Shots Across The Bow

Debate Rd 2

I listened to this one on the radio as I was driving home. (Thanks XM!) Without being able to see the images, I had to concentrate on the sounds of their voices. You really ought to try it sometimes; it's amazing what you can hear when you aren't looking.

The President's voice was a little raspy, and filled with a barely restrained emotion. I thought it might be nerves, or desperation at first, but as the debate went on, it became clear that it was passion. He clearly believes what he was saying up there tonight; they aren't just talking points. Mr. Kerry's voice, on the other hand, was flat and controlled with the standard cadences of the practiced lecturer. Polished and professional, but lacking any emotional fire.

In both men, it was pretty easy to hear when they were spouting rehearsed answers, and when they went off the cuff. Bush's canned answers sounded canned, and he scored his best points whne he abandoned them and spoke from the heart. Kerry rarely did so, meaning wither he was more prepared, or less willing to take a chance.

On substance, both men landed some good shots. I thought Kerry's best was when he accused Bush of choosing a tax cut for the rich over a better Homeland defense. While that comparison is demonstrably false, it does make an easy image for the voter to grasp, making it essential that Bush spend time countering it, which he did fairly effectively tonight.

Bush's best shots were when he countered the question about our overseas popularity by turning the question around, asking is it more important to be popular, or to do what's right. Again, a simple, easy to grasp response that should resonate with the voters, and one that's harder to attack. He was also effective in pointing out how the conduct of this campaign is going to make it difficult to impossible for Kerry to build the coalition he keeps promising. He repeatedly pointed out the inconsistency of asking our allies to join us in the "Wrong war at the wrong time." Kerry's response was disjointed, and ineffective, particularly in light of the recent announcements that even if Kerry wins, France and Germany will not send in troops, and the release of documentation showing france and Russia's involvement with Hussein's bribery, and the abuse of oil for food money.

I'm not going to pick a winner, because this wasn't a format where one man wins. It was a good one for pulling out differences between the candidates, and since I'm obviously going to agree more with the President, I would assume he won, just as a Kerry supporter would assume he won. However, President Bush showed not only better debate skills than the first debate, but a greater command of the facts, and was able to connect with the audience more effectively than Kerry. I think he may have helped himself more than Kerry did, but only because he was deep in a hole after the first debate.

Posted by Rich at October 9, 2004 1:53 AM | TrackBack