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PUNDITS SCORECARD
The Candidates:
• George W. Bush
• John Kerry
• Ralph Nader
• Third Parties
Showdown States:
The Conventions:
Democratic


After the first two days, how would you rate the tone and themes of the convention?
CNN analysts offer their assessments.

Setting Vision for Future Attacking Kerry Purple Heart bandages OVERALL

Paul Begala
Political analyst
F C F C-

Tucker Carlson
Political analyst
D B B B+

Mo Rocca
Political satirist
C* B** T*** O****

Bill Schneider
Political analyst
C- A- F B-

Carlos Watson
Political analyst
C B I***** B/B+
CNN.com USERS
Grades show the average of CNN.com user scores in each category.

Total: 120788 user votes
C C+ C+ C
NOTE: *Chutzpah, **Bullies, ***Tacky, ****Oh my God we're all going to die, *****Incomplete

Paul Begala
We haven't heard a single thing that Bush would do if, God forbid, he were to win re-election. Rudy Giuliani was the attack dog on Kerry, and he was a little over the top. The Purple Heart bandages are an insult to the thousands of people who have been wounded in the Bush war in Iraq, and millions of other Americans. John Kerry could have hid out in the National Guard, but he didn't. He still has shrapnel in his leg. If he could do that without spilling his blood, it would have been a miracle. Those people ought to be ashamed.

Tucker Carlson
The message has been "more of the same" and that's not a vision for the future. The Purple Heart Band-Aids are kind of amusing. Kerry is running on his Vietnam service, and so it's not off limits. I think the criticisms have been fair. But they (the Republicans) need a little less compassion. They need to explain why Kerry would be a bad president. If (Republicans) are going to have a reputation as being mean, they might as well be mean. Overall, it's been disciplined with moments of wit.

Bill Schneider
So far we've heard nothing but terrorism, terrorism, terrorism. We're waiting to hear something other than 9/11. Arnold Schwarzenegger tonight and Rudy Giuliani last night delivered pretty effective attacks on Kerry. The distinction has been well-drawn between the "wishy-washy Kerry" and the "resolute Bush." Those Purple Heart bandages are a total cheap shot -- the cheapest shot ever at a political convention. There has been no agenda discussed yet. We have no idea what Bush would do to address issues like jobs, health care and Iraq. There has been plenty of talk about the justification for Iraq, but nobody's talking about what they would do.

Carlos Watson
I'd say the Republican convention has gotten off to a good start. We had two more good speeches tonight. The president's misstep during the Matt Lauer conversation and the Purple Heart bandage story have taken a little bit of shimmer off the convention. Like the DNC, the convention will largely be judged on the candidate's speech Thursday night.



• September 2: How would you rate President Bush's speech?
• September 1: How would you rate Vice President Dick Cheney's speech?
• August 31: After the first two days, how would you rate the tone and themes of the convention?
• August 30: How would you rate New York as a venue?
• August 27: How would you rate the Bush team on convention preps?
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