[N8 v2.0]

So who cares about 'em?

Who's gonna watch?

What's the best either canidate can hope to gleen from them?

Info: http://www.debates.org/index.html

 

[chicodude]

I care.


I'll watch.


Kerry: He could show to the public he can take a stand on a certain subject.

Bush: To....Um.....Not **** up any big words

 

[zod]

Kerry should try not to contradict himself too much............I might be asking to much though

 

[N8 v2.0]

Kerry should try not to contradict himself too much............I might be asking to much though

His main problem is that he's just fvcking BORING to listen to.



Maybe he'll show a little life too...

 

[jdcamb]

Seeing as they are scripted why bother?? When the League of Women Voters ran the debates they were actually debates. But now that the Commission on Presidential Debates runs the show nothing really is debated. They just read back the scripted soundbytes that they have been spouting all along. So basically the american public gets shafted because once again the election process has been perverted. That and they exclude third parties from the debates if you could call them that. Why bother. In fact if most americans knew how the president was actually elected then they would realize what a scam all this BS is anyways.....jdcamb

 

[bomberz1qr20]

Bush: To....Um.....Not **** up any big words

Ahh, don't misunderestimate him.

 

[zod]

Where's Nadar??

 

[N8 v2.0]

Where's Nadar??

Here he is!


Nader ignites campus partisans
The University of Maryland Diamondback| September 27 | Josh Lustig

Ralph Nader's campus appearance Friday night didn't feature minorities, senior citizens, children and handicapped voters neatly lined up on the podium behind him. The candidate didn't come out with his sleeves rolled up, high-fiving his running mate with a pop song blaring over the loudspeaker.

Instead, the 70-year-old consumer advocate with a perpetually worn-out look on his face, strolls through the doors of Stamp Student Union's Grand Ballroom onto an empty podium, wearing a blue suit and clutching a folder full of papers as a crowd of about 700 applauds.

Supporters say this is what they like about Nader - he is stripped down, to the point, soberingly truthful. He cuts through the monotony and celluloid of the "other" candidates. They like Nader, and they're voting for him.

But their liberal counterparts aren't buying it - Bush has to go, and Nader doesn't stand a chance. They remember 2000. Why waste a vote?

"A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush!" chanted Kerry supporters lined up in front of the Student Union.

"A vote for Nader is a vote for Nader!" the Nader supporters fired back.

Introduced by a former Black Panther and supported by groups of socialists, Nader may be an anomaly in contemporary American politics. Running anywhere from 1 percent to 3 percent in the polls, he has vanished from the mainstream media and is on the ballot in only 31 states. Yet his potential to play the spoiler - again - looms large.

Nader says spoiling the election for Kerry doesn't even come into the equation, saying that Democrats and Republicans are turning American politics into a "one-party dictatorship" by divvying up states in anticipation of shutting out independent parties.

"Never in the history of our country have ordinary people had less power in Washington," Nader said.

Nader's campaign has latched onto the momentum of grassroots movements. Tables set up in the Student Union were filled with fliers pushing issues across the socio-political gamut, including free trade, worker's rights and the creation of a Palestinian state.

Nader's 90-minute-long speech delivered to wide-eyed supporters, enraged Democrats and jovial Republicans, mirrored this overwhelming variety of issues within the independent world. With alarming statistics and rarely heard claims of high-level corruption, Nader cited problems in the American system from two-party political dominance to multinational corporate abuses.

He's got his own problems, however. After an appeals court victory that will allow the creation of Nader's Populist Party to appear on Maryland ballots in November, he remains tied up in court over 13 more states.

In the hour leading up to the rally, the scene outside the Student Union was contentious, with a modest array of protesters and counter-protesters exchanging barbs over Nader's campaign.

"If you vote for this guy, you're voting for George Bush," said David Paulson, a spokesman for Progressive Maryland, an advocacy group that helped organize the demonstration.

Many echoed Paulson's sentiments, expounding on worries that Nader will cost Kerry the liberal vote. But even more prominent in supporters' minds is that Kerry is a much more viable progressive candidate than Nader.

"I believe that when they wake up, they want Kerry to be their president," said junior government and politics major Richard Auxler about Nader supporters. "It's sad that these well-minded people who support [progressive issues] are voting against Kerry."

Larry Meade, 26, who watched the protests from a distance, described his support for Nader as rejuvenating.

"Voting for him in 2000 was the first time I really felt excited about politics," he said, adding he didn't worry about the unlikeliness of a Nader win. "I'd rather vote my hopes and dreams than my fears."

Then there was 64-year-old Betsy Johnson, a chair of the Maryland Sierra Club environmental group, who agrees with Nader's views and said she would cast her vote for him if he were to run on the Democratic ticket. She held a fluorescent sign reading "What happened to your integrity, Ralph?"

"If he were the Democratic candidate, I'd vote for him big time. [But] He knows he's not going to win, and he knows what Bush is doing to the environment. Those of us who admired him [Nader] are really shocked."

Brief moments of tension were provided by supporters of perennial candidate Lyndon LaRouche, who interrupted speakers throughout the event. Four LaRouche supporters were ejected by University Police.

Another unusual event took place when campaign staffer Kevin Zeese took the stage requesting donations for an awkward 15 minutes. The Nader campaign doesn't accept money from political action committees or corporations, he said, so donations were painfully needed.

The bidding started at $1,000 - "It'll make you feel so good to pay more than you can afford," he urged the crowd. "It'll be orgasmic." No takers.

Five hundred? Two-fifty?

"Come on folks, just a few donations. Then we'll bring out Ralph Nader," he said.

"This isn't the price is right!" yelled a student from the back as the crowd became to get restless.

After about a dozen supporters chipped in, Zeese stepped down.

"I know it's painful, but that's progress," he said.

 

[1000-Oaks]

In fact if most americans knew how the president was actually elected then they would realize what a scam all this BS is anyways.....jdcamb

Well do enlighten us then please! I always thought it was by the electoral college, at least that's what they teach everybody in junior high. How are Presidents actually elected?

 

[chicodude]

Well do enlighten us then please! How are Presidents actually elected? I always thought it was by the electoral college.

Hey, you're in the small percentile of americans that relize that. congrats.

 

[BigMike]

The electoral college needs to be taken out and shot! Yes, it was a good idea back when people couldn't read or write, but...... now that we can, just use the damn popular vote! Thats what happened in the last election. It seems dumb to me that you can win a popular vote, and lose the election!?!

 

[BurlyShirley]

The electoral college needs to be taken out and shot! Yes, it was a good idea back when people couldn't read or write, but...... now that we can, just use the damn popular vote! Thats what happened in the last election. It seems dumb to me that you can win a popular vote, and lose the election!?!

Well, usually the same liberals that moan and complain about the electoral college are the same ones that later complain that the average american is "stupid" and cant tell when their own president is lying to them so they can lay in their bed IMO.

 

[jdcamb]

Well do enlighten us then please! I always thought it was by the electoral college, at least that's what they teach everybody in junior high. How are Presidents actually elected?

Well good thing you were paying attention in Junior High. Because very few Americans know what the Electoral College is, how it operates, and its purpose. We do not directly vote for the President. We vote for Electoral Delegates who in turn vote for the President. More here for those who are interested. In this age it is a shame that we don't directly vote for the President IMO....jdcamb

 

[I Are Baboon]

You know, I am interested in watching the debates, but WTeffingF is the deal with all the RULES? Why can't they just debate without having to negotiate and jockey for postition?? The type of paper used for taking notes? COME ON.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/28/debates.television/index.html

 

[N8 v2.0]

It ain't really a debate though.

It seems to be a beauty pageant. Long on appearance and short on substance and all of it without hot babes in the bikini competition...

 

[Toshi]

You know, I am interested in watching the debates, but WTeffingF is the deal with all the RULES? Why can't they just debate without having to negotiate and jockey for postition?? The type of paper used for taking notes? COME ON.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/09/28/debates.television/index.html

you may be interested in this: http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/9/emw162111.htm . the libertarian and green party candidates will be offering their rebuttals after watching the "real" debate. you should be able to watch it at http://www.freemarketnews.com/, although i'm not quite sure where on that site.

 

[N8 v2.0]

Tune in tonite to watch the fun...

 

[1000-Oaks]

In this age it is a shame that we don't directly vote for the President IMO....jdcamb

Unless you want to totally ignore the voices of residents living in states with small populations, the Electoral College is a fantastic system and couldn't have been more well thought-out.

Why should those of us in CA or NY dominate the politics of those in the Dakotas and other rural states? They need to be heard too, even if there aren't very many residents.

BTW, JFK won the electoral vote and NOT the popular vote, so it goes both ways.