Debate Discussion

[Gabu]

OUCH!  That last question is the toughest of the night.

The first gotchya of the night.  Charlie saved it for last.

Bush did a great job of twisting it to his advantage it.  Solid answer.

Solid answer?  Solid complete non-answer, maybe.

[kelpie]

I'm a debating judge in Britain (no really).

Kerry won debate 1.

It's now 1 each.

Bush's performance today was chalk and cheese. vs. his last performance.

[Pollwatch99]

If it were a 15 round fight going to decision.  Bush in a split decision.

[J. J.]

Dream on, Donovan, he's hitting Kerry on taxes.  That is dynamite.  Gibson keeps coming back on how Kerry will do all the spending and deficit reduction, three times; Kerry didn't give him an answer.

I am watching the Presidential Debate on C-Span 2. I don't know what you are watching. I don't think, He is a liberal, therefore he will raise your taxes 50000000000000000000000% is a valid argument in the minds of most Americans.

But maybe that is for you, not for me.

You must have been in the bathroom.  Kerry was asked to look directly into the camera and promise not to raise middle class taxes.  He did.

Then Gibson asked Kerry three times how he was going to pay for everything, and reduce the deficit.  No answer.

Yea, he did. By raising the taxes on those making $200,000 a year or more. He said only Bush, himslef, and the moderator would be the only ones in the room with a tax increase, everyone else would get a tax cut.  Pretty clear to me.

Yes, but Gibson had said that the savings from rolling back the taxes on those over $200K would come well short, and wanted Kerry to explain the rest.  He didn't.

I think it is. the 1% of the nation amke more than 60% of the income.

That still isn't enough to pay for Kerry's programs and cut the deficit in half.  That's why Gibson asked the question three times.

[Fmr. Gov. NickG]

I think the opinions on this debate will be highly partisan.  Both candidates looked pretty good.  I think Kerry gave much better answers, but I pretty much don't believe anything Bush says, so I don't know if I can think like a "swing voter" on this.

[Pollwatch99]

If it were a 15 round fight; split decision to Bush

[AuH2O]

If someone doesn't recognize the difference between this debate and the last one, they are blind and deaf.

[Donovan]

Dream on, Donovan, he's hitting Kerry on taxes.  That is dynamite.  Gibson keeps coming back on how Kerry will do all the spending and deficit reduction, three times; Kerry didn't give him an answer.

I am watching the Presidential Debate on C-Span 2. I don't know what you are watching. I don't think, He is a liberal, therefore he will raise your taxes 50000000000000000000000% is a valid argument in the minds of most Americans.

But maybe that is for you, not for me.

You must have been in the bathroom.  Kerry was asked to look directly into the camera and promise not to raise middle class taxes.  He did.

Then Gibson asked Kerry three times how he was going to pay for everything, and reduce the deficit.  No answer.

Yea, he did. By raising the taxes on those making $200,000 a year or more. He said only Bush, himslef, and the moderator would be the only ones in the room with a tax increase, everyone else would get a tax cut.  Pretty clear to me.

Yes, but Gibson had said that the savings from rolling back the taxes on those over $200K would come well short, and wanted Kerry to explain the rest.  He didn't.

I think it is. the 1% of the nation amke more than 60% of the income.

That still isn't enough to pay for Kerry's programs and cut the deficit in half.  That's why Gibson asked the question three times.

More so than Bush's programs. Or didn't you notice we have a deficeit?

[Gabu]

Well, I'd rate that at roughly a draw.  Kerry supporters will probably say Kerry won and Bush supporters will probably say Bush won.

[Donovan]

If someone doesn't recognize the difference between this debate and the last one, they are blind and deaf.

I noticed that Bush didn't act stupid like he did last time. But that doesn't mean that Kerry was action like Bush in the first one.

It was like Bush changed characters.

[Sam Spade]

I haven't seen such a different performance from one debate to another as in Bush.  Wow.

[MODU]

More so than Bush's programs. Or didn't you notice we have a deficeit?

Go back to my comment to Nick(?).  Bush's budget is posted both on the CBO site and the WH site.  It shows the paydown plan on the deficit.

[MODU]

Great debate.  A lot of info.  Bush however, clearly won this debate.  Now we have to wait for round 3.

[raggage]

I haven't seen such a different performance from one debate to another as in Bush.  Wow.

To be perfectly honest I don't think it was much better...
Kerry on points

[Giant Saguaro]

Wow, impressed with Bush. He played like he wanted it tonight. Don't know what anyone else thought, but Bush did great as far as I'm concerned.

[Donovan]

More so than Bush's programs. Or didn't you notice we have a deficeit?

Go back to my comment to Nick(?).  Bush's budget is posted both on the CBO site and the WH site.  It shows the paydown plan on the deficit.

Sorry, I have been around long enough to know that you don't trust what a politician says, you turst what they do. And Bush has destroyed a surplus, and added a huge debt.

You go ahead and buy that plan. The question is, why didn't he do it in the first place. "Re-elect me, I will do what I was suppose to do for the last four years." Sorry not going to buy that line.

[J. J.]

More so than Bush's programs. Or didn't you notice we have a deficeit?

That wasn't the question asked.  And Bush didn't look into the camera and promise not to raise taxes on the middle class.  

I'm talking politics not policy here.

[Keystone Phil]

Bush won.

My favorite line from Kerry tonight: Bush's "lumber company."

[Donovan]

I haven't seen such a different performance from one debate to another as in Bush.  Wow.

To be perfectly honest I don't think it was much better...
Kerry on points

Bush didn't act like a brain dead goat, so they may say he won.

[MODU]

More so than Bush's programs. Or didn't you notice we have a deficeit?

Go back to my comment to Nick(?).  Bush's budget is posted both on the CBO site and the WH site.  It shows the paydown plan on the deficit.

Sorry, I have been around long enough to know that you don't trust what a politician says, you turst what they do. And Bush has destroyed a surplus, and added a huge debt.

You go ahead and buy that plan. The question is, why didn't he do it in the first place. "Re-elect me, I will do what I was suppose to do for the last four years." Sorry not going to buy that line.

Your objectivity needs work.  I trust no one.  However, I was answering your question.  You don't have to like Bush's plan, but at least he's supplied a detailed on which is on record.  Kerry has a simplified plan on his site and claims that others have seen his detailed plan.

[MODU]

Something about living in a fantasy world.  I don't quite remember exactly.

[Blue Rectangle]

Again, I apologize I was watching baseball:  What was Kerry's Red Sox "joke"?

It was in response to the environment question.  It attempted to classify Bush's view on the environment as hopelessly optimistic, like a Red Sox fan.  Instead, it sounded to me like Kerry was saying that Red Sox fans were anti-environment.  The audience was dead silent, with everyone having rather confused looks on their faces.

[Light Touch]

Bush won.  I'm expecting a 5% bounce in the polls.

Basically, he cancelled out the first debate, and gained some good soundbite attack material.  Kerry's mention of funding abortion for poor mothers likely won't play well with swing voters.

[J-Mann]

Terry McAuliffe is a freakin' joke.  He's on FOX right now claiming this was a "knockout" for Kerry and bashing Bush on saying "internets" and slipping and calling Kerry "Kennedy".  Somebody get this guy a skirt...he's nothing more than a braindead cheerleader.

(I'm all for a little partisanship, by the way, but McAuliffe is ridiculous.  He needs a good a** whoopin')

[NYGOP]

Bush clearly won this.

Republicans admitted Kerry won the first one, so please Dems, don't act like total hacks and delcare Kerry beat Bush in a knockout.