Kerry Wins Debate on Points and in Perception
MoveOn.org
The debate Thursday night
was a make-or-break moment in our campaign to win back the White House.
Now the verdict is in: with confidence and conviction, Kerry made the
case against Bush's disastrous foreign policy — and Bush couldn't take
the heat.
Friday's editorial by the Boston Globe
sums it up: “Ladies and gentlemen, you wake today to a whole new
presidential race. Last night, John Kerry won as clear a debate victory
as we've seen since Ronald Reagan outdueled Jimmy Carter in 1980…The
Democratic challenger seemed more serious and substantive, more
knowledgeable and confident, than the man who holds the job.”
It's
become a truism that the post-debate spin matters as much as the debate
itself. We've got a running start — the reaction nation-wide was
overwhelmingly in John Kerry's favor. But it's critically important
that we all get out there and help seal the deal.
Over the
weekend and into the coming week, Americans will look to the
letters-to-the-editor pages of their local newspapers to confirm their
perceptions about the candidates and their performances.
Please take a few minutes today to write a letter highlighting how Kerry confronted Bush with the truth and the way that it rattled and angered Bush. We've set up an online tool that highlights some key talking points and makes it easy to find your local newspaper.
To write a letter to the editor, go here.
John Kerry's performance was very strong. But what sealed the deal for many commentators was how rattled Bush got when confronted with the truth about his policies.
The Washington Post derided his “stammering and pausing,” the New York
Times said he was “scowling and grimacing” and “petulant,” the Boston
Globe noted his “sighing, clenching his teeth, rolling his eyes,” the
LA Times said he seemed “tired and annoyed,” and CBS News described
Bush as “scowling at times and looking away in apparent disgust at
others.” Mark Halperin of ABC News summed it up: George Bush was
“remarkably angry-seeming.”
Kerry has said before that George Bush lives in a “fantasy world of spin.”
Last night that fantasy world began to crumble. Bush appeared angry
that anyone would dare to challenge his view of the facts. Faced with
the reality of the mess he has created in Iraq, and challenged for
repeatedly misleading the American people, he retreated, falling back
on his trite slogans over and over and over.
One of
the most compelling moments of the debate came when George Bush once
again tried to connect Iraq and 9/11. But Kerry wouldn't let him do it,
and Bush scowled at his powerful response. We've put together a great
web video that captures this moment. Check it out now at:
http://www.moveonpac.org
Even the
conservative pundits gathered on Fox News had to admit that Kerry
looked pretty good last night. Bill Kristol said, “I think Kerry did
pretty well, and…we're going to have a real presidential race.” And
right-wing commentator Joe Scarborough conceded: “I don't see how
anybody could look at this debate and not score this a very clear win,
on points, for John Kerry.”
And the voters agree.
ABC News said, “John Kerry won the debate,” pointing to a poll of
independent voters who declared Kerry the winner, 45% to 36%. CBS News
said, “John Kerry won the debate,” and found Kerry up by 15 percentage
points among uncommitted voters. Even Gallup, a polling firm which has
consistently skewed Republican, found Kerry winning by 16 percentage
points, with a whopping 46% of the viewers saying that the debate made
their opinion of Kerry more favorable. On the web, clickers delivered a
landslide: with over 250,000 votes cast on the CNN website, 77% of the
viewers thought that Kerry won, as opposed to only 19% for Bush.
Kerry's
win will transform the presidential race. As voters get to actually
meet the man Karl Rove has demonized, they realize he presents a
serious alternative to Bush's reckless policy of endless war. But it's
up to us to seal the deal for our friends, family, neighbors, and
communities, as these perceptions are forming. Please take a moment to write a letter to the editor today here.
With
a month to go, this race is turning around. Kerry is building momentum.
The polls are narrowing. And on November 2nd, we're going to win this
thing.
Overnight, a group called Safer Together put together a remarkable rapid-response ad featuring women
watching the debate whose loved ones are in Iraq. The ad juxtaposes
Bush saying “I see on the TV screens how hard it is, and we're making
progress” with emotional comments from these women who feel the real
impact of the war. You can watch it online at:
http://www.sistersspeakout.com/
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