What's your comment on the debate between Bush and Kerry?

[Saint]

read here:
http://www.democrats.org/debates/update.html

 

[wasteofo2]

The debates won't be broadcast until 9:00 Eastern time, another 25 or so minutes.

 

[megashawn]

keep me updated, I'm stuck at work!

 

[Gokul43201]

Just started.

Upon Kat suggestion, I'm following the Iowa Electronic Markets

Just before start : (8:55pm)

Bush = $0.682
Kerry = $0.338

 

[megashawn]

Whats with the dollar amounts?

And I've been waiting for the chance to tell you I love your quote.

 

[Gokul43201]

http://128.255.244.60/quotes/78.html

Kerry had a great chance with "How did Bush mislead the people about the War ?", but he blew it by not going into any details, or dropping any serious explosives. Instead he went over the same old drill again.

 

[graphic7]

So far, most of Bush's responses have not been very impressive. I don't know - it's just how he talks I suppose. Kerry, on the other hand, has been very presentable throughout the debate, so far.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Bush: Pure comedy I'd say. I knew I could count on him.

My favorite so far is that he will defeat terror because "he thinks about it every day".

 

[bjon-07]

Bush is getting his a@# kicked

 

[bjon-07]

This has to be one of the funnest things I have ever heard.

 

[graphic7]

I've heard some many "uh's" and "er's" from Bush, it's hilliarious. Kerry has been very quick and responsive.

 

[member 5645]

from the website:

George Bush stubbornly refused to face reality.
George Bush failed to deliver a plan for Iraq.
George Bush refused to accept responsibility for his failures.

those are some seriously objective reasons right there

 

[motai]

This debate doesn't seem like a debate to me. They aren't asking each other questions. No point-counterpoint style debating.

Lots of valence statement (a suprising amount of them from both Kerry and Bush). I already heard Kerry and Bush agree with each other several times.

Lets see where this ends up...

 

[Ivan Seeking]

When it is said that Bush stays on message, apparently this means that he has five answers used for everything.

 

[member 5645]

Bush is getting his a@# kicked

He got his ass kicked in 2000. this election and debates are is his to lose. He just has to hang in there to still win.
Kerry has a lot of proving of himself to do.
Will be interesting to see how this is all perceived. A bad showing on the first debate will be a winner for Bush in the next 2.

Remember that you are 'misunderestimating' him.

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, and Bush keeps telling us what hard work the presidency is. Maybe if he thinks it's such hard work, he should try some other profession. He keeps repeating the same crap over and over, even if it isn't relevant to the question.

I think Kerry is doing a pretty good job. He could have done a little better on a few questions, but he's getting his point across, speaking clearly, and not coming across cocky the way Bush is.

 

[kat]

Just started.

Upon Kat suggestion, I'm following the Iowa Electronic Markets

Just before start : (8:55pm)

Bush = $0.682
Kerry = $0.338

Gokul, where did you get this amt.? Did you take Dems less then 52% and Reps greater then 52% or?

Symbol Bid Ask Last Low High Average
DEM04_G52 0.089 0.099 0.090 0.088 0.125 0.100
DEM04_L52 0.225 0.232 0.220 0.209 0.266 0.235
REP04_L52 0.194 0.195 0.195 0.192 0.228 0.203
REP04_G52 0.470 0.479 0.480 0.415 0.507 0.480

 

[bjon-07]

I have not laughed this hard in a long time...mabye I should not be listening to this in the libary. People are starting to look at me funny.

 

[Moonbear]

This debate doesn't seem like a debate to me. They aren't asking each other questions. No point-counterpoint style debating.

Lots of valence statement (a suprising amount of them from both Kerry and Bush). I already heard Kerry and Bush agree with each other several times.

Lets see where this ends up...

These debates aren't meant to be them asking each other questions, it's the job of the moderator to ask the questions and them each to take turns answering them or responding to the others comments (think of it more like lawyers in court each presenting their case and arguments, not asking each other questions).

 

[kat]

I just wish Kerry would stop flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth. It's kinda icky.

 

[Moonbear]

When it is said that Bush stays on message, apparently this means that he has five answers used for everything.

That's for the S...L...O... W Bush followers who need the same handful of things repeated over and over and over so they can keep up.

 

[Moonbear]

I just wish Kerry would stop flicking his tongue in and out of his mouth. It's kinda icky.

I hadn't noticed that. Then again, I was listening, but not really doing a lot of watching...was trying to type notes to remember what each said, until I started typing "blah blah blah...same stuff" for Bush's remarks and decided I didn't really need to compare what they were saying afterward.

 

[Moonbear]

In the end, I thought it was a really good debate. I actually feel like I learned something more about Kerry's position and got some good concrete answers out of him. Hard to get too many details out of 2 min answers, but some details started to form. Kerry kept stating that Bush's position was 4 words: more of the same, and Bush fell right into that pattern by repeating over and over ad nauseum more of the same! I know public speaking is not Bush's strong suit, but I did think he'd do a little better than he did tonight. He just came across cocky...some hmphs and other noises while Kerry was speaking that just seemed very childish...more like what I'd expect on People's Court than in a presidential debate.

 

[kat]

Moonbear, I really didn't hear anything new. Kerry seemed to be repeating that he only had ONE message and struggling to avoid using the word "vietnam". Bush, seemed defensive at the beginning but had a strong ending.

 

[Gokul43201]

The debates are worth jack$#!t, in my opinion. I thought Al Gore did a far better job than Bush in 2000. However, Bush got a jump after the debates then. So I just throw up my hands, shake my head and walk away.

It's got nothing to do with what's said, because the average person is NOT aware enough of the issues, in order to determine what is a real answer, what is a dodge, and what is a simple wool-pulling job. Also, most people won't notice when the answer has little to do with the question.

 

[Moonbear]

Moonbear, I really didn't hear anything new. Kerry seemed to be repeating that he only had ONE message and struggling to avoid using the word "vietnam". Bush, seemed defensive at the beginning but had a strong ending.

I thought Bush seemed defensive throughout. Kerry saying he had one message is a good tactic...he needed to say that because Bush kept alluding to flip-flopping. Kerry was making the point that he hasn't wavered and explained that. Maybe some of the things Kerry outlined were covered in other speeches he's given, but I haven't heard them myself before, so it was good for me to hear them this way. Of course pretty much every question was about Iraq, so there really wasn't much chance to talk about anything else. The choice of questions really forced them both to be somewhat repetitive because the questions were repetitive. I really hope the next two debates planned address some other issues. Iraq is a big deal and a big mess that someone needs to deal with, but there are other issues too that we need to hear about.

 

[Gokul43201]

Gokul, where did you get this amt.? Did you take Dems less then 52% and Reps greater then 52% or?

Symbol Bid Ask Last Low High Average
DEM04_G52 0.089 0.099 0.090 0.088 0.125 0.100
DEM04_L52 0.225 0.232 0.220 0.209 0.266 0.235
REP04_L52 0.194 0.195 0.195 0.192 0.228 0.203
REP04_G52 0.470 0.479 0.480 0.415 0.507 0.480

I added the numbers for X gets the biggest share but less than 52% and X gets more than 52%. So, those numbers simply represent "X gets the bigger share".

Opening : K = $0.338 ; B = $0.682
Now : K = $0.333 ; B = $0.682

 

[kat]

(IET 15min update)

Symbol Bid Ask Last Low High Average
DEM04_G52 0.088 0.090 0.092 0.088 0.125 0.099
DEM04_L52 0.230 0.240 0.230 0.209 0.266 0.234
REP04_L52 0.194 0.195 0.195 0.192 0.228 0.202
REP04_G52 0.480 0.490 0.490 0.415 0.507 0.480

 

[Mercator]

What was probably most important: kerry had good hair.

 

[Moonbear]

The debates are worth jack$#!t, in my opinion. I thought Al Gore did a far better job than Bush in 2000. However, Bush got a jump after the debates then. So I just throw up my hands, shake my head and walk away.

It's got nothing to do with what's said, because the average person is NOT aware enough of the issues, in order to determine what is a real answer, what is a dodge, and what is a simple wool-pulling job. Also, most people won't notice when the answer has little to do with the question.

I think your last comment is the most disturbing, and very true. I think those of us posting here are intelligent enough to know when questions are or aren't answered, but I think there are a lot of people who don't notice this at all. That's probably why Bush does well by just repeating a few key messages even if they don't answer the questions actually asked. The average joe can walk away from this with a list of 5 points Bush made and remember what he had to say. How many people will remember all the points Kerry made tonight? It confuses the average person to hear complex arguments. Kerry seemed to try hard tonight to keep things simple, to say things that fit into good soundbites, and maybe it will work...we'll have to see which quotes get aired on the morning news.