Skip to main content
The Web    CNN.com      Powered by
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SERVICES
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SEARCH
Web CNN.com
powered by Yahoo!
Inside Politics

A viewer's guide to the St. Louis debate

Joe Klein's 'dos and don'ts' for the candidates


YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Joe Klein
America Votes 2004

(CNN) -- Do address audience questions clearly, don't slouch and absolutely no smirking. What are the key "dos and don'ts" for President Bush and Sen. John Kerry in Friday's town hall-style presidential debate?

Joe Klein, Time magazine political columnist and political contributor on CNN's "Paula Zahn Now Prime Time Politics," offers his tips before each debate. Use his list as a viewer's guide for Friday's presidential debate and see how the candidates stack up.

Bush

Do:

  • Pay more attention to the audience than to Kerry;
  • Offer more detail than last time;
  • Remember that you're basically a nice guy.
  • Don't:

  • Make faces (but you already know that);
  • Repeat yourself so much;
  • Ridicule him (it won't work with a live audience).
  • Kerry

    Do:

  • Focus on the folks (same as Bush);
  • Pivot toward domestic policy (people may be getting tired of all the Iraq talk);
  • Be ready to defend your record (especially the 1991 Persian Gulf War vote).
  • Don't:

  • Be cocky;
  • Try to be too folksy -- it ain't you;
  • Let him get under your skin.

  • Story Tools
    Subscribe to Time for $1.99 cover
    Top Stories
    Panel: Spy agencies in dark about threats
    Top Stories
    CNN/Money: Security alert issued for 40 million credit cards
    Search JobsMORE OPTIONS


     

    International Edition
    CNN TV CNN International Headline News Transcripts Advertise With Us About Us
    SEARCH
       The Web    CNN.com     
    Powered by
    © 2005 Cable News Network LP, LLLP.
    A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
    Terms under which this service is provided to you.
    Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us.
    external link
    All external sites will open in a new browser.
    CNN.com does not endorse external sites.
     Premium content icon Denotes premium content.
    Add RSS headlines.