Wednesday, October 13, 2004
Final Debate -- Bush is Back
9:28 p.m. -- Ouch. I wish Kerry hadn't used Cheney's daughter to open his answer to the gay question. On whole, so far, Bush is back. He's got substantive answers, he's laying out a vision, and he's keeping his cool. And Kerry remains unruffled. What that means for us at home is that we're actually getting to hear what the differences are between the candidates. I'm excited about it.
Slip-ups so far: Bush's answer on outsourcing jobs. Awful. You don't tell someone who just lost his job to a company overseas that he needs to go to community college. (Even if that is the reality of free trade and capitalism, that's just a terrible way to answer that question.)
9:38 p.m. -- Bush really is doing a much better job tonight. His flu shot answer was great and connected with people. Kerry's litany of how many people have lost healthcare in certain states was an obvious attempt to connect with voters in swing states (did you notice which states he listed?).
Bush is doing great. Said when he came into office he didn't want seniors to have to choose between food or drugs. Again, he's outlining a vision, and supporting it with specifics, something he wasn't able to do in the first debates.
But one thing that will be interesting to watch is if the president is still playing to his base and not the undecideds. His demeanor works better for undecideds who didn't like the angry man they saw the last time at bat. I'm concerned that Kerry's almost too-detailed in his responses and is losing points on style.
9:44 p.m. -- Bush's answer on social security is strong. Promised seniors they'll get their check. Said that it is going to be a problem for "youngsters." Says it's a vital issue and he'll take it on, but that we have to do something. Really strong answer.
Kerry's answer that if young people take money out of social security and put it in their own accounts it would be a "disaster." Huh? Factually, he's quoting the Congressional Budget Office, etc., but he keeps losing points on vision. Bush is winning this question and the debate.
Kerry's second time around on this question was much stronger.
9:52 p.m. -- Bush is kicking ass. Loved his open to the immigration question. "It's a security issue, it's a human rights issue, etc."
This is interesting to me. Given the President's woeful domestic record (gross expansion of government, record deficits, fiscal irresponsibility), you'd think Kerry could dunk him. But because he's too heavy into the stats, he's not focusing on key messages. Classic marketing mistake.
10:04 p.m. -- What Kerry may be doing right: he's speaking directly to specific voter groups. He's carefully caged answers with something for women, something for Hispanics, something for seniors. Whereas Bush is speaking more generally or to his base. That may mean that Bush will win the debate, but that the electoral college polls won't shift much (the national polls will but they don't matter).
10:11 p.m. -- Kerry's answer on the assault weapons ban was outstanding. Best answer of the night. Cited his record in law-enforcement, gave a specific example of a recent arrest where the guy had an AK-47 sitting next to him, personalized it with his own position as a hunter. Said that if Delay had come to him and said we don't have enough votes on this, he would have said, we have to go back, we have to get them. Really strong. Wish he'd shown up sooner.
Slip-ups so far: Bush's answer on outsourcing jobs. Awful. You don't tell someone who just lost his job to a company overseas that he needs to go to community college. (Even if that is the reality of free trade and capitalism, that's just a terrible way to answer that question.)
9:38 p.m. -- Bush really is doing a much better job tonight. His flu shot answer was great and connected with people. Kerry's litany of how many people have lost healthcare in certain states was an obvious attempt to connect with voters in swing states (did you notice which states he listed?).
Bush is doing great. Said when he came into office he didn't want seniors to have to choose between food or drugs. Again, he's outlining a vision, and supporting it with specifics, something he wasn't able to do in the first debates.
But one thing that will be interesting to watch is if the president is still playing to his base and not the undecideds. His demeanor works better for undecideds who didn't like the angry man they saw the last time at bat. I'm concerned that Kerry's almost too-detailed in his responses and is losing points on style.
9:44 p.m. -- Bush's answer on social security is strong. Promised seniors they'll get their check. Said that it is going to be a problem for "youngsters." Says it's a vital issue and he'll take it on, but that we have to do something. Really strong answer.
Kerry's answer that if young people take money out of social security and put it in their own accounts it would be a "disaster." Huh? Factually, he's quoting the Congressional Budget Office, etc., but he keeps losing points on vision. Bush is winning this question and the debate.
Kerry's second time around on this question was much stronger.
9:52 p.m. -- Bush is kicking ass. Loved his open to the immigration question. "It's a security issue, it's a human rights issue, etc."
This is interesting to me. Given the President's woeful domestic record (gross expansion of government, record deficits, fiscal irresponsibility), you'd think Kerry could dunk him. But because he's too heavy into the stats, he's not focusing on key messages. Classic marketing mistake.
10:04 p.m. -- What Kerry may be doing right: he's speaking directly to specific voter groups. He's carefully caged answers with something for women, something for Hispanics, something for seniors. Whereas Bush is speaking more generally or to his base. That may mean that Bush will win the debate, but that the electoral college polls won't shift much (the national polls will but they don't matter).
10:11 p.m. -- Kerry's answer on the assault weapons ban was outstanding. Best answer of the night. Cited his record in law-enforcement, gave a specific example of a recent arrest where the guy had an AK-47 sitting next to him, personalized it with his own position as a hunter. Said that if Delay had come to him and said we don't have enough votes on this, he would have said, we have to go back, we have to get them. Really strong. Wish he'd shown up sooner.
Final Analysis -- Bush turned in his strongest performance in the debates; Kerry was strong, too. But Kerry spoke more specifically to swing voter groups. No telling what this will all mean. ABC's instant poll: Kerry 42%, Bush 41% -- well within the margin of error. So it's a tie.
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Great blow-by-blow!
When I watched the debate I kept wishing that in the lower right corner were two commentators showing their opinions with "Rock-em, Sock-em robots." Everytime Kerry got in a good one, a "Sock" graphic from the Batman TV Series would appear. (A trumpet blast would chirp in as well.) If Bush makes a joke about Kerry's voting history on tax cuts, a "Zowie" would flash (another trumpet blow). In the end, somebody's robot head would bop off its neck and bounce up and down like a busted bobble-head. (In the case of last night's debate I agree with you and maybe both heads would sway.)
True, this may seem a bit disrespectful to the political process. But ask yourself, how entertaining would it be? If done properly, I think it would be a great pay-per-view event and this would do the public a great service. When do people care enough to learn, study, and I mean really study the issues? When is political apathy at its lowest? Presidential election time. (For most americans, the presidential election is the only election that really matters.) There are lots of inflammatory ads and spin and mud-slinging and its just a big circus of fun. Fun to watch and drama to enjoy. (Go Jibjab!) If politics were better managed as entertainment for the masses, I think more people would get involved in politics and stay involved beyond the Presidential race. Let's face it, America is a TV culture and if you look good on tv, then half the work is done.
I can see it now, a new reality series on FOX called, "An American President." Watch as the President deals in foreign policy against terrorist nations (Hasta La Vista baby!), Cringe as he vetoes a bill you care passionately about (No Healthcare? That's gonna' leave a mark.), laugh when he (or she) missteps in the the public eye (When I said that some of my best friends are black, I meant...) and jab your finger at the screen as you count off every broken political promise. The music would have to be hip to get the coveted 25-35 year old demographic. (Quick, get P Diddy on the line.) Big corporations would no longer have to hide their influence as they could now publicly sponsor the show. Back-door payoffs from well-funded lobbyists would be a thing of the past. What a great idea! I think this really has some legs. Why, I could even see an Emmy out of this. Can't you just imagine people being so engrossed in seeing how politics really work? People would begin to volunteer and write their congresspersons and have watercooler debates on the latest bill the American President was considering! This show could be the catalyst of significant change in american politics affecting generations upon generations to come!!!
On second thought, nevermind... it would probably get bumped by American Idol.
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When I watched the debate I kept wishing that in the lower right corner were two commentators showing their opinions with "Rock-em, Sock-em robots." Everytime Kerry got in a good one, a "Sock" graphic from the Batman TV Series would appear. (A trumpet blast would chirp in as well.) If Bush makes a joke about Kerry's voting history on tax cuts, a "Zowie" would flash (another trumpet blow). In the end, somebody's robot head would bop off its neck and bounce up and down like a busted bobble-head. (In the case of last night's debate I agree with you and maybe both heads would sway.)
True, this may seem a bit disrespectful to the political process. But ask yourself, how entertaining would it be? If done properly, I think it would be a great pay-per-view event and this would do the public a great service. When do people care enough to learn, study, and I mean really study the issues? When is political apathy at its lowest? Presidential election time. (For most americans, the presidential election is the only election that really matters.) There are lots of inflammatory ads and spin and mud-slinging and its just a big circus of fun. Fun to watch and drama to enjoy. (Go Jibjab!) If politics were better managed as entertainment for the masses, I think more people would get involved in politics and stay involved beyond the Presidential race. Let's face it, America is a TV culture and if you look good on tv, then half the work is done.
I can see it now, a new reality series on FOX called, "An American President." Watch as the President deals in foreign policy against terrorist nations (Hasta La Vista baby!), Cringe as he vetoes a bill you care passionately about (No Healthcare? That's gonna' leave a mark.), laugh when he (or she) missteps in the the public eye (When I said that some of my best friends are black, I meant...) and jab your finger at the screen as you count off every broken political promise. The music would have to be hip to get the coveted 25-35 year old demographic. (Quick, get P Diddy on the line.) Big corporations would no longer have to hide their influence as they could now publicly sponsor the show. Back-door payoffs from well-funded lobbyists would be a thing of the past. What a great idea! I think this really has some legs. Why, I could even see an Emmy out of this. Can't you just imagine people being so engrossed in seeing how politics really work? People would begin to volunteer and write their congresspersons and have watercooler debates on the latest bill the American President was considering! This show could be the catalyst of significant change in american politics affecting generations upon generations to come!!!
On second thought, nevermind... it would probably get bumped by American Idol.
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