KERRY 2
BUSH 0
ABC NEWS Poll: Kerry 44; Bush 41; Draw 13. I think that gets it about right. Bush was better this time but still, Kerry was the man. He showed that last time was no fluke. He seemed every bit the President. More that the President did.
During the debate, Kerry was strongest when citing Republicans to criticize the president’s war management, giving far more concrete proposals on healthcare than the president and showcasing his fiscal conservatism. I guess Bush, an actual conservative, doesn’t really know what the word means when it comes to spending money. (I’m not convinced he knows very many words at all).
Stylistically, Kerry seemed much calmer than Bush. When the camera cut to him during Bush’s walkarounds, he was generally serene and respectful. His counters were cleaner than Bush’s too. Kerry’s mind seemed more complicated, in a good way, and he comes across as more intelligent and educated.
The contrast between a man who can make an argument (Kerry) and one who can simply assert what he believes to be true (Bush) was blatant. But conviction and belief in what you think is the “truth” isn’t enough anymore. At least not after the events of the last three years. Skepticism, openness to other arguments, thinking outside the box, whatever you want to call it. These are useful qualities in a leader and Bush has none of them.
In some ways, Kerry seemed more experienced than Bush too. Actually, he is. I am really enjoying the debates and learning a lot too. I really think that this is a turning point for America and it is good to see so many people interested in the election process. I know that this is the most I have been interested in some time. And I like politics too. It’s just that important right now.
The truth is, this election won’t be a close one like Bush and Gore. Kerry will win by a large margin. It is rare for an election like this to be close. When a President is running for re-election they usually get re-elected by a large margin or they lose big. People decide to give the guy a second term or they don’t. I’m thinking don’t.
I think that most people don’t want to give Bush a second term but some are just unsure about Kerry. Hence, all of the so-called “undecided” voters. These debates are going a long way to convince those people that Kerry is the right choice. They just need a little more hand holding and they will be ours.
Plus, I still think that they just like the attention. In 30 days they will have voted for Kerry and they can go back to their normal, borning, lives. Sadly, Bush’s only chance now is to go even more negative (if that’s possible) and attack Kerry and try to tear him down. It’s going to get pretty ugly. Fortunately, it can’t last very long and for Bush, its probably too late anyway as his house of Iraqi death cards falls apart.
Oh, the other thing that I wanted to mention was the bombshell revelation by none-other than the guy who was in charge of the Iraq provisional government, Paul Bremmer, that even he felt that we didn’t have enough troops to win the war and that it was planned badly from the beginning. More on that here.
Boy, when your own guys start telling everyone that you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s gotta hurt. Well, too bad. I hope you enjoyed your time in the White House Mr. Bush, because in a few weeks it will all be over. So long. Don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
Later.
