Joe Klein on the Debate (actually pretty good)

[Dob Bole]

I don't normally read Joe Klein articles. But here's his debate analysis:

http://www.time.com/time/election2004/columnist/klein/article/0,18471,708927,00.html


EXCERPT:

"Bush's real nemesis may have been moderator Jim Lehrer, whose questions kept much of the debate strictly focused on Iraq. The President came armed only with the brilliantly succinct paragraph he uses on the stump to defend the war: The world is better off without Saddam, progress is being made, Kerry is a flip-flopper who sends mixed signals. It usually takes Bush no more than two or three minutes to deliver these lines to tumultuous applause. But he had 45 minutes to fill last Thursday, and there was no applause. Simple truths became simplistic evasions. He used "mixed signals" or "mixed messages" eight times. Having been carefully sheltered throughout his presidency from the press and from voters who disagree with him, Bush seemed ill-prepared for disagreement. The most stunning moment came when Kerry closed a tough exchange about how to fix Iraq by saying the difference is, "I have a plan to do it. He doesn't." Bush, out-simpled, allowed the exchange to end there."

[TrustingDog]

1. "and there was no applause"

bingo. This may well be what sunk the meglomaniac. the poor bubble baby is used to being adored with coochie coo sounds.

[TahitiNut]

3. He was deprived of much of his Narcissistic Supply ...

... by merely cutting off any reaction. The audience wasn't allowed to react. Kerry didn't react, he acted. Lehrer is about as phlegmatic as they get. That's what made Smirk appear rudderless - that, and the psychotropic medications he's obviously taking. A pathological Narcissist loses any substitute sense of his own very existence without reactions from other people. When accompanied by Antisocial Personality Disorder, that reaction is one of pain and suffering from the "enemy" and cheers from "allies." It's no accident he was a cheerleader at Andover, a low key manipulation of a crowd to solicit compliant affirmative reactions which, in Smirk's borderline psychosis, were about him and his very existence.

The squirming and mugging are long-established habits of an adolescent (who should be seen and not heard) desperately seeking to be noticed. To some extent, the tactile physiological feedback of such compulsive motion offers some placebo effect. His pauses in speaking demand feedback. It's constant.

[msanthrope]

9. great encapsulation of NPD...

I wonder if Bush is really looking forward to the town-hall format simply because he knows he will get some feedback, any feedback. I noted that Kerry avoided looking at him...

[TahitiNut]

10. He's probably looking forward to fresh meat.

Indeed, I'm pretty certain the Repugnants will try to infiltrate the questioning part of the audience. Watch for Smirk to seek them out with his leers and twitches.

Kerry was very well-advised to not look at him, but especially not to react. I would've loved to be a fly on the wall in the strategy discussions about the 32-page 'MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING.' In particular, I'd like to know the thinking behind ...

5. Rules Applicable to All Debates
The following rules shall apply to each of the four debates:
...
(f) The candidates may not ask each other direct questions, but may ask rhetorical questions.
...
(k) The candidates shall not address each other with proposed pledges.

The stifling of the audience will continue, even on the October 8 "town hall" format debate.

7. Additional Rules Applicable to October 8 Debate
The October 8 debate will be conducted in an audience participation ("town hall") format. This debate shall be governed by the rules set forth in section 5 and the following additional rules:

(a) There shall be no audience participation in the October 8 debate other than as described below. Other than an audience member asking a question as permitted by this section, at the start of the October 8 debate and in the event of and in each instance whereby an audience member(s) attempts to participate in the debate by any means thereafter, the moderator shall instruct the audience to refrain from any participation in the debate as described in section 9(a) (viii) below. The moderator shall facilitate audience members in asking questions to each of the candidates, beginning with the candidate determined by the procedure set forth in subparagraph 5(h). The candidate to whom the question is initially directed shall have up to two (2) minutes to respond, after which the other candidate shall have up to one and one-half (l½) minutes to respond to the question and/or to comment on the first candidate's answer. Thereafter, the moderator, in his or her discretion, may extend the/discussion of that question for sixty (60) seconds, but the moderator shall begin each such discussion by calling upon the candidate who first received the question. The moderator shall balance additional discussion of the question with the interest in addressing a wide range of topics during the debate. To the extent that the moderator opens extended discussion; the moderator shall use best efforts to ensure that each candidate has a maximum of approximately thirty (30) seconds to comment in the extended discussion period.

(b) After completion of the discussion of the first question, the moderator shall call upon an audience member to direct a question to the candidate to whom the first question was not directed, and follow the procedure outlined in paragraph 7(a) above. Thereafter, the moderator shall follow the procedures in this paragraph by calling upon another audience member to ask a question of the first candidate and shall continue facilitating questions of the candidates in rotation until the time for closing statements occurs.
(c) During the extended discussion of a question, no candidate may speak for more than thirty (30) seconds.

(d) The audience members shall not ask follow-up questions or otherwise participate in the extended discussion, and the audience member's microphone shall be turned off after he or she completes asking the question.

(e) Prior to the start of the debate, audience members will be asked to submit their questions in writing to the moderator. No third party, including both the Commission and the campaigns, shall be permitted to see the questions. The moderator shall approve and select all questions to be posed by the audience members to the candidates. The moderator shall ensure that the audience members pose to the candidates an equal number of questions on foreign policy and homeland security on the one hand and economic and domestic policy on the other. The moderator will further review the questions and eliminate any questions that the moderator deems inappropriate. At least seven (7) days before the October 8 debate the moderator shall develop, and describe to the campaigns, a method for selecting questions at random while assuring that questions are reasonably well balanced in terms of addressing a wide range of issues of major public interest facing the United States and the world. Each question selected will be asked by the audience member submitting that question. If any audience member poses a question or makes a statement that is in any material way different than the question that the audience member earlier submitted to the moderator for review, the moderator will cut-off the questioner and advise the audience that such non-reviewed questions are not permitted. Moreover, the Commission shall take appropriate steps to cut-off the microphone of any such audience member that attempts to pose any question or statement different than that previously posed to the moderator for review.

(f) The debate will take place before a live audience of between 100 and 150 persons who shall be seated and who describe themselves as likely voters who are "soft" Bush supporters or "soft" Kerry supporters as to their 2004 presidential vote. The number of "soft" Bush supporters shall equal the number of "soft" Kerry supporters in the audience. The moderator shall ensure that an equal number of "soft" Bush supporters and "soft” Kerry supporters pose questions to the candidates. These participants will be selected by the Gallup organization ("Gallup”). Gallup shall have responsibility for selecting the nationally demographically representative group of voters. At least fourteen (14) days prior to October 8, Gallup shall provide a comprehensive briefing on the selection methodology to the campaigns, and both the Kerry-Edwards Campaign and the Bush-Cheney Campaign shall approve the methodology. Either campaign may raise objections on the methodology to Gallup and to the Commission within twenty-four (24) hours of the briefing.

(g) Participants selected shall not be contacted directly or indirectly by the campaigns before the debate. The Commission shall not contact the participants before the debate other than for logistical purposes.

[Hand]

2. Gadzooks... now, in Debate 2....

What if Chimpy comes armed with TONS of details and statistics and starts rattling them off like a clockwork orange? That would be toooooo good...

Kerry could just sort of look at him with this mild "You're insane, Mr. President" expression and then make some minor observation like, "I see that the President has a firm grasp of the details this evening... I wish he had done the same four years ago when he claimed that 2 plus 2 equals 5. But to answer your question in plain language..." (CRUSHALOOMA).

:evilgrin:

[Auntie Bush]

4. Did I really win $50.00? At the very bottom of the Klein article is a

question..."Should Bush stay or go?" I voted that he should GO.

It said, "Congratulations....You won $50.00") Then you have to tell all your personal information (ie...email address, address and phone number etc) I want to get the $50.00...but I'm afraid it is a scam to get my personal information. What should I do? :shrug:

Please someone else click it and see if you win too. If everyone wins it must be a scam.

Please give it a try and post your information. Thanks

[Kahuna]

5. LOL! Don't fall for it. Even if you do get $50.00 they will ask you..

to send a fee of $100.00 in order to receive it.

[Auntie Bush]

7. Thanks Kahuna...I was afraid if it was too good to be true...it wasn't.

Did you also win the $50.00? Glad I didn't send my information.

[PROGRESSIVE1]

6. Was Bush "ill prepared" or just ill?

[Auntie Bush]

8. BOTH-- Mentally ill too.