The numbers demonstrate just how poorly Bush did in the debate. He wasn't even mediocre; he was awful. And I think many conservatives are focusing on what was said, instead of what they saw. Whether its right or wrong, many women judge a debate on appearances, and Bush was terrible. I saw a timid, tongue-tied, ill-prepared man. He appeared as though he was incapable of defending himself. Anyone who didn't know Kerry would attack him so profusely must have been asleep at the switch. Kerry was behind in the polls with nothing to lose; it was obvious he was going to come out swinging. And Bush just rolled over. It was an indefensible performance.
Calm down. This is one poll, a weekend poll of registered voters at that. Let's show some stamina.
I tend to disagree. Read the polls numbers more closely. Kerry's performance energized his base or energized Newsweek's sampling of Democrats, whichever you might think it is. We would need more polls in order to see whether more people identifying themselves as Dems is a trend or an outlier.
. I saw a timid, tongue-tied, ill-prepared man.
You should have listened to it on the radio. I was at work and called my husband several times to ask what was going on- if Bush looked ill or something weird was going on in the audience to distract him. I couldn't imagine what was going on during all those silences and stammerings. I was so looking forward to the debate, but my stomach was churning with embarassment for him and I had to walk away several times. This should have been the easiest put-away in election history, but instead new life has been breathed into the Kerry campaign.