Who will win the first debate?
Posted : September 28, 2004 at 11:35 pm [America/Los_Angeles]
Let’s face it: whatever happens in Thursday’s debate, cable news will proclaim President Bush the winner. This will reflect the political bias so evident during the party conventions. It will also reflect the undoubted fact that Mr. Bush does a pretty good Clint Eastwood imitation.
But what will the print media do? Let’s hope they don’t do what they did four years ago.
…
During the debate, Mr. Bush will try to cover for this dismal record with swagger, and with attacks on his opponent. Will the press play Karl Rove’s game by, as Mr. Clymer puts it, confusing political coverage with drama criticism, or will it do its job and check the candidates’ facts?There have been some encouraging signs lately. There was a disturbing interlude in which many news organizations seemed to accept false claims that Iraq had calmed down after the transfer of sovereignty. But now, as the violence escalates, they seem willing to ask hard questions about Mr. Bush’s fantasy version of the situation in Iraq. For example, a recent Reuters analysis pointed out that independent sources contradict his assertions about everything “from police training and reconstruction to preparations for January elections.”
Mr. Bush is also getting less of a free ride than he used to when he smears his opponent. Last week, after Mr. Bush declared that Mr. Kerry “would prefer the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein to the situation in Iraq today,” The Associated Press pointed out that this “twisted his rival’s words” - and then quoted what John Kerry actually said.
Nonetheless, on Thursday night there will be a temptation to revert to drama criticism - to emphasize how the candidates looked and acted, and push analysis of what they said, and whether it was true, to the inside pages. With so much at stake, the public deserves better.
Well said. Let’s also hope that the American voters watching the debate focus more on the “substance” of each speaker than their swagger (or lack thereof).
- Anand
Category: United (or not) State of American Politics 2004