Top Dems Give Kerry Debate Advice at Secret
Strategy Session
By Lefty Paige
The Democratic party's top players gathered for a secret strategy
session to prepare John Kerry for Thursday night's debate.
According to one Democratic strategist who attended the
meeting, most of the suggestions centered around a need for the
senator to look strong and decisive.
Al Gore, referring to his cringe-inducing episode in one of the
2000 presidential debates, said to Kerry, "Don't cross the stage
and stare him down like I did unless you’re willing to throw a
punch.” Gore reportedly continued, “When you stand there with
closed fists and don’t throw a punch… it doesn’t matter if you
invented the internet or not, you look weak.” Gore also
suggested that Kerry repeatedly assert that Bush stole the election
and insist that Gore would have been a much better president. "I
think that would be good for you," said Gore.
Former President Clinton suggested Kerry stop pointing with an
extended finger and instead do a clenched-fist thumb point like
the one he used when he told the American people he didn’t have
sexual relations with Monica Lewinksy. “It tested very well,”
added Clinton.
And Jesse Jackson, who recently joined team Kerry to bolster
support amongst African Americans, advised the candidate to
rhyme as much as possible.
According to our source, viewers should expect Kerry to rely
heavily on two of his favorite debating tricks. When asked a
direct question about a topic where Kerry appears to straddle the
issue, one tactic is to say in a forceful tone, “I was very clear
about that in my speech on the senate floor.” Then recommend
that people go back and read his senate speech.
“It’s a smart play,” said one Democratic strategist. “You need to
be clear and concise in a debate. There’s not enough time for all
of Kerry's usual equivocations. By saying he already answered
the question in his senate speech, he can avoid taking a stand
while at the same time, look decisive. And those senate speeches
are filled with outs, so Bush won't be able to pin him down in the
next debate. Also, if anyone does bother to look up his
speeches, chances are they’ll read transcripts and not watch
actual video clips. That’s a bonus for Kerry, too, because with
his stilted speaking style, he reads better than he sounds. The
'senate speech' line is a fabulous tactic for Kerry. Look for him
to use it often.”
The strategist also told Spolitics that viewers should expect the
senator to use phrases like “That’s not the real question” and
“That’s not what we should be talking about” to deflect from
having to answer questions.
In fact, according to students in the Yale debating society who
plan on watching the debate, they’ve even created a drinking
game centered around the Senator’s go-to catch phrases. “Every
time he refers to his senate speech and every time he says ‘that’s
not the real question,’ you have to do a shot,” one of the
members told us. “It should be a lot of fun, although I am a little
worried about alcohol poisoning,” she added.
Strategy Session
By Lefty Paige
The Democratic party's top players gathered for a secret strategy
session to prepare John Kerry for Thursday night's debate.
According to one Democratic strategist who attended the
meeting, most of the suggestions centered around a need for the
senator to look strong and decisive.
Al Gore, referring to his cringe-inducing episode in one of the
2000 presidential debates, said to Kerry, "Don't cross the stage
and stare him down like I did unless you’re willing to throw a
punch.” Gore reportedly continued, “When you stand there with
closed fists and don’t throw a punch… it doesn’t matter if you
invented the internet or not, you look weak.” Gore also
suggested that Kerry repeatedly assert that Bush stole the election
and insist that Gore would have been a much better president. "I
think that would be good for you," said Gore.
Former President Clinton suggested Kerry stop pointing with an
extended finger and instead do a clenched-fist thumb point like
the one he used when he told the American people he didn’t have
sexual relations with Monica Lewinksy. “It tested very well,”
added Clinton.
And Jesse Jackson, who recently joined team Kerry to bolster
support amongst African Americans, advised the candidate to
rhyme as much as possible.
According to our source, viewers should expect Kerry to rely
heavily on two of his favorite debating tricks. When asked a
direct question about a topic where Kerry appears to straddle the
issue, one tactic is to say in a forceful tone, “I was very clear
about that in my speech on the senate floor.” Then recommend
that people go back and read his senate speech.
“It’s a smart play,” said one Democratic strategist. “You need to
be clear and concise in a debate. There’s not enough time for all
of Kerry's usual equivocations. By saying he already answered
the question in his senate speech, he can avoid taking a stand
while at the same time, look decisive. And those senate speeches
are filled with outs, so Bush won't be able to pin him down in the
next debate. Also, if anyone does bother to look up his
speeches, chances are they’ll read transcripts and not watch
actual video clips. That’s a bonus for Kerry, too, because with
his stilted speaking style, he reads better than he sounds. The
'senate speech' line is a fabulous tactic for Kerry. Look for him
to use it often.”
The strategist also told Spolitics that viewers should expect the
senator to use phrases like “That’s not the real question” and
“That’s not what we should be talking about” to deflect from
having to answer questions.
In fact, according to students in the Yale debating society who
plan on watching the debate, they’ve even created a drinking
game centered around the Senator’s go-to catch phrases. “Every
time he refers to his senate speech and every time he says ‘that’s
not the real question,’ you have to do a shot,” one of the
members told us. “It should be a lot of fun, although I am a little
worried about alcohol poisoning,” she added.
| The stories on Spolitics.com are made up for entertainment purposes. Spolitics maintains that nothing on this site is accurate. Anything that happens to be accurate is purely accidental, coincidental or both and Spolitics will fire the writer responsible. All material copyright © 2004 Spolitics |