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About the First Two Debates
Posted
10-09-2000
Two debates down, and we have two more to go. I’m not sure who you
perceived as the winners of the first presidential and only
vice-presidential debates, but each side demonstrated that there are clear
differences between their platforms. The often confrontational and somewhat
disjointed presidential debate was at times painful to watch. The VP debate
was much more sedate and appeared to be like a Sunday morning talk show
rather than a debate.
Post debate polls for the
first presidential debate favored Al Gore though I certainly felt he wasn’t
on his "A" game. He simply had such a clearer command of the issues, and
Bush’s discomfort with detail was apparent. Bush seemed quite uneasy on the
international issues, and I believe was fearful that he would mispronounce a
person's or country's name. I thought Gore was too repetitive about the top
1% getting the monumental tax break. I also think Bush’s simplicity may be
appealing. The fake southern accent is hard to stomach, but in a country
that twice elected a total dunce like Ronald Reagan, anything is possible.
I'm not sure what effect the
debates are having because each side has 40+ % of the vote. They are
jockeying for the undecided vote, and I’m not sure that the first
presidential debate swayed many undecided voters. The VP debate probably
didn’t change many minds. I don’t think people vote for a President based on
his running mate and unless someone bombed and seemed unqualified to lead,
the VP has little effect on the race. Both Lieberman and Cheney demonstrated
enough knowledge and competence to get passing grades.
Next week’s debate and the
following one will be different in their formats and, therefore, will give
each candidate a new opportunity to shine. I haven’t seen the ratings to
tell if many people are tuned in. If only the committed followers of the
candidates are watching, the consequences of the debates will have minimal
effect. If the undecided voters are tuned in, then the results could have an
impact.
What has really changed from
the days of the first televised presidential debate between Kennedy and
Nixon are the post debate analyses on each and every channel. Focus groups,
commentator analysis, and much, much more make the post debate dialogue a
challenging experience for the viewer trying to shape his or her own
opinion. I’m not sure whether all the analysis is good or not. It may
influence viewers more than the debate itself.
Let’s see what happens with
the next two debates and watch the discourse over the next month. It still
appears to be an extremely close race and may come down to a few swing
states. The electoral outcome in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan,
Illinois, Wisconsin, and Florida will likely determine who is the first
President elected in the 21st century. |
