Good Instincts
LiberalOasis, as usual, has a very cogent take on why Kerry pulled it off last night and I agree with him.
In serious times, people are unsurprisingly anxious for a serious, substantive discussion of serious issues. Kerry's calm, cool temperament and his mastery of the facts made people feel confident that he could handle the job:
How did Kerry make this happen?
Part of it what was LiberalOasis discussed yesterday, the Bushies blew the expectations game, setting Kerry's bar very low.
Part of it was Bush's own defensive and irritated demeanor.
(The guy has never had to debate with a controversial record to explain, and he's not naturally good at it.)
But the other part of it was Kerry's own instincts.
He chose not to panic at the polls, not to feel the need to force a KO punch.
He made the decision to be himself, which is, to be a statesman (a good contrast with Dubya).
And to not dumb down the issues, but treat the voters -- who are looking for answers in an uncertain, anxious time -- as adults.
Surrogate Rudy Guiliani's main spin point (heard on NBC and The Daily Show at least) was Kerry was "lecturing" people.
Nice try.
Rudy and the GOP message masters may think people are stupid, but Kerry doesn't.
By delving into the issues, Kerry's the one treating the voters with respect, not you.
The media should take note of this.
Kerry is is a sixty year old man who is prepared to be president in every sense of the word. But, he also has great political instincts and they should not be underrated. By showing his serious, authoritative personality in direct contrast to the impatient, hot-headed president, he may have turned this race at exactly the right moment.