Progressive bloggers understand how Kerry is in trouble at the debates

[geek tragedy]

http://yglesias.typepad.com/matthew/2004/09/expectation...

http://atrios.blogspot.com/2004_09_19_atrios_archive.ht...

Dear lord, I just hope Kerry is in the race when Bush is through with him.

I am most definitely a nervous Kerry supporter. They may have to carry him out of the debate halls.

I think the town hall meeting will be particularly ugly for the Senator.

Anything short of a disaster should be considered a victory. I know I'd take a merely embarrassing performance.

Remember, that it was Bush's speaking appearances that carried the 2002 elections for the Republicans. I completely expect his folks, broad themes to overwhelm Kerry's wonkishness.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

1. Man, I expect...

That Kerry is gonna be dragging around 12ft of prolapsed, fly-blown, foot-printed colon around after him, once Our Dear Leader is done with him.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

2. Why will the townhall be bad for Bushler?

[geek tragedy]

10. It won't.

The people will be picked by GALLUP.

Bush's type of people--it will probably include some Swiftvets.

[seabeyond]

22. and you know how everYOne wants to have a beer with bushie

man this homespun sittin on a bale of hay, chattin with the people, right up bush's alley. we dont have a chance. have the spittoon handy

[olddem43]

3. Don't put this kind of crap on here -

The debates haven't started yet - Kerry will kick ass.

[vi5]

9. Psssst.....c'mere.....I got a secret....

(whispers) I think they are being somewhat sarcastic and switching around the low expectations thingy.

[seabeyond]

11. but but but, wink...........bush is godlike and razor sharp

he has won all debates always. they always expect so little of bush, yet amazingly he wins each and every debate. i have such HIGH expectation of bush reall really HIGH expectation of bush with this debate. kerry just has no hope whatsoever up against such a godlike figure in debating

[geek tragedy]

13. Bush destroyed Al Gore. The press should have very high expectations

for him.

[seabeyond]

19. lordy yes. i hear rather has really reall high expectations

of bush, lol lol lol lol

[geek tragedy]

23. He's undefeated and has won every debate he's entered.

He should be up by at least 6 points after the debates.

[seabeyond]

27. shhhh, i hear 13. just hope we can make it up

must be that yale and harvard education

[geek tragedy]

28. Well, if Kerry is within 7-8 points

it's definitely a sign of positive momentum.

[geek tragedy]

31. If Kerry's within 7-8, it means he has momentum on his side.

We can only hope he pulls that off.

[seabeyond]

33. from your mouth to gods ears n/t

[seabeyond]

14. and with this high expectation, if bush doesnt kick kerry's butt

well then hey, we should just let him slither away.......on back to crawford

[geek tragedy]

12. It's not crap.

Bush is clearly a better debater.

I only hope the media realizes what a favorite Bush is. I just get ill when I hear that Kerry is the favorite.

[pennylane100]

16. I honestly believe that John Kerry is a great debater.

But I also had no doubt that Al Gore would totally destroy Bush during the 2000 debates.

I think I will leave the country and move to Iceland or some other out of the way country for the next four years if history repeats itself and a complete moron somehow gets credit for winning the debates.

[theKnave]

40. In the debates, Kerry needs to...

... keep it simple. While * trips over one (1) syllable words, Kerry sometimes has the problem of speaking from the thesaurus. He needs to keep his message simple, and drive it home. It doesn't do him any good to have a great message, if the audience is blinking like deers in the headlights because they didn't understand what he said. Don't give a dissertation to a "yes" or "no" question.

[mike_c]

18. I really wish the Kerry Korps would stop trying to police...

...people's posts on DU. If you disagree with the thread please articulate your reasons for disagreeing. Ordering other DU members to "don't put this kind of crap" on DU is a brownshirt tactic, not civil discussion. This thread expresses a legitimate concern of progressives who fear that Kerry will nuance himself to death in a fevered attempt to avoid defining clear alternative positions.

[seabeyond]

4. i wish bush had spared kerry, and declined the debates

i was really hoping bush had decided he didnt need to put kerry through this. all bush's vast experience and knowledge he has gained in the last 4 years, our only hope is kerry wont make such a fool out of himself. the last debate in the middle of oct, that will give kerry a couple weeks to make up.

fingers crossed all. we have seen bush's prowess in the debating ring

[theKnave]

5. I expect...

Bushies to ask for Scheifer (CBS Washington correspondent) to be removed from the panel.

[theKnave]

41. Looks like i was correct...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

joy.

[Kierkegaard]

6. LOL!

I squirted Coke(not coke, but Coke) out of my nose, thank you very much!

[seabeyond]

24. bah ha ha ha ha

that is funny

how are the bubbles

[Kierkegaard]

34. Bubbles are good for bathing but not inhaling.

Burns! Of course it was not as bad as wasabi(did you see the movie 'Jackass?')

[sonicx]

7. Kerry's in trouble, folks...

bush is a master debator. A cunning linguist. what is Kerry gonna do...

[RevCheesehead]

25. ahem........did you say........master 'bater?

"I am not, nor have I ever been a master 'bater. I don't need to. I practice my lovin' all over this country. I mean, everywhere I go, I'm f'ing up somethin'."

[LittleClarkie]

38. Like I keep saying

If he's still pissed off, he'll be fine. Passion, short sentences, the works. This will NOT be Kerry on autopilot.

It's late in the campaign, and that's when he's at his best.

Just ask Bush to explain sovereignty again. Gads that was funny.

[theKnave]

42. Is that a Clinton quote?

sorry... couldn't resist.

[aquart]

8. Sweet of you to try to diminish expectations.

But I expect Kerry to do fine with even high expectations.

[DrFunkenstein]

26. My Sentiments Exactly

n/t

[RevCheesehead]

15. Oooooooooooh! I'm Scawed! I'm Scawed!

EEK!

You guys crack me up!

[oasis]

17. "Please don't throw me into the briar patch" said the wily ol' chimp.

[knowbody0]

20. debates

bush is fried - litterally short circuited from all the lies. he is worn out confused and in need of stand in for the debates.

[Avalux]

21. This is bad

The town hall format will highlight shrub's ability to speak off the cuff and work the crowd. He's so skilled at it I'm afraid Kerry won't be able to keep up with him. What will Kerry do if he's asked a question that hasn't been screened? I was hoping shrub would skip this but since it's on, all we can do is hope for the best.

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

30. LOL, GWB the master of unscripted moments...

He can sure speak ah extem..extampon...extemperut

yes, extemporaneous, that's what he meant to say. MKJ

[seabeyond]

32. bah ha ha ha lol lol lol see, you see bush's charm

what warms the ordinary peoples heart. ya ya ya that just that, that is how he is gonna kick tush

[Avalux]

35. dupe

[Avalux]

36. lol - he gonna kick Kerry tushie

fer shur!

[DancingBear]

29. Bush wins all debates

The man is an oratorical wonder - if I was Kerry, I wouldn't show up.

Send a surrogate, John - you haven't a chance against the thesaurus that is George W. Bush.

"Is our candidates winning?"

[seabeyond]

37. we let bush take cheney to 9/11 commission meeting

do you think bush will show his compassionate side and let edwards go with kerry. even with that, bush stil has that strong edge

[theKnave]

43. Edwards vs. Cheney should be good.

Cheney did very well against Lieberman, but Edwards is a court room lawyer. This match-up should be the best/most interesting debate schedulted.

[ClassWarrior]

39. Bush* has NEVER lost a debate!!

I cringe to think what he'll do with Kerry...

23.

[theKnave]

44. Kerry should do fine...

... as long as he keeps it simple and stays on message. As long as he leaves the $6 words back in the green room, he should be fine.

[ClassWarrior]

56. But that's what we're all worried about - the $6 words.

23.

[Doosh]

45. Bush will float in on the wings of Angels!

how will Kerry top that? Clearly, he's cooked!

[ComerPerro]

46. BULLSHIT!!!!! 9/11 carried the 2002 elections

Bush is not a good debater, he is not a good speaker. He is a moron, a complete fucking moron.

You want to know why all that people could talk about was Bush after the 2000 debates?

Because they were impressed that he didn't completely shut down, babble like an idiot and drool all over himself.

It is really fucking sad that when the President shows that he actually can (with proper time to prepare) put two or three words together everyone is suddenly impressed ("Wow, I know he is a moron, but at least he isn't quite as fucking stupid as I thought he was").

Come on, get a grip.

It's easy to have the reputation as a good debator when you lie your ass off, can say whatever you feel like about any topic whatsoever, don't have to actually answer questions or ever be challenged, and have the media in your pocket.

Kerry is gonna kick Bush's ass all over the stage.

I just hope that the public is smart enough to realize that Bush is just a pathetic, alcoholic moron.

[AWhitneyBrown]

47. I've said this before; I debated Bush once.

And I couldn't speak for a month afterwards. My ears bled copiously for weeks. He was that good. My tongue was literally paralyzed from the tip down. I found out later he had actually perforated my left ear drum with one of his patented 'zingers'.
What people have to realize is that Bush is probably the finest debater ever to hold the office of President. During one debate some of the spit flew out of his mouth, boiled through the ground, and emerged a week later in China as a volcano.
I mean he is a good debater.
During his lieutenant governor debates in Texas, animals and birds would come out of the woods in flocks to listen to him. It became a real problem for animal control officials. Once a plane flying overhead was knocked off course by one of his comebacks. These are all true instances of what a good debater he is.
He pounded Gore so badly that he actually began to melt and fire extinguishers had to be used. I saw that myself on C-SPAN.
Another thing people don't know is that Bush has the power to call upon the shade of Ronald Reagan to enter the body of his opponent when he so desires. No one knows how he does it.
His tongue is not even human. It is made of pure gold, with a titanium alloy chip that is capable of infusing his words with the scent of delicious Kansas City style barbecue in order to seduce his listeners. Fortunately it doesn't work over the tv wires, but he has other tricks that do.
His words are instantly translated into 4 major languages while he speaks, depending on the listener, and those who can't speak any of those languages hear it as celestial music.
With the power of his words, he can turn a river into a raging fire, make a ship sail on dry land, and he can speak forever, if he so desires, because he has the power to stop time with his words.

If Kerry is still in human form after the first debate, it will be a great victory, no doubt about it.

[slinkerwink]

48. Bush will kick Kerry's ass at the debates!

*snickers*

[Dr Fate]

49. It's true- It will be difficult for Kerry to defeat Bush in TV debates...

Everyone knows how Bush mopped up the floor w/ Gore.

Kerry has the soft biggotry of low expectations working against him.

If Kerry is brave enough to even show up, he should be given points...

[ComerPerro]

51. Do you really believe that?

Did you feel, after watching those debates, that Bush had trounced Gore? I mean, really...

The only people who said this were right wing fanatics, and it is assumed that Bush won because he won the election.

But, interestingly enough, we now know that every single thing Bush said in the debates was a complete load of shit. It was all lies.

And Bush can't even sell lies convincingly.

[Dr Fate]

53. Kerry is no match for Bush's folksy mannerisms.

Remember all the media commentary about how great Bush was- who could forget? Conventional wisdom is that Bush has never lost a debate-

This is shaping up to be Kerry's toughest challenge to date...if he can just hold on and answer one or two questions right, he wont look so bad next to Bush.

[ComerPerro]

54. That doesn't mean that Bush is a master debater

Just wanted to say that in the subject line. Hoo boy.

Anyway.

It doesn't prove anything.

This is just like all those people who say Karl Rove is a genius.

He is not a genius, and Bush is not even a decent debater.

I could whip his ass in a debate while beating Rove in a game of chess without any effort as long as I had the media competely in my corner.

[kodi]

50. yglesias is a youngster in love with his own mind and so very full of $hit

....talking about how kerry has to dumb down and using gore's 2000 performance as bona fides for how good bush debates. christ after the first debate almost every media pundit said gore creamed bush, but within 24 hours they changed their minds because of the pressure from the right wing press that demanded he had lost. the back flips the press did in the subsequent days after that debate was appalling.

kerry will do just fine. bush is an idiot and in 2000 gore treated him with more grace and respect then kerry will.

john kerry needs to ask george w bush one single question when bush begins to warble on about how tough he is..."when duty and country called, just what war did you serve in george? I rode to the sounds of the gun fire and you fled in the other direction."

kerry should never refer to bush as anything other than "george" during the debates. he should never refer to bush as president bush or mr bush. no terms of respect should be offered to bush throughout the series of debates.

want to nail bush? call him a coward and liar to his face and tattoo it onto his forehead.

[elsiesummers]

52. Baker was pushing for one debate: ten paces for the Zellouts!

As expected, Kerry, a crack shot and a hunter, would win --- but * would manage the post duel media spin as they claim (1) Kerry broke the rules (2) Claim Kerry is mean (like the said of Gore when he stepped into *'s space in debate #3 - would say Kerry paced too close) (3) * wounded in combat but would recover (4) Would work the sympathy vote angle.

[Suzi Creamcheese]

55. Is this like an expectations management type post?

Cause if it isn't it doesn't make much sense. Bush doesn't even seem to have much of a command of the English language. We can count on him creating at least 3 new words per debate. I think Kerry will win the debates hands down.

[colonel odis]

57. i'm so frightened by bush's potential to whup kerry in the debates

i had to email a few right-wing talk shows. today, i'm afraid i'm going to have to write a few letters to the editor and get off my chest what a great debator our fearless leader is.

bush's command of the facts -- aw, hell. bush's command of everything -- will be so great it should boost the confidence of all viewers and members of the media.

if, by chance, kerry should draw even or, heaven forbid, win a debate, with everyone secure in the knowledge that bush is the superior debator .... well, how crushing would that be to our fearless leader and his legions of brownshirts?

i have to go write a few more letters now .....