My Debate Wrapup (Cross-posted from my LJ)

Scary Kerryisms:

• In talking about encouraging college education among American youth, Kerry discussed his $4000/year tuition tax credit. He cited that China and India are producing more graduates in math and science than we are ..."We've gotta create the products of the future." It sounds like he's taking into account the fact that Chinese students are trained nearly from birth to follow a specific field...as if they're "products of the future."
  
• Kerry discussed in vagueries his healthcare plan. When confronted by Bush's retort that it is nothing more than the equivalent of socialized medicine, which would ruin the state of American healthcare, Kerry replied, "Nobody's forcing you to join the plan. If you like your high premiums, you can keep 'em!" So, in other words, I have a choice between socialized medicine and starving to pay for insurance. Didn't this guy ever take a basic philosophy or logic course? I wonder if he's lunched with Hillary lately and gotten her opinion on his Hillary- er, I mean Healthcare plan. I mean, we all know she's the expert who can give great advice on what to do to ensure a Republican majority in Congress for years to come.
  
• One question focused on abortion. John Kerry said that he could not take away "anyone's Constitutional right" to an abortion. Too bad abortion isn't a Constitutional right. The Roe v. Wade case held that a woman's right to an abortion was covered under her right to PRIVACY, as interpreted in the 14th Amendment. Privacy is a Constitutional right; abortion is a personal decision.
  
• When discussing Kerry's tax increase for the "richest 2%" of Americans, who are apparently the same as those "earning more than $200,000/year" President Bush noted that most small businesses, which are the core of our economy and job production, are taxed the same as individuals. Since most of them make over $200,000/year, they would be bearing the majority of the tax burden under the Kerry plan, which would decrease job/industry growth.
  John Kerry replied that the President doesn't like his proposed tax increase because the President owns a timber company.
  Bush's reply: "I own a timber company? That's news to me. Need any wood?"
  

Can Anyone 'Splain to me This?

• Even though the draft hasn't been implemented, President Bush is already instituting a "backdoor draft."
  
• In discussing the Patriot Act, Kerry cited that F.B.I. agents are "going into churches" and disrupting people's lives.
  
• Kerry complained about Bush's tax cuts, and how they've resulted in inadequate Homeland Security spending.
  Bush then retorted with the fact that if Kerry follows through with his plan of only taxing the richest 2% of Americans, or at least those with $200,000/year incomes or more, he'd still only wind up with $6 billion dollars to pay for his $2 trillion dollar budget.
  Kerry then said "the test isn't if you've added money to the budget".
  
• Kerry said that one of the ways he'll get us out of Iraq is by "adding 40,000 active troops" even though he "doesn't support the draft."
  
• Kerry says he's giving parents or "students who are going it alone" a $4,000/year tax credit. Not cash, "tax credit". Which'll help pay for two loads of laundry, a couple of dinners, and half a class in College Composition I.

Random Johnfoolery:

• Yes, he referred to OB-GYNs as OG-BYNs.
  
• While discussing his Iraqi plan, Kerry proudly proclaimed that General Wesley Clark, the Butcher of American Troops in Bosnia, supports him and his plan.
  
• His answer to one question was, "I can't go into all the answers."
  
• Yes, he actually used the term "Orwellian" to describe not himself, nor the liberals, nor the Democrats, but the Bush administration. He also claimed character assassination on the part of the Bush team at one point during the debate, while taking a breath from verbally bashing the President.
  
• At one point, he equated legalized abortion with a decrease in AIDS. And all this time I thought the real causes of AIDS were infected semen or blood transmitted through anal sex, intravenous drug use, and unprotected (or protected in some cases) vaginal or oral penetration. You mean unborn babies cause AIDS?
  

Quotes of the Night:
John Kerry:

• "When I am President.."
• "You're my priority!"
• "I'm gonna lead the world..."
• Our allies "pay a price for dealing with the U.S."
• The majority of Americans earn less than $200,000/year, and "from the looks of the crowd here tonight, the only people who earn more than that in this room are me, George Bush, and Charlie over here." He forgot to mention Teresa. ("WHOA! THAT BITCH IS LOADED!" -- Stephen Colbert)
  He also apparently forgot the value of a dollar and the fact that most wage earners make a helluva lot more than John Edwards's daddy did in the mill. In fact, with that comment and his plan to raise taxes on the "rich" he pretty much alienated everyone living in every major metropolitan area in America. One caller into some talk show after the debate was infuriated. He and his wife have a combined income of waaay over $200,000 a year, but since he lives in Long Island, he also paid a million for his house, $10,000 in taxes a year, and $300 to commute into the city to work every week. People earning that kind of money work very hard for it, and are far from the Vanderbilts, the Rockefellers, and the Heinz-Kerrys of the world.

President Bush:

• "I own a timber company? That's news to me. Need any wood?"
• "I'm trying to decipher that."
• "I don't know where to begin."

This n' That:

• John Kerry used the phrase "I HAVE A PLAN" 28 times.
• He used the phrase "Bush lied" 7 times.
• He referred to both Vietnam and Halliburton once each.
• He succeeded in dodging the answer to 95% of the questions by the simple phrases "The facts are," "This administration has done it wrong," and "The President is doing this wrong," among others. The remaining 5% of his time was spent insulting the intelligence and/or earning power of the audience and the public, and declaring that when he is President (not if, "when") he'll make viable alliances with France and Germany and the rest of the U.N. Of course, he casually forgot to mention the Oil for Food scandal and its numerous implications.