Blog For Arizona

Cheney on the ropes

John Edwards didn't stomp Cheney in a quivering mass, as did Kerry Bush, but he none-the-less rammed the K - E message down Cheney's lying throat and make him swallow. He won on style, he prevailed on foreign policy by sticking to message and forcing Cheney to back off, and kicked holy ass on domestic policy.

Cheney lied repeatedly and continued the Pollyanna denial that anything is wrong in Iraq, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. Edwards made him appear out of touch and unrealistic. Edwards also landed many puches on the VP regarding his relationship with Halliburton that all Cheney could do was deny.

But it was all Edwards on domestic policy. Cheney was limited to twisting facts, such as the creation of 1.7 million jobs in the past year, and attacking K & E's voting record (whereupon Edwards smacked around Cheney with his own record). On jobs, health care, Rx, taxes, education, and trade, John was up one side of Dick and down the other. K-E's message is more powerful, not only from a factual and macroeconomic standpoint, but simply because Cheney had to defend a record of failure while Edwards only had to flash the new and pretty shiny baubles for the voters to gawk at.

The closing statements summarized the night. Edwards was closing the deal with every sentence and presented a powerfully motivating message of change and hope. Cheney delivered a dour, frightening and hubristic monotone of doom. There was no contest in my mind; Edwards sealed the deal that Kerry started in the first debate. But if you are a security-obsessed, frightened, cowed, proto-facsist worm, Cheney may have been impressive to you. But you're not one of those, are you?

posted by Michael Bryan @ 10/05/2004 08:08:00 PM