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Kerry falls into the orchestra pit

John Kerry won Thursday's presidential debate. He was decisive, in command of the facts, and presidential.

I was disturbed to find out yesterday about a story that suggests Kerry brought in a debate "cheat sheet."

Roger Ailes, a top political consultant before he was head of Fox News, might have filed this one under his "orchestra pit theory." The orchestra pit theory of the media is simple; a man comes onto a stage, announces the discovery of the cure for cancer, and then falls into an orchestra pit. The next day, all across America, the banner headlines scream; "Man falls into orchestra pit."

Will we resist the temptation to make "cheat sheet gate" the talk of the newscycle? Obviously, if Kerry purposely broke the rules, it would be an issue. But debate negotiations were conducted by proxy, and it seems unlikely that Kerry would 1) cheat at all and 2) try to do it in front of the cameras.

I was standing near George W. Bush a week before election day 2000. Because of my vantage point, I could see a discrete crib sheet in his hand, which he'd reference from time to time. Isn't that more disturbing that what Kerry is accused of doing? Shouldn't it be the story of the day that the President looked bewildered, confused, frustrated, and out of control on Thursday?

Or will the headlines announce that Kerry fell into the orchestra pit?

One for the redundancy department?

My friend and I were at lunch yesterday when she noticed a hybrid car, complete with a Kerry/Edwards bumper sticker. She asked, "Do we really need to know that he's voting for Kerry? He's driving a hybrid car."

Good point, but he could've been for Nader/Camejo.

People know stuff

Larry King Live had a panel that discussed the first presidential debate last Thursday. Some of the smug elitists in the media have been critical of bloggers, as though we're somehow less trustworthy than the "mainstream" media. Here is further proof that anyone can be considered a journalist:

JORGE RAMOS, UNIVISION NEWS ANCHOR: Larry, first let me tell you something. Nothing in the debate would let you know that it was conducted in Miami. I was very disappointed that after 90 minutes, we didn't hear a single word about Latin America. In Miami is the first time that I've seen two political candidates talk about anything, and they did not get a question about Cuba.

Is it me? Should a news anchor know about the format of the debate?

KING: Jorge, what about the Latino community in this country?

RAMOS: Well, I think they're going to be very disappointed that not a single word was mentioned about Cuba, about the possibility of an immigration agreement with Mexico, about a free trade agreement with Central America and the Dominican Republic...

KING: The subject tonight was limited to Iraq and national security, so immigration wasn't going to come up.

Faced with the bottom of the hole, Mr. Ramos continued digging:

RAMOS: Well, I mean, immigration is very important, especially if you want to make an immigration agreement with Mexico. But what's important is that they have the possibility, both candidates, at least at the end of the debate, they had the possibility to at least mention the importance of Cuba, the importance of Mexico, the importance of the relationship between the United States and Latin America, and they decided not to. Both of them, President Bush and John Kerry, they've said in the past that Latin America should be a priority for the United States, and these debates, and this debate specifically, shows that it is not. And...


After a 90 minute debate about the War on Terrorism, which touched on Iraq, al-Qaeda, Afghanistan, and nuclear proliferation, the candidates were supposed to talk about Costa Rica?

I gave Mr. Ramos the benefit of the doubt, assuming he'd talk about the connection between immigration and our national security, between Cuba or the war on drugs and our safety. He didn't. Read the transcript here.