What tricks does GWB have up his sleeve for the debates.

Great Debates
1

I am a virtual GD virgin and not American, but I’m interested, and curious to see what will happen.

GWB can do scripted, but the TV I see of him in unexpected situations and asked unexpected questions he’s hopeless, bumbling, “er-ah-uumm” When his brain eventually does think of something to say it’s often ill-conceived and dumb. Yet when I watch Kerry I see someone who’s articulate, intelligent, and who would seem very good at quick-witted unscripted debate.

If there are no tricks, it seems like it would be political suicide to put a man who seems to completely lack the ability of articulated speech against someone who seems good at it.

2

A neater trick would be to see Kerry show some self deprecating humor, or indeed, any likeability at all.

This is going to be fun.

3

It’s not exactly an “unscripted debate.” More like two parallel interviews. The moderator will pose questions to the candidates, and they will answer within the time allotted. They will not be allowed to question each other directly. And they know, in general terms, what the mod’s questions will be about. (This first debate is, I believe, limited to foreign policy.) It’s not likely either candidate will be asked anything that will really throw him for a loop.

4

Lots and Lots of preparation, plus a well negotiated format.

Bush can be horrible when speaking extemporaneously, but if he’s well prepared he does fine. Most of the news commentators consider that neither Bush nor Kerry has ever lost a debate in his political career. Don’t be so quick to wirte off Bush. The format they will be using (at least for the first one) should favor Bush. Kerry doesn’t make short, declarative statements easily, and he’ll have to do that Thrusday night.

I’ve got my debate party all planned for tomorrow, including the drinking game we’ll play (Bush supporters do a shot every time he says “nu-ku-lar” and Kerry supporters do a shot evertime he mentions Vietnam).

5

Not necessarily. We had the same thing in the last German election. Almost everybody was - correctly IMO - convinced that Chancellor Schröder was far superior to his opponent Stoiber rhetorically. He did better in absolute terms, but the highly ritualized debate didn’t allow him to wipe the floor with his opponent the way his supporters had hoped. All in all it was it was a disappointment and probably even a burden for him.

6

Wow, wish I were going to be at John Mace’s house for the debate tomorrow. :slight_smile: I’ll be on a plane tomorrow afternoon/evening instead, so will miss the debate most likely (unless its going to be on the web somewhere after the debate is over…and unless I get a decent internet connection where I’m staying tomorrow night, which is doubtful).

Preparation of course is the key. Both candidates have been doing mock debates (unless I miss my guess) against people simulating their opponent…i.e. with the same talking style and what they think their debate points will be. In this kind of debate GW has as much of a chance as Kerry to look good…so it will all come down to the analysis of the talking heads and who THEY think did well or not.

I know almost no one here actually watches Fox News, but I think we’ve seen this week a lot of what GW at least will be saying in his interview with O’Reilly on The Factor (the last interview is tonight btw at 6pm MTN). Its been worth the time to watch him…I only wish Kerry had of agreed to go on The Factor and talk to O’Reilly too, as it would have been an interesting contrast in a more relaxed setting than the debates will be. Oh well…there was probably never a chance of Kerry agreeing to go on the show.

-XT

7

I would much rather see an unscripted Bush vs. Kerry debate, in which they really tear into each other. Let the games begin. This sounds more like a boring infomercial.

8

Not too unfair a description. I know a lot of people think these debates are going to shake things up in the polls, but it’s very possible that things will be pretty much like they are now. I have low expectations for the debates-- I hope I’m surprised on the upside.

9

The “tricks” are going to be so-called “zingers” the candidates have had their speechwriters coming up with.

Bush is going to stay on message - Kerry is a flip-flopper; I will protect you from terrorists.

I hope, as a partisan, that he unlooses something completely factually inaccurate, that Kerry can call him on. He got away with things like “two divisions of our military are unprepared for duty” (paraphrase) in 2000 that still stick in my craw, all while his legions were calling Gore the liar.

It’ll be kind of like Napoleon the pig from Animal Farm.

10

The same tricks Bush always uses – the ability to brazenly lie with a straight face, coupled with a passively pliant media that won’t dare call him on it.

And Fox News operating the TV cameras, it seems.

11

I predict Kerry will get his teleprompter hacked.

12

Been there, done that. Guess you haven’t seen his Letterman interview?

13

I haven’t heard Bush saying “nucular” much lately. It might be better to do a shot every time he mentions 9/11.

I would’ve liked to see Bush on The Daily Show. Kerry has been on there, Edwards announced his candidacy on there, and Jon Stewart has been asking every GOP official to get Bush on the show, but no luck so far. I think TDS is a much better venue, since it has cross-party appeal and reaches a demographic that doesn’t follow the typical cable news/commentary shows.

14

I would have liked to see Bush on TDS too Mr2001…but I think O’Reilly’s interview was very good and I think Kerry could reach a potentially bigger audience there…and that a much bigger audience is getting the impression he’s ducking O’Reilly by not going on it. Good or bad, right or wrong, Fox is pretty much number one as far as audience goes, and Kerry should take up the challenge by bearding the lion in its den…if that’s what he thinks O’Reilly is. Personally I find O’Reilly pretty balanced, and I think the interview would be reasonably fair. Just MHO of course…

-XT

15

Or his joke about he and John Edwards have so much in common…which starts by listing various things and ends with, “John Edwards was named one of the sexiest politicians by People Magazine…And, I…well, I read People Magazine.”

Okay, I didn’t say he should take up stand-up comedy, but it wasn’t bad.

16

tricks?

If he does a Blaine levitation, he’s got my vote.

17

I’d like to see Bush live in a plexiglass box for 40 days.
I wouldn’t vote for him if he did it. I’d just like to see it.

18

Xtisme, you can watch a live feed on www.c-span.org, and they should have it up soon after as a file.

The trouble with the debates now is this: the candidates answer the question asked of them very briefly, even superficially, and then segue right into their rehearsed comments.

For example (I made these up):

Q: Why did you fly in in a fighter pilot suit when you’re a goddamn draft doger who wasted the country’s pilot training money spent on you and have the nerve to put that goddamn “Mission Accomplished” banner up there, hmm?

A: Well, Mr. Lehrer, it’s been established for a long time that that was “press spin.” The Iraqis is beginning to love freedom. They’re learning how to vote and what democracy tastes like. Things are hard, hard as nails right now, but we’re building a stable Middle East. How was I going to trust the distant word of a madman with the sweet song of Jesus right in my own ear?

Q: As a church-going Catholic, how can you support abortion, or what you euphamistically call the “right to choose,” you fucking hypocrite?

A: Thank you, Bernie. I do like to think of myself as a good Catholic. And I recall a certain Palestinian teacher–for, you know, it was Palestine back then, not Isreal. Actually, he was Galileean, Galilee being one of the nations or subnations, along with Samaria, from which we get the parable of the Good Samaritan, which I’m sure you all will recall. And this teacher, known to us today as Joshua bin Joseph of Nazarether, or, more simply, Jesus, taught us not to cast the first stone. So as a follower of this great teacher, as a Catholic, I feel it is the right of every woman to cast her own stone, and not to have it cast, or under alternate circumstances, not cast for her. This is the essence of what I think has been the pro-choice position for decades now, which is not about liking the thing–I, as a Vietnam Swift Boat Commander never liked putting my loyal men in harm’s way–but more about potentiating a freedom, just as we attempted to potentiate the freedom of the South Vietnamese in–

Q: Sorry, time’s up!

19

Well, we can hope that Mr. Kerry segues effectively. :frowning:

20

Hopefully, Kerry will have some sort of “Mother of all flip flops” line prepared. “George, you have been calling me a flip flopper and yet YOU were the one who told us Iraq has weapons of mass destruction and now they don’t. You were the one who told us you would get Bin Laden dead or alive and you haven’t. You told us mission accomplished and it wasn’t. George, those flip flops belong on your feet, not mine.”