The Final Presidential Debate

Final Presidential Debate – October 13, 2004

Tonight was the final debate at Arizona State and it was the biggest mess I’ve seen. I was expecting W to come out and stumble over himself as he did in the other debates. I thought Kerry would come out with the guns blazing pointed at W. However, that wasn’t the way it happened.

Mr. George stumbled over himself, but his comments made sense. I was able to understand the intent of his messages. Albeit incoherent at times, I knew what he meant. Jolly John was all over the map. He didn’t answer questions with clear and concise statements. His untimely rhetoric was simply irritating detritus. Since I have been pulling for Kerry all these months, he really ticked me off tonight.

For a while, I kept score. Bush one, Kerry zero. Bush two, Kerry zero. After it became Bush six, Kerry zero, I flipped to MTV to watch “Made”. Kerry came off like a man that was trying to capture 20 years of work into a one hour conversation. That’s impossible. Bush didn’t need to remind Kerry of his flip-flopping, nor his ultra liberalism. Kerry dug his own grave and seemed happy doing it. It was as if he thought that being a grave digger was the right thing to do.

In an effort to be ‘fair and balanced’, Bush was not exactly smooth, suave, and debonair either. He seems to have a problem with the pathway from his brain to his mouth. The intent of his comments was understood, but his hems, haws, stutters, stammers, and sighs clouded his messages. I’m not sure how he did it, but he was able to still trample all over Kerry. Actually, Bush’s comments pushed Kerry into the grave he was digging.

Bush has been known to not have a grasp of proper grammar and the use of the English language. Tonight was no different. He used the phrases culture of life, fiscal sanity, and pay-go. Culture of life appears to be a catch phrase for pro-life. Fiscal sanity was supposed to be fiscal responsibility, but it made sense because the current spending is insane. Pay-go was supposed to be pay as you go. He tried to get out all of these things, but it just didn’t seem to be concise. Bush even tried to crack a joke with the moderator about trusting the information coming from mainstream media.

The two candidates gave a lack luster performance tonight and were really unimpressive. If a voter’s mind has been made up, this debate would not sway them in either direction. If a voter has not made up their mind, they probably wouldn’t be able to make a decision based off of tonight’s debate. Here are the reason’s why:
If the debates are considered interviews for the job, John Kerry would be considered a Job seeker who could not answer the interviewer’s question without staying on the tracks to a concise answer,
John Kerry trying to recite his record and his past accomplishments resembles a job seeker that forgot to proofread his resume and left off all of his past jobs.
George Bush seemed like a man interviewing for a telemarketing job, but doesn’t have great speaking skills.
George Bush’s lack of poise looks like a shy job seeker hoping that his interviewer is a fraternity brother and gives him a pass.
Both candidates are trying to say what the hiring manager wants to hear so they can get the $400,000 per year job.

The media will report this as a toss-up or a dead heat, a tie, or a draw. The republicans will chant, “Four more years!” The democrats will say, “Once again, Kerry showed that he’s the best.” I say that no matter what the pundits and prognosticators have to say, Bush will win…again. People will lose jobs…again. A slew of Supreme Court judges will retire and new conservative justices will be ushered in and we’ll be stuck for 20 more years. I wonder if Jim Crow has been stretching and rubbing on his Ben-Gay. The 2004-2008 Bush administration may be calling him up off of the bench for duty.

Black Republicans

I am a democrat and proud of it. However, Black republicans have some use too. I don't mind them. If they can effectively defend their positions, then they're okay. If they are idealogues and don't have the ability to see reality, then I think they should go sit down. Are you listening, Alan Keyes?

BET and Eminem

Why is BET the only channel that removed Eminem's Michael Jackson video from its playlist? Aren't there other things that should be banned from BET?

Presidential Debates

We have now seen two debates for this presidential election. It was clear that Mr. Bush was disturbed and simply unprepared. John Kerry beat Bush handily in the debate. The Edwards Cheney debate was a tad bit more interesting. Cheney seemed like a grumpy old man that's listening to his spoiled younger brother tell him what to do. However, Cheney was prepared and is better at debating that the President.

The second debate between Bush and Kerry was hilarious. Kerry was offering a lot of information that the public needed to hear and Bush was clearly agitated. His anger was evident in the way he stood up and jerked his shoulders around like a teenager getting reamed for getting a detention. The media and Republican defenders tried to spin the situation by saying that Bush is passionate and cares enough that he had to be bold and cut off Charles Gibson to get his point across. As I recall, Howard Dean showed his passion and lost his momentum in the primaries.

Passion is a good trait to have, but it has to be controlled. The Bush team needs to help their man clearly get his points across without always circling back to the Iraq issue. Four years of presidency cannot be defined by one conflict. Iraq and the war on terror are major issues for this administration and our country, but the US is a multifaceted nation with several issues in constant motion. Bush has neglected to show his focus on all of those things. If a football coach only focuses on defense, the offense and special teams suffer. That's when you lose. That being said, Bush should pay attention and cover his bases.

All in all, I believe that Bush is a horrible debater, an average leader, and a poor public speaker. His fake Texan act is getting old and he seems to be a puppet leaning on his Biblical ideals. It's okay to have faith, but you have to act appropriately to avoid sins such as:

1) Going after Iraq when the focus should have been on Afghanistan. Many people have been killed and maimed because of this sin.
2) Sending your friend to the UN to tell your lies and then keeping him quiet. Colin Powell is the most reasonable voice in the party and Bush sold him out. He didn't honor his neighbor.
3) Bush gave a speech to the US citizens about specific quantities of chemical weapons to justify attacking Iraq. Not a drop of those chemicals have been found and the reason for going to Iraq has been changed to liberate Iraq. It will go down in history as Operation Iraqi Freedom. He lied to our faces and many people have been killed and maimed in the process.

Bush is a liar and an average leader. I think Kerry would be a better president. But after listening to the news, overhearing people in the airports, and talking to other people, I'm certain Bush will win and Limbaugh and Hannity will rejoice. That's cool. Their man will win. They deserve to be happy. I just hope that when Alan Keyes loses in Illinois, Bush doesn't find a job for him in Washington.