Whew, I just finished watching and taking notes on two debates: the third and final debate between President Bush and Senator Kerry, and then the gubernatorial debate between Christine Gregoire and Dino Rossi.
The presidential debate unfolded in the same format as the first did back in Florida a couple of weeks ago. The candidates stood at lecterns and were asked domestic policy-oriented questions by Bob Schieffer.
The tone of the debate was actually quite positive, as both men tried very hard to come across as the friendlier face. On that note, I thought President Bush did the better job, smiling (and not scowling), talking in a more measured and upbeat manner, and appearing in his best, “neighborly” manner.
Kerry, for his part, looked and sounded… senatorial, but seemed a bit tired. There was, of course, some back-and-forth verbal sparring, but it was the least heated of the three debates. There was even a nice moment of levity at the end, as host Schieffer, asking about the influence of the President and senator’s wives and children (pointing out that all three of them have two daughters) asked, “What is the most important thing you've learned from these strong women?”
BUSH: To listen to them.
(LAUGHTER)
(and) To stand up straight and not scowl…
KERRY: Well, I guess the president and you and I are three examples of lucky people who married up.
(LAUGHTER)
And some would say maybe me more so than others…
They, of course, mentioned other things, Bush talking about meeting his wife for te first time, and Kerry talking about his mom. But it was pleasant way to end their (at times) rather serious discussion. Humor aside, make no mistake, there is a clear choice between the two men.
As my esteemed blogger colleagues Garret and Ian noted in their blow-by-blow account, Bush and Kerry differ strongly on issues across the board, from tax relief to health care to Iraq to Supreme Court appointees.
These are major issues with big distinctions between President Bush and Senator Kerry, and the time to make up one’s mind is almost gone.
As for the Dino Rossi/Christine Gregoire debate, it was another example in contrasts. A well-selected board of local journalists, including the Seattle Times’ David Postman, asked Rossi and Gregoire specific and at times tough questionsabout topics that affect Washington state.
Rossi presented himself effectively as a potentially fresh voice in Olympia, while Gregoire played the collected political professional. The two have very different plans on what, exactly, they want to do if elected, but suffice to say, there are clear delineations between them.
Rossi wants to change what he sees as an ineffective, twenty-year-long status quo of Democratic leadership, while Gregoire sees nothing inherently wrong with it, and would like to essentially “stay the course”.
In a sense, the race for governor boils down to whether or not one wants a continuation of the current Gary Locke-style of governmental guidance, or if one wants to try something new. Either way, at least there’s a relatively clear choice to make, and it’s up to us to make it come Election Day, November 2nd.
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