The Debates

Dated: 19/10/04

Well the debates are over and Kerry did very well...Bush did not do so well because on the campaign trail his audiences are pre screened so they are all Republicans...this means he can say anything and they all applaud...thus in the first debate he was very uncomfortable with Kerry firing back at him.

Jim Baker a hot shot lawyer from the father's admin negotiated a 32 page list of rules, one of which was suppose to prevent the TV people from using a split screen.

The TV folks ignored this and Bush was a picture of a petulant child scowling while Kerry was talking.

In the next two debates he did not make this same mistake but in one he looked like a deer caught in the headlights and in the final one his eyelids were blinking so fast it was a wonder he saw anything.

The general feeling is that Kerry won all three but by lesser margins in the last two. In any event the race is a tie and some of the swing states are in play.

Here in Florida we have a couple of thousand lawyers from both sides who are going to monitor elections sites.

The congressional black caucas has asked the UN to come in and monitor selected areas. Bush's brother Jeb is governor and they have and are doing everything they can to intimidate and disenfranchise the black vote, they have purchased touch screen voting machines that do not leave a paper trail...DESPITE THE FACT THAT FLORIDA LAW MANDATES A RECOUNT IN A CLOSE ELECTION.

They paid a company several million dollars to prepare a felons list...thousands of names all black...loaded with errors...only after great publicity was this discarded.

There were other attempts to eliminate Kerry votes, if the wind was blowing the right way you could probably smell it in the UK.

In 2000 the Democrats were strictly behind the curve, but this time it looks like a different story...just yesterday I had a call from California soliciting my help in voter registration and not long after a second call locally.

Today I talked briefly with a young lady in the supermarket and she got a call from Texas...the person in Texas told her that Kerry supporters there risk trouble if they put up a sign...this is one very divided and hostile country...Bush supporters respond to a question in a very aggressive way so it is not possible to have a civil dialogue.