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Composed Kerry builds momentum
Roy Eccleston, Missouri
October 11, 2004
ALTHOUGH both sides claimed victory, John Kerry again outpolled George W. Bush after a feisty clash over issues ranging from Iraq to abortion at a "town hall" style presidential debate in St Louis.
Republicans claimed to have halted the Democratic challenger's recent momentum following an aggressive but controlled performance by Mr Bush, who ditched his scowling image from the first debate in Florida a week earlier.
But after Senator Kerry's clear win in Florida, another composed and steady display saw two polls also score him ahead in Missouri at the weekend, although by finer margins.
An ABC News poll gave the contest to Senator Kerry by 44 per cent to 41 per cent, while a Gallup poll found he won 47per cent to 45 per cent, but by a stronger margin among women and independent voters. Republicans are likely to be concerned that Mr Bush's return to form with his "regular guy" image ? and a better command of the issues ? were not enough to clearly win the debate.
A focus group of Missouri uncommitted voters, interviewed by Washington pollster Frank Luntz, overwhelmingly gave the debate to the Democrat.
"Step by step, John Kerry is removing the doubts and concerns of these uncommitted voters," Mr Luntz said.
The implication is that Americans are becoming more comfortable with Senator Kerry, although Mr Bush still heads him on his ability to handle national security ? despite the Iraq Survey Group report last week showing Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction when the US invaded.
Senator Kerry is seen as equally able to handle the economy. Employment growth in September ? albeit lower than forecast ? saw Mr Bush tell the audience in St Louis that he had created 1.9 million new jobs. Senator Kerry countered that Mr Bush would be the first president in 70 years to oversee an overall fall in the number of jobs in his term.
The pair immediately headed to key swing states after the debate to ram home their best attack lines and portray themselves as winners ahead of a third clash on domestic issues in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, Australian time.
Mr Bush argued Senator Kerry was a liberal who could "run but not hide" from his record of tax increases and cuts to defence and intelligence budgets.
The Massachusetts Democrat dismissed "labels", denied he was "wishy-washy" and said Mr Bush was attacking him with "weapons of mass deception".
The President largely succeeded in banishing his sourpuss look of a week ago, although he began edgily.
Senator Kerry was less emotional, but was just as much on the attack and several times directly addressed the President as if trying to goad him.
Both men got in some good hits: Senator Kerry accused Mr Bush of adding more government debt than all the presidents from George Washington to Ronald Reagan combined.
And on the war in Iraq, he charged: "Military's job is to win the war. President's job is to win the peace." Mr Bush, unable to contain himself at one point, jumped from his stool to override the moderator after Senator Kerry claimed the US was alone in Iraq.
"You tell Tony Blair we're going alone," he seethed. "You tell Silvio Berlusconi."
When Senator Kerry vowed he would not raise middle-class taxes, Mr Bush responded: "You cannot believe it. Of course he's going to raise your taxes. He's proposed $US2.2 trillion ($3 trillion) of new spending."
An Associated Press poll on the state of the race has Senator Kerry leading 50-46, reversing Mr Bush's 52-45 lead two weeks before. But Mr Bush lost a six-point lead to be even at 45-45 in a Time magazine poll.
Roy Eccleston, Missouri
October 11, 2004
ALTHOUGH both sides claimed victory, John Kerry again outpolled George W. Bush after a feisty clash over issues ranging from Iraq to abortion at a "town hall" style presidential debate in St Louis.
Republicans claimed to have halted the Democratic challenger's recent momentum following an aggressive but controlled performance by Mr Bush, who ditched his scowling image from the first debate in Florida a week earlier.
But after Senator Kerry's clear win in Florida, another composed and steady display saw two polls also score him ahead in Missouri at the weekend, although by finer margins.
An ABC News poll gave the contest to Senator Kerry by 44 per cent to 41 per cent, while a Gallup poll found he won 47per cent to 45 per cent, but by a stronger margin among women and independent voters. Republicans are likely to be concerned that Mr Bush's return to form with his "regular guy" image ? and a better command of the issues ? were not enough to clearly win the debate.
A focus group of Missouri uncommitted voters, interviewed by Washington pollster Frank Luntz, overwhelmingly gave the debate to the Democrat.
"Step by step, John Kerry is removing the doubts and concerns of these uncommitted voters," Mr Luntz said.
The implication is that Americans are becoming more comfortable with Senator Kerry, although Mr Bush still heads him on his ability to handle national security ? despite the Iraq Survey Group report last week showing Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction when the US invaded.
Senator Kerry is seen as equally able to handle the economy. Employment growth in September ? albeit lower than forecast ? saw Mr Bush tell the audience in St Louis that he had created 1.9 million new jobs. Senator Kerry countered that Mr Bush would be the first president in 70 years to oversee an overall fall in the number of jobs in his term.
The pair immediately headed to key swing states after the debate to ram home their best attack lines and portray themselves as winners ahead of a third clash on domestic issues in Phoenix, Arizona, on Thursday, Australian time.
Mr Bush argued Senator Kerry was a liberal who could "run but not hide" from his record of tax increases and cuts to defence and intelligence budgets.
The Massachusetts Democrat dismissed "labels", denied he was "wishy-washy" and said Mr Bush was attacking him with "weapons of mass deception".
The President largely succeeded in banishing his sourpuss look of a week ago, although he began edgily.
Senator Kerry was less emotional, but was just as much on the attack and several times directly addressed the President as if trying to goad him.
Both men got in some good hits: Senator Kerry accused Mr Bush of adding more government debt than all the presidents from George Washington to Ronald Reagan combined.
And on the war in Iraq, he charged: "Military's job is to win the war. President's job is to win the peace." Mr Bush, unable to contain himself at one point, jumped from his stool to override the moderator after Senator Kerry claimed the US was alone in Iraq.
"You tell Tony Blair we're going alone," he seethed. "You tell Silvio Berlusconi."
When Senator Kerry vowed he would not raise middle-class taxes, Mr Bush responded: "You cannot believe it. Of course he's going to raise your taxes. He's proposed $US2.2 trillion ($3 trillion) of new spending."
An Associated Press poll on the state of the race has Senator Kerry leading 50-46, reversing Mr Bush's 52-45 lead two weeks before. But Mr Bush lost a six-point lead to be even at 45-45 in a Time magazine poll.
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