WTF Is It Now?!?

Kerry again the favorite in post-debate polls
As of 11:00 PM ET:
MSNBC: Kerry 76%, Bush 24%;
CBS: Kerry 83%, Bush 16%;
AOL Kerry 61%, Bush 39%;
Yahoo/AP: Kerry 69%, Bush 39%;
FOX online poll: Kerry ahead, 63%-36%.
CNN - Kerry Leads 56%-44%

Kerry pulverizes Bush in PBS Online Newshour debate poll
Democrats.com reports: 'Ouch! That's what everyone in the Bush camp will be saying when they see this PBS poll. Guess no amount of Archer Daniels Midland or ExxonMobil ad money could buy Bush good viewer opinion! This poll is extremely telling: Bush bombed on everything except delivery and rebuttal. ' I.e., all charm and backtalk, no substance. '

The results are in: Kerry wins 3rd debate
ABC
Among Democrats – Kerry: 81%
Among Republicans – Bush: 73%

CBS Poll: uncommitted voters
Kerry-Edwards: 39
Bush-Cheney: 25
Tie: 36

CBS POLL: Kerry has clear positions on issues:
Before: 29%
After: 60%

CNN Poll
Kerry 52%
Bush 39%

MSNBC: Keith Oberman
12 Rounds Kerry
4 Rounds Bush

MSNBC Online poll:
Kerry 75
Bush 25%

KERRY WINS ABC REPUBLICAN HEAVY POLL
Of the 566 people polled (38% were Republican, 30% Democrat, 28% Independent) Kerry won 42%-415

Kerry in control
Bob Novak: “Kerry seems to be overpowering Bush.” (cnn.com, 10/13/04)

Candy Crowley: “If what you’re looking for in a candidate is the best debater, I mean, that is definitely John Kerry. He has a quick command of the facts, he is very articulate, and I think the poll reflects that.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Ron Reagan: “I will predict that the polls tomorrow, just as they have in the two previous presidential debates, will say that Kerry won.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

Pat Buchanan: “Kerry was, I thought, very much at the top of his game and I thought toward the end, when you saw Kerry, you saw more of the humanity of the man in some of those questions, which was very helpful to them; talking about the daughters and things. I thought he had some excellent moments.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

John Roberts: “I would probably have to give it to John Kerry. He seemed a little bit more poised.” (CBS, John Roberts, 10/13/04)

Joe Scarborough: “It gave Democrats a reason to be excited about John Kerry.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

Jon Meacham, Newsweek: “John Kerry took the populist war straight to the President.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

Tavis Smiley: “I think, Peter, that you have to shore up your bases…I think Mr. Kerry did that with people of color on the left.” (ABC, 10/13/04)

Bill Schneider: “Well this was a decisive win for John Kerry. It was just about as decisive as his win in the first debate, which everyone agreed was a blowout. His, the first debate he won by 16 points; this debate, Kerry won by 13 points. According to the views of the viewers polled immediately after the debate so they had no chance really to be influenced by the spin.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Andrea Mitchell: “Kerry says, well we all, you know, married above ourselves and some would say, me more than most – joking about Teresa Heinz and her extraordinary fortune and I thought that was actually showing a lot of self confidence of John Kerry to joke about that disparity.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

Kerry’s momentum grows
David Gergen: "John Kerry, Sen. Kerry gained strength as the debate went on and I thought he became much more effective and if anything I thought the last part of the debate was his." (PBS, 10/13/04)

Carlos Watson: “As we went along, as we talked about social security, as we talked about immigration, as we talked even about the Supreme Court, I thought John Kerry ultimately found his voice. And when all is said and done I think Kerry will be proclaimed the winner, which I think will be significant because I think he will be viewed as having won all three debates.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Dean Reynolds: “I think the candidate whose numbers have been moving in the right direction for the last 10 days has been Senator John Kerry, this debate did nothing to stop that, and I think from the Kerry point of view they’ll be happy about the results tonight.” (ABC, 10/13/04)

Anthony Mason: “Dan, the uncommitted voters in our survey have given the edge in this debate, to this final debate, to John Kerry.” (CBS, 10/13/04)

Kerry appealed to voters
David Gergen: "What I thought John Kerry did very effectively tonight was reach out to women voters and they've become critical to his election Charlie, its the bigggest change that's taken place since these debates started. And tonight, I would imagine with the Yankees and Red Sox on, there were probably a lot of women in that audience tonight." (PBS, 10/13/04)

AARP hosted a debate watch party in Las Vegas they were asked: Which presidential candidate best addressed the issues important to you?
76.2% for John Kerry
15.1% George W. Bush
8.7 Draw

Kerry more presidential
Bill Schneider: “Well I think he did appear more presidential than the president, which is exactly why he won the first debate and why he won this debate.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Richard Wolfe: “John Kerry has looked more presidential and more personable as these debates have gone on.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Perry Bacon, Time Magazine: “And still, Kerry came out looking more presidential…” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Kerry clear on issues
Andrea Mitchell: “I think Kerry cleared up any confusion that might have existed about how he as a Catholic was dealing with this very complex issue (abortion).” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

George Stephanopoulos: “I thought Senator Kerry was most effective on talking about jobs, minimum wage, healthcare and social security.” (ABC, 10/13/04)

Kit Seeyle: "Kerry's answer on health-care costs may be his best yet. He lays out the case against the administration logically and clearly." (New York Times online, 10/13/04)

Chris Wallace: "I thought perhaps because of the subject matter that John Kerry did better in the second half on subjects like minimum wage which the president seemed somewhat uncomfortable on." (Fox News, 10/13/04)

Chris Matthews: “Senator Kerry tonight was able to score on the class issue.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

Bush fell, Kerry cleaned-up
Ron Reagan: “George Bush made a mistake. Kerry quoted him accurately as it turns out in saying he’s not really worried about Osama bin Laden and Bush came back and said, well I don’t recall ever saying anything like that, we’ll you’ll see the clip of him saying exactly that tomorrow.” (MSNBC 10:32 pm)

Mark Shields: “I think Kerry is far more factual.” (PBS, 10/13/04)

Brian Williams: “We heard the name Osama Bin Laden mentioned again tonight and tonight our fact checkers found the President in a major contradiction. (NBC, 10/13/04)

Chris Jansing: “He painted the president as some one who led us to a misguided war, who has put Americans at risk because they don't have health insurance, who has lost more jobs than any president.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

Bush mission to win debate: NOT ACCOMPLISHED
George Stephanopoulos: Most Americans believe we’re going in the wrong direction right now. (ABC, 10/13/04)

Jeff Greenfield: “I think to the extent that the Republicans were looking for the president to lay the heavy lumber on John Kerry, that did not happen. And so if we’ve gone this last ten days with Kerry slowly moving up on Bush, I don’t see anything in this debate that will change that.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

John King: “I do think Republicans will agree that the president was perhaps not emphatic or focused enough in doing as much as he wanted to do to calling the Senate record into play and put the liberal label on Senator Kerry.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Bob Novak: “Bush looks wishy-washy on the assault-weapons ban.” (cnn.com, 10/13/04)

Richard Wolfe: “John Kerry, I thought, took this one by points. The president really needed to get a big victory tonight and he fell short of that. You know, he beat himself in the previous debates, but that really wasn’t good enough.” (CNN, 10/13/04)

Bush’s expressions showed his weakness
Kit Seeyle: "Bush seems more on edge than Kerry. His voice is rising, almost to a shout. And he pounds his hand for emphasis. Kerry is trying to show he is cool, calm and collected." (New York Times online, 10/13/04)

Bob Novak: “Bush's chuckles are not so good.” (cnn.com, 10/13/04)

Chris Matthews: “I think the president had sort of an unhappy look but it was a very controlled and disciplined look. He was obviously told ‘they’re looking at you, don’t put on a show.’ But he didn’t look happy. He wasn’t used to this kind of brow-beating.” (MSNBC, 10/13/04)

- Paid for by Kerry-Edwards 2004, Inc.