Debate #1

First of all, did you notice how Kerry made those lights work to his advantage? It was clearly a Republican rule designed to highlight that Kerry is being long-winded and has 'filibustering' tendencies. Rove's guys just figured that the way Bush speaks, stopping on time would be a piece of cake for their guy. But instead Kerry showed his skills in this art-form and timed his responses perfectly, always ending on time, or early altogether. And then he looks at the camera all smug, as if to say: 'I'm on time, and I know it. Thank you for watching.' POTUS on the other hand, has apparently looked like he was coming unglued. And not just to me. He actually settled in a little bit as it went on. So if you watched this on TV, then you know that it was the president who has violated the light rule. Not Kerry. And it made Bush look bad. Like he was not in control of time.

I believe, that Americans are not buying President' s message about mixed messages. Kerry is offering something and Bush just keeps saying 'we have to keep going'. That's just not a favorable presentation for the president. It will turn most people off. And it is.

For some reason, the media has done a pretty good job of keeping the expectations even for this debate. Of course, the sitting president who is selling himself as a strong leader, can not go into a debate as an underdog. Al Gore wrote a beautiful thing in NY Times to similar effect.

I have always believed that Bush's misleads will not stand up to scrutiny of bright light. Paul Krugman, by the way, is a national treasure. And Kerry did his best today, though I thought I may have caught a few things I would have considered 'mistakes'. But at the same time I felt that he was very much in control of the debate.

Republicans are pushing for a draw. Oops. Sorry. Didn't happen. Bush lost. And he lost because he didn't have anything to sell that people wanted to buy. His message was clear. And people are running away from him. He will lose because people want hope. And Bush is selling fear. And there's a lot of scared people out there. There must be. That's sad.

The man who draws Boondocks, has just blogged about journalism and Bush live on CNN. That was very interesting. He told Aaron Brown some things that are more or less self-evident. Bush is not very bright. Big Media Journalism sold out. Nice. And Aaron Brown tried to defend both. Sort of. He really didn't care to defend Bush, but he tried to defend journalism. It was professional pride, that's all. And interview ended by the artists saying that he appreciated the opportunity and would be happy to be back if Mr. Brown would allow him back.

I think that people always knew that, but elected Bush II in a time of relative prosperity. It didn't matter that much then, it seemed. To some people. In the Supreme Court. But now it seems that our world is in a different place. Very different. And even the people who would support president looked at his message and cried, for its time had passed. Bush is going to lose because a lot of people will express their outrage with him, by not voting. Rove may have been able to sell Kerry as a flip-flopper, but listen to the people who are supporting him on radio or TV: they don't want four more years of Bush. They want something different. And Kerry did that right. I won't be surprised if the turn out does not break as many records as predicted. And I think it will be a landslide. A lot of Republicans just won't show up at the polls. And a lot more democrats are registering to vote.


Kerry talks about spending on Homeland security vs. tax cuts, and risk of nuclear prolifiration, to which, Bush jokingly remarks 'and how are you going to pay for all that? There's like a tax gap... And anyway, this is for another debate...' ??? Will somebody pay attention?!

Quickies

Did you know that Japan is hosting a summit of Arab Nations? I didn't.

Watching replay - Bush looks laughable. Oy. Was it really this bad?

Did you know that Iraq is a she?

In your face, Drudge: Kerry's tan worked out perfectly. And he is not sweating.

Big View: Hopefully this is as bad as things are going to get, before the pendulum starts swinging the other way.

I'm really looking forward to vice-presidential debate of the doom-boy versus the sunny-boy.

Free Iraq. Free Iraq. There's a joke that ends 'and God cried saying 'I shall not live that long''.

Kerry sounds sincere. Is it just me?

Did you know that we didn't secure anything but the oil ministry in Iraq?

Side note: Kerry is in debates. Dean is on McEnroe.

Bush starts with September the 11. He knew that that was the first point in the bullet points, and he just went for it.

A.Q. Khan network had not been brought to justice. Is full pardon from president of Pakistan considered justice? Didn't think so.

Bush is promoting things he doesn't believe in, can't articulate, and can't remember.

given chance they will show up at the polls.'

Bush appears irritable and irritated. And that's simply because that he's been practicing his skills in front of fervent crowds. It just doesn't play well in debate setting. People aren't cheering after every sentence. But Bush keeps hammering away, and ending almost every answer, by pounding on the podium. For the next debate, the handlers are going to tell Bush to relax. So prepare yourself for Bush the Lethargic.

Kerry is taking Bush a p a r t.

GWB does not handle criticism well. He keeps it under control pretty well, it's still obvious, and apparently not just to me. Nice.

Bush's voice just broke.

I think I'm very satisfied with the job that Mr. Lehrer has done in this debate. Thumbs up, sir. Good questions. Setting a high bar.

POTUS is continuously looking for an opportunity to smile. The smirk, a joke, anything. But it doesn't mean that he's relaxed. It may have appeared that way before, but not tonight.

"I wake up every day thinking how I can protect America." We have elected a Superhero wannabe.

"Director Mueller walks into my office every day when I'm in the White House. " Bush is never in the White House.

Even if you consider this debate by its pre-debate spin standard, which is: it's going to be just a parallel press-conference, you have to admit that Kerry wins hands down. And it actually was a kick-ass debate. Kerry seems even smarter and better in replay.

Bush says that the world leaders will not follow a leader who is a flip-flopper. Good one sir. Accept that YOU are the flip-flopper here.

Bush: Pursed lips when listening. Voice broke again. 'And he forgot Poland'.

lines of the night:

Kerry - If you want Bush, you will get 4 words: 'more of the same'.

Bush - He forgot Poland.

10 Questions and the War on Weather

1. Is this a good time to announce the War on Weather?

2. Does that make God a Terrorist?

3. Now would this be a bad time to mention that perhaps we should not concentrate quite so much on the things that are not going well in Florida?

4. Where are the reports on the tremendous progress that we are making in Florida?

5. Should this be considered an indication of Big Media's bias?

6. Due to the fact that we may not be able to achieve a complete victory, for after all there is no country to sign a treaty with, except for God, my question is, does Heavinly Entity have the same legal rights as a corporation/person?

7. Can God legally sign a treaty whereby s/he admits that we, the Americans, have defeated the Weather, and therefore the costs associated with restoration of the planet can be financed through God's Supreme Powers?

8. Should we appoint a temporary governing council in heaven for the meantime, on whose support we can count, in liew of not being able to conduct true and free elections there right now?

9. Once we are engaged in War on Weather, what is our exit strategy? Space?

10. Would God vote for Kerry or Bush?

Villa For Sale in Baghdad, Iraq

any questions?

Bush wants CBS out of debates�. So I think he's bullying people around. And apparently it's time to choose sides. There are two fundamental questions here:
1. Power
2. Accountability
Accountability is the easier one of the two. The whole point of Bush administration is not the excuses but lack of responsibility. Nobody pays for anything. That's pretty obvious. Question? Should CBS be expected to be treated differently?
And the one who wins this fight wins pretty big in my opinion. TIs there any entity in this country that is comparable to the president in the amount of influence it has over the nation? Is a media it? If Bush wins, not only does he intimidate CBS, but it's also anybody else ( and there aren't that many) who has a story to tell. If Bush wins, the news media stars will be created reporting on weather in Florida. If media wins... Can't even imagine... The outcome of CBS apologizing, and shoved into a corner seems so much like the most plausible outcome. Bush will not be defeated until somebody stands up and does not back down. And I believe that media as a whole has a stake in having CBS not fail. Then again, may be they just don't have it in them.

A few random Sunday thoughts on the subject of elections

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Watch for Bush's rating to drop dramatically in October. After surfing through the puzzled blogosphere I'm here to tell you: Bush is peaking. I believe this is exactly what Karl Rove did not want - peaking too early. But here it is. Considering that the target pendilum is swinging from Kerry and to Bush (deservingly so) watch for Dubya's ratings to go down. In reality he's nothing but hype, because if you concentrate on any of his policies, it's nothing but failure. And as any hype, it is only sustainable for so long.

Now to the question of 'why' he's peaking: it's back to the same old thing - Iraq is hitting the fan - and as security situation deteriorates, people rally around the leader. But that won't last. By the way, economy is not feeling real good either. Especially in Ohio I understand.
I also enjoy seeing that now he is known as an 'unbeatable' debater. Perrrrfect. Just what I've been waiting for for the last 4 years. Kerry still has his reputation, but now he's the underdog and Bush is the one who's 'never lost a debate'. Considering that the sad truth is that perception is everything, Bush is in trouble.

Remember, it is very important not to get caught up in the day to day details of the horse-race. This is really more of a marathon, where the guy in front is rarely the winner. Granted, Clinton led and won in 96, but there just isn't any substance to Bush World. It's all a facade. In 96, things were actually getting better. I don't know anybody now who thinks that the country is better off now then four years ago. Even the people who are planning to vote for Bush. In fact to go back to my earlier prediction, I believe that Republicans will have a lower than expected turn-out because they just won't be able to bring themselves to support this Sociopath-in-Charge. I just hope that somebody spits in his face at one of these accidental run ins with actual human beings. I think the news media could run pretty far with that.

Drudge has consistently disappointed me in the last 2 months. He thinks he's in the middle, but how can a man who considers Rush to be his hero be in the middle of anything? By the way, his dislike of O'Reilly says nothing about his political views, but more about the fact that O'Reilly fancied himself to be a competitor of Rush's. But that's a whole other joke.

What concerns me about the Democrats is that Republicans have done a wonderful job of painting them as weak. Not just weak, but feminine. That means that anybody who plays or watches major league sports, or a violent movie, or cares about others can't be a Democrat. So men are out. Months ago I saw an editorial that suggested that a good bumper sticker for Kerry would be 'Real Men Vote For Kerry'. That attitude should have so exploited by the Democrats, but instead... Well, staying away from being negative was a bad bet this year.

I wish I knew more about the way depressed economy affects people. Seems there is a time when people say ' Everyone's for the themselves' and there must be a time when the prevailing attitude is 'We need to help each other'. Then again it could be just the fish rots from its head and Bush with his 'ownership society' is merely projecting this attitude. Of course questions then becomes: is Bush reflecting what already is going on, or is he setting the mood? May be it's that life has gotten so good to so many of us that we no longer think that social programs are an important feature of our life-style.

Another things that make me so mad I laugh - people commenting that Howard Dean should have been the Democratic Nominee - he would have been eaten alive faster then Kerry ever will be.

There IS a natural tendency to throw up our hands and say 'this is nuts. People are voting against their own self-interest. Bush fooled them well.' But I think we have to remember that we, the people take the responsibility for our leaders. Especially in a democracy.
On one hand, it's tempting to think, that people simply judge person who is perceived to be the most likable, or the one that we'd want to have a beer with, or to baby-sit our kids, to BE the best suited to lead us. Basically we want the guy in charge to be the one who is the most like US. Following that logic, all any election becomes, is a sales job. Here's the candidate, eating a sandwhich, hugging kids, chopping wood, etc. And Republicans do it as well as anybody.
Then you start to think that people must have no memory. Or curiosity. For how can it be said that 'Kerry just has not explained his position very well.' or 'I'm waiting for Kerry to lay out his plans.' or 'Kerry is a flip-flopper.' Where are Bush's plans? In fact, the level to which it appears that nobody remembers Bush's lies and flip-flops makes one think that there's must be something wrong with the water. There are plenty of excuses to be made: media sucks at doing its job, Supreme Court is eveil, or even that people are simply over-worked and don't have time or energy to pay attention to their own political self-interests(also known as 'people are fucking morons' argument/excuse).
But what makes me really nervous is if there's something about George W. Bush that appeals to (apparently) a lot of people. What if people know Bush for who he is AND like him for it? What if he is the candidate that IS most like the everyman/likely voter?
Yes, it is easy to blame the media, but they have their excuses, like: 'it's not our job to make the case for democrats.' Or, 'we have to give equal time to both sides,' etc. Regardless, putting blame on media only takes it off of somebody else. And who is that? Why it's the public. Us. I guess we deserve to get what we want. If we feel that we know everything we NEED to know and we like the way dubya conducts his (and our) business by going around in a socipathic manner and kicking ass round the world, then he's the president for us. And the world will be worse for it. I guess, I'm just gonna have to get a bumper sticker that says 'Don't blame me - I vote Democrat' and hope that there are more of us then them when it comes down to voting time.

Following the logic that the cynics are still optimists when it comes to the real world, I would like to propose the following hypothesis:

CBS was set up. Karl Rove has one of his minions provide a fake document to CBS that contains information that is beyond question. In fact it fits into the picture that we have been able to put together of Bush's service very well. However, the document itself has been forged. The minions may not know it (the same way that some suicide bombers did not know that they were carrying an explosive), but Karl or whoever orchestrated this stinker knew that they were setting CBS up. It is genius really, and nothing that you couldn't pick up from Dickens or Victor Hugo.

Now as the result of this, CBS, which has been the most anti-Bush news organization out there, has been to a larger extent discredited. In fact, EVERYTHING that CBS puts out there that is critical of Bush shall be dismissed with the usual 'consider the source' reply. Sad really. Keep watching.

Bush Likely To Bow Out Of 1 Debate (washingtonpost.com)
What I'm hearing here is that trying to follow the Clinton Example of 1996 Bush is using the first available bump in the polls to try to bow out of at least one debate.
1. His bump is going to be short lived
2. Like with everything Bushy will have to back-track. (Ascribe your weaknesses to your opposition)

dBUSH 'TOOK COCAINE AT CAMP DAVID'
So I've been gone for a while, but let's sum up where we are at this point. After seeing the investigations into Pentagon that leads to Wolfovitz and Feith, clout that surrounds Haliburton and tax cuts and now this latest revelation about Bush's cocaine use as recently as 12 years ago (and that's just what's been witnessed), I can only come to the following conclusion: Our president the drug addict, oversees the government where the foreign policy is run through Israel, and domestic policy is divided between people who want to loot the nation's treasury and the people who want to help Bush get re-elected and in general acquire more political power. Lovely. And the power struggle that takes place is not between the people and their elected officials, but between the branches of government that spy on each other and try to get revenge and MORE power. Gang War?

Regardless of what is going on with Kerry's ratings now, I anticipate the 'Dean Effect' to take place right before the election. People are simply going to get a little more interested in the subject as November 2nd approaches, and upon minor evaluation of where they and the country is now vs. four years ago, Bush is going to get bounced out of office. In fact I'm really glad that it hadn't happened yet, because Cheney is going to become such a major liability (self-evident really) and by now, the time to drop him has passed. Unless he has a health problem. Not that it would surprise me, but that would be an indication that there is a problem in itself.

By the way, don't you find it at least somewhat depressing that Arab street looks to be more right then we would like it to be, when they say that Sharon runs our foreign policy?

How would the electoral politics of the United States change if there was no Florida? Or if they were just too busy to vote?