Debate #3 aftermath
Oct. 13th, 2004 10:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thebratqueenUrgh! What an awful, awful moderator. What the heck was with some of those questions? "Will our children be as safe as we were?" Uh... during the duck and cover years? I'm kinda hoping for something better than that, but thanks. "How did the US end up with a flu vaccine shortage?" Bob, hon, you're in the news, surely you knew the answer to that one. That's not a debate question. And what the Hell was up with softball questions like the one about the wives and daughters?
So disappointing. This really could've been a knockout debate but with subpar questions it's hard to reach higher.
Once again credit where it's due: Bush managed to speak like he knew what he was talking about. Of course what he was talking about was utterly amazing if you bothered to pay attention. "I'm for tolerance of gay people, but I want an amendment that keeps them from marrying" Okay! Though personally I loved how multiple times his answer to all the currently unemployed people out there is "I gave you a thousand bucks and theoretically your kids will be able to read better." Thanks Mr. President! That does absolutely nothing to put food on the table once the thousand bucks is gone, but I'm sure they appreciate the sentiment.
More than anything I felt like this was a debate of shading. Kerry did a few things that were strong when he flat-out supported a woman's right to choose, supported the right of civil unions for gay people, and supported affirmative action. But beyond that I got the impression that neither he nor Bush was really trying to do anything dramatic. Instead it was just... okay I was going to use the word "clarifying" but it's a political debate so I think we all know that word wasn't on anyone's agenda - I guess expanding is the word I'm going for. Slightly more details on some stuff to show where the lines are drawn.
So it's not going to be anything that jumps up and down and waves its arms, but it's still there for those who watch carefully. Both candidates talk about fixing Social Security, but Kerry's the only one who reminded everyone that right now it's the younger generation paying for the current retirees. I also liked when Bush talked about how some things, like Social Security, were very important to him - and that's why he was going to get right on them in his second term. Sure.
Still... meh. Very disappointing. I was hoping for much better all around.
So disappointing. This really could've been a knockout debate but with subpar questions it's hard to reach higher.
Once again credit where it's due: Bush managed to speak like he knew what he was talking about. Of course what he was talking about was utterly amazing if you bothered to pay attention. "I'm for tolerance of gay people, but I want an amendment that keeps them from marrying" Okay! Though personally I loved how multiple times his answer to all the currently unemployed people out there is "I gave you a thousand bucks and theoretically your kids will be able to read better." Thanks Mr. President! That does absolutely nothing to put food on the table once the thousand bucks is gone, but I'm sure they appreciate the sentiment.
More than anything I felt like this was a debate of shading. Kerry did a few things that were strong when he flat-out supported a woman's right to choose, supported the right of civil unions for gay people, and supported affirmative action. But beyond that I got the impression that neither he nor Bush was really trying to do anything dramatic. Instead it was just... okay I was going to use the word "clarifying" but it's a political debate so I think we all know that word wasn't on anyone's agenda - I guess expanding is the word I'm going for. Slightly more details on some stuff to show where the lines are drawn.
So it's not going to be anything that jumps up and down and waves its arms, but it's still there for those who watch carefully. Both candidates talk about fixing Social Security, but Kerry's the only one who reminded everyone that right now it's the younger generation paying for the current retirees. I also liked when Bush talked about how some things, like Social Security, were very important to him - and that's why he was going to get right on them in his second term. Sure.
Still... meh. Very disappointing. I was hoping for much better all around.
