Under the dark auspice of Missouri Gov. Mel Carnahan's death, Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Albert Gore engaged in their final and most crucial debate on Tuesday. It was each candidate's final chance to engage the American electorate in a last attempt to sway the undecided voters. At its onset, Bush appeared weak and demure; he was nervous and unsteady. Gore, on the other hand, looked not only strong and confident, but also assertive and aggressive. Setting the tone for the evening, Gore incessantly attacked Bush on Texas' lackluster performance in such areas as health care and social services. The debate, as early flash polls and voter reactions showed, was overwhelmingly won by Gore, and could be hailed as a pivotal point in his campaign.
The actual setup of this debate easily favored Gore. Over the past twenty years, he has had nearly one thousand separate town-hall meetings and is at ease in this style of discussion. Unlike the past two debates, Gore seemed comfortable, calm, and confident. His posture and demeanor were not only natural, but also animated and alive. Bush on the other hand appeared to be the 'robot', standing still and stiff in the middle of the stage. Gore engaged the audience, garnering the trust and confidence of the viewing public. This was a true role-reversal, and to Gore's credit. What he had to do in this debate was to appear convincing and poised without coming off as overly aggressive or hostile. He achieved a great balance here, not only appeasing fears of his stoic persona, but also convincing the voters that his stances on the issues were stronger than those of Gov. Bush.
Bush continued to seem uncomfortable in this setting throughout the debate. He flubbed words, at one point describing teachers who deal with 'Washington red-tape' as 'Paper-Filler-Outers'. Seriously, who wants a President who speaks as if he has just graduated from the fourth-grade? More "Bushism's" followed: he at one point answered a question about HMO's by simply saying that 'I can get it done,' which in turn caused broad laughter in the audience. These vague, convoluted answers really made Bush appear weak on the issues. He evaded many questions, including Gore's incessant prodding about the Dingle-Norwood bill.
When analyzing the debate, one can see how Bush ducked nearly every question. He constantly reverted to planned lines and quotes, such as attacking Gore as a dangerous 'Washington insider'. He also admitted that the majority of his tax cuts went to the richest one-percent and finally confessed that Gore's 'fuzzy math' was correct. Bush continued to stumble on education and drug benefits, while Gore kept up his attack. Not only did Gore fortify his support among Democrats, he also reached out to the undecided, convincing these wavering voters that Bush's plans and ideas would set the nation back eight years.
On the issues, Gore was specific and succinct, giving detailed and truly convincing answers. Bush on the other hand, stuttered through his responses. Not only did he give vague answers, but he also made convoluted and contradictory statements. Case in point, Bush attacked Gore using an ad that journalists virtually vilified and debunked as misleading. When Gore alerted Bush to this fact, Bush simply said 'Forget the journalists'. These insensitive, unintelligent comments plagued Bush during the entire debate and his campaign. They are a sign of a man lacking the intellect to lead the nation through crisis and turmoil. Gore asserted Tuesday that he was the only candidate who can truly and effectively lead the nation. He displayed an expansive knowledge of every issue. Bush, on the other hand, was thematic, not specific. He came to the debate prepared for neither the issues, nor the format.
Gore's most interesting and effective argument came when he nearly quoted Ronald Reagan, asking the audience 'If they wanted to return to a time of high deficits and tax cuts for the rich'. Gore displayed that he would not dwell in the failures of the Reagan-Bush years, but rather would continue and enhance the prosperity achieved during the Clinton years.
Bottom line, Al Gore was a different, better man. He did what he wanted, and didn't restrain himself too much. He simply owned the stage. Unlike last week, Gore illustrated the divide between himself and Bush, and showed how he would be the better and more effective President. He was finally comfortable in his skin, and not only was he the far superior candidate on the issues, but he also presented himself as likeable and personable. He was almost, gasp, Clintonian.
Gore was Gore. For the first time, he was himself, and finally, he completely obliterated Bush on both the issues and on character. Bush didn't rise to Gore's challenge. He stayed reserved and aloof while Gore kept pounding away. When it comes down to it, Gore was the stronger, more effective debater, convincing the American public that he is the better candidate. We truly 'ain't seen nothing yet'.
Adam Blickstein is a freshman that has not declared a major.
