Town Hall Debate Thread
 

I know....I know, I said I would refrain from coming into this forum.

Oh well....this could be the defining moment in this election. I would ask, before the debate starts, what our members consider to be the likely result. It would be interesting to see who calls it.

My guess: Bush comes out strong and attempts to make Kerry look the fool on his record. We hear the flip flop thing more than economic policy.
Kerry attempts to reveal his economic plan(if there is one) but is instead, kept on the defensive for the first half of the debate.
Towards the end of the 1 1/2 hours, Bush begins to lose the ability to form cohesive thought and Kerry goes into stump speech mode.

End result: Kerry takes the second debate.

Just my Guess, as I think they both Suck.

I want Bush to get so frustated that he takes a bite out of Kerry's ear....

My guess: Kerry says a bunch of things that are popular but wrong, while Bush says the same thing as often as possible.

If the questions the candidates get are more off-the-wall, I think Bush has the better chance b/c he doesn't have a soundbite to recite. Think back to the N. Korea portion of the last debate--he had details, and spoke in an educated manner. It makes no sense to me why he didn't do that throughout the debate, especially considering his interview with Bill O'Reilly. There was certainly stump-speech stuff in that interview, but he also offered some new insight about some issues. We'll see how it goes this time.

Ever notice how they both duck the question when it suits them? They both will blabber on with their "stump speech rhetoric" to keep hammering their points. The so-called debates are a farce. Also note how the folks who pick the "winner" are always leaning left or right no matter what is said by anyone.
There has to be a better way.

Watch for a communication device on bush ;)

LOL, There goes Bush with his annoying chimp face.

bah... first question is a lame one. i hope they cover more ground and not just retread the stuff from the first debate.

The questions are much more loaded in this debate

He HAS to be wearing a ear piece...he pauses between every 5 words.

They should search them after the debate

Great comeback on Kerry's part. Very defiant.

No more flip-flopping discussion, please, I beg you.. What's bizarre is how much better Bush was at debating 4 yrs. ago. Guess ducking the press has left him unused to answering questions.

Bush was just laughing at Kerry

I think he was laughing at the doodle he just created.

Maybe he is starting to get senile. This hasn't been the first time this has been mentioned.

Take a look at Kerry....he is laughing as well :).

I have heard it seriously discussed but find it hard to believe, although every alcoholic I have known was wrecked by age forty.

Ohh finnaly a forgien opinnion question

The first time I heard Bush express an opinion on Israel is when he said he "wasn't going to get involved" in the mideast peace process, "that was the previous administrations thing." Good move.

bush got nailed on his sanctions misstatement. oops. he was doing decent until then.

kerry keeps pimping his magic solutions, dropping catch phrases.

this desk setup is odd. i want my split screen.

neither of them have updated any of their incorrect figures from last time
(1.6 million jobs, 75% of al Qaeda)

Can't admit they are wrong. It is a sign of weakness in America. The news would be all over it.

75% of al qaeda may have been captured yet al qaeda has grown much larger..... If your actions removed 10 al qaeda members but also created 20 more you have a serious problem.

*scowl* why does it make you want to scowl? Because you know he is right?

This nuclear material business is serious, why hasn't Bush quickly adopted it into his platform?

seems like bush is shouting at the audience.

rumors on the internets! all 15 of them!

Pay our troops well? This may be the funniest line of the night

LOL Rekna, the internets are dangerous.

He shouldn't have said "axis of evil" again.

does it bother anyone else that kerry answers the person's question while staring directly at the president?

omg "rumors on the internets" the ones gore created?

OHH MY angry bush

Yelling at the moderator is not good

I like that Kerry stares at the president, makes the debate more intense.

i think they should just get two pairs of boxing gloves, headgear be damned :)

Bush looks like a dear in headlights on some of those comments

I'm actualy feeling sorry for him.

Oohh the patriot act was brought up I hope Kerry counters on that

Bush once again is repeating word for word what he said in the last debate.

scowl comment = hilarious

wrong war, wrong place, wrong time = let's not hear it again

yeah, gibson seems to have his own ideas about rebuttals

Bush seems as if he's thinking, "Why don't any of you dumbasses applaud me? I'm right, dammit! Jesus Christ, why are you questioning me??"

wow, nine bucks off my meds? what more could I want?

while kerry is much less likely to repeat anything he's said in the past. :lol:

Wow Kerry is very well versed on the presidents record. The perscription drugs from Canada could hurt Bush a lot.

Could any health care plan sound less effective? If you are paying 15 grand a year you will know what I mean.

hahaha ;)

nine bucks off a ten dollar prescription is what he said. that's 10% of the previous cost... i'll take that.

the bush plan of discount cards is basically coupons for drugs, thanks a bunch

okay seriously here, malpractice insurance is correlated to interest rates NOT lawsuit winnings. There are negligent mds out there, patients deserve protection.

Senator Kennedy?

I like how Kerry waits till the end of a question to say his best remarks. Dosnt give Bush a chance to hit back. On to the next question directed back at him.

the net fact checkers will have the final say... but i'm impressed with the senator's recall memory.

First and fourth most liberal again, doesn't Bush have anything to say? Blame the lawyers again, that's getting tired

quick Poll who is winning? reply to this before reading further to avoid biasing your vote.












small break so you don't read on accident

I think bush fell behind quite a bit when he yelled at the moderator.

I wish i could listen to the debate, instead of the folky cover musician playing at the coffeeshop right now.

Fuck.

Bush is getting his ass handed to him, he doesn't even believe what he's saying.

I think Kerry is winning cause i agree with him. Question is who does the undecided voter think is winning?

The fact that Bush is so riled up at what's being said that he jumps up and interrupts both Kerry and Charlie Gibson does not bode well for him. Kerry is coming across as much more calm and collected. Bush is coming across as pissed and impatient.

bush was getting beat in the beginning, he's hit his stride since then. it's a tie after the first two questions.

Bush, "We have a deficite because the econemy was in a recession..."
"I'm gong to spend what it takes to win a war..."
"I think we have an obligation to spend that kind of money"

Kerry, "The President was handed a 5 trillion surplus, we now have a 3 trillion deficit..."
"1% of America, the top 1% of America got a tax cut of $89 billion..."

hmmmm...

Good question, Gibson. "You've both said you're going to cut the deficit in half, but I haven't heard a single thing from either of you that says <i>how</i> you're going to do it."

the recession ended? no one told me

i get the feeling kerry is trying to sell me a dodgy used car.

Do you make enough money to matter? Or are you one of those "lucky duckies" that makes less than $20,000/year?

Bush really needs to relax before he ends up like his partner in crime.

Totally agreed. It was a great question and he really shot it at them so that they couldn't dodge it.

I think that allowing undecided voters to ask questions is a mistake. While it makes the debate entertaining it makes me think; Haven't they been paying attention for the last four years.

"He looked at me like my clock was up"....awesome

Did Kerry just say 'fuzzy math'? We don't need to revisit cute little phrases like this.

Yet they're both trying to. He brought it up again.

I was thinking the same thing.

bush does seem a little amped

uh oh, environmental question
increase wetlands by 3 million!

And again they both dodged it.

You can run but you can't hide? Thats what BUsh said about Osama Bin Laden. Seems like he hid pretty well.

did he just say " we have a plan to increase the wetlands by 3 million " ??? what does that even mean?

Question going thru my mind... 3 million what? lol

"We're gonna cut down trees so they don't get destroyed in fires. We're <i>protecting</i> them."

</oversimplification>

They're going to flood Florida again. It's all part of the plan.

i noticed that too - what the hell?
-ccb

Bush gutted the clean air act, does he know what his own policies are?Air is cleaner?, better check factcheck.org

wow, 3 million more wetlands! woo duckhunting is on!

I wish Nader would bust in and show them all up.

Environment: Bush "off road diesel decreased by 90%"
"clear skys initiative" "healthy forest bill" neither of which really deliver what their name promises.
"We've got a good common sense policy" huh?
"I propose the hydrogen automobile technology" good man!! now get out of the oil buisness
"I'm a good stewert of the land'
Kerry, "The president I don't think is living in a world of reality" then takes a shot at the Sox
"I supported wellfare reform" um environment, dude
"one of the worst administrations in environmental history" true
"here we are leaving the air and sky's behind" hehe
"head of EPA resigned" good point
"didn't even accept the science"
"The kyoto treaty was flawed, but this president didn't try to fix it"
"we just say 'we don't aggree with you, goodbye'"

I missed the senator Kennedy comment can someone please elaborate?

Or factcheck.com, it's like the same thing....

forests are not being harvested...


Oh that's my favorite line!

bush addressed, or referred to, senator kerry as "senator kennedy" - i'm sure that is what i heard.
-ccb

"need some wood" What a jackass. he paused for 10 seconds thinking that one up.

oh man, if bush really does own a timber company . .. . lol

Ahahahahahaha....agreed. Great comeback.

"I own a lumber company? Want some wood?" - BUSH

The best quote of the debate so far!

Holy shit ya'll are fast. I posted that comment just after he said it!

yah - next he's going to start every rebuttal with "earth to kerry........."
- what a nob

It will probably end up that bush owns a lot of stock in some timber company ;)

"sneak & peek" sounds good. i'd like to get me some of that action.
much better than "shock & awe"
--ccb

must have some delay

Kerry on the Patriot act, "[names important people who are against the patriot act] peoples rights have been abused"
"they've got sneak and peek searches now" peekaboo!
"we need to be stronger on terroism" yea
"never change our constitution to infringe on citizens rights" of course

I don't know I still perfer "You forgot Poland!"

"I really respect your values" = "Go to hell."

that really would be comically disastrous.

the beginning was a bit chaotic, it seems that both candidates have hit their stride and tone for the evening.

props to charlie gibson for calling them out when a questioned isn't answered properly.