I Was Expecting the Debate to be Judged a Draw. What Happened?

[On the Road]

Trying hard to put away my own prejudices, I thought the outcome of last night would be a wash. The media awarded Bush a win in the 2000 debates. So many people seem to think Bush's sound bites are convincing expressions of policy -- this is the same crap people have been eating up for twelve years.

It's taking me awhile to absorb how decisively the public is perceiving a Kerry win. I agree with it, but I don't understand why last night is turning out to be such a watershed for the rest of the country.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

1. Because

the American people aren't dumb-misinformed, lied to-but not dumb. And the whopper that * is somehow capable is just too big to fly anymore. I also think Chimpy's reaction shots killed him. He finally looked like the asshole he truly is.

[Blecht]

2. Just wait

The talking heads have had less than 12 hours to spin it to a draw -- on PBS last night David Brooks was pounding hard on that very idea, and that since Bush is the incumbant, Kerry was in trouble.

Give the squawking heads some time. They have the microphone, and they're going to use it.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

4. They'll be talking to thin air

I think the unmediated view the people got of Chimpy last night will prove to be devastating and pretty damn unspinnable.

[Pirate Smile]

3. Kerry looked presidential and Bush looked like a spoiled, petulant brat

who didn't want to be there and only had 30 minutes of material for a 90 minute debate.

[ianrs]

5. Faux News

...unsurprisingly, just intimated a draw. Then a fantastic specimen of journalistic integrity (no idea of name, sounded British) just said - and I paraphrase -

"people's impression is that * is likeable, but we didn't see that in the debate; the impression is that kerry is crap, but we didn't see that in the debate, so let's wait and see how these impressions feed into the polls." The implication (because let's face it, there was no actual logic or sense to what he said) of course was that people wouldn't fall for the false impressions given by the debate.

Then had to turn over, as can only do Faux News 2 minutes at a time for fear of a seizure.

[girl gone mad]

6. Here's what happened:

(not to toot my own horn, but I predicted it would).

The Bushies have spent too much time and money demonizing Kerry. They made him out to be worse than Mondale, Dukakis and Carter combined. They said he was an effeminite elitist coward. The problem for them going into the debates was that Kerry is actually a decent guy, and he's definitely no Dukakis. The Kerry campaign has only helped Bush by being ineffective at countering all of the neggative ads.

All Kerry really had to do to counter those charges was to show up, be himself and be as direct as he could. I knew he was caapable, because that's how he won me over after the primaries (I really didn't have a good opinion of him in the primaries).

It also didn't hurt that Bush performed so poorly.