The pressure is on Bush to win the next debate.....

[kentuck]

Because if he loses the next debate, in a similar fashion, it is very likely John Kerry will be leading in the polls. Rove and the Bush handlers realize the importance of the next debate. Unfortunately, the one thing they cannot control is time. It is moving too fast for them to manipulate successfully. They understand that Bush must do much better next Friday. Otherwise, they may be packing the U-haul trailer back to Crawford and changing the area codes on their telephones. :)

[proud patriot]

1. They must be shitting bricks

Wheeeeeeeeeee ! I'm in a great Mood :D

Hot Damn :D

[annxburns]

2. This is a good meme to push ...

Kerry's campaign should raise expectations for Bush's next debate performance - just like the media and Rove did for Kerry in the last debate.

Kerry is at his absolute best when he is under fire. He proved that all his life. Bush on the other hand panics, freezes or gets irritated and angry when he is put under pressure. We should encourage this behavior.

[complain jane]

5. ABSOLUTELY!

But no matter what Bush/Rove tries to improve upon next debate, Bush simply does not have the focus, composure or intellect to go head-to-head with JK.

Regardless I agree, we have to keep Bush on the defensive. Kerry needs to continue exactly as he did, and let Bush implode all on his own like he did Thursday night.

What a spectacle for the public to behold; that was absolutely amazing. His meltdown was breathtaking.

[Nevernose]

11. Your second paragraph speaks VOLUMES about JK's character

Especially the first two sentences: "Kerry is at his absolute best when he is under fire. He proved that all his life."

I'll be including it in my next LTTE, with your kind permission.

[annxburns]

14. Great!

It just floors me that anyone could think Bushie could do a better job of protecting us.

Kerry would of been out of that school on Sept. 11 like a shot. He would of took complete control of the situation.

And you can bet he wouldn't of been flying and hiding all over the country protecting his own ass.

[NightOwwl]

3. KKKRove is trying to turn it around, saying Kerry MUST win the 2nd debate,

because history shows the winner of the first debate usually loses the election. Media is cheerfully doing his bidding, repeating the taking point non-stop.

[complain jane]

8. History's about to witness Kerry pulling ahead and maybe even a landslide

before this is all over, I'm starting to think.

Kerry's going to pull out from behind and hand Bush his ass yet.

[Politicub]

9. Let the media spin

At least 65 million Americans saw the truth firsthand. They know who won. And they'll tell two people, and so on and so on and so on. It makes me giddy, actually.

[Chomskyite]

19. According to the polls in 2000

. . . Bush was the winner of the first debate. So you are correct.

[NightOwwl]

21. That's a quote from Rove, not me.

"because history shows the winner of the first debate usually loses the election"

Hope no one else misunderstood. :(

[Awsi Dooger]

23. Typically dumbass comment by Rove

JFK won the first debate in '60. There was only one debate in '80 and Reagan won. Bush "won" the first debate in 2000. The winner of the first debate in '92, Perot, was no longer a viable candidate so you can throw that example out.

What asswipe media moron went with that theme? There have been 8 cycles with presidental debates and this theory is fucked in at least 4 of them. Nice reliable trend.

[0rganism]

26. I thought the initial post-debate polls put Gore ahead

and it was only in the 72 hours after that the media spin was able to focus in on Gore's sighs to make him look like a loser. But I could be wrong. The 2000 election seems like it was 50000 years ago.

[0rganism]

25. So THAT's the angle, eh? No wonder the media was so willing to prop Kerry

Even the conservative hardliners have been willing to "let" Kerry have the first debate. It makes some sense if it can be used as a talking point to justify phoney election results...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. What's the "winner" of the second debate done, historically?

:shrug:

:freak:

[caledesi]

6. kentuck - you are so witty

You are absolutely right sir. The first debate was supposed to be *'s strong point. Not!

Kerry impressed the hell out of me. I predicted that the media would call * the winner. But the best they could do was call it a tie which means Kerry beat *'s ass.

I am lovin' it.

[goodwalt]

7. Not this one-the next one

I don't think next friday's shindig can truly be called a "debate", since they have been given the questions ahead of time. Are they even going to ask the candidates to respond to the other's statements, or is it just a series of scripted statements? Regardless, I think we can count on chimpy to do better since his handlers will have given him the answers in advance. The LAST debate over domestic issues is the one that has me smacking my lips in anticipation. THAT is going to be a worse thumping than last night. Chimpy can't defend losing jobs, record deficits, record gas prices and exploding Rx drug costs by wraping himself in the flag. I abso-freaking-lutely cannot wait!

[Gloria]

10. The domestic issues debate will be incredible if it follows what happened

today in FL. Kerry tied Bush's tax cuts to a failure in providing homeland security.

It was brilliant and I hope they were doing at test drive for this theme.

[Politicub]

12. Whatever this format was - Debate or almost a debate

Kerry used it masterfully, don't you think?

[goodwalt]

15. Stunningly so

He did a fantastic job. I have a post going now where I confess last night moved me from "anybody but Bush" to "Kerr is da MAN".

[pansypoo53219]

13. win?

are you kidding?

[shraby]

16. Bush is already trying to play catch-up.

He's trying to clarify his screw-up in the last debate while Kerry is clarifying his positions on the domestic debate coming up.

[AgadorSparticus]

17. this should be interesting as we all know how well bush does under

any bit of pressure.

[evilqueen]

24. If GW gets this flustered under pressure

...and it's only a debate, then wtf made him think he could handle running a war? Obviously he's not the leader he keeps claiming to be and his misguided followers believe him to be. People need to think about that and see that no matter how many times he repeats "wartime president", this guy would crap his pants if he didn't have Rove, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc. to cower behind.

[fortyfeetunder]

18. I'd say we innundate him with pretzels

I think the man had one too many of something. By the end of the first debate he was barely coherent, and I didn't see the debate, I heard it on the radio. Maybe he'd better stick to pretzels...LOL.

And Kerry:keep the temperature on stage running high. Now you know Bush can't take the heat. Ever.

[Julien Sorel]

20. I know it's stupid to say this, managing expectations and all,

but I have to question if Bush can do much better. Sure, he should be able to control the flaky ticks and grimaces and so on, but will he be able to communicate effectively?

I think the real wild card here is the media's reaction. After yesterday, have they lowered the bar so much that it would be impossible for Bush not to jump it? If they are calling yesterday a draw, which the TV people seem to be doing, what would they call it if Bush simply cut out the weird monkey faces? A resounding triumph?

[nolabels]

22. Wasn't there a guess that says chimpy will pull out of the last debate?

This happened a couple of times with the Presidential debates in years past if I remember correctly. Chimpy will state we debated enough and say people know my position.

Or chimpy will declare Kerry isn't playing fair and say he is staying out of it (John Kerry is being mean to me :cry:)

[Swamp Rat]

27. I'm already betting that Rove will pull him out of at least one debate.

Maybe I should hedge my bets and make another wager that he'll pull out of both of them.