If anything of substance can be said about Tuesday night's presidential debate between Al Gore and George W. Bush, it's that voters can see for the first time that these two men differ significantly in opinion on the issues that matter most to the American people. Gore was able to successfully use his seemingly infinite knowledge of policy to knock his opponent off guard while Bush, I believe, was finally able to come across as someone who is intelligent and capable enough to serve as president.
Gore bombarded George W. Bush with dozens of numbers and facts, frequently leaving the governor (and probably the audience) dazed and confused. Bush was often only able to respond by regurgitating some prepackaged response or rephrasing his previous statements. As Gore discussed premiums and tax rates, Bush occasionally seemed to drift off into space. At the end of the night, however, I looked over to the podium on the right side of the stage and there was Bush still standing. His funny grin (some call it a "smirk") was still there, because George W. Bush knew he had survived.
Most would argue, and I would agree, that on a point by point, issue by issue basis Gore won the debate. However, thanks to a barrage of pre-debate media and campaign spin, Gore had been portrayed as one of the toughest debaters in modern history, thus creating an expectation that he would easily destroy his simpleton of an opponent. Despite the Gore campaign's ironic effort to convince people that the governor would be a formidable opponent, in the end it was the Bush camp that won the expectations game. A weak performance in several of the earlier primary debates as well as his reputation as somewhat of a dim bulb enabled Bush to be able to claim victory merely by giving a respectable showing. Some people will agree with me that, given expectations, the lack of a Bush collapse probably makes the debate a draw. I am willing to go a step further than many and say that on pure impact and impression, Bush pulled off an outright upset.
The drawn-out policy discussions and exhausting number crunching that we heard during this debate and that we will hear in the two upcoming debates will be mostly forgotten by the time the election rolls around. No one will remember if Bush's tax cut is $1.3 trillion or $1.9 trillion (as Gore, in an uncharacteristic slip up, mistakenly claimed). People will, however, remember the images the candidates conveyed as well as the conviction with which they spoke.
Bush, however, steered clear of the arenas such as foreign policy, the environment and the state of our nation's economy in which he knew he would be outclassed and instead concentrated on issues like education, oil and taxes, where he is more comfortable. Bush flat out won the education debate, one of his few clear victories of the night. He was even able to steal a page out of the Gore debate handbook by talking about a specific person he had met on the campaign trail, and he used this example to illustrate a larger point, something he had done earlier in the debate as well. According to my count, however, Gore won the "real people, real stories" contest by bringing along several "ordinary people" with him to the debate to use as political tools. In any case, Bush's support for private school charters will help him greatly in the traditionally Democratic minority population, especially Hispanics, who would be helped the most by a voucher program.
In the discussion on oil prices, Bush, calling himself a "small oil man," cleverly pointed out that the amount of oil we would pump out of Alaska per day, about a million barrels, is nearly equal to the amount we import each day from Saddam Hussein's Iraq. Here he was able to capitalize on America's obvious dislike for Hussein while also giving a jab to the Clinton administration for being so dependent on foreign oil.
Other highlights for Bush included his repeated references to his experiences working across party lines and his belief that further bipartisan cooperation will be needed to get things done in the upcoming years. This is an issue on which Gore has little credibility. In addition, he was able to bring into question Gore's commitment to issues like a prescription drug plan for seniors and social security solvency, on which Clinton and Gore have been campaigning since 1992 but that have never seen the light of day. Lastly, he showed courage in answering candidly a question concerning Gore's character. Many on both sides of the aisle would have preferred to see him to defer but he did not. Character and credibility are issues in this campaign and Gore has yet to take responsibility for his actions concerning the White House Luncheons and the infamous Buddhist Temple Fundraiser. It is not so much the specific details of the scandals as Gore's refusal to be held accountable for his own actions that worries Bush and many others. Saying that personal character is not important in a presidential election is absurd, and I for one believe Bush must continue to press the issue, whether politically expedient or not.
The numbers look good for Bush so far. More people look upon him favorably now than did previously. While most believe Gore won overall, the numbers indicate that upwards of 80 percent feel Bush performed excellently or at least well. How these numbers will translate into voter polls remains to be seen. Round 1 is over, and both men are still standing. Next Wednesday is Round 2, and the expectations will be high.