Bush Vs Kerry

[DudeAsInCool]

Focus Group Gives Slight Edge to Kerry

Oct 1, 7:53 AM (ET)

By Alan Elsner

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) - A group of citizens in the swing state of New Hampshire, including Democrats, Republicans and one undecided voter, gave a slight edge to Democrat John Kerry in Thursday's first presidential debate.

Before the debate began, three of the seven voters who gathered at Saint Anselm College, a small Catholic university near Manchester, said they were leaning toward Kerry, but without any great enthusiasm. The three who said they supported President Bush were all passionately behind him.

After the debate, all three Kerry supporters said they were much more encouraged and heartened by the Massachusetts senator's performance. The Bush supporters remained solidly committed to the president.

Adam Schibley, a politics student at the college and the group's sole undecided voter, said he was now leaning strongly toward Kerry.

"Kerry answered a few questions I had that were open-ended before the debate started," he said. "Bush struggled more to verbalize his beliefs while Kerry found it easy to put into words exactly what he felt."

Polls show the presidential race in New Hampshire is extremely close. Bush was scheduled to visit Manchester on Friday while Kerry was scheduled to arrive in the state early next week.

Dentist Lawrence Puccini, a Bush supporter, said that viewed purely as a debating contest, Kerry was the winner.

"Bush had a sour look to him. Kerry showed himself a real polished debater. He kept attacking but he didn't really convince me about what he would do differently. But in terms of the debate, he cleaned Bush's clock," he said.

The New Hampshire voters agreed that both candidates had strong moments in the debate.

"Bush seemed most presidential when he rejected Kerry's approach to bilateral talks with North Korea," said Marc Cronin, the dean of first-year students at Saint Anselm College. "But I was pleased by Kerry's performance. He made a reasonable case for his position and he was not as scripted as Bush, although both were a bit scripted at times."

SOLID POINT

Others in the group said Kerry scored a solid point when he highlighted the decline in U.S. international credibility by recalling how during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 French President Charles De Gaulle had accepted the word of the president of the United States without the need to see proof.

Henry Wenta, a distributor for a major beer company, was totally committed to Bush before the debate began and remained so after it was over. But he said there was no clear winner to the encounter.

"John Kerry is cold, he was yelling all the time. Bush is friendly and speaking to us, not to Jim (moderator Jim Lehrer). Bush -- I believe him, I believe everything he says. He still has my vote," he said.

Before the debate began, Meg Cronin, an English professor at the college, said she wished the Democrats had nominated someone else for president.

She was pleased that neither candidate had indulged in personal attacks and said Bush had made it clear that he had a lot of real world experience as president. Overall however, she finished the evening a stronger Kerry supporter than before.

"Kerry did a good job in explaining the so-called inconsistencies in his record. I feel better about supporting him now," she said.

Student Candace Cunha, another lukewarm Kerry supporter before the debate, said Bush seemed nonplused several times.

"I came in thinking I don't trust Kerry and I didn't know what he was planning to do. But I don't think Bush was sure of himself. He was like a deer caught in the headlights so many times," she said.

She also strongly endorsed Kerry's point that there was a difference between supporting U.S. troops and supporting the war in Iraq.

"Just because I don't support the war in Iraq doesn't mean I don't support my friend who is serving in Fallujah," she said.

Susan Roberge said she had supported Bush in 2000 and would be proud to vote for him again. She said she felt a very strong emotional connection to him, confirmed by watching the debate.

"I really felt Bush made eye contact with his audience. Kerry was looking askance," she said. "He didn't stand up and show that he had not been inconsistent on Iraq."

http://news.myway.com/top/article/id/43034...07|reuters.html

[joeyz]

If you're like me and you missed the first day of debates, then you can watch the highlights here and vote on which candidate answered each question best.

[Kooperman]

In the last few days I've seen and heard quite a bit of footage of George Bush in his debate against the incumbent governor of Texas, Ann Richards, and of the 2000 debates against Al Gore. I'm firmly convinced at this point that the president is on some type medication or has had some type of medical problem (remember when he blacked out a few years ago and hit his face as he fell?) which is creating some communication problems. The Bush of 2004 is sluggish trying to form thoughts and to express them...the Bush who ran for governor in 1994, and won, was alert, sharp and focused. There's something that's being swept under the rug here.

[DudeAsInCool]

I'm firmly convinced at this point that the president is on some type medication or has had some type of medical problem (remember when he blacked out a few years ago and hit his face as he fell?) which is creating some communication problems.

Must be bad drugs - he seemed jumpy, fidgety, frustrated and annoyed throughout

[joeyz]

The Bush of 2004 is sluggish trying to form thoughts and to express them...the Bush who ran for governor, and won, was alert, sharp and focused. There's something that's being swept under the rug here.

Whatever the problem may be, anyone with such a "condition" is DANGEROUS. In the first night of debates he was so off topic that I wasn't even sure he understood the questions being asked. How we ended up with this buffoon is beyond my comprehension.

Edited October 2, 2004 by joeyz

[joeyz]

Must be bad drugs - he seemed jumpy, fidgety, frustrated and annoyed throughout

maybe he's still on the powder

[Kooperman]

maybe he's still on the powder

He got his britches dusted last night, if not his nose....

[slum_goddess]

Must be bad drugs - he seemed jumpy, fidgety, frustrated and annoyed throughout

or totally unused to not being cocooned from bad ol' reality (personally, i'd rather believe he's on drugs, quite possibly yet another scandal to emerge i hope i hope).

[DudeAsInCool]

With voters widely viewing Kerry as the debate’s winner, Bush’s lead in the NEWSWEEK poll has evaporated

Ron Edmonds / AP

The face of frustration?: Bush on debate night

WEB EXCLUSIVE

By Brian Braiker

Newsweek

Updated: 6:04 p.m. ET Oct. 2, 2004

Oct. 2 - With a solid majority of voters concluding that John Kerry outperformed George W. Bush in the first presidential debate on Thursday, the president’s lead in the race for the White House has vanished, according to the latest NEWSWEEK poll. In the first national telephone poll using a fresh sample, NEWSWEEK found the race now statistically tied among all registered voters, 47 percent of whom say they would vote for Kerry and 45 percent for George W. Bush in a three-way race.

Removing Independent candidate Ralph Nader, who draws 2 percent of the vote, widens the Kerry-Edwards lead to three points with 49 percent of the vote versus the incumbent’s 46 percent. Four weeks ago the Republican ticket, coming out of a successful convention in New York, enjoyed an 11-point lead over Kerry-Edwards with Bush pulling 52 percent of the vote and the challenger just 41 percent.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6159637/site/newsweek/

[method77]

read in the papers here about Kerry winning the debate.

To tell you the truth, the paper I buy said that they were both really dumb and it also said that if a politician like those 2 was in some European country, he would get 0.3% of the votes.

[Kooperman]

read in the papers here about Kerry winning the debate.

To tell you the truth, the paper I buy said that they were both really dumb and it also said that if a politician like those 2 was in some European country, he would get 0.3% of the votes.

Guess that was in the Greek Fox newspaper....I'm straining to think of any magnificent European leaders in recent years....

[method77]

you might be right about recent years but I have to agree with the paper. None of them suck as much as those two. Perhaps Kerry is better but he is no Clinton.

[method77]

oh wait...

Berlusconi is worst than those two.

[Kooperman]

He got his britches dusted last night, if not his nose....

Here's what debate hangover looks like....

[DudeAsInCool]

To tell you the truth, the paper I buy said that they were both really dumb and it also said that if a politician like those 2 was in some European country, he would get 0.3% of the votes.

Kerry came off fine in the debate - he was clear, succinct and eloquent.

How can you make a judgment on somebody when you havent read or heard the debate? What is it specifically you dont like about Kerry? And what makes your Euroopean leaders so much better? They're still politicians at the end of the day. Maybe you just got up, but your beef sounds like a rant without any substance

[method77]

How can you make a judgment on somebody when you havent read or heard the debate?

I watched most of the debate dude and read the whole thing. I like Kerry way better than Bush but I liked Clinton way better than anybody else. I follow US and world politics in general so I can say that I know what I'm talking about but I always set standards very high. In my opinion, the person who leads any strong nation like the US should be VERY tough, sharp, honest and in general A LEADER. None of those two are that.

I agree, Kerry won and I really think that he wins and proves my doubts wrong. I also didn't like our current leader but voted for him. He proved to be a very good and honest prime minister.

[DudeAsInCool]

I watched most of the debate dude and read the whole thing.

I stand corrected. Clinton knows how to play the crowd, but that doesnt necessarily make him a leader, thought I preferred his governing style to Kerry and Bush. But I think its too early to tell how Kerry would be as a leader. He's certainly smart and could do well

[method77]

But I think its too early to tell how Kerry would be as a leader. He's certainly smart and could do well

I really hope so too. For your nation's good and for the world good in general. Bush's actions turned this matter global.

Clinton (his goverment) managed your economy very good and also managed to have good relations with other countries. All leaders should work like that.

[DudeAsInCool]

Clinton (his goverment) managed your economy very good and also managed to have good relations with other countries. All leaders should work like that.

Who can disagree with that

[method77]

Who can disagree with that

George W. Bush and his goverment

[DudeAsInCool]

George W. Bush and his goverment

As far as Im concerned, they werent legally elected

[Kooperman]

It's time to legally unelect him and his government and give someone else a chance to fix the Iraq mess and the domestic mess. If the new president also thinks he's Napoleon Patton then we'll unelect him too in 4 years.

[joeyz]

After debate, polls find Kerry, Bush in dead heat

Challenger gains ground

MSNBC staff and news service reports

Updated: 3:33 p.m. ET Oct. 4, 2004WASHINGTON -

President Bush is now in a statistical dead heat with Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry for the Nov. 2 election, in a tightening of the race after the first debate last week, a pair of new polls show.

The USA Today/CNN/Gallup poll of likely voters taken between Friday and Sunday found Bush’s 8 point lead over Kerry in a Sept. 26 poll had evaporated and both candidates would get 49 percent of the vote if the election were held today. Independent Ralph Nader got 1 percent, compared to 3 percent in the previous survey.

And a Newsweek poll also found that the president’s lead has vanished and the race now statistically tied among all registered voters, 47 percent of whom say they would vote for Kerry and 45 percent for George W. Bush in a three-way race. Nader gets 2 percent.

the rest

[DudeAsInCool]

AP Poll: Kerry Holds Small Lead Over Bush

WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John Kerry holds a slim lead over President Bush, according to an Associated Press poll that shows the Democrat gaining ground while Bush lost support on personal qualities, the war in Iraq and national security.

Fewer voters than a month ago believe Bush is the best man to protect the country and fight the war.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041007/D85IN1DO0.html

[Redneck4sure]

Clinton (his goverment) managed your economy very good and also managed to have good relations with other countries. All leaders should work like that.

Who can disagree with that

I can

He did his best to ruin the military in this country. Kerry will continue the tradition if elected.

Edited October 7, 2004 by Redneck4sure