Great work everyone. We were a small part in halting the 'at once' spin of the ultra right wing machine. The polls and comment boards will still be important attitude formers for people who did not watch the thrashing staged under the name 'debate' last night so keep posting. Now comes a stage where we can use the eloquence we have so finely honed on this board to make a difference in the media spin over the coming week.

DO THIS: Immediately e-mail and call all the major networks and programs listed below expressing your views on the debate. The Republicans are going to do everything possible to spin the debate in their favor. We must take the offensive.

As a herd of cats with large IQs, we don't do talking points but here are some topics to think about in your messages:

Kerry was Presidential and Bush was indecisive, waffling and sound bitten.

Kerry is guided by facts, Bush is guided by doctrine and guess work.

Kerry will hunt down the 9/11 perpetrators and their boss, OBL instead of getting into another vanity war to avenge his father.

Kerry gives us a new start to pull ourselves out of the Iraq quagmire without letting the country slide into civil war. Bush wants to go on with the same fatal policy that is bleeding our military white

Kerry has intelligent plans: Bush has been consistent. Consistently wrong and dishonest.

Kerry was upbeat. Bush was beat up.

Kerry was right on. Bush is a write off.


Here are some additional framing ideas from George Lakoff (the master - get his book)

>How to frame John Kerry in terms of the American values he represents:

John Kerry will work for all Americans, not just rich Americans. He embodies the values of fairness and opportunity.

John Kerry will bring us together to move forward, not pull us apart for political gain. He embodies the values of community and patriotism.

John Kerry believes in working with our allies around the world, not going it alone. He embodies the values of community and shared security.

John Kerry has fought for truth telling. He won't lie to us. He embodies the values of honesty and openness.

John Kerry will focus us on the real challenges that face us, instead of using fear to manipulate us. He embodies the values of courage and integrity.

Lakoff's excellent primer on framing is available at:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1931498717/qid=1096558621/sr=ka-1/ref=pd_ka_1/002-8620916-1892802

Here is Truthout's summary of Kerry's background:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/093004A.shtml

Good fact back-grounders can be found at:
http://www.udecide.org

And don't forget to data mine our own evidence room - that's what it is there for.

Hit your keyboards hard!

Faun
______________________________________

PLease add to this contact list:

CNN
(404) 827-1500
Larry King LIVE: comments form on CNN website
American Morning: comments form on CNN website

MSNBC
(212) 664-4444
Hardball with Chris Matthews: hardball@msnbc.com

FOX
(212) 301-3000; 1-888-TELL-FOX
Hannity and Colmes: colmes@foxnews.com
FOX Morning News: foxfeedback@foxnews.com

ABC
(212) 456-7777
Nightline: nightline@abcnews.com
Good Morning America: comments form on the ABC website

CBS
(212) 975-4321
CBS Evening News: evening@cbsnews.com

NBC
(212) 664-4444
Nightly News: Nightly@NBC.com
The Today Show: today@nbc.com

http://www.democraticunderground.com/cu/


"John Adams remarked, in a letter to Thomas Jefferson, how wonderful the world might have been without religion."--Gore Vidal, Imperial America; Reflections on the United States of Amnesia

Last night's presidential debate drove home two points:
1. Kerry clearly has a plan to clean up the mess in Iraq and refocus our efforts on the war on terrorism.
2. Bush still thinks that President of the United States is equivalent to being King of the World. No wonder he keeps saying "It's a hard job."

In the debates yet to come (assuming they are not pre-empted by new terrorist warnings or attacks), I look forward to hearing the clear, consistent and credible plans that Mr. Kerry has for our economy and the many domestic issues we are grappling with in the wake of Mr. Bush's disastrous four-year reign. Health care, education and the economy will certainly require another eight years of Democratic oversight to set us on the right track again.

I see a pattern developing here. Republican rule spells domestic disaster and world-wide disdain for American arrogance. Democratic influence results in balanced budgets, fiscal responsibility and the idea that we all have to learn to live together in this world. Which one sounds more reasonable and SAFE to you?

Campaign Underground has been a God-send.

Kerry gave President Bush the perfect opportunity to give us some sense that he understands what is happening in Iraq and has a plan for improving the obviously deteriorating situation. It was quite shocking to see how little Bush has to offer us. Not only does Bush seem to have no plan other than "stay the course," he seems to be in denial that there is a problem at all. We desperately need a President who doesn't live in a fantasy world and who is able to face up to our real security problems.


===========================

During the debate last night, Senator Kerry very clearly made the point that to fight in Iraq and to fight a global war on terror, we need our allies by our side. Unfortunately Bush has so alienated so much of the world that this is impossible for him. Bush really is not in a position to gain us the allies that we need to fight in Iraq and to fight global terrorism.

=========================

If this debate was supposed to be Bush's strong suit, he is in serious trouble for the second and third debates. Both candidates started off a bit shakey, but Bush completely failed to even give a coherent picture of the problems with Iraq and failed to describe a plausible plan for combatting global terrorism. It is painfully obvious that fighting global terrorism requires help from the allies that Bush has so crudely shoved aside in his eagerness to "take out" Saddam Hussein.

=====================

Senator Kerry made an extremely important point in the debate last night when he said that our number one security problem is nuclear proliferation. Bush's tenure has seen North Korea gain nuclear weaponry and Iran move rapidly in the same direction while unsecured nuclear materials remain vunerable and spread throughout the former USSR. Not only has Bush not recognizedd this as a major issue, he has even slowed down the progress that President Clinton made in this area. Kerry was also correct to point out that we cannot expect to stop proliferation while undermining international treaties and developing new nuclear weaponry ourselves. We desperately need a President who has a grip on our real security problems and who doesn't operate on wishful thinking and fantasies of global domination.

I trust John Kerry not George W Bush. George W Bush and the Republican Party demonstrated their weakness on Defense when the first plane hit the first world trade center on Sept 11, 2001. When 2750 people die you cannot call your President strong on Defense.

This article in the American Prospect argues that the TV news media will try to convert a Kerry win into a tie or loss, just as they did with Gore in the first debate in 2000:

Re-Spin Redux? In 2000, television agreed on the first night that Al Gore won the debate. Then the spin set in. Look out for a replay.
September 29 2004 | By Rob Garver

Did Kerry win?

THESE ARE THE ONLY RESULTS FROM A GOOGLE NEWS SEARCH ON "BUSH WON DEBATE"

Results 1 - 3 of about 3 for Bush-won-debate. (0.40 seconds) 
 

IN FRIDAY'S COURIER: Courier readers say Bush won debate
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA - 3 hours ago
By ADAM MORRIS, Courier Staff Writer. WATERLOO --- Courier readers who participated in the newspaper's interactive Web poll last ...


Non-Partisan Poll says Bush Won Debate
HundredPercenter, United States - 10 hours ago
Polling at non-partisan website vote.com indicated, overwhelmingly, that George Bush won last nights debate versus John Kerry. For ...


Poll: Utahns Feel Bush Won Debate
KSL-TV, UT - 13 hours ago
A majority of Utahns feel President Bush won Thursday’s debate. That's according to an exclusive post-debate poll for Eyewitness News by Survey USA. ...

THIS IS PAGE ONE OF *112* RESULTS FROM A GOOGLE SEARCH ON "KERRY WON DEBATE" (I SET IT TO ALLOW SIMILAR RESULTS TO ALL SHOW UP).

Results 1 - 10 of about 112 for Kerry-won-debate. (0.13 seconds) 
 
3 Polls Show Kerry Won Debate Over Bush
ABC News, United States - 2 hours ago
CORAL GABLES, Fla. Oct. 1, 2004 — President Bush and Sen. John Kerry rushed back to the campaign trail Friday to try to convince ...



Kerry won debate, say polls
Rediff, India - 7 hours ago
Democratic challenger John Kerry prevailed over President George W Bush in the first debate, according to initial polls among the likely voters by leading ...


Polls say Kerry won debate
Independent Online, South Africa - 11 hours ago
Washington - Democratic challenger John Kerry won the first televised presidential debate against Republican President George Bush on Thursday night, according ...


Kerry won debate: instant polls
The Australian, Australia - 12 hours ago
US presidential Democratic challenger John Kerry won the first televised presidential debate against Republican President George W Bush, according to instant ...


Kerry Won Debate According to Three Instant Polls of Viewers
Bloomberg, United States - 12 hours ago
Oct. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Democratic challenger John Kerry performed better than President George W. Bush in the first presidential ...


Networks Indicate Kerry Won Debate
NBC5.com, IL - 2 hours ago
Even 32 pages of fiercely negotiated debate rules couldn't mask some differences in how the president and the senator from Massachusetts respond to face-to ...

?More Viewers Say Kerry Won Debate, But Voter Preferences Remain ...
ABC News, United States - 13 hours ago
Among a random sample of 531 registered voters who watched the debate, 45 percent called Kerry the winner, 36 percent said it was Bush, and 17 percent called ...

?Networks indicate Kerry won debate
Capital News 9, NY - 3 hours ago
TV networks seem to agree that Thursday night's presidential debate had substance and that Democrat John Kerry probably came out on top. ...


Overnight Poll Says Kerry Won Debate
Centre for Public Opinion and Democracy, Canada - 51 minutes ago
(CPOD) Oct. 1, 2004 – More registered voters who watched last night’s presidential debate in the United States believe John ...


Networks Indicate Kerry Won Debate
WMUR Channel.com, NH - 4 hours ago
TV networks seem to agree that Thursday night's presidential debate had substance and that Democrat John Kerry probably came out on top. ...

also, FYI, "bush won the debate" - 28 hits "kerry won the debate" - 208 hits.

Good to have a solid pro like you in our corner.