from Tom Shales's review of the debate

[winterbadger]

One longtime political observer -- among the friends canvassed by this critic -- was more irreverent about the debate and how the two debaters came off: "It was Andy Griffith meets Barney Fife," he said, with Kerry in the Griffith role -- solid, sanguine, sensible -- and Bush as the nervous Fife.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64102-2004Oct1.html

I couldn't have said it better. :-) Bush didn't drop his notes on the floor or turn puce, but he dried up, tripped over words, and made faces that the cameras caught. He failed to come up with effective responses on a number of occasions, often stringing together pat phrases with (as Doreen put it) his own very nebulous and incohernt thoughts. He repeated catchphrases his campaign had trained him in, often when they made little or no sense at all. He didnot look presidential. He looked, as Curtis and Elton put it, like a monkey that's been put in a suit and strategically shaved. And this was the debate on his strongest subjects. If he doesn't improve in later debates, roll on November!

Comments

[kevinrtaylor.livejournal.com]

Doreen told me the debate showed GW as he deserves to be shown. I'm glad, and I hope the future "joint appearances" ::wry face:: continue to do so.
I only wish I had a vote over there! :-)

[meepeek.livejournal.com]

He completely froze in several places, leaving several seconds of total silence while his face twitched. He then went into talking points rather than anything resembling an actual response.

For the first time since he came forward as a presidential contender I almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

[liatha.livejournal.com]

sadly, the polling results are skewed and in many cases contradictory... and the comments I have seen so far are downright scarey. The number of people who feel that Bush's ignorance, self contradiction, and obvious complete lack of education or preperation just goes to show that he feels strongly and speaks from the heart... it's just mind numbing.

[meepeek.livejournal.com]

What's really frightening is how many of these people didn't even watch the debates and are going by what the RNC and Ghouliani tell them.

After a few weeks, they'll be convinced that they are as informed as if they *did* watch it because they have all the information they're told, and have seen the clips shown on TV

I'm finding it frightening to see exactly how truly stupid and arrogant my fellow americans ~are~. I thought it was bad with Reagan, but this tops that by miles.

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Polls can't be trusted these days, what with the corporate media being a mouthpiece for the GOP.

As for comments...yeah, I wasn't exactly sure how stumbling, staring like a panicked deer, and squirming in discomfort while stringing together statements that were sentences only in theory was "speaking from the heart".

[ivorydamsel.livejournal.com]

Yes, good column by Shales (whose views will be discounted by Bush-boosters like my father as so much elite-liberal-media tripe, but Dad's not open to reason anyway).

As liatha pointed out, however, people will see what they want to see in the debates. The contrasting reactions just show you how polarized people are in their views of the world -- and of reality. The Blue vs. Red polarization -- politically, culturally, psychologically -- is real in this country. We can only hope that Kerry's greater stature, performance and grasp of what's needed will reach those undecided "Purples" out there.

[peaceful-fox.livejournal.com]

I put my thoughts in my LJ about the debate, but I wanted to mention here that I have been talking to a co-worker who usually votes with the Republican party and believes the party line. Before the debate he thought that Kerry wasn't trustworthy or prepared. This debate changed his mind and he was impressed. He said that he is seriously considering voting for Kerry as Bush didn't inspire confidence. He said that he could live with the financial disagreements that he had with the Democrats if it meant having someone in office whose thoughts about the miliary and Iraq matched his. In this case, he said Kerry's did. :::fingers crossed:::