Well, well, look who’s back. Kerry closes the gap over the weekend, setting the stage for this week’s debate double (Dubya?) dip (beginning tomorrow with Edwards v. Cheney.) Maybe now Dubya is finally beginning to realize: going mano-a-mano with Kerry is hard work.
Tag: Democrats
Round 1: Kerry.
Well, to give credit where it’s due, Dubya has clearly improved as a debater since 2000. While occasionally flustered and often seeming petulant, he never seemed as confused and inarticulate as he did in his jousts with Gore…in fact, I’d go so far to say that he even occasionally seemed wily. Still, given the artifice of the format, it’s hard to see how John Kerry could have done much better in tonight’s first debate. After the first question or so, Kerry seemed calm, collected, forceful and resolute, and he managed to make succinct and readily understandable distinctions between he and Dubya throughout. For undecided voters who imbibed all the RNC’s garbage a month ago and were expecting another Dukakis Dem in John Kerry, I suspect they may have begun reevaluating him tonight. And, when you consider that the terrain of this debate most facilitated Dubya’s “9/11, 9/11, 9/11” strategy, Kerry’s got nowhere to go but up.
Showtime.
So, what are you doing tonight? If your name is John Kerry, hopefully the answer is kicking ass and taking names.
Lockbox Quarterback.
Al Gore explains how to debate Dubya. Rule #1: Don’t act like Al Gore…
They Blinded Him to Science.
“‘Science counts, and it has not counted sufficiently in this administration.'” The NYT reports on the birth of the bipartisan group Scientists and Engineers for Change (covered yesterday at Medley.)
Rise up, worthy nation.
The voter boom continues, with Democratic precincts in swing states reporting record surges in registration. And, in Iowa, Democrat absentee ballots outnumber those of the GOP 3-to-1. Poll that.
Our Secret Weapon?
“A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data shows.” Well, this is a spot of good news, particularly when you consider that these folks often don’t show up in the polls. Now, let’s just hope the Diebold machines count their votes properly…
And Can Cheney Hold My Hand?
As with the 9/11 commission, so with the American people. The Presidential Debate Commission tries to push back on Dubya’s attempts to hide from voters. “If any audience member poses a question or makes a statement that is in any material way different than the question that the audience member earlier submitted to the moderator for review, the moderator will cut off the questioner and advise the audience that such nonreviewed questions are not permitted,’ the agreement reads. The men who negotiated the agreement, James A. Baker III for Mr. Bush and Vernon Jordan for Mr. Kerry, did not return telephone calls Tuesday. But several people involved in the debate discussions said most of these details were demanded by the Republicans.”
Third Time’s the Charm.
Although the agreement has not yet been finalized, word is Bush and Kerry will in fact debate thrice. Given that the “Bush campaign denied there was any deal,” it seems this was a leak intended to prevent the Bushies from squirming out of debate #2. If so, nice job.
Left of Letterman?
“Q: Do you think it’s weird that talk radio is all right all the time? A: No, it’s not weird. Because liberal people don’t need to hear their view expressed over and over again. I think some people on the right need to hear this constant reinforcement, whereas I don’t find that necessary.” Jay Leno comes out as a lefty to LA Weekly. But, sadly, he also seems to harbor minimal faith in the transformative power of comedy…Ever heard of the Daily Show, Jay?