The town hall format for last night’s “debate” favored Mr. Bush because he was enabled to strut around and work the crowd with his personality.  He made a few relevant points but did not win the debate.  Mr. Kerry, who was prepared, partly because he is a scholar, lawyer and Senator with much experience, won the “debate” mostly because he was right on most of the points he raised.

But, this is not about the town hall format or the “debate” or Charles Gibson’s efforts to keep the proceedings civil. There is a fierce combat going on and what we saw and heard last night was just the tip of the ice-berg. Most of the activity concerning this combat is ongoing on TV, the Internet, and in the homes and hearts of people who had their minds made up on the basis of the division in this country between Liberals and Conservatives.

I was a bit disappointed that Mr. Kerry introduced the fact (unknown and unworried about in this election) that he was a practicing Catholic for it made no difference. What he is up against is the vast fundamentalist conservative Christian Moral Majority who gives Mr. Bush his greatest support and is at least as important as the American Financial Establishment that is his “BASE”.  These are the people who are worried about women’s reproductive apparatus in the hands of “Abortion” specialists who are branded by this Administration as Killers.  Mr. Bush reminded the audience that if a pregnant woman is killed during an abortion, the “murderer” will be prosecuted for TWO deaths, mother and fetus.

Isn’t it confusing? Mr. Bush calls himself the WAR PRESIDENT and is responsible for the deaths of our soldiers and the deaths of Iraqis. He thinks of himself and his supporters agree that he is quite a hero to the American People. They approve his getting us to this point where we have no markers as to when we can leave and allow the world to get back to its business of trading with each other and on to crushing the terrorists who are feeding on our presence in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Isn’t it frustrating that Mr. Bush is being rated on his performance in a town hall meeting rather than his performance as a President who has reduced the surplus into a debt in four short years?  Isn’t it a “crime” that Mr. Bush refuses to help the needy while he gives the richest minority a tax break? Mr. Kerry put it succinctly by telling the audience that the only persons in the town hall who benefited by the tax reduction were himself, Mr. Bush and Mr. Gibson who were in the one percent bracket that Mr. Bush’s policies helped. Where will you be on Election Day?  I hope for a few minutes it will be in front of a machine to record your vote.