some of the debate. Bush was sincere in his typical halting, almost stuttering way. Kerry was like an attack dog. Why won't somebody ask him what his "plans" are - details, please. Then his house of cards would collapse. Bush had to be nice - he can't say what he'd really like to. He is the president and he must, in fact, deal with other countries and leaders. If he insults them just to win debating points, it could have dire consequences.
I listened to half the debate and watched the other half. Listening, Kerry was clearly the better debater. Watching, Bush won hands down. Which one would you like in the foxhole next to you?
Oh, well.... back to lurking
Let Bush act like a President. Cheney will do the dirty work come next week.
Right. I think the President got the point across that his job is to defend this country, first and foremost. I imagine that sits well with women who want their men to stick up for them, right here, right now, not first see if he can get the approval of some other guys in the bar.
I'm likin' that for a Tagline.....
Morris never has anything of substance to say. But he does like to hear himself talk. He's a political whore.
Women friends reporting that Bush staying presidential was smart. Women -- particularly moderates and swing voters --don't want their president to get down and dirty, as almost every freeper would prefer.
I disagree. The President is certainly not the most articulate public speaker in a debate setting. He'll never win on rhetorical points. But he is sincere and authentic in a way his opponent will never be. Kerry could NOT knock down Bush and this is the centerpiece of his fall campaign. Bush held his ground and never wavered. No one got the sense Kerry told us how he would do things differently from Bush or laid out his plans. Certainly the Democrat is an accomplished debater. But as far as substance goes, he can't explain himself well enough to connect to average Americans in the heartland. And that "Global Test" comment he made late in the debate is a big loser. I don't know of a single sane person in this country who thinks our foreign policy should subordinated to the UN and co-ordinated with the French. President Bush is not a guy who seeks to dominate an opponent with brute force; he is much more subtle in going under the radar. When all is said and done, Kerry did not do anything to shake up the race to propel himself into the lead. He had to knock the President out to accomplish it and didn't get it done. This first debate was the toughest of the three and Bush survived. Considering the mainstream media is in the tank for Kerry, it went about as well as we could have expected. For what its worth, the only way Bush can lose the election now is if he does a Howard Dean meltdown down the road or is caught sleeping with a live boy or dead girl. In the final analysis, I think Kerry was better than people anticipated but it doesn't change my vote and I suspect it won't change the direction of the polls. We'll see.
"Kerry sounded like a gasbag with lots of factoids and little wisdom."
I agree. He sounded "blah, blah, blah." What is his plan for Iraq, again?
Pres. Bush, even in his inarticulate moments, stayed on message and hammered away on Kerry being too inconsistent (flip-flop) to be a CIC.
Bush:
Good - Stood his ground on Iraq, painted Kerry as indecisive, was strong on North Korea policy, stated what he did in response to Kerry's charges of gutting some programs. Used facts to correct Kerry's statements. Did attack Kerry's comments demeaning allies, especially Iraq's PM.
Bad - Played not to lose. Wasn't aggressive enough on his senate record. Bushdidn't knock him out. He looked nervous at times and seemed wound up too tight. "Hard Work" - Repeated over and over. Said he had a plan, but didn't mention it enough. I understood much of what he said, but I'm not who he's trying to convince.
Wildcard - Did not attack Kerry's stance when he got home and how he called our troops war criminals.
Kerry
Good - Aggressive and attacked. Mentioned the WMD's. Went for his left base he needs. While he left many openings, was not knocked out so he's still in the race.
Bad - ARROGANT. IIIIIII. Was disrespectful of our allies by demeaning the coalition. Did not mention his plan at all. Flipped in the debate - On Iraq especially. Back door draft comments were uncalled for. Repeated himself after point was defeated.
Kerry had lower expectations than Bush had. Bush should IMO have gone for the knockout or a strong body punch that would have Kerry knock himself out. Give him enough rope.
Moderator - I think Jim Leher(sp) did a good job. He gave some tough questions, and then for the most part, let them go without major rambling.
When is the next debate? This Wednesday, Oct. 6th?
This is a bit of what I was hinting at earlier today. We all were starting to expect a solid Bush homerun against a stiff, hostile Kerry. Therefore, Bush's baseline expectation was high. All Kerry had to do was to appear something other than his normal, satanic self. Bush clearly didn't hit a homerun, and Kerry seemed almost lifelike. BUT, in the court of public opinion, neither of those accomplishments (or lack thereof) amount to much. Do you shift your vote because someone seemed to rise from the dead? Did anyone not already voting for Bush shift away from him because he didn't hit a homerun? I remember this site after every one of the Bush/Gore debates. It was doom and gloom. Even worse than tonight. Our expectations are high. Probably too high. My wife called tonight. She is a Bush fan but not fan of politics. She thought Bush did great. Her impressions are almost always representative of the general public on things like this. Time will tell.
Well I, and many others both here and even some in the media with their post-debate reactions, can't share your overwhelming defeatism and pessimism.
Feel free to wallow in it all you want though. But you sound foolish in the process as do your hysterics.
Prairie
Kerry: "Reach out to the Muslim world"
AAPPPPPPPPEEEEAAAASSSSMMENT
--
Exactly.
Yup, Alan Keyes won
Bush only had to let Kerry yaw on and on with his ridiculous plan for America.....
Agree. Especially when he started with the Bush voter.
"Ralph Reid."
If Ralph Reed missed what Bush accomplished tonite, than Ralph Reed isn't the man I thought he was.
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