Bush Fails to Stem Kerry Momentum in Second Debate, Polls Show

[LWolf]

http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000087&sid=anXbKywieA18&refer=top_world_news

ct. 9 (Bloomberg) -- President George W. Bush failed to gain a victory in the second presidential debate to stem the momentum built by John Kerry, a four-term Massachusetts senator, since their first match-up last week.

Two polls gave Kerry an edge in the 90-minute contest at Washington University in St. Louis. An ABC News survey of registered voters showed 45 percent considered Kerry the winner and 41 percent picked Bush. In a CNN poll, 47 percent said Kerry won and 45 percent favored Bush. Both are within the margin of error.

Bush, 58, took aim at Kerry's 20-year record in the U.S. Senate, saying he voted to slash intelligence spending. Bush told the audience of undecided voters, that Kerry, 60, would raise their taxes to fund his health care proposal and other spending plans. Kerry said Bush turned his campaign into ``a weapon of mass deception.'' Bush doesn't have a plan to ``win the peace'' in Iraq, Kerry said.

``I think Kerry got the better of the president,'' said Alexander Lamis, a professor of political science at Case Western Reserve in Cleveland. Bush ``did not detract from whatever momentum Senator Kerry is building up.''

I like to see headlines like this!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. And this is the essential point.

It wasn't necessary for Kerry to annihilate Bush in last night's debate. All that matters is that Bush can't be called a clear winner -- and even the most whorish pundits haven't done that. Bush would have had to beat Kerry decisively to stop the momentum, but instead, most polls and talking heads say either that Kerry won, even if only by a little, or that it was a tie. That means Kerry is 2-for-2 going into the last one, the pressure is on Bush, and we've seen how well he handles pressure...

[Peanut Gallery]

7. Agreed, my guess is that the demeanor of both candidates

will leave the most lasting impression. Bush isn't helping himself with his antics.

More than that, Kerry just keeps demonstrating his depth, leadership qualities and ease in connecting with people. I can't say enough how refreshing it is to hear him speak to people like adults. He assumes their intelligence, while Bush is paternalistic and insulting.

[dqueue]

12. Oh, but get this...

So, I reg'd a spam address with the bush regime so that I could submit questions for some online campaign event... first thing I see in that spam address inbox this morning:

Reviews Are In--President Bush Won Decisive Victory!
President Bush won a decisive victory last night. The President dominated the debate with impassioned, thoughtful and concise arguments that left Kerry looking petty and defensive as he sputtered out tired, false political rhetoric and distortions that shattered his credibility and contradicted the Senator's 20-year record of being on the wrong side of history on national security and domestic policy.

I know they don't read replies to the address, but I'm always compelled to write something back. In any case, bushco sure wants the sheeple believing he won!

[LWolf]

14. What were they watching???

Bush? Impassioned, thoughtful, concise? How about petulant, angry, and defensive?

Typical Orwellian tactic; call it the opposite of what it is.

[w4rma]

31. They are trying to create a bubble around their current supporters.

A bubble of false information. Thats one reason that they are so secretive and why they hide what is going on in Iraq, so much.

If reality were to puncture that bubble, then many of their supporters would escape into reality and would start working on puncturing the bubble themselves from the outside.

[Bush_Eats_Beef]

17. The wordcraft of Karen Hughes...like that dead skunk smell on the highway

Anyone who doesn't immediately recognize this as the work of Karen Hughes either doesn't know who she is or can't spot her "attack mode"...

The President dominated the debate with impassioned, thoughtful and concise arguments that left Kerry looking petty and defensive as he sputtered out tired, false political rhetoric and distortions that shattered his credibility and contradicted the Senator's 20-year record of being on the wrong side of history on national security and domestic policy.

[Longhorn]

18. Even Republicans who believe Bush won

wouldn't believe that load of crap! Kerry was not at all petty, defensive, or sputtering. The harder they try to make Bush look good, the more they fail.

[Bandit]

23. I believe Orwell wrote that paragraph.

It is so far from reality as to be pretty close to Bush* and Cheney. they are "out there"

[coreystone]

38. "Let them eat cake"!......

Those types are so programmable. They wouldn't know what they looked like with a mirror in their face. They are not looking for any truths. They are choosing to be blind.

How many people would admit that they voted for Nixon in 1972. Afar cry from the percentage that elected him.

Some of these people really have to be "slam dunked" before they will ever realize what an absolute bafoon BushCo is, and, how much he is destroying the American dream.

[jdj]

48. "registered voters" not "likely voters"????

they must not have gotten the memo.

I can hear Rove now, 'get out there and poll the "likely voters" and don't ever let this happen again!'

[Florida_Geek]

2. Me thinks Rove will pull * from third debate

He is losing numbers on every debate..

[blue neen]

3. Most of the pundits agreed before the debate that Bush

needed to have a "great" debate. He most certainly did not even come close to that. His winking was obnoxious, his lunging at Charlie Gibson frightening, his compassion was phony.

[livetohike]

29. Definitely

and he strutted around the stage like a pigeon looking for his next meal.

[Lugnut]

42. A pigeon!

I was wracking my brain trying to think of what kind of bird * looked like during the debate. Banty rooster wasn't exactly it. Pigeon nails it. Thanks. :)

[joeybee12]

4. Finally! An accurate headline! Thanks!

This is the real story of last night's debate. Kerry kept Bush on the defensive, and while Bush didn't come across as so much of a whining turd as he did in the first debate, it's clear who had the upper hand. Kerry and his campaign needs to keep this up, and victory is in sight!

[Zynx]

6. Bloomberg is a fairly good news organization.

[joeybee12]

9. True, but a LOUSY mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[meti57b]

5. this is the news I've been waiting to get this morning ... thank you!

[LWolf]

15. You're welcome.

It's nice to see a headline somewhere close to reality, every once in awhile.

:hi:

[Diana52]

8. Kicking it...

:kick:

[fishnfla]

10. Bush is his own worst enemy

which means its true, he is the enemey of all americans then

[underpants]

11. The audience was laughing at W when he blew up at Gibson

I just rewatched the video from Oliver Willis's sight and the crowd was laughing at him--honor and dignity.

[henslee]

30. About to watch the blow up right.... now.

[Eye and Monkey]

32. reminiscent of some performances on The Jerry Springer Show?

Next time up - the Bush Family-Our Daddy Makes Us Wear Leashes.

[cubster]

37. polls schmolls

polls schmolls. kerry 2 bush 0. the end. bush responses to hideous
faux pas (plural) are no more than 2 + 2 = a bag of hammers. kerry should have spoken to bush in french and simply let him know he is a sac de douche (translation: douche bag). Two questions for bush-
1. what was charley gibson's question, what is your answer?
2. how did my pet goat end?

OMG WMD WTF

love and kisses

the cubster

[mom cat]

13. This is a real kicker.

[tabasco]

16. Yeah, but he found out he's an owner of a timber company.

So he's got that going for him.

[jmowreader]

47. He'll need to have something to fall back on come January

Between his government pensions, his speechifying honoraria, his fees for sitting on various boards, royalties from sales of his forthcoming DVD series "America's Stupidest Home Videos--The Bush Administration, Volumes 1 through 666" and the two bucks a day the government is required to pay every federal prisoner so he can buy snacks, smokes and plenty of vaseline, Bush might find it hard to pay the rent on the trailer in Copperas Cove (Laura's living in it until George gets out of the joint sometime in the year 2805) that the boy rented after the government took the ranch as war reparations.

[carpediem]

19. * was too busy fighting his own face

Everytime they went to his camera it looked like he was saying "don't make a face, whatever you do, don't make a face" and even then the faces snuck out.

[Judi Lynn]

20. Speaking of faces, what seemed out of place in the debate

was the fact that he squeezed off several winks at various people in the audience throughout the evening. It looked a little looney, as each time he did it, he was really having a hard time staying in the game.

I never saw him as a big "winker" until last night, when it made him look like a psychopath.

[many a good man]

21. What does the Bible say about winking?

From the Book of Proverbs <16:30> :

Watch out for people who grin and wink at you; they have thought of something evil.

[starroute]

22. Great quote -- and you can add Proverbs 16:32

He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty;
and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city.

(or, in an alternate translation)

Better be slow to anger than a fighter,
better govern one's temper than capture a city.

[tuvor]

24. He looks like Columbo in that photo.

Certainly not as bright.

[Arugula Latte]

25. Oh, Jesus Christ. He winked?

I can't bear to watch Bush in any way, shape, or form, so I did not watch the debate (I read about it on DU while it happened).

That's so perfect that he winked at people. Winkers are cocky, arrogant, slimey little pricks like Bush -- the kind who would call a waitress "sweetheart" and pat her on the ass. :puke:

That's so fitting for that little bastard. He has to puff himself up and act like Mr. Cool. My enormous contempt for him grows daily.

[reprobate]

27. "Winker"? Your mispelling is showing. That should be "Wanker"

[ldf]

35. well, THAT is a whole new visual image....

he WANKERED at people?

ewwwwww!

excuse me while i go try to cleanse my mind's eye.

:puke:

[coreystone]

40. Well! Silly! Georgie was just trying to connect ....

It really did something for me!
<sarcasm off>

:freak:

[tblue37]

45. He looks like Chevy Chase in that photo! n/t

[judgegina]

26. kick

n/t

[Nicholas_J]

28. Well we will see what the voter polls start reflecting in the next 72 hrs

Todays Zogby tracking has Kerry moving a point ahead of Kerry. The methodology that Zogby is using for these tracking polls has historically been accurate within one tenth of a point,even thogh the reported margin of error is higher.

[opihimoimoi]

34. poor bush, cannot read, think, sell....only decieve

worst president of all time for america

[JoFerret]

33. Electoral College prediction: Kerry ahead

http://www.electoral-vote.com/

Electoral Vote Predictor 2004: Kerry 280 Bush 248

[saracat]

41. Not anymore. He has just exactly enough EV to win! 270.

We have lots of work ahead!

[lovuian]

36. Bush can't control his unconscious smirks and bully attitude

its gotten out of his control

I suggest he be medicated!!!

[greyXstar]

39. The Meltdown

The article says Dubya's 58, but he acts like he's 5 TO 8 years old. It's just so embarrassing for us that the whole world sees that we have a whiney, spoiled rich kid as our leader. The audience actually laughed when he interupted Charlie Gibson, and I think between that and his failure to admit even ONE mistake when he was asked to, that he lost a ton of support. The only rats left on the ship are the hard-line fundies.

[T Bone]

43. Bush might make a good Blinking Bobblehead

in the back window of a Hyundai or Kia, as he demonstrated in the most recent debate. But, his debate performances do not recommend him as a leader of the USA or the free world in anyway whatsoever.

[gordianot]

49. It was more than an interruption.

He was charging Charlie, pulled up short of a physical threat.

I used to have a dog that would do that, see a threat and start barking. When you made eye contact he would turn and bark in the air. Bush reminded me of Brownie. We had to get rid of that dog he bothered the neighbors too much

[AspenRose]

52. Imagine if John Edwards had pulled a stunt like that with Gwen Ifill

We'd never hear the end of it.

Of course, even though John had EVERY REASON to be frustrated with her "moderating," he has more class and gravitas than that.

[Zorra]

44. How could anyone seriously think Bu$h out-debated Kerry in either

debate?

I watched the second debate with a couple, one a hard core Bu$h supporter, and the other a republican leaning independent. Both of them admitted that Kerry clearly out-debated Bu$h in every way.

(I believe that I may have convinced one, and possibly both of them, to vote for JK - the debate really helped.)

Anyway, IMO, Bu$h came off like a childish, whiny little brat that made things up as he went along because he basically didn't have much of a clue on what he was talking about.

Saying that Bu$h was more effective, articulate, or factual in the second debate is kind of like saying that the Lions played better than the Bears, even though the Bears beat the Lions 76 - 0.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

46. It's bed time for Chimpy

[NewYorkerfromMass]

50. kick

[Zech Marquis]

51. no wonder the freeps are freaking out!

Boy oh boy, you can expecy * and Rove to beg Osama to surrender any moment now, along with calling Kerry and Edwards a pair of cheese eating Frenchman who appease the enemy :eyes: