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OCTOBER 3, 2000

Vice President Al Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush are neck and neck in one poll as they enter the first Presidential debate tonight in Boston, Massachusetts.

With a poll by The Washington Post and ABC News putting support for both candidates at nearly even, the debate could help either gain an edge over the other. Currently, Gore has a 2-point advantage over his rival, according to the poll.

Already, there has been pressure on the two sides. Gore, often seen as stiff, has to compete with Bush, whom many see as personable and warm.

Bush, on the other hand, has to demonstrate that he has what it takes to be President and that he has a grasp on the issues. Many analysts point to his grammar and tongue-twistedness as a weak point in his public speaking style.

In recent weeks, Bush has had even more and more of his twisters, according to media watchers. They attribute it to stress which naturally comes along during the course of the election.

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully," Bush said during one speech on his position that dams on the Snake River in the Northwest should not be breached.

Members of tribes in the region, who maintain spiritual and cultural ties to salmon, may understand and appreciate his statement. But many others are often confused, and amused, by Bush's deviations from his prepared remarks.

Gore, on the other hand, is known for sticking to the script. The challenge facing him in the debates is to show he is more than just the one-answer candidate, say analysts.

Whether or not anyone will pay attention, however, is another question. The 90-minute debate begins at 9PM EDT and is scheduled to air on most television networks, except for NBC and Fox.

However, for the past three elections, viewership of the first debate has dropped. according to Nielsen Media. Some 65.1 million watched George Bush and Michael Dukakis duke it out, followed by 62.4 million for the Bush / Bill Clinton / Ross Perot three-way, only a slight dip.

But viewership in the last election dropped to 46.1 million for the first Clinton and Bob Dole debate.

So will the debates turn out to be "boring" as Winona LaDuke, Green Party Vice Presidential candidate, has predicted? Yes, say running mate, Ralph Nader, and Reform Party candidate Pat Buchanan, both of whom have not been invited to participate.

Relevant Links:
The Commission on Presidential Debates - www.debates.org

Related Stories:
Presidential debates set (The Talking Circle 09/15)
Pueblos endorse Gore, others (The Talking Circle 09/01)
Bush meets with Navajo Nation (The Talking Circle 09/01)
Candidates hit the road (The Talking Circle 08/30)
Winona LaDuke urges action (The Talking Circle 08/29)