MSNBC Post-Debate Coverage
Reported by Marie Therese - October 1, 2004 -
Chris Matthews hosted a discussion of the debates involving Andrea Mitchell (NBC Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent), Ron Reagan (son of Ronald Reagan), Jon Meacham (Managing Editor of "Newsweek" Magazine) and Joe Scarborough (host of Scarborough Country). Later guests included Tom Brokaw (NBC Anchor) and Tim Russert (Moderator of "Meet the Press")
Last night an MSNBC online poll showed by a 70-30 margin that John Kerry won the debate after 502,000 votes had been cast. This morning it has changed to 63-37 margin, still favoring Kerry.
Key points made by the various commentators:
MITCHELL: "This is the toughest we've ever seen John Kerry. He threw a long ball. This is a very gutsy move...he attacked the very core of the President's popularity, which is consistency and strength of leadership ... This was a very tough performance. I'm not sure the American people will respond to it."
REAGAN: "We don't get to take a vacation for a month because I think we've got a race on our hands .... Kerry was the clear winner here ... He was more presidential and he stands up straight and that doesn't hurt."
MEACHAM: "... The fight between the theological view of the President and the more historical realpolitik' view of Kerry is something that is going to shape the rest of the month."
SCARBOROUGH: "It was John Kerry's best performance ever ... George W. Bush after the first 30 minutes lost his way ... He started fumbling around. He said the phrase It's hard work' eleven times. He'd ask for an additional 30 seconds and then he would have nothing to say in that additional 30 seconds .... What we have here in this debate tonight is basically the Cowboy versus the Professor. If you're scoring this thing, the Professor won on points. The questions is - and this is what we're gonna find out - are they gonna say Boy, John Kerry really had a better grasp' ..."
MEACHAM: "There was an element almost of self-pity there [on Bush's part]."
MATTHEWS: "Agreed. I thought it was more of a plea than an argument ... The President did have a strategy. You can't lead the world, if you send mixed messages' ..."
REAGAN: "The time limits actually seemed to work for Kerry. That red light went off and he was buttoning it right up...Bush seemed to lose his way and run out of things to say."
MATTHEWS: "Will the press out there in the country that doesn't like the President, will they make fun of the fact that he paused so many times?"
MITCHELL: "... The reaction shots were very damaging to Bush ...and those reaction shots are very revealing because Bush was impatient, he smirked a little bit. John Kerry in all of the reaction shots was carefully prepped to be writing notes or just nodding. He was never disrespectful to the President of the United States."
SCARBOROUGH: "Some of these pauses ... you know what? There are people in middle America who say he talks like me. He speaks like my pastor. He talks like my friend next door' ...George W. Bush connects with people in swing states. He doesn't connect with people who hang out in our neighborhood."
MATTHEWS: "Did they [the candidates] do what they had to do, starting with John Kerry?"
BROKAW: "From a Democratic point of view, one of the big concerns was - had the Party lost its energy that it had coming out of Boston and my guess is that voters have to decide....John Kerry kick-started that energy tonight, re-energized the base and maybe even gave gave some of those undecided voters out there reason to vote for him ... I think you could say the same for George W. Bush making a very strong appeal to his base and being very plain spoken.."
RUSSERT: "I think that John Kerry tonight was the candidate they thought they were nominating back Iowa. That he was someone who would be a Commander-in-Chief, a Vietnam vet who could go toe-to-toe with George Bush and put forward an alternative view and be seen as someone who could sit in that Oval Office. I think this is the kind of debate the country's been yearning for...We heard real differences of opinion on the war in Iraq, on the War on Terror, on Homeland Security....Let it be engaged. Let people decide. George W. Bush underscored that he is certain' that his view on Iraq is correct. John Kerry raised legitimate questions. Now each base is secured and anchored. Those swing independent voters have to decide. But, they now have the information to make a decision."
MATTHEWS: "I was struck by the fact that the President elected to receive, he elected to play defense...."
BROKAW: "Just objectively, John Kerry had his act together more. He had a clearer sense of where he wanted to go and how he wanted to get there...."
RUSSERT: "My sense is that Kerry made some inroads ..."
Comment
I find it interesting that a number of commentators mention that Bush seemed to run out of steam after about 30 minutes, and began repeating the same points over and over again.
The interview with O'Reilly was approximately 30 minutes long and I noticed last night during the debate that President Bush literally repeated almost verbatim the very same words he had used during the Factor interview.
Was O'Reilly hired as a debate coach? If so, he should return his check.
