The Great (yawn) US Presidential Debates of 2004 (no spam)

captainbrumble · Post by **captainbrumble** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:23 pm

i really think bush and kerry should have thier running mates on stage with them, so they can have someone to high five when they make a good point.

also I'd like to hear the words "in your face" spoken a few times.

CM · Post by CM » Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:34 pm

The only way i would watch the debate would be if there was a bit of a waving the middle finger, your mama jokes and some verbal abuse. Basically if Springer hosted I would watch. Because that is the "intellectual" level of these debates.

Opalescence · Post by **Opalescence** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:54 pm

Hey now, John Kerry, despite his "I shall do my very best to bore even the most die-hard insommniac to slumber" ideology, is not an intellectual dummy, at least not on the level of Shrub.

CM · Post by CM » Thu Sep 30, 2004 12:58 pm

Honestly the way he has handled his campaign Kerry is a grade A idiot. This should have been a landslide election for him. Instead Bush is ahead in the polls. I mean come on. Kerry has spent too much time focusing on the irrelevant stuff. Honestly this has to be the dumbest election in US history.

Vicsun · Post by **Vicsun** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 2:35 pm

I apologize in advance for the spam

EVENTS THAT ARE SO OUTLANDISHLY BIZARRE, I WILL CONSTRUCT A MONUMENT TO DIONYSUS IF ANY OF THEM OCCUR DURING THE DEBATE.

…John Kerry doesn't go over the time limit with a meandering borderline incoherent response to every question.
…George W. Bush forgets the talking points he learned from handlers through Pavlovian conditioning and speaks honestly and forthrightly.
…John Kerry doesn't look and act like a corpse.
…John Kerry admits that, yes, he in fact is French.
…the words falling out of George W. Bush's mouth are fresh, original, and well considered.
…George W. Bush finally admits that the Iraq war against Saddam Hussein was just a case of confusion over the spelling of "Bin Laden".
…John Kerry suddenly realizes that scratching his finger on a loose screw in Vietnam doesn't make him a hero or prepare him for being president.
…George W. Bush suddenly realizes that flying a jet around Texas when the fancy strikes him between keggers doesn't equate to serving our country honorably.
…George W. Bush abandons the religious rhetoric and promotes a return to the good old days of separation of church and state.
…the debate turns out to be an honest clash of ideas rather than a verbal filing of press releases.
…you don't get disgusted by both candidates, feel completely disenfranchised from politics in the United States, and want to start a revolution after watching the debate.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 4:04 pm

[QUOTE=C Elegans]When I look at Kerry's and Bush' campaigns, it looks like they are competing for a "Who want to be a pop-star" TV-show rather than the leadership of the most powerful country in the world. [/QUOTE]

This is what it has came to.

(1.) Sadly the people really don't have a chance to pick the people running in the beginning. Does this sound like American Idol?

(2.) The people running are put forth and then we have a somewhat chance to vote. Sound like American Idol?

I have become mindless and must have big daddy pick who he thinks I need to vote for!!!!!

@Fable, the debate is just another chance for the two parties to get airtime. Nothiong more or less

fable · Post by **fable** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 4:32 pm

[QUOTE=Weasel]@Fable, the debate is just another chance for the two parties to get airtime. Nothiong more or less

[/QUOTE]

That's pretty much my conclusion as well, @Weasel: free airtime, during primetime. In quantities even the Republican campaign chest could come nowhere near affording. It's a typically cynical move by a pair of candidates that can't provide honest answers to difficult questions that might arise--like the reasons for conquering Iraq (and killing an estimated 13,000-15,000 noncombatants) rather than any number of other, more potentially dangerous targets. The very term "debate" is under these circumstances so large a joke, in such a profoundly serious matter as the ruling of a nation, that it borders on the obscene.

captainbrumble · Post by **captainbrumble** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 5:25 pm

one of my professors pretty much summed it up: tonight's li'l show is nothing more than beauty contest. neither candidate is going to say anything new or reavaling, they're just going to wow us with their public speaking and/or presentation skills. it's just a chance for bush and kerry to walk down the runway and show us the latest november fashions, so to speak. i'd be amazed if we got anything from either of them that we haven't already gotten from months of retoric and interviews and the like.

In other words, they're both against bad stuff and they both strongly support good stuff.

i think they should both be required to dress up like klingons.

at least then we'd have something amusing to watch.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 5:38 pm

[QUOTE=fable]<snip> It's a typically cynical move by a pair of candidates that can't provide honest answers to difficult questions that might arise <snip>[/QUOTE]

If only I could get thru life like this.. Sadly I have children to look after and this will not work for me. Maybe one day I can become a bum and not worry about life/family as well. If the person in the highest office in the US can get by without worrying about the tough stuff, little old bum Weasel should be able to as well...at least until the FBI or the IRS catches me.

Paranitis · Post by **Paranitis** » Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:38 pm

I watched the debate and I have to say that it was pretty interesting.

Bush's whole thing had to deal with Kerry flip flopping..yet Kerry kept showing why Bush was an idiot for being stubborn.

In fact it was Bush that kept going beyond his time limit rather than Kerry as was guessed to be a problem.

They both over exaggerated numbers.
Kerry said Bush spent 200 billion on Iraq..when in fact it was more round 120 billion.
Bush said that they have trained 100 thousand people in Iraq for their military..when in fact it is no more than 50 thousand, and there are questions on whether they are even trained well enough.

Bush seemed to getting more and more angry during the debate as well while Kerry seemed to just stand there with a face like "Bush, you are an idiot".

I am still going to vote for Oprah during election time, but this debate definately had Kerry winning. Now to watch the other 2 debates later.

Sojourner · Post by **Sojourner** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:47 am

[QUOTE=Paranitis]Bush seemed to getting more and more angry during the debate as well while Kerry seemed to just stand there with a face like "Bush, you are an idiot".[/QUOTE]

Bush's buttons are so easy to push, it's pathetic - which is why his handlers would never let him enter a real debate.

Weasel · Post by **Weasel** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 8:46 am

Who won the 'debate'?

Paranitis I see gives Kerry the win, I give the loser as the US no matter which of the two won.

Sadly (or happily) I watched a movie my wife rented last light.. (Envy , with Jack Black and Ben Stiller, IMHO better entertainment than the 'debate' )

Was a lock box talked about? LMAO
Did anyone come up with new words? LOL
Any attempt to answer any question? ROFL

Moonbiter · Post by **Moonbiter** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 9:13 am

According to the media over here, Kerry was the clear winner. That doesn't mean much to me, as the challenge of arguing with Bush... Oh, who cares!

fable · Post by **fable** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 10:47 am

Remember, there are still two more opportunities for Dubya's handlers to wind him up properly, thus assuring the election for a person who invades other nations arbitrarily and is bankrupting his own. Yay, team.

Gwalchmai · Post by **Gwalchmai** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 3:20 pm

I enjoyed the debate more than I thought I would. I wasn’t sure that I even wanted to watch, already knowing that I would be voting for Kerry, but my wife wanted to watch. There was always the hope (however slight) that Bush would crash and burn.

I had seen Kerry on the Letterman show a couple of weeks ago, and he appeared relaxed and personable then, with a ready, somewhat quirky smile. He showed a sense of humor and was also able to answer the questions seriously and cogently.

Kerry appeared much the same during the debate last night, with none of the stiffness or dullness that I expected following most of Fable’s comments. He may be a career politician (which makes him lower than toe jam in many people’s eyes), but at least he showed that he could think, speak clearly, and express himself with intelligence.

I don’t think Bush came off nearly as well (but I’ve never liked to hear him speak. It just makes my blood curdle every time). A pundit after the debate said that the stuttering, partial sentences, incomplete thoughts, rambling, and directionless answers that Bush gave may not play well with an audience (and journalists) who expect more, but that Bush’s speech mannerisms may strike a chord with voters in the breadbasket. These voters might appreciate a president who sounds just like them. My wife grew up in the southern and middle US, and she doesn’t believe that anyone in America would think that staring blankly into the camera for a full five beats is a sign of intelligence and leadership. I’ve always said that it might be nice that Bush seems to be the kind of guy who might sit down with you and have a beer, but would you really want any of your beer buddies as president?

I was led to believe that the debaters would not be able to rebut the other’s answers and that the rules also forbade the networks from showing one while the other was talking (to avoid the gaff made by G. H. W. Bush when he looked at his watch while Perot was talking). I was pleased that the moderator allowed most questions to be re-addressed. This made the debates a bit more debate-like than I thought they would be, though it was certainly far from a formal debate format. The networks also commonly showed a split screen, so that Kerry could be seen attentively writing notes (a listening technique I’ve recently been taught for client development), while Bush appeared furtive, uncomfortable, and blinking a lot. My wife says that rapid blinking is a sign of lying.

I don’t know that either candidate won over many new supporters (polling will take a few days, and polls are not all that reliable), but I think they solidified their base, especially Kerry. The upcoming debates will tackle more domestic issues, which is where the Democrats and Republicans really differ. Both candidates will have to be careful to phrase their platforms to appeal to the greatest number of undecided voters. It will be interesting to see if Bush tries to adopt the typical Republican platforms of smaller government and fiscal responsibility – neither of which have been hallmarks of his presidency.

Nightmare · Post by **Nightmare** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 5:20 pm

Well, the media asked several swing voters after the debate, and most of them were leaning towards Kerry after his performance.

I enjoyed the debate, and it turned out to actually be a debate, which surprised me. Bush missed a chance to slaughter Kerry on the "What is the greatest threat to America?" question, and then Kerry made the mistake of not critisizing Bush on the missile-defence program (though, Bush's miss was much more glaring and important).

I'm glad Kerry seems to be alive, finally. This election is his to lose.

Also, the latest Newsweek poll has Kerry now tied with Bush. Hopefully, with some campaign work, he can keep this up and pull ahead.

InfiniteNature · Post by **InfiniteNature** » Sun Oct 03, 2004 2:34 pm

I saw the debates, glad Kerry won it. hopefully he keeps going on, I mean for me its a simple distinction between the two, who would be more likely to push the button, Bush or Kerry, think its probably Bush.

CM · Post by CM » Mon Oct 04, 2004 12:54 am

When are the other two be held?

Paranitis · Post by **Paranitis** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 6:39 am

I THOUGHT the 2nd debate happens on the 8th, and the 3rd happens on the 12th..but I could be wrong.

frogus23 · Post by **frogus23** » Mon Oct 04, 2004 4:39 pm

Tell me, is there anyone in on the pro-Kerry campaign rather than the anti-Bush campaign?