Bush is a terrific debater - will be tough to beat

[ruggerson]

If Kerry can merely hold his own, he will be doing quite well.

Remember, Bush has won every debate he's ever had.

Spread the word wide and far.

:)

[Demi_Babe]

1. Terrific debater? By whose standards?

[NEOBuckeye]

14. Shhh... We're trying to raise the bar above his head.

If we raise everyone's expectations of Bush in the debates so high, he can't help but fail when he falls short of those expectations. It's just the opposite of bashing his all-too-obvious ineptitude to the point that, if he even puts on a mediocre performance, the media treats him like he's a master.

Oh, and by the way, have I told you that Kerry's not that good of a debater?

[henslee]

42. That was the loudest Shhh, I ever heard.

[ferg]

39. Bush is a terrific debater by the media's standards

And since the media decide who will "win", Bush will win the debates, guaranteed.

If Kerry can escape without the SCLM making him look like a fool, then he'll do as well as I'm hoping for. There's no chance the media will say Kerry beat Bush in the debates.

[truhavoc]

2. Wait for the spin saying that Bush is not favored in the debate n/t

[dogtag]

3. ooooooooh, I'm a shakin' in my boots.

The very thought of him swaggering onto the stage makes me quake in fear.

[sonicx]

4. he's a master debator

Kerry better watch out. :)

[pinkpops]

22. masterbater?

[despairing optimist]

24. Yeah, he knows who the president of Pakistan is this time

A double threat at least. For a triple threat he'll have to learn how to stick with one pronunciation of Abu Ghraib.

The problem isn't that B* is a good debater so much as that the format of the debates doesn't lend itself to true interaction between the candidates. Also, the "impartial" moderator, probably Jim Lehrer for one of them, won't do the necessary follow-ups to ensure that questions are answered rather than talked around.

I think one of the debates should have Vince McMahon as announcer/referee and should take place in a cage, since appearance is everything and debates are so boring anyway. Why not have a smack down with undecided voters as audience participants? That format is much closer to where Joe Sixpack is anyway; it's something he can relate to. But then that may skew the debate toward the red side, wouldn't it?

[JI7]

5. Kerry will be lucky just to get through all 3 debates

we can't expect Kerry do beat Bush in any of the debates considering how great Bush does in debates and how he won them all. but we should be happy if Kerry just shows up and does all 3 of the debates.

[democrat in Tallahassee]

6. yes, he is fearsome. never lost a debate. kerry must be careful

or he will slip up and the silver-tongued devil will pounce with his huge vocabulary

[gulliver]

7. He is. He is a quick thinker...

... and has a sterling sense of humor.

Unfortunately, Bush is going to run circles around our guy. The best we can hope for is that Kerry manages to hold his own and not make too many gaffes.

[PinkTiger]

25. Giraffes??? What Giraffes???

nt

[gulliver]

37. The pink ones!

:toast:

[Kathy in Cambridge]

8. Wolf Blitzer, is that you?

;-)

[girl gone mad]

9. That's right.

Bush has won every debate he has ever had.

I think it has something to do with the soft bigotry of low expectations.

We shouldn't let the media get away with such bigotry.

[Zorra]

10. Are you joking, or just really, really drunk?

[AlCzervik]

18. spread hugher expectations of *'s debate skills

so when he doesn't live up to them people will be very disappointed in him.

[Tweed]

49. Show a debate that Bush didn't win

He beat Ann Richardson, he beat Al Gore, the man knows how to debate.

[spanone]

11. Spread this.....Utter Bullshit. Watched all 2000 debates. Bush* sucked.

[qanda]

17. shhhhh!!!!!

Bush is a GREAT debater... pass it around.

[spanone]

31. The Master de Bater

Geez, I fell for this same post before. Lunk me.

[qanda]

32. Yes, not to be confused with the

Master Bater... :evilgrin:

[theorist]

12. I think all you guys w/out avatars better wash off those freep-stains.

Just kidding. I think it would be great if we could raise the expectations for the pResident's performance, but, alas....the guy gives the same fucking speech everyday! Do you think the press will really play this guy up?

It'll be more like "Kerry's working so hard for the debates....he must want to make bush look bad." That's how the spin will go--Bush Bullied By Brazen Boston Brahmin, or some shit.

[AlCzervik]

13. oh yes, his mastery and command of the English language is only second

to his knowledge of international affairs and diplomacy.

[wildeyed]

15. It's true

Bush can put things out in very black and white terms that appeal to today's attention challenged voter. Plus he has that folksy manner that many find so appealing. Kerry is more nuanced and thoughtful, but apparently that is considered a negative by the public. :shrug:

[Morning Dew]

16. Been spreading the word for weeks !

Bush* is clear and concise - no one has EVER bested him in a debate.

Kerry had better practice hard for this and not deviate from his points at the whim of a hat.

[Thom Rafferty]

19. Too Late Guys

He's a great closer.
He's a great closer.
He's a great closer.
Have I told you he's a great closer?
Here come the debates.
Let's keep expectations low.

[stevedeshazer]

20. He is

He whooped Ann Richards and Al Gore. Kerry will have his hands full, no question about it.

I hope the mainstream media remembers what a superior debater Bush is. :)

[pinkpops]

21. I believe thats EVERY debate , not ever debate. But

I don't know why you would say that. Remember in the 2000 election there were no hot issues except Clinton's infidelity. Weasel could just be calm (as instructed), stay on his talking points, and make it through. With all he's done (and hasn't done) since then, he will have a lot to answer for.

[Evergreen Emerald]

23. We must not misunderestimate him....

...especially if he is wearing whim-hat.

[unblock]

26. THIS IS NO JOKE. BUSH *IS* A TERRIFIC DEBATER!

by the only standard that matters, which is the post-debate pundit opinion.

kerry has the deck HEAVILY stacked against him.

kerry is practically GUARANTEED to be deemed the loser regardless of what happens during the debate itself.

expectations SHOULD be low for the post-debate wrap up, because unless kerry pulls of some sort of miracle, bush WILL be deemed the winner.

[lefthandedskyhook]

35. Almost right

The only standard that ultimately matters is voter perception. Pundits have way too much influence on it, but their opinions don't directly decide the election.

Monkey-boy can only 'win' by maintaining his false persona and avoiding the black hole of his own ignorance. These WILL be his objectives. It's shaky ground for him because his personal knowledge is incredibly shallow, yet he will be all pumped on ideology that has been force-fed to the people, and therefore he can still be dangerous in a sham debate. I don't buy into this tactic of pretending that he is a great debater (IMO it would most likely backfire); yet he and his cronies CAN be accurately characterized as master-baiters. ;)

From an earlier post:
Any candidate in a public debate simply needs to win the ethos battle. The ancient Greeks discovered this: the average citizen will be swayed by speaker appeal(ethos) far more than by logic (logos). Almost nobody understands what really influences them to this day, however.

The chimp has the benefit of a long and massive effort to promote him as something he is not: a compassionate masculine leader. This false shell can be pierced by:

1. Moving the discussion into unexpected territory.

2. Pressing george for intelligent explanations of abstract terms like compassion, inalienable rights, sovereignty, diplomacy etc. etc.

3. Demanding explanations for the many clear deceptions of the past four years.

4. Demanding explanations of promises not met.

5. Demanding explanations for inept actions related to the Iraq debacle.

6. Taunting effectively for not being available for more debates.

Poise is everything. Once the opponent is thrown off balance, the object is simply to keep him there while not gloating, but standing tall and at ease. Kerry can do this once he cracks that shell.

Nobody is going to win this debate on the issues. That discussion has been going on for a long while and the nation is deadlocked. The voting public will show no mercy, however, to the candidate that they perceive as an inferior person.

[OneBlueSky]

41. not only that, but he may very well win on "connection to voters" . . .

Bush will trot out his folksy, down home "regular guy" persona and hope that Kerry will come across as too patrician and not "one of us" . . . that's a real danger, since middle America seems to buy the Bush act, and BushCo will continue to paint Kerry as a Boston Brahmin who doesn't understand the concerns of "folks like us" . . . I don't buy it, but a lot of people do . . .

[T Bone]

48. hopefully the liberal networks have Ralph Reed on to tell us who won

after the debates are over. And it sure would help if they made Ron Reagan Jr. the democrat commentator on a few of the newtworks. I mean we just couldn't get a better democratic spokesperson than Ron Reagan Jr., well unless Fox allowed Alan Colmes to speak to the American people on all the networks, and since this election is so important--they just might !!

[bringbackfdr]

27. Shrub's media spin

If the nitwit in chief doesn't drool, pee himself or say something like "the nukes start flying at midnight" the wonderful national media will declare him the second coming of Socrates.

[Bluebear]

28. He is a weapon of mass debating.

I epxect Bush to win the debates handily, he is extremely experienced and after all won the 2000 debates. A force to be reckoned with.

[onehandle]

29. Oh, yeah. He's great.

I-am-so-scared.

[IndianaGreen]

30. My dog can beat Bush in a debate!

The man has a fried brain inside his head. I have never heard Bush express a coherent thought in his life!

[0rganism]

47. That only becomes relevant when your dog is debating against bush

Right now, the Democratic party has John Kerry, who for all his intelligence and gravitas, can come across as stiff, cold, and calculating. If your dog came across as stiff, cold, and calculating, he would have a difficult time beating bush in a debate. bush is a man of the people, who flies fighter jets on the weekends, is marvelously well-endowed, tells us how safe and strong we are when we most need to hear it, owns a thriving cattle ranch, and kicks arab butt all over the world.

Who is more likely to win the debates?

[Tweed]

50. But Bush beat Ann Richardson and Al Gore in debates

And I would think that Gore and Richardson are smarter then your dog.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

33. Bush is practicing his hunch and bob in a mirror right now

No one can hunch over a podium and bob his head up and down to make a point like George Bush. It's better than Reagan cocking his head to one side and slightly shaking it while he gayly smiled (which used to work miracles on the masses who witnessed this amazing phenomenon).

[PermanentRevolution]

34. Bush is quite simply Godlike

when standing in front of a microphone. Grown men get weak-kneed and women throw themselves at him in a lustful display of wanton emotion. He can walk on water while rescuing drowning puppies from burning buildings. Flowers grow in his footsteps and keen-eyed people have observed a golden halo ringing his head. Kerry's meager public-speaking skills are utterly useless before the majesty of Bush's oratory.

Too over-the-top? I can never tell...

[Zen Democrat]

36. I'll play the game. But, actually, Bush has LOST every debate badly.

He lost the debate with Ann Richards in 1994.

He lost the debate with Gary Mauro in 1998. Only about 3% of the public witnessed this debate broadcast on PBS stations only, with little fanfare. Mauro wiped the floor with him.

Didn't you see the 2000 debates? He stammered like the idiot he is.

But because he won in 1994 and 1998 and stole the election in 2000, he's been deemed the winner of the debates by our bogus media. Hooey.

[iwantmycountryback]

38. I am very worried

I hope Kerry can manage Bush's quick-thinking and tremendous control over the English language.

[WINEWOMAN7]

40. Bush is a God inspired debator

Bush's oratorical skills are known far and wide. He is such a policy wonk he can grasp the concept of the current subject of debate immediately and articulate his views so that his debate partner doesn't have a chance to counter his incredible intelligent presentation. Oh, I'm sorry, I mixed him up with Bill Clinton.

[CornField]

43. This will be a very difficult time for Kerry -- we should all pray for him

[seabeyond]

44. i have lit my candles

and hold my beads. (ok htis is almost blasphemy cause i am not catholic but i say it in love lol)

[Pirate Smile]

45. Debate Question 1. What is sovereignty?

[ruggerson]

46. hahahah

[SammyWinstonJack]

56. That question alone would showcase bush*'s debating skills

and his answer would surely win him the debate. :evilgrin:

[Dem2theMax]

51. Thank you for my nightly laugh.

How the hell can he debate? He can't even put four words together in a sentence and pronounce them properly! Let alone make sense! lol.

"What I am against is quotas. I am against hard quotas, quotas they basically delineate based upon whatever. However they delineate, quotas, I think vulcanize society. So I don't know how that fits into what everybody else is saying, their relative positions, but that's my position.''
— Quoted by Molly Ivins, the San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 21, 2000

"More Muslims have died at the hands of killers than — I say more Muslims — a lot of Muslims have died — I don't know the exact count — at Istanbul. Look at these different places around the world where there's been tremendous death and destruction because killers kill." —George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004

"I hope you leave here and walk out and say, 'What did he say?'" —George W. Bush, Beaverton, Oregon, Aug. 13, 2004

Tribal sovereignty. I rest my case. lol.

The only way he'll win is with the media, as they bow to KKKarl.
Yet hopefully, Kerry will nail him so badly that the media will HAVE to admit Kerry won.

I can hardly wait for the debates.

[rasputin1952]

52. bush is a terrible debater....

he can only discuss previously read topics, why do you think he refuses to go into a Town Hall type debate?

He can't do anything unless it is scripted. bush is a moron, he knows it, and we know it....terrific debatear...ROFLMAO; give me one instance when he "won" a debate on the issues.....:shrug:

He obfuscates issues, and itf the word "obfuscate" shows up in the debates, his head will explode trying to figure out what it means!!!

[npincus]

53. does the 'low expectations game' work for a sitting president?

I understand that Bush has always been perceived as the winner of debates because expectations for him have always been so low... but how can this work for a sitting President? Aren't low expections and imcompetence incompatible with the office of President? I don't believe it can work this time.

Bush's speeches and events are so scripted and highly controlled, and he has been so insulated from exposure- and he has been so well-marketed to the public as a strong, decisive leader (rather than a stubborn, shallow jackass) that perhaps if a debate question or exchange comes his way that he hasn't 'prepared' for, he will bumble and stumble and GOTCHA! What do you know- the emperor has no clothes!

THAT is our president? No WONDER we're stuck in Iraq and our deficit is exploding... what a fucking idiot! Sheesh... gotta vote for Kerry.

WIshful thinking scenario or not?

[arwalden]

54. What's The Punch Line?

[Monte Carlo]

55. W. won the TX governorship over Richards, won the Presidency...

... over Gore... I'd say he won those debates.

Bush is not in these debates for intellectual points. He's in it to make the other guy look bad, and so far, he's done that every time.