Presidential Debate #1 – after picture

October 1, 2004 by
Filed under: Current Affairs 

(I may flesh this out later – I have a meeting in 15 minutes but I wanted to get my thoughts down before I talked to others.)

John F. Kerry

Overall, I thought Kerry did a good job. He was weak in the first half of the debate – constantly criticizing Bush without offering his own plan. When Jim Lehrer finally asked him point blank about his plan, he started offering about 50% plan and 50% criticism.

I was comfortable with his plans. Many others are likely to complain that his Iraq plan is too vague, but I think he said what had to be said. We will leave when we can, we will bring in more help, and we will train the Iraqis to take over.

I don’t know what the whole thumb thing is about. I know that it’s not polite to point, but the thumb thing is weird too.

Kerry generally appeared much more Presidential than he has in the past on the campaign trail. He also appeared more Presidential than Bush.

George W. Bush

Mr. Bush was on the defensive far too often for this debate. He came across as whiny and shrill. Like Kerry, he settled down and was better on these points later in the debate.

I still don’t agree with many of Bush’s policy decisions, but I do admire the fact that he sticks to them. He did fail to pin the “flip-flopper” label on Kerry. You can expect consistency from Bush.

I was very surprised that Bush managed to use a 5-syllable word (“vociferously”) correctly and also pronounced it correctly. There were several points where real intelligence showed through the “common folk” facade. Bush did show that he’s not an idiot – but I still can’t understand why he wants us to think that he is an idiot.

Format and General Decorum

I was pleasantly surprised that the candidates followed the format more or less successfully. Kerry lost points here by using his time to reinforce a previous point rather than answering the current question several times. Bush lost points here by being the first to break the rules – by demanding (on several occasions) the one-minute discussion time. Jim Lehrer had made it clear that the one-minute discussion time was at HIS discretion.

The only real difference between the candidates showed in their reactions to each other’s speech. I was surprised that the TV coverage showed the other candidate while one was speaking. I’m sure I’d read that this would not be allowed. Anyway, Kerry took the lead here. He nodded when Bush scored a point against him. This showed respect for his opponent. Bush on the other hand scowled and grimaced when Kerry said something that upset him. I got the sense from Kerry that he respects Bush as a person and a leader, but Bush seems to have nothing but contempt for Kerry. That probably explains the diplomacy problems that Bush is having in the world.

Winner: I declare this a tie. Kerry might have led slightly on the intangibles, but otherwise they were even. Kerry did improve his standing in my mind as a result, however.

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Comments

2 Comments on Presidential Debate #1 – after picture

  1. Sarah on Wed, 6th Oct 2004 4:09 pm

    2. It’s easy to see why Bush pretends he’s stupid.
    1. Other people do the work.
    2. Other people take the responsibility.
    3. Other people make the mistakes.
    4. Other people face the consequences.
    5. Americans have a soft spot for the underdog.
    6. Average people can relate to being not quite as bright as the average bear.
    7. Intellectual laziness is easier than being a policy wonk. Let Cheney and Rice get in there and work it out.

  2. Sarah on Wed, 6th Oct 2004 4:10 pm

    3. I wonder if W is a passive aggressive?

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