Quote:
Originally posted by Secret_Agent_Man
I think that Kerry did very well, and came across well to the viewers. Bush was _much_ better than last time. The format suited him, but who would have guessed that it suited Kerry too?
It seemed to me that Kerry handled the issue of contradictions well, and handled some of the difficult domestic policy questions well and sensitively (stem cell research and abortion rights).
Bush obviously hates being challenged though. I'm pretty sure Kerry oftem looked directly at Bush and spoke at him while answering to try to provoke a reaction. He got some. At least three times Bush practically jumped out of his chair, spoke over the moderator, and seemed angry during his 30 second extensions.
I suppose I'd give the debate to Kerry, if I had to pick. Bush may have done well enough to enable his side to claim victory, but I can't see it. The most important thing, at this point, is that the debate surely did not hurt Kerry, and probably helped -- and that's what he needs right now.
S_A_M
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A good analysis. I think who won will come down to who people trust and who has credibility. Obviously, I give greater credibility to Kerry; I thought it was a slam dunk. I think Bush has become a broken record with shallow one-liners about flip-flopping, and that at this point they hurt him. Kerry was great at turning around the question on his voting record on healthcare and pointing, and much more in control of facts and figures. He more often answered the question and more often answered it more thoroughly - to hear Bush tell it, he still won't tell you anything he's done wrong and how he'll fix it. How about "No child left behind"? He isn't willing to fund when he pushed, so there must be something he thinks is wrong with it. So tell us, already!
But, I want to see data on the undecided -- they get to choose the winner. I'm expecting to see data going Kerry's way over the next 24-48 hours.
