The guy who's winning the primaries finally wins a debate

[Freddie Stubbs]

By William Saletan
Posted Friday, Feb. 27, 2004, at 12:22 AM PT


This was the best debate I've seen in this whole election. I think half of it was the sitting-around-the-table format, and half was the luxury of focusing on four candidates instead of nine. Now if we can just get it down to two guys in lounge chairs, we'll be set.

Since the debates are nearly over, and feedback to the candidates is pretty much useless, here's my feedback.

To John Kerry and John Edwards:

Thanks for plugging my exit poll analysis. I worked hard to earn this little niche, so I'll take the liberty of refereeing your dispute about it. John E, you said "the independents have been voting for me" in the primaries. Not so. My chart shows Kerry beat you among independents in six of the 10 exit-polled contests. In a post-debate e-mail to reporters, your staff lopped off the top half of the chart, in which Kerry beat you among independents all five times. Poof, just like that, your 4-of-10 record became 4-of-5. Your aides even trimmed Missouri out of the picture, claiming it wasn't "contested." Who decided which states would be "contested"? You did. And which states did you choose to contest? The ones where you figured you could win independents. And where did you find those states? In your native region. Four of those five states you brag about are in the South. In short, you did well where you knew you would, in your home games.

Stick to chronological accounting. You're 4-of-8 in all exit-polled contests this month, and 2-of-3 since Feb. 10.

more: http://slate.msn.com/id/2096251/

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. I write plenty of things myself

Here's an example:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=404398&mesg_id=405601

[RichM]

5. I'm afraid that doesn't qualify as "writing."

I looked at your link - & see a subject line, a picture of Bill Clinton, and NOTHING ELSE. To "write" means to produce a coherent paragraph of text, articulating or developing a viewpoint.

To be more specific: I would like to see some of the reasoning that motivates your relentless posting of articles praising the frontrunners, and ridiculing Sharpton & Kucinich.

[tryanhas]

2. I agree.

I hate Kerry, I hate him and Skull and Bones, but he won the debate last night, although the entire debate was a SET-UP.

They put Edwards and Kerry next to each other INTENTIONALLY to make them look like, A TICKET, that's why they asked those BS questions at the end.

I saw it coming.

I was hoping Edwards would have been at one end and Kerry at the other.

[democratreformed]

4. Great for Kerry... wish I had watched it n/t