Bush trying to weasel out of third debate, should he?

[imported_mbentz16]

Originally posted by: everman
Perhaps Kerry can debate himself for the 3rd?

This happens naturally... no need for a formal debate.

 

[zephyrprime]

I would personally like it if at least one of the debates were held very early on in the election season. Say at around June.

 

[nageov3t]

Originally posted by: zephyrprime
I would personally like it if at least one of the debates were held very early on in the election season. Say at around June.

technically, there was no canidate in June.

Kerry wasn't the official canidate until the Convention... same with Bush, actually.

 

[Ryan]

Clinton backed out of a debate in the '96 election, as did Bush's father when he was running for relection. It's not a big deal.

 

[Rob9874]

I think he should only do 2 debates. Everyone knows that Kerry is the better debater of the two. Big deal, what does that prove? Bush can make a better grilled cheese sandwich. Who gives a f***? Being able to speak well on your feet shows no ability to lead a nation. The only reason Kerry supporters want a 3rd debate, is because each debate is a chance to gain the lead.

It's like when I play Madden football, and my opponent is up by 4 pts late in the 4th. If they just run out the clock, I have no chance of winning. I'm mad that they won't go for a pass, which would open an opportunity for me to intercept, or at least stop the clock with an incomplete pass. But who would be so stupid? If you're leading, you don't need to risk that lead. Kerry is looking very desperate begging for more debates.

 

[TheMagnificentCheese]

In essence, as far as the debates go, they can do 2, 3 or 50. The bottom line is that about 7-10% of the voting public will watch them and I'd say at least 90% of them already have their minds made up. So the question is as to whether that 0.7 to 1% of the voting public will be persuaded completely enough to add 0.7 to 1% of the vote to a single candidate.

The answer to that question is no. Debates affect an election very little in this day and age. Large scale apathy rules the day. The only thing that the uninformed know is "Oh, my dad was a democrat so I must be too." or vice versa. Or if family isn't an integral part of their life and views, then obviously they just pay attention to their peers when they say "Oh, Bush is bad, he's a liar and a murderer." or "Oh, Kerry is bad, he's a waffler and he lied about Vietnam."

Rational debate does sadly little to affect anyone in this country. I vote for whom and what I believe to be true and virtuous. If that leads me to vote for George W. Bush in this election (which it will) then nobody can convince me otherwise. Especially with petty hypocritical arguments about past military service.

 

[sMiLeYz]

Originally posted by: TheMagnificentCheese
I vote for whom and what I believe to be true and virtuous. If that leads me to vote for George W. Bush in this election (which it will) then nobody can convince me otherwise. Especially with petty hypocritical arguments about past military service.

haha... you said true and virtuous. you realize we're talking about politicians here? I'll admit, George Bush seems like a chummy guy. But the people around him are some of those most slimy machievillian people ever.

 

[0roo0roo]

Originally posted by: ntdz
while i think there should be 3 debates, i can understand why he doesnt want to do the townhall debate. A heckler or democrat disguised as an independent could look bad, and not only that, incumbent Presidents usually have more to lose than gain in debates.

Oh, and FYI, Clinton only agreed to 2 debates in 1996.

hah, so he's afraid of a hard question? a president is afraid of a question from a citizen?? pretty pathetic.

and bringing up clinton does nothing. remember by conservative standards clinton is scum of the earth. so is that their standard now?

 

[Kibbo]

Originally posted by: TheMagnificentCheese
I love how the left can belittle the intelligence of our President so much when he is, in truth, a very capable and intelligent leader. He has done a remarkable job as President and he deserves his due credit for that. He isn't the most articulate president we've ever had, but he stands firm for what he believes in. The fact that he doesn't deviate from his beliefs regardless of the ridicule he receives tells me something about his character. Character wins my vote, because this is a Republic. In a Republic, we vote for authority to make the decisions. We don't vote for authority who will be a puppet to the whims of the masses.

Vote principle over politics.

Bush was elected on a foreign policy platform that included a rejection of imperialism and nation building. Kerry's not the only politician who changes his mind on policy.

 

[slurmsmackenzie]

i'm gonna vote for the same person i do everytime. joe fvcking blow. doesn't matter who runs the show for the time being. just a stand in til the man j.c. gets back.

 

[JHoNNy1OoO]

Originally posted by: rbloedow
Clinton backed out of a debate in the '96 election, as did Bush's father when he was running for relection. It's not a big deal.

We weren't in a freaking war. This is the most important election in a very long time. It's a very big deal.

On the news I heard that the Bush negotiating team is afraid of "democrats in disguise", but the same can be said about Republicans. I just can't believe that people aren't bothered by this. Our candidates only interact with each other 3 times every 4 years. Thats just pathetic.