Kerry Kicked Ass
Yes he did. Despite our fears about a 32-page memorandum of understanding, the debate, while without strong argument between the two, illustrated without a doubt the differences between the candidates. Kerry proved how well he can wrap his brain around the facts and make a cohesive argument. If Kerry does as well in the third debate, the debate focusing on domestic policy — and if George Bush is on the defensive and acts all whiney like he did last night — Kerry could turn this election around.
Kerry had facts to support his arguments. He brought up issues that no one was discussing (like increasing opium production in Afghanistan). He addressed the flip-flop accusations.
Bush, for his part, mentioned Poland a lot.
The spin last night of the television I watched mostly came from Rudy "America's Mayor" Guiliani, who parroted the talking point that "Kerry lectured the American people." If by listing facts and making strong, impenetrable arguments about how Bush has fucked up the War on Terror, yeah, he lectured. Rudy, your guy rolled his eyes and got flustered a lot, which is how Al Gore lost the debates.
DISCUSS THE DEBATE. Let's get the comments feature rolling. What were your favorite moments last night? I will join in the discussion as I have time to, and perhaps Kelly will, as well. Today, this is your blog. What did you think?
If you missed the debate, here's a transcript. And here's some video of Bush acting like a pussy. (Via Atrios.)
4 Comments:
One thing was certain to me watching the debates: Kerry understands that facts and is able to talk about those and mold them into policy. Bush does not understand squat and parrots exactly what he's told. The 'awe-shucks' persona that served Bush well in defeating Gore backfired last night. It left him sputtering and parroting rhetoric without addressing questions or points raised by Kerry. And I think the reason why is that Bush really doesn't understand the issues or his own policy.
My favorite moment was when Kerry defined blind adherence to policy as a recipe for disaster:
"But this issue of certainty. It's one thing to be certain, but you can be certain and be wrong.
It's another to be certain and be right, or to be certain and be moving in the right direction, or be certain about a principle and then learn new facts and take those new facts and put them to use in order to change and get your policy right.
What I worry about with the president is that he's not acknowledging what's on the ground, he's not acknowledging the realities of North Korea, he's not acknowledging the truth of the science of stem-cell research or of global warming and other issues.
And certainty sometimes can get you in trouble. "
Bush Jr. made the same fatal error that his stammering Pappy made: palpable petulance. Where Bush Sr. was too preoccupied by foreign affairs to properly gauge the concerns of the populace, Bush Jr. has constructed a galactic barrier between himself and reality. For me, the real delight of last night was watching Bush, at long last, being forced to stand in a room, shut his trap, and actually listen while someone tells him (and the world) what a nut-suckin' dildo he is. I mean, cripes…the press hasn't been doing it. Congress hasn't been doing it. This stuttering little butt-muscle has had a free ride for too long. Last night, the ride ended.
I watched the debate in a bar on a set with the sound down, reading the captions between long slow pulls of delicious, delicious beer. Even without the benefit of intonation there is no doubt that Kerry was more intellectually engaged than Bush. No surprise there. What did surprise was how strictly Bush stuck to his playbook. What made him sound petulant and pissy is that he was so repetitive. Anonymous is right: Bush can't elaborate on policy questions because he has no grasp; thus every question was met with some variation of "It's a hard thing to do. We all know it's hard thing to do. But I'm right. What I do is right. We all know I'm a good man." Policy shmolicy, thinking shminking.
Strangest moment by far: Bush proudly reminding everybody that he dislikes international treaties, and especially dislikes the international war crimes tribunal. Wha-? Apparently Karen Hughes is running proofs by Kissinger.
Babs the Youngeer sure was poised and lovely with her new nose. I had no idea that a remodelled proboscis could result in such composure.
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