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Originally posted by Cowperson+Oct 8 2004, 06:07 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Cowperson @ Oct 8 2004, 06:07 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'>
Quote:
Originally posted by Flame On@Oct 8 2004, 10:28 PM
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Do you think Bush is capable to look statesman like and collected? I mean he doesn't seem to be able to keep focus within a sentance he's speaking, why over the course of a whole debate, with the pressure of the Presidency on the line would he be able to??
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Are you directing that at me?
Judging from a week ago, Bush'll (Bushell?) get demolished given all the ammo landing in Kerry's lap.
If he makes a comeback, however, he wouldn't be the first sitting president to do so in those circumstances. I think someone mentioned Ronald Reagan lost his first debate against Walter Mondale and then came back smokin'.
In the first debate, Mondale was viewed as the more effective speaker and Reagan was said to have appeared tired and sometimes confused. In the second debate, Mondale failed to gain further ground. Reagan successfully diffused the issue of his age during the second debate when he said, "I want you to know that also I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit, for political purposes, my opponent's youth and inexperience."
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1232477/posts
For amusement, a transcript of the first 1984 debate.
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showd...hp?debateid=11
The second debate:
http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showd...hp?debateid=12
(PS: That second debate will take some people back to some zingers on the CIA, Nicarauga and nuclear missiles!!).
Bush is in a lot more trouble than Reagan though. I will await developments with interest.
Cowperson [/b][/quote]
So I'm reading through that Reagan v. Mondale thing and it struck me -- here I am, a Canadian, reading the transcripts of a 20 year old debate between Reagan and some guy everyone has forgotten about. Meanwhile, there was some high drama in Canadian politics just this week that I essentially ignored, there is going to be a provincial election as early as next month, and we are a week away from a local election and I haven't even heard of a single candidate that isn't the sitting mayor.
In other words, maybe I should pay at least some attention to my own backyard. But I won't. It's too boring.