Who won the debate?

[Chris]

Who do you think won the first debate? Polls are saying Kerry won. Also, don't forge to vote on the current poll on our home page "Do you believe that the Presidential Debates will affect your choice of candidate?".

[kaugrego]

I didn't expect much from Bush. Let's admit it, the man is not widely known for his rhetorical genius, despite what the spin doctors would have you believe. In the Atlantic Monthly , there is an interesting article about the origins of Bush's plain-speaking style of debate. I was surprised to learn that his mentor was a Yale professor. When I was at Yale, you would be hard-pressed to find any master of rhetoric that would teach in that style.

Nevertheless, even with my lowered expectations, Bush did not do well. He didn't have his usual charm and consistent empathetic connection. He didn't even look or speak confidently. In fact, the bottom line was that Bush didn't look like the President of the United States.

There was a President on the debate floor, and it was John Kerry. I personally thought that both Kerry and Bush pushed total B.S on the American people in terms of substance, but at least Kerry was able to maintain a very serene composure with dignity while subtly putting Bush on the defensive.

Kerry had a slight edge in the debate. I expected him to do much better than he did, but quite frankly I was a bit embarrassed to see President Bush representing Americans that night. Even though I'm a Dem, the Republicans deserve better than this. Perhaps he'll do better tomorrow night.