How well prepped will bush be for Friday's debate?

[GinaMaria]

I'm curious what you all think about Friday's debate.

On one hand, I don't think * can perform better than he did last week. On the other, I don't want us to be too confident or cocky and "misunderestimate" him.

The second one is more of a town hall format, which might work better for bush's 'casual' style and language. Although, Kerry and Edwards have both been well prepared for the last two debates that JK will likely be prepped for this one too.

What are your thoughts, concerns, hopes and predictions?

If they could debate one thing, what would you like it to be?

[mourningdove92]

1. I expect that he will be much better prepared than for the

last debate, of course, that is not saying much. However, I don't think this format will be very complimentary for Smirk. Someone might actually ask him a real question.

[Vincardog]

2. Bush's record. When they ask anything Kerry needs to respond with Bush's

record. If they ask how is the weather Kerry needs to point out Bush's record on Global Warming. If they ask about Education Kerry needs to talk about Bush's failure to fund No Child Left Behind. If they ask about terror Talk about Bush's record of helping fund and recruit terrorists by his incompetence and mismanagement in his term.

[ewagner]

3. Bush's mission impossible

is that he has to continue his tough, tough attack on Kerry but be friendly and "likeable" to the town hall audience. He can't do both.

[GinaMaria]

5. Do you think he'll control the facial expressions?

He's got a lot to concentrate on

[ewagner]

8. Pasted on smile...........

shoulder shaking laugh (even when inappropriate)...self-efacing humor....

sooooo much to remember

[immoderate]

32. It's HARD WORK!

:silly:

--IMM

[kayell]

12. Botox

[phantom power]

4. They'll prep him better. But I'm with you...

I'm not sure how much it can help.

For one, I don't think he can keep his true character under control any better than he did last week.

For two, he just doesn't have any legitimate record of success to run on. Just like Cheney, the best he can do is to lie to our face, and hope that enough people don't catch on between now and Nov.

[calimary]

19. It's true. I'm sure they'll do their damnedest. But they're working with

one big disadvantage. A disadvantage named george.

This is a guy who's spent a lifetime being coddled and cleaned up after, who's never been told he's done anything wrong or made a mistake (he can't even acknowledge that, now), as Will Pitt would say, surrounded all his life by people who tell him only "good job, sir." He's spent a lifetime smirking and snarking like that. You can't work that out in a few days. It's too deeply ingrained.

And especially since he has this delusion of godhood, where his god sanctions everything he does, and he's doing this sacred work, and he can do no wrong, there's not much they'll be able to correct, in the first place.

[Wickerman]

6. At the least, I think Georgie will get a nap in prior to game time n/t

[Stew225]

7. I'm sure the pharmacists are working

tirelessly trying to titrate the right medication.

[Nightjock]

9. He's the political "Bubble Boy"

By keeping him in front of pre-screened crowds he got questions that were just well disguised compliments. Sometimes not even disguised. Remember that one guy whose question was simply I'm glad God is in the White House (or whatever the fuck he said)

Now when he will be asked a question.... Kerry gets to rebutt it with the truth!!!!!! Plus,

AND THIS IS THE BEST THING OF ALL...

when he says something dumb-and HE WILL-there is going to be a real life LAUGHTRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's going to be great.

[Zero Gravitas]

10. Not very

studyin' is hard, it's hard work.

[MadHound]

11. I honestly think that we're going to see Bush tank hard

This is a town hall format, very very bad for a man who can barely get through a canned speech. Remember his last press conference back in April? It was an unmitigated disaster, and they haven't let him work without a net ever since. The man simply doesn't have the intelligence and wit to think on his feet well, or even average. Thus, putting him in front of an audience who will be asking unexpected questions is just asking for trouble, and for the life of me, I can't understand why his handlers are allowing this. But I'm glad they are, for it will show America what a fool they have for President.

I also think that they can't prepare Bush anymore than they already have. They've had over a month to get ready, and while the handlers might do some tweaking here and there, major debate prep is already done.

What I think Kerry needs to do is what he did in the first debate, hit Bush hard right off the bat, get the exiteable boy pissed early and often. The more angry Bush gets, the worse he performs.

I'm sure his handlers will coach him on how to restrain his facial appearance, to not fidget and fume. But apt pupil Bush isn't, and I think if Kerry comes out swinging, Bush is going down as hard, if not harder than the first debate.

[kayell]

22. He was probably given an amazing amount of training already

Debate prep involves having stand-ins fire hard=core expected questions at you under conditions as much like the real thing as possible. And an opponent who behaves as the real adversary is expected to, or even harder. The whole situation is video taped, reviewed, probably answers, body language, every conceivable factor are run past focus groups, and then refined and done again. Over and over again.

They must know how *s expressions look to the public, unless they have ALL insulated themselves as much as the chimp (hard to believe). One possibility is that the chimp reacts so badly (I'm picturing a spoiled brat tantrum) during the training period that they didn't do it as thoroughly as they should. Or maybe the chimp simply isn't trainable, as you suggested.

His chances of an improvement great enough are slim. Unfortunatly there is also the lowered expectations factor to deal with. There would be little he could do that would go below those expectations.

Except possibly a real tantrum in public. He came close last week. I'm sure the Kerry staff is carefully studying the tapes of the debate to see what *s triggers are. We know one is mention of his dad's presidency, both from his reaction to a brief mention last week, his past statements about his more important father, and the rudeness to Chirac being apparently largely based on Chirac bring up *s dad too often.

[venus]

33. I think Bush is seriously

intimidated by Kerry. That will be his biggest weakness IMO. Kerry will look even more confident and self-assured standing beside of Bush and handling the tough questions, because mark my words the moderator will give Kerry some zingers and soft ball Bush.

[ALago1]

13. He'll suffer from memorization overload

They're gonna try to cram him with all the misleading statements Cheney pulled out of his ass last night but W. won't be able to retrieve them spontaneously. Thus, he'll freeze again and resort to his tired ol' talking points.

[ClintonTyree]

14. He'll be wound up tighter than..........

a three dollar wristwatch. He'll be over prepped, over eager, and again, fail miserably. He'll try to over compensate for his last debacle, screw it up, Kerry will get to him again and the Little Dictator will have another melt down right in front of our eyes. I can't wait to witness the end of GWBush.

[punpirate]

15. Since the focus of questions is supposed to be...

... on the economy, Bush doesn't have much in the way of facts to support what's happened in the last four years. He'll say we had a great couple of quarters in 2003. "We're turning the corner."

He's going to have to rely on a lot of stock phrases, because most of the facts are pretty fungible. If he says "we're creating jobs," all Kerry has to say is, "yes, at McDonald's," and "the Bush administration's negative net job creation is the first time since Herbert Hoover's administration." Etc. Bush's tax cuts are simply an extension of failed "trickle-down" theory which has put a lot of money in the pockets of the wealthy and caused huge deficits.

Bush has very, very little to run on when it comes to domestic economics. When he starts asserting that the "economy" is going really well, most people will know that's mostly smoke and mirrors--corporations are doing pretty well, people are not faring nearly as well.

And, after all the lying Cheney did last night, Bush might not get a pass for stretching the truth. Additionally, if he starts talking about all the good things the administration is going to do in the next term, that opens up the avenue for Kerry to ask, "well, why aren't you doing those things now, when they're needed?"

Nope, don't think Bush is going to come out of this much better than the last one. His handlers will do their best to teach him to keep his facial expressions under control, but it's just not in him to be challenged without some sort of negative response. He's pretty much had his way all his life, so that arrogance won't disappear in a week. If Kerry starts to dig at him, he'll come apart, again.

Cheers.

[cliss]

16. Chances are good he'll do much worse.

Did you ever take a driving exam and fail the first time? Remember how it was to drive up the 2nd time? You're jittery. You overreact, the sweat starts to stain your armpits. You glance over at the driving guy who's sitting there with a clipboard. It seems like the pressure's really on now, doesn't it?

It's because the pressure goes up with each failure. The ante gets upped. Now people are paying attention. Maybe there's something wrong with the Old Boy. Maybe we've been -- gaspp -- had?!???

On Friday evening, everybody's beady little eyes will be Riveted on Little George. He'll be sweating bullets.

[GinaMaria]

21. Actually

When I was 16, I did fail my driving test. I barely passed drivers ed. I took private lessons with a calm teacher and I was much more relaxed the second time and I passed.

I just don't think * has had enough time. How long did it take to get him that good (bad) for the first debate? It's like trying to learn a semester's worth of info in one night.

Don't they get the town hall questions a head of time or is it just the moderator who gets them ahead of time?

[AmerDem]

17. depends if they install new batteries

for his ear piece.

[GinaMaria]

18. LOL, the bloggers are running with that one

Have you read any of it?

[AmerDem]

24. nope

Just felt like the most obvious answer :D

[OneTwentyoNine]

20. One thing to say.....George the NIGHTMARE continues....nt

[paulk]

23. The "town hall format" won't work to Bush's advantage

against Gore in 2000, it was the town hall debate that Bush did the worst in.

Kerry excels in that environment.

I think Bush has to be worried...

[stanwyck]

25. Whatever you think of GWB, consider this

right now he's in a room somewhere and people are desperately trying to teach him the basics of what it means to be President of the United States. For a Cliff Notes kind of guy, this is sheer torture. He's trying to learn the names of countries. And leaders. And legislation. Now, for a guy like Clinton, that's not a problem. He can recite the history, geography, political and religious affiliations of the people. Whatever. But for GWB, he's in hell. I almost feel sorry for him. But then I remember what's he done to our country.
Maybe all the "it's HARD work" talk last week was GWB's plea for help. He wants out. Please don't vote for him; you'll only prolong his pain.

[Hello_Kitty]

26. Rove will shove a pole up his ass

To make a George-Puppet for Cheney hold in front so he can do the debate.

[HEIL PRESIDENT GOD]

27. Preparation?

If you feed caviar, baby asparagus, filet mignon, and Maine lobster to a pig, you still end up with pigshit.

[Vadem]

28. Since they will know what the questions will be before the debate...

and can thus have their answers prepared, he will probably do very well! How can they call it a debate or a town hall meeting when everything is scripted ahead of time?

[OneTwentyoNine]

29. See Bush today at one of his stops??

That SOB can't go more than a half sentance without reading from notes on a podium,watch it for yourself.

He's trying to convince his paying audience how bad a President Kerry would be but he has to READ WHY off a cheat sheet. Gawd...

David

[amandabeech]

31. Are you referring to his "major speech," aka, new stump speech?

He spouted either a short sentence or a phrase, and then turned the page of his script, while the crowd cheered wildly. Folks over on Campaign 2004 discussion board speculated that the script had extra-large type to have so few words on the page. However, after reading posts about the possible use of an earpiece, I wonder if in fact he was listening to someone through the earpiece while the crowd cheered.

[immoderate]

34. Saw that speech

Wondered why they never showed the crowd. From the sound of them, they were up to their gills in Kool-Aid.

They could not get enough of their Commander in Chief.

--IMM

[Trajan]

30. It's HARD WORK preparing for debates ....

Its .... hard ....

Hard .... work ....