Quote:
Originally posted by Gattigap
Heard an interview on hippie-liberal-hemp-in-your-Birkenstocks NPR this evening with James Fallows of the Atlantic that contained his analysis of Bush and Kerry's debating styles.
It was quite good. I recommend you listen to it here.
In sum, Fallows' observations were that (1) Bush is a better debater than his press conferences suggest, because (based on a review of his Guv debates plus the 2000 debates with Gore) he takes the time to prepare, and he is very on-message in sticking to the 3 or 4 points he wants to make, and anticipates making the connection between the questions and his message.
Kerry is also a better debater than his speeches suggest, because he acts more like a prosecutor than a Senator during debates, and he reveals a different personality during them (which is more interesting and compelling than the drone he gives us on the stump).
All in all, it sounds like the debates should be interesting ones.
|
I think that part of Bush's success in his initial debates is that, given his lack of verbal dexterity in the public eye, no one really expects him to do very well. So he manages to pleasantly surprise everyone when he gets through them without too much embarassment. (I think that a lot of his gaffes are done on purpose in order to lull the public into thinking he's an idiot that they can relate to. The "Bushism" calendars and quote books that liberals pass on to one another and chuckle over I think serve to help the President's image, not hurt him, but I digress... ) I'm not quite as certain that he will get as much of a pass in these debates, though. Kerry and the Dems are already building him up as a master orator (or at least they tried to on the Daily Show a few weeks back), and they've pointed out that he's won every debate he's ever been in. I think that Gore's smugness last time around hurt considerably, and I think the approach will be totally different. I'm irritated that I have a work thing to go to on Thursday night, so I'll have to rely on Tivo instead.
Is Nader part of these debates?
