INDEPTH: US ELECTION 2004
Presidential debates
CBC News Online | October 14, 2004
The three debates between George W. Bush and John Kerry have made one thing clear: Americans have a distinct choice when they go to the polls on Nov. 2.
"You know, there's a main stream in American politics, and you sit right on the far left bank,'' Bush said of Kerry during debate number three in Tempe, Ariz.
"Being lectured by the president on fiscal responsibility," Kerry shot back, "is a little bit like Tony Soprano talking to me about law and order in this country. This president has taken a $5.6-trillion surplus and turned it into deficits as far as the eye can see.''
President Bush gestures as he answers a question during the third and final presidential debate in Tempe, Ariz., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)
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Bush had a mission in the third debate: regaining the momentum after being widely perceived to have lost the first two debates. The polls are suggesting the two men are in a dead heat in their race for the White House – and that Ralph Nader may not be the factor he was in 2000.
Debate three was to focus on domestic issues like health care and the economy. But it didn't take long for Iraq to come up. Kerry accused Bush of rushing the United States into a war with Iraq, leaving the country less safe.
Bush argued that terrorism could be defeated – as long as a strong leader occupied the White House.
"Absolutely, we can be secure in the long run. It just takes good, strong leadership."
It was a theme he would continue to focus on, maintaining that he had the credentials to lead the country not just on the foreign front but domestically as well. Bush jabbed at Kerry's health care plan, calling it a "bait and switch" program that the United States could not afford.
"A plan is not to lay out programs that you can't pay for," Bush said. "He just said he wants everybody to be able to buy into the same plan that senators and congressmen get. That costs the government $7,700 per family. If every family in America signed up, like the senator suggested, it would cost us $5 trillion over 10 years. It's an empty promise."
"Actually, it's not an empty promise," Kerry retorted. "It's really interesting, because the president used that very plan as a reason for seniors to accept his prescription drug plan."
Both Kerry and Bush were also clearly making appeals to the people they most need to motivate to get to the polls on voting day – not the undecideds, but the converted.
On gay marriage: "I believe in the sanctity of marriage," Bush said. "I think it's very important that we protect marriage as an institution between a man and a woman. I proposed a constitutional amendment."
Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry makes a point during the presidential debate in Tempe, Ariz., Wednesday, Oct. 13, 2004. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
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Kerry said he, too, believed marriage is between a man and a woman. But there are rights issues at play as well.
"We're a country with a great, unbelievable Constitution with rights that we afford people, that you can't discriminate in the workplace, you can't discriminate in the rights that you afford people. You can't disallow someone the right to visit their partner in a hospital. You have to allow people to transfer property, which is why I'm for partnership rights and so forth."
Kerry also accused Bush of seeking to appoint judges to the Supreme Court who would overturn Roe v. Wade, the court decision that cleared the way for abortion rights for women. Bush countered that he would not subject a nominee to a litmus test.
"I will pick judges who will interpret the Constitution, but I'll have no litmus test." He also stressed that there must be ways the country could get together to reduce the number of abortions performed.
There were no major missteps and probably no knockout blows delivered during the third debate.
The morning after, most American media proclaimed no clear winner. The New York Times' Todd Purdam said the debates allowed John Kerry to establish himself as a plausible presidential alternative. He called the debates "a rough passage" for President Bush – but noted that with three weeks until voting day, they won't be the final word in the campaign.
The Washington Post said the last debate showed a sharp division between the two candidates on domestic issues. The paper also said the two candidates attacked each other with "misleading or out-of-context assertions" that revealed the deep philosophical divide between them.
The Los Angeles Times called the third debate "surprisingly subdued." It said the two men "dueled to demonstrate compassion" with Bush trying to re-establish his image as a kinder conservative, while Kerry sought to portray himself as a champion of the middle class.
Instant polls commissioned by the television networks and some newspapers seemed to favour Kerry – but just by a little. But a USA Today/CNN post-debate poll suggested that Kerry was the clear winner with 52 per cent picking his performance over the 39 per cent who said Bush did the better job. USA Today/CNN polls put Kerry on top for all three debates.
An ABC News instant poll suggested there was not a clear winner in the debate while a CBS poll gave a slight edge to Kerry.
Not surprisingly, Bush's official website trumpeted: "Finishing Strong. Bush wins with conviction and clarity." Kerry's site countered: "Help is on the way."
The Democrats were quick to publicize what it called a debate "threepeat" for Kerry. The party immediately launched two videos that mocked Bush's performance. One shows Bush talking about Osama bin Laden and telling White House reporters, "I truly am not that concerned about him. I know he is on the run,'' then denying during the debate that he had ever said it. The other video shows Bush laughing when asked about uninsured Americans.
Marc Racicot, Bush's campaign chairman, conceded that Kerry gained ground from his debate performance, but predicted that the bounce would be temporary.
Bush has brushed off negative reviews of his performance.
"There's only one opinion that matters and that's the opinion of the American people on Nov. 2,'' he told reporters on Air Force One. "I feel great about where we are.''
The two candidates will spend most of the rest of the campaign in key battleground states like Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, Iowa, Nevada and Arizona. With the electorate so polarized, the biggest job for both parties is ensuring that their supporters actually do get out on voting day and cast their ballots.
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| QUICK FACTS: |
Voting age population (VAP) in 2000:
205,815,000
Eligible voters (VEP) in 2000:
193,199,543
Voter turnout (% of VEP) in 2000:
54.5%
Numbers of seats up for election (2004):
House: 435 (all of them)
Senate: 34 (of 100)
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