Thursday, September 30, 2004

Initial Thoughts on the First Debate

It was a draw.

No question, neither man scored a knockout blow, neither man made an irrecoverable gaffe. Both stuck to their talking points, almost too much.  If I had to give the argument to one I’d give it to Kerry and performance to one I’d give that to Bush.  I disagree with Kerry’s argument but he defended it better than he has on the stump.  Yet Bush was still himself, in charge, and clearly comfortable in his role.

Alas, for Kerry, a draw is not good enough.  He needed to score a knockout blow in order for this to have an impact.  Meanwhile, it was way, way too long.  90 minutes? What were they thinking? The bloggers got bored, imagine the reaction of regular voters.

Also, Kerry needs to watch his arrogance - on more than one occasion he looked like the haughty patrician he is.  That’s bad.  The President had his moment of irritation, but they didn’t come off the same way.

Meanwhile, for those who are curious, Martinis here at MartiniPundit are always made with gin. Bombay Sapphire or Beefeater, occasionally Boodles.  We don’t do Vodka, although we stock it for others who enjoy it.

Posted by Matt on 09/30 at 09:34 PM
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