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This site is a member of WebRing. To browse visit here. Wednesday, October 13, 2004 Last Debate, First Impressions This was "Debate Lite," as far as I'm concerned. Touchy-feely questions, Much less confrontation between Bush and Kerry, and at the same time, more confrontational questions than I would have expected from the moderator. Asking Kerry whether it was fair to blame the president for all the country's economic problems, for example. Now that I think about it, Bob Schieffer seemed to be asking the president purely informational questions, and on the other hand, asking Kerry to justify statements he had made. One doesn't want to accuse Schieffer of bias. It just sounded like those polling questions that prompt the respondents into the desired answers, and so influences the results. I suspect the President's people told him to lighten up. Too bad for him that they didn't also tell him not to smirk constantly. Or maybe they did, and he just can't help it. Why was he so red in the face? Was he overheated, or was it just bad makeup? Bush managed this one far better than the previous two. He was articulate, he quoted facts and figures (and probably not many people will know just how many he misquoted), and he struck a good balance between the blank hesitation of the first debate and the hyperactivity of the second one. He even poked fun at himself several times. Bob Schieffer asked whether they thought homosexuality was a choice, and while he certainly was free to ask that, I was puzzled by it at first. What difference does that make to education, or health care, or jobs? I think Schieffer may have been making a very subtle point with the question; I just worry whether it was too subtle for most people to pick up. President Bush said—honestly, I think—"I don't know." He may not have endeared himself to his radical right supporters with that answer, but I think it came from the heart. He went on to say that whether homosexuality is a choice or not, everyone should be treated with dignity. Kerry made it clear that he believes one's sexuality is settled already at birth. Here's the difference: Bush's answer, while it sounded warm and fuzzy, leaves the door open for interpretation. Maybe homosexuality is not a choice . . . and maybe it is. If it is a choice, then what? Many of Bush's supporters would call it an abomination. Many would call it a crime. What obligation does one have to treat a criminal with dignity? If, however, one's sexual orientation is not a choice—if homosexuality is the normal condition for some small portion of the population, then the rights extended to all Americans by birth apply to homosexual Americans in the same degree as to heterosexual Americans. Period. Kerry did not make this point explicit (he might have trouble with refusing gays the right to marry if he had), but equal rights is the logical outcome of what he did say. It will be interesting to see how this particular question and response is tossed about in the commentary. If Bush did have a single failing tonight, it was to fall back on education as the panacea for all the nation's ills. Minimum wage too low? Just get a better education, presumably so you can start out with a higher paying job. Can't get a job because you're a minority? Just get a better education, and then you won't need affirmative action. I wish that Kerry had come down harder on the fact that No Child Left Behind was never fully funded. Schieffer brought up the Catholic bishops who preached from the pulpit that voting for Kerry would be a sin. Kerry dropped the ball on this one. He should have said that it is wrong for any religious organization to use its power over its believers to sway an election. But I can understand why he didn't want to chance alienating any conservative Catholics who might have been inclined to vote for him. Finally (and I know I'm skipping a lot, but they really didn't say anything new), Schieffer noted that all three of them were married to very strong women and had two daughters. He asked what they had learned from being married to these women. Bush got a roomful of laughs when he said he had learned to "listen to them!" But Kerry got the last word in, and the expression on Bush's face when Kerry said, "We're all examples of people who married up" was PRICELESS. My prediction: Bush will get points for this debate, but the Republican Party will continue to self-destruct. posted by Liz @ 9:36 PM | The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section RSS Feed PERSONAL Send email toliz at life-as-a-spectator-sport.com Home I'm a mother, grandmother, a computer professional, Democrat, Christian. I welcome politely worded comments and email, my spam filter throws the rest away, so don't bother to flame me WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT' "If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart. THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3 KNITTING BLOGS Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits FINISHED PROJECTS -------FINISHED IN 2006------- Peruvian Cap Tutti-Frutti Socks Shelley's Socks Carol's Socks -------FINISHED IN 2007------- Chain Link Socks Baby Surprise Jacket Valerie & Friend Baby Bonnet Rainbow Baby Socks Girls Pixie Hood Mitred Square Heart Red & White Socks Coffee Cup Pot Holder Nubbins Dishcloth Garterlac Dishcloth Suede Booties Kate's Socks Norwegian Sweet Baby Cap Half Thumbless Mittens Red Mittens for Akkol -------FINISHED IN 2008------- SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE -- Blogs and websites -- Causubon's Book Club Orlov Food Storage Made Easy From the Wilderness In the Wake Listening to Katrina Survival Topics The Modern Homestead The Oil Drum Notes from a Hillside Farm -- Mailing Lists -- 12vdc Power Living on the Land Rainwater Refrigeration Alternatives Old Ways of Living POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES The political sites have moved BOOKS I'M READING How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising ARCHIVES February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002 Feedjit Live Blog Stats
This was "Debate Lite," as far as I'm concerned. Touchy-feely questions, Much less confrontation between Bush and Kerry, and at the same time, more confrontational questions than I would have expected from the moderator. Asking Kerry whether it was fair to blame the president for all the country's economic problems, for example. Now that I think about it, Bob Schieffer seemed to be asking the president purely informational questions, and on the other hand, asking Kerry to justify statements he had made. One doesn't want to accuse Schieffer of bias. It just sounded like those polling questions that prompt the respondents into the desired answers, and so influences the results. I suspect the President's people told him to lighten up. Too bad for him that they didn't also tell him not to smirk constantly. Or maybe they did, and he just can't help it. Why was he so red in the face? Was he overheated, or was it just bad makeup? Bush managed this one far better than the previous two. He was articulate, he quoted facts and figures (and probably not many people will know just how many he misquoted), and he struck a good balance between the blank hesitation of the first debate and the hyperactivity of the second one. He even poked fun at himself several times. Bob Schieffer asked whether they thought homosexuality was a choice, and while he certainly was free to ask that, I was puzzled by it at first. What difference does that make to education, or health care, or jobs? I think Schieffer may have been making a very subtle point with the question; I just worry whether it was too subtle for most people to pick up. President Bush said—honestly, I think—"I don't know." He may not have endeared himself to his radical right supporters with that answer, but I think it came from the heart. He went on to say that whether homosexuality is a choice or not, everyone should be treated with dignity. Kerry made it clear that he believes one's sexuality is settled already at birth. Here's the difference: Bush's answer, while it sounded warm and fuzzy, leaves the door open for interpretation. Maybe homosexuality is not a choice . . . and maybe it is. If it is a choice, then what? Many of Bush's supporters would call it an abomination. Many would call it a crime. What obligation does one have to treat a criminal with dignity? If, however, one's sexual orientation is not a choice—if homosexuality is the normal condition for some small portion of the population, then the rights extended to all Americans by birth apply to homosexual Americans in the same degree as to heterosexual Americans. Period. Kerry did not make this point explicit (he might have trouble with refusing gays the right to marry if he had), but equal rights is the logical outcome of what he did say. It will be interesting to see how this particular question and response is tossed about in the commentary. If Bush did have a single failing tonight, it was to fall back on education as the panacea for all the nation's ills. Minimum wage too low? Just get a better education, presumably so you can start out with a higher paying job. Can't get a job because you're a minority? Just get a better education, and then you won't need affirmative action. I wish that Kerry had come down harder on the fact that No Child Left Behind was never fully funded. Schieffer brought up the Catholic bishops who preached from the pulpit that voting for Kerry would be a sin. Kerry dropped the ball on this one. He should have said that it is wrong for any religious organization to use its power over its believers to sway an election. But I can understand why he didn't want to chance alienating any conservative Catholics who might have been inclined to vote for him. Finally (and I know I'm skipping a lot, but they really didn't say anything new), Schieffer noted that all three of them were married to very strong women and had two daughters. He asked what they had learned from being married to these women. Bush got a roomful of laughs when he said he had learned to "listen to them!" But Kerry got the last word in, and the expression on Bush's face when Kerry said, "We're all examples of people who married up" was PRICELESS. My prediction: Bush will get points for this debate, but the Republican Party will continue to self-destruct.
The template is set to display 10 posts. To see all the posts for this month, click on the month name in the Archive section
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PERSONAL
WHY 'LIFE AS A SPECTATOR SPORT'
"If you're lucky not to live in the gutters of a slum, but still can't afford to take vacations in the Alps, you're part of that enormous middle class who lives life through the medium of the television, further separated from "real" life by air conditioner, by automobile, by dishwasher, microwave and ice-in-the-door refrigerator, by automatic washer and dryer, and all the other appliances and conveniences that make it possible for America to live life at second hand. I'm not sure why Americans decided that televised drama was better than the real thing, that cardboard microwave food containers were an adequate substitute for real dishes, and their contents for real food, or that cooking, dishwashing and face-to-face conversation wasn't worth the effort and time it required. Someone fed this nation a plastic crate of out-of-season tomatoes and told us it was life and we took them at their word, and we're so much the poorer for it that it's hard to know where to start to list the shortcomings." I wrote this a couple of years ago, but I have to admit it's much less amusing than I thought it would be to see the artifical construct falling apart.
THE NON-ELECTRIC HOME
Cleaning, 1 Cleaning, 2 Cleaning, 3
KNITTING BLOGS
Extravayarnza Knitting Heretic Mind of Winter Pie Knits Persistent Illusion See Eunny Knit The Keyboard Biologist Taleweaver's Ramblings TECHnitting Wendy Knits
FINISHED PROJECTS
SELF-RELIANCE AND THE FUTURE
POLITICAL BLOGS and SITES
BOOKS I'M READING
How to Grow More Vegetables, etc. Small Scale Grain Raising
ARCHIVES
February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 August 2008 July 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002 February 2002
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