The First Debate

[jamesglewisf]

Who do you think is going to win the debate tonight? Gore or Bush? It should be interesting, to say the least.

I'm hoping Bush wins, but I'm not to excited about the prospects.

[jamesglewisf]

What do you think of the fact that neither Ralph Nader, Pat Buchanan, or Harry Browne are being allowed to participate in the debates?

Have you even heard of Harry Browne? He is the Libertarian Party (http://www.lp.org/) candidate. According to their website, he qualifies for more state ballots than either Nader or Buchanan, but most Americans probably don't even know who he is.

[jamesglewisf]

So, what do you think?

I think Gore won the first 1/2 hour, they pretty much tied the middle, and Bush won the last 1/2 hour. It was almost like Bush had to get warmed up. He sure nailed the last one on character about "no controlling legal authority." How was Gore supposed to answer it other than I'm not going to say anything negative about the character of my opponent. What was he going to say? Bush hasn't been accused of violating fundraising rules.

Gore definitely was more polished.

I think the moderator did an awful job. He should have told those two guys to shut up when their turns were over. It felt like the debate was out of control, and it's the moderator's job to maintain control.

[jamesglewisf]

Did Bush's "Now what was the question, again?" joke throw you off guard? Did you think he had really forgotten the question? You know he didn't and that he notes written down about what the question was, but it sure caught me off guard. I think he even fooled Jim Lehrer, the moderator.

[jamesglewisf]

Here are the headlines at 5AM CST:

Dallas Morning News (http://www.dallasnews.com)
Gore, Bush offer rival visions at 1st debate
Change vs. continuity is theme
Spinmeisters kick it into overdrive
VP hopefuls getting set for own debate

The New York Times (http://nytimes.com/)
Presidential Candidates Clash on Health Care and Tax Cuts

The Washington Times (http://www.washtimes.com/election2000/)
No knockout punches in first debate
Does Bush Equal Gore?
Gore gains charm, Bush gains heft in contest

CNN (http://www.cnn.com)
Bush, Gore hit campaign trail after wrangling in first debate

ABC News (http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/DEBATES.html)
Bush, Gore Clash in Boston
ABCNEWS Poll: No Clear Winner

I kept looking for somebody to call Gore or Bush the winner, but nobody seemed willing to do it. Interesting.

BTW, the ABC News site seemed to have pretty complete coverage including a complete transcript, a fact check on what they said, a debate issue index, and commentary.

It is funny that almost each site talked about Nader and Buchanan being upset because they were excluded from the debate, but no one mentioned Browne.

[jamesglewisf]

Here's an interesting article (http://www.washtimes.com/national/default-2000105225424.htm) from the Washington Times about Gore conceding that the debate story was false.

[blinc]

I used to be a solid party voter for republicans. I don't agree with the moral values President Clinton seems to have... however, I will say that having seen the economy of the U.S. do wonderful things, I've changed my views on voting strictly republican. I'd have to cast my vote for Gore, in hopes that the current well-being of our nation will stay intact.

[TWTCommish]

Originally posted by jamesglewisf
What do you think of the fact that neither Ralph Nader, Pat Buchanan, or Harry Browne are being allowed to participate in the debates?

None of them are cracking 5% - they shouldn't be in the debates. If they're allowed in, why shouldn't others with low totals be allowed in? There is a specific minimum, and they havn't hit it! :)

[Grimey]

I thought the first debate was whether or not to eat the apple?

[Stormwind]

LOL, about the apple. Anyone watching the Dem debates while they duke it out for the nomination. And has anyone actually looked at General Clark's campaign site? http://www.americansforclark.com/
I like what the guy has to say. I like how he thinks about the issues. I like his qualifications (economics and foreign affairs) and I don't care what party he is registered to.

[theyeti]

Hey, strangely enough I'm looking at it right now!

I watched about 45 minutes of the last debate on tape delay, but that's about it. From the little I've heard so far Clark is in the lead for me too. You'd think his military record would help him out a lot going up against Bush. I don't like Howard Dean all that much so far, and if he wins the nomination that'll put me in a pickle... Carol Mosely Braun (great sp there?) sounded very good to me but doesn't appear to have much of a chance. I also like Kucinich's progressivism, but he's just too... overanimated :D to have a chance. I agree with him on less issues than the other three but being from MN I've been trained to like a Paul Wellstone-type guy.

Now how many more do I have to cover? About 20 maybe? ;-)