Bush said that tag line "Wrong war, wrong place at the wrong time" seven times. He tried to mash it into the gooey soft minds across the nation.
The manner in which Bush responds starts out pretty sharp but he slowly descends, he slumps, he shrugs, he blinks (I'd not noticed it the first time but had it pointed out via the MeFi thread), he shrinks a little more, he leans, he wants out, he wants the debate to end. He knows its not going well, he knows that Kerry has made good inroads.
Now that doesn't mean that Bush didn't make his points, he hit some decent responses, but then he fell back on his soundbites, again and again.
The Pearl Harbor attack leading to an assault on Mexico was priceless. It makes perfect sense to me. Go after bin Laden, pursue him until he is taken into custody. Then, then you might have been able to sell the country on Iraq.
But Bush's main failing in the war on terror is that he's lost sight of the prize, at least what should be the prize. Osama bin Laden. He's the one I want to see captured. It wouldn't really change my vote now, Bush has ably demonstrated his inability to lead the whole nation, he leads a portion.
Kerry's plan looks to all America
"It's necessary that we win" the war on terror from Bush. Really? I thought we were going all commit national suicide together and handover the keys to the country so the terrorists could move in and start driving 4 ton SUV's?
I was predisposed to looking more favorably on Kerry's performance rather than Bush's and I know that, even if I really tried, I wouldn't be able to overcome that bias. I wanted Kerry to perform, I wanted him to show some fire and he did.
He responded, he didn't use Vietnam overly, he mentioned it in response to Bush, I think he may have helped placate some damned angry vets. That line, "Don't confuse the war with the warriors, we did that once already." That is powerful and good stuff.
Where Bush says "bring to justice" Kerry says "kill", the in-no-uncertain-terms tone was well modulated. Some of the comments from that side (I absolutely hate referring to the Republican party as the right, its a filthy semantic trick) mention this and that Bush shouldn't whine about being President.
The United States of America does not have long term occupation of Iraq as a goal.
How many times does Bush say Hard Work, I know its Hard Work. Like he's been to war? Yeah, no, you haven't been in combat, Mr. Bush. You may think that you've been in combat but you haven't. And, for a guy who isn't working 40% of the time, I'm not sure you really know what Hard Work is even about.
The part where Kerry corrects Bush about who attacked us on 9/11 when Bush uses it as a justification for attacking Iraq, that was nice. Seeing Kerry get fired up and tell him, like he was almost scolding him, that Osama bin Laden attacked us, not Saddam Hussein.
Bush's response that, of course he knows it was Osama who attacked us (which, I think, was the first time he's actually said his name publicly in months), of course he knew it was Osama. As if that defeated Kerry's facts. You know it was Osama, had him cornered and, as Kerry put it, outsourced his capture to local warlords who were fighting US forces weeks before.
Excuse me? I've gotta go find out more about this. Did this really happen? Did the search in the Tora Bora mountains get given to the locals when we had troops in the area who could have done the job and taken Osama? Again, nice work, Mr. President.
I'm back off to read more reactions. Lots of good things to read and laugh because the Republicans are working to spin this and they're having a hard time finding some good traction.
The International Criminal Court stuff wasn't bad. Especially given that Bush frames it the right way, he makes it look like the court's sole purpose is to prosecute US soldiers (hmm, you mean like the fucks who tortured the prisoners?). But its not the court's sole purpose. I do need to read up more on it (before Savage rips me a freshie).
I enjoyed the debates quite alot. I enjoyed watching Bush blink and stumble for words and lose his thoughts and then slowly, slowly reboot and get going again. A man who thinks on his feet? Uhh, yeah, you know what, Uh-huh, I don't think so.
Whee! Politics are good fun!
Thursday, September 30, 2004
The Debate:IP's Take
I watched it from start to finish, not non stop but I watched every minute of it. I could pause it, rewind it and relisten to what either man said. And I did. I went back over alot of the points, I watched and listened to John Kerry respond to the questions with clear answers, directions, actions to take that haven't been taken.
And I saw George W. Bush squirm. I saw him stutter, sputter and mutter. If it was a dogfight then he's coasting home on his silk. He got beaten. He got beaten badly.
Where Bush offered the lame soundbites that his team has been pushing since the beginning, Kerry sideswiped and kicked his ass with a body blow after body blow. I need a transcript!
Bush trotted out the most ridiculous expenditure of the modern era, the missile defense system. Holy motherfucking shit, you simpering moronic little chimp of a man. You think the terrorists are going to use missiles?
You are deeply, deeply out of touch with reality. Terrorists would never use a missile, they'd smuggle in a bomb in a backpack and destroy downtown New York.
A fucking missile defense system? Who's he appealling to? Reaganites! He wants to evoke nostalgic sympathy in the geriatric set! Nice work, Mr. President.
Oooh, being President is hard. I seem to remember Will Farrell parodying you before you were elected saying "Being President is haaaaaard!"
okay, let's get back to the program at hand. Bush repeated time and again how Kerry has been inconsistent and was countered strongly each time. Kerry held his ground and spoke clearly, confidently and intelligently.
Bush hunched himself over the podium looking smaller than he already was compared to Kerry. Kerry looked stately, calm and capable.
Instead of supporting his claims, Bush would just give a look and nod. Yep, gotcha, boss. Oh wait, its a debate, you're supposed to make a premise, support it with other statements and arrive at a logical conclusion. Bush smirked and that was that.
On a bunch of occasions, Bush finished before time was up, the middle light, not the last 5 second light. When they got to the final closing talks, both my wife and I said there was no way he was going the full 2 minutes.
Reactions from the Bush side have been interesting. I will probably go out and read some sites and comments.
There's really not much denying that this was a big Kerry victory. I have read that people only listening to the debate gave it to Bush by a nose because Kerry sounded a little haughty.
And it has occurred to me that this could be a slick rope-a-dope. Let Kerry take the first two rounds and then deck him in the third. I don't think it'll go that way but that could be a strategy. It could also be what the new strategy is for them since this one's done and its a win for Kerry.
Now, does that translate into votes? It should. Why else would we have the debates if they didn't help people make up their minds? Maybe minds haven't been changed yet but maybe they've started to be opened. I'm very curious to hear what Ryan, Seed and Savage Henry have to say. What say you, guys? Anyone else?
Some interesting takes at the Allah Pundit (yeah, who knew?) which is serving as a central repository for thoughts about the debate. I haven't figured out if its solely committed to the GOP or if they are polling Democrats as well. But there are plenty of allegations of lies, slander, whatever. Kerry screwed up some points, Bush outright misrepresented his points. Calling this a draw is incorrect. Its just simply wrong.
Watch.
The Daily Show's take, "a retarded man held his own against a senator, you've gotta reelect him!"
And I saw George W. Bush squirm. I saw him stutter, sputter and mutter. If it was a dogfight then he's coasting home on his silk. He got beaten. He got beaten badly.
Where Bush offered the lame soundbites that his team has been pushing since the beginning, Kerry sideswiped and kicked his ass with a body blow after body blow. I need a transcript!
Bush trotted out the most ridiculous expenditure of the modern era, the missile defense system. Holy motherfucking shit, you simpering moronic little chimp of a man. You think the terrorists are going to use missiles?
You are deeply, deeply out of touch with reality. Terrorists would never use a missile, they'd smuggle in a bomb in a backpack and destroy downtown New York.
A fucking missile defense system? Who's he appealling to? Reaganites! He wants to evoke nostalgic sympathy in the geriatric set! Nice work, Mr. President.
Oooh, being President is hard. I seem to remember Will Farrell parodying you before you were elected saying "Being President is haaaaaard!"
okay, let's get back to the program at hand. Bush repeated time and again how Kerry has been inconsistent and was countered strongly each time. Kerry held his ground and spoke clearly, confidently and intelligently.
Bush hunched himself over the podium looking smaller than he already was compared to Kerry. Kerry looked stately, calm and capable.
Instead of supporting his claims, Bush would just give a look and nod. Yep, gotcha, boss. Oh wait, its a debate, you're supposed to make a premise, support it with other statements and arrive at a logical conclusion. Bush smirked and that was that.
On a bunch of occasions, Bush finished before time was up, the middle light, not the last 5 second light. When they got to the final closing talks, both my wife and I said there was no way he was going the full 2 minutes.
Reactions from the Bush side have been interesting. I will probably go out and read some sites and comments.
There's really not much denying that this was a big Kerry victory. I have read that people only listening to the debate gave it to Bush by a nose because Kerry sounded a little haughty.
And it has occurred to me that this could be a slick rope-a-dope. Let Kerry take the first two rounds and then deck him in the third. I don't think it'll go that way but that could be a strategy. It could also be what the new strategy is for them since this one's done and its a win for Kerry.
Now, does that translate into votes? It should. Why else would we have the debates if they didn't help people make up their minds? Maybe minds haven't been changed yet but maybe they've started to be opened. I'm very curious to hear what Ryan, Seed and Savage Henry have to say. What say you, guys? Anyone else?
Some interesting takes at the Allah Pundit (yeah, who knew?) which is serving as a central repository for thoughts about the debate. I haven't figured out if its solely committed to the GOP or if they are polling Democrats as well. But there are plenty of allegations of lies, slander, whatever. Kerry screwed up some points, Bush outright misrepresented his points. Calling this a draw is incorrect. Its just simply wrong.
Watch.
The Daily Show's take, "a retarded man held his own against a senator, you've gotta reelect him!"
More Filthy Dirty Tricks from the GOP
The GOP hate machine has trolled out another farce of an "ad" that distorts John Kerry all over Iraq.
Quotes out of context, lies, implied lies. Its pretty low, even for the Rove Anger Team. Want to learn the truth? Go to Kerry On Iraq, the Reality.
I don't know about anyone else but I'm pretty sick and damned tired of the never ending spewing of lies and distortions of reality by the GOP. They don't want a fair fight, they want to weasel in for another four years.
Spread the word!
Quotes out of context, lies, implied lies. Its pretty low, even for the Rove Anger Team. Want to learn the truth? Go to Kerry On Iraq, the Reality.
I don't know about anyone else but I'm pretty sick and damned tired of the never ending spewing of lies and distortions of reality by the GOP. They don't want a fair fight, they want to weasel in for another four years.
Spread the word!
Debate Prep: Get Ready to Fight Back
Sent to me via the Kerry email newsletter pipeline.
"A message from Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe:
Tonight, don't let George Bush's henchmen steal another victory. We need your online help immediately after the debate, so save this email, print it out, and have it ready with you as you watch the first Presidential debate tonight.
We all know what happened in 2000. Al Gore won the first debate on the issues, but Republicans stole the post-debate spin. We are not going to let that happen again, and you will play a big role.
Immediately after the debate, we need you to do three things: vote in online polls, write a letter to the editor, and call in to talk radio programs. Your 10 minutes of activism following the debate can make the difference.
Vote
National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these national news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them:
ABC News: http://www.abcnews.com/ CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/ CNN: http://www.cnn.com/ Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/ MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/ USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/
And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations for online polls. It is crucial that you do this in the minutes immediately following the debate.
Write
Immediately after the debate, go online and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. If you feel John Kerry commanded the debate and had a clear plan for fixing the mess in Iraq, put it in your letter. If you feel George Bush dodged tough questions on Iraq and didn't level with voters, put it in your letter.
With just a few clicks, you can write your letter at our online media center: http://www.democrats.org/media/
Call
Do you listen to national or local call-in shows on the radio? How about on TV? Call them and let them know what you thought of John Kerry's plan to keep America secure and George Bush's continuing refusal to admit the truth about his record.
Here are some national shows to get you started.
(All times are Eastern.)
Air America (all day): 646-274-2346
Alan Colmes (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): 212-301-5900
Ed Shultz (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.): 701-232-1525
Bev Smith (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 412-325-4197
Doug Stephen (5 a.m. 10 a.m.): 1-800-510-8255
Find shows in your area on our media website: http://www.democrats.org/media/find.html
Your actions immediately after the debate tonight can help John Kerry win on November 2. Make your voice heard!
Don't forget to visit our 2004 Debate Center before, during, and after the debate for important information, including questions Bush must answer, a Bush/Kerry contrast on keeping America safe, and Bush Debate Bingo, a game you can play with friends during the debate.
http://www.democrats.org/debates/
And after the debate, check your email for a very special message.
Thank you, Terry McAuliffe Chairman
PS: Make sure to forward this email to at least 10 other people who will be watching the debate. Also, give printed out copies to your friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors and get them involved.
I.e.: SPREAD THE WORD!
"A message from Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe:
Tonight, don't let George Bush's henchmen steal another victory. We need your online help immediately after the debate, so save this email, print it out, and have it ready with you as you watch the first Presidential debate tonight.
We all know what happened in 2000. Al Gore won the first debate on the issues, but Republicans stole the post-debate spin. We are not going to let that happen again, and you will play a big role.
Immediately after the debate, we need you to do three things: vote in online polls, write a letter to the editor, and call in to talk radio programs. Your 10 minutes of activism following the debate can make the difference.
Vote
National and local news organizations will be conducting online polls during and after the debate asking for readers' opinions. Look for online polls at these national news websites, and make sure to vote in every one of them:
ABC News: http://www.abcnews.com/ CBS News: http://www.cbsnews.com/ CNN: http://www.cnn.com/ Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/ MSNBC: http://www.msnbc.com/ USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/
And be sure to check the websites of your local newspapers and TV stations for online polls. It is crucial that you do this in the minutes immediately following the debate.
Write
Immediately after the debate, go online and write a letter to the editor of your local paper. If you feel John Kerry commanded the debate and had a clear plan for fixing the mess in Iraq, put it in your letter. If you feel George Bush dodged tough questions on Iraq and didn't level with voters, put it in your letter.
With just a few clicks, you can write your letter at our online media center: http://www.democrats.org/media/
Call
Do you listen to national or local call-in shows on the radio? How about on TV? Call them and let them know what you thought of John Kerry's plan to keep America secure and George Bush's continuing refusal to admit the truth about his record.
Here are some national shows to get you started.
(All times are Eastern.)
Air America (all day): 646-274-2346
Alan Colmes (10 a.m. to 1 p.m.): 212-301-5900
Ed Shultz (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.): 701-232-1525
Bev Smith (7 p.m. to 10 p.m.): 412-325-4197
Doug Stephen (5 a.m. 10 a.m.): 1-800-510-8255
Find shows in your area on our media website: http://www.democrats.org/media/find.html
Your actions immediately after the debate tonight can help John Kerry win on November 2. Make your voice heard!
Don't forget to visit our 2004 Debate Center before, during, and after the debate for important information, including questions Bush must answer, a Bush/Kerry contrast on keeping America safe, and Bush Debate Bingo, a game you can play with friends during the debate.
http://www.democrats.org/debates/
And after the debate, check your email for a very special message.
Thank you, Terry McAuliffe Chairman
PS: Make sure to forward this email to at least 10 other people who will be watching the debate. Also, give printed out copies to your friends, family members, coworkers and neighbors and get them involved.
I.e.: SPREAD THE WORD!
Pre-Debate Wrap-Up
The Associated Press has a crystal ball apparently. They have already put up an analysis of the presidential debate that takes place in five hours. Pretty neat trick.
ABCNEWS.com : Bush, Kerry Prepare for Debate in Fla.
Seriously though, this is a fucking outrage. Canned debates, canned analysis, canned tuna. When will it end? Oh yeah, never. Whoever wins in November, the other side's gonna bitch and moan for four more years.
Oh boy!
[Update: ABC pulled it, the web rebuilt it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Lazy journo!]
ABCNEWS.com : Bush, Kerry Prepare for Debate in Fla.
Seriously though, this is a fucking outrage. Canned debates, canned analysis, canned tuna. When will it end? Oh yeah, never. Whoever wins in November, the other side's gonna bitch and moan for four more years.
Oh boy!
[Update: ABC pulled it, the web rebuilt it. Ha. Ha. Ha. Lazy journo!]
A Gathering of Political Nicknames
It came to my mind earlier that there are some pretty damned clever nicknames that have arisen from this election season. Some that are less than complimentary, some that are just downright mean and some that do a nice job of encapsulating a particular stance.
So I thought I'd try to gather some of them here.
Let's start with Mr. George W. Bush:
Dubya, Shrub, Shrubya, ShrubCo, BuLLshIT, His Royal Smarminess, Chimp.
Some for the GOP:
The Wrong, the Gay Old Pricks, The Axis of Evil, Resmuglicans, Lapdogs.
Some for John Kerry:
sKerry, Kaptain Kerry, Lurch, Botox Man.
And some for the Democratic Party:
Panty waisted girlie men, Dimocrats, Dumacrats, Bitches, Liberal Bleeding Heart.
I'm sure there are dozens more that I've forgotten or just can't recall right now. Put them in the comments and I'll update the lists with your favorites.
So I thought I'd try to gather some of them here.
Let's start with Mr. George W. Bush:
Dubya, Shrub, Shrubya, ShrubCo, BuLLshIT, His Royal Smarminess, Chimp.
Some for the GOP:
The Wrong, the Gay Old Pricks, The Axis of Evil, Resmuglicans, Lapdogs.
Some for John Kerry:
sKerry, Kaptain Kerry, Lurch, Botox Man.
And some for the Democratic Party:
Panty waisted girlie men, Dimocrats, Dumacrats, Bitches, Liberal Bleeding Heart.
I'm sure there are dozens more that I've forgotten or just can't recall right now. Put them in the comments and I'll update the lists with your favorites.
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
Take That Ashcroft!
Judge Rules Patriot Act Surveillance Unconstitutional
"Surveillance powers granted to the FBI under the Patriot Act, a cornerstone of the Bush Administration's war on terror, were ruled unconstitutional".
Looks like a good start.
"Surveillance powers granted to the FBI under the Patriot Act, a cornerstone of the Bush Administration's war on terror, were ruled unconstitutional".
Looks like a good start.
The Real Hitlerification of the 2004 Election
How Bush's grandfather helped Hitler's rise to power. And the MeFi thread.
And no, it wasn't solely Prescott Bush making a dirty buck off the slaughter of Jews in Germany. Lots of American Industrialists made mad bank during the war.
Can you see the parallel?
And no, it wasn't solely Prescott Bush making a dirty buck off the slaughter of Jews in Germany. Lots of American Industrialists made mad bank during the war.
Can you see the parallel?
How Incredibly Sad and Unnecessary
CaptainNormal.org: If you vote for Bush, you are voting for THIS and a warning that the link is to a disturbing image.
Captain Normal is graphically demonstrating just what making abortions illegal will result in, illegal abortions being performed by sketchy types and women dying in dirty hotel rooms from hemorrages.
So let's see. Abortion Ban? Check. Restarting the draft? Check [Update: On Ryan's comments and links, I've got to retract this issue. There is no pending draft. Thanks for the link and info. Still leaves plenty to hate about Bush though.]. Entrenching the US in an unwinnable war in Iraq? Check. What else is there left to do? Oh yeah, make even more dirty money for your pals who are already filthy rich? Check.
Oh wait, let's just take the list from the Iconoclast:
• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.
• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
Four more years to exponentially increase the damage he's already created? Why? What could possibly make so many people hate this country so much that they want to re-elect the most destructive and incompetent leader of the modern era.
Captain Normal is graphically demonstrating just what making abortions illegal will result in, illegal abortions being performed by sketchy types and women dying in dirty hotel rooms from hemorrages.
So let's see. Abortion Ban? Check. Restarting the draft? Check [Update: On Ryan's comments and links, I've got to retract this issue. There is no pending draft. Thanks for the link and info. Still leaves plenty to hate about Bush though.]. Entrenching the US in an unwinnable war in Iraq? Check. What else is there left to do? Oh yeah, make even more dirty money for your pals who are already filthy rich? Check.
Oh wait, let's just take the list from the Iconoclast:
• Empty the Social Security trust fund by $507 billion to help offset fiscal irresponsibility and at the same time slash Social Security benefits.
• Cut Medicare by 17 percent and reduce veterans’ benefits and military pay.
• Eliminate overtime pay for millions of Americans and raise oil prices by 50 percent.
• Give tax cuts to businesses that sent American jobs overseas, and, in fact, by policy encourage their departure.
• Give away billions of tax dollars in government contracts without competitive bids.
• Involve this country in a deadly and highly questionable war, and
• Take a budget surplus and turn it into the worst deficit in the history of the United States, creating a debt in just four years that will take generations to repay.
Four more years to exponentially increase the damage he's already created? Why? What could possibly make so many people hate this country so much that they want to re-elect the most destructive and incompetent leader of the modern era.
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