if Dean is nominee he should challenge Bush to debate in Spanish

[CMT]

I had heard that Dean spoke spanish but until last night I had no idea just how fluently he spoke it. I heard many people since then say that he did a very impresive job even with pronunciation. I think he is much better than Bush--who likes to use his spanish--sparingly--and apparently he sounds just as stupid in that language as he does in english.

I think Dean, should he be the nominee, should challenge Bush to an all-spanish debate on univision and see if our "president" will have the guts to accept.

[rfranklin]

1. It would be like an old Sid Cesar routine...

complete gibberish with a foreign accent on the part of Bush.

[bushisanidiot]

2. Excellent Idea

Let the voters see who's faking it.. You know AWOL only has a few lines memorized, even if he uses his earpiece to get the answers he'll still get the pronunciation and accent wrong. BWAHAHAHA!!!!

[MiltonLeBerle]

3. The bulk of Bush's Spanish vocabulary-

revolves around the types of words used in Mexican taverns and whorehouses, and to yell at the gardener back home.

[BurtWorm]

4. Dean should definitely use his Spanish

It's a major asset. But he needs to get super sophisticated about latino issues, preferably with a Mexican-American adviser working very closely with him. He should start a drive to raise money for airtime on Univision, Telemundo and Spanish-language radio.

[CMT]

5. good idea

Latino vote will be crucial in 2004 and we need to be fluent not only in the language but the concerns of the community.

[BurtWorm]

6. Maybe I should post this under a separate thread

See if anyone else salutes it.

[rwork]

7. How do you say

Americans need to put food on their families, in Spanish?

[Le Taz Hot]

8. Dean's accent was outstanding!

It came across as fluent whereas the others' attempts seemed forced, though I do give them kudos for making the attempt.

However, I'm not sure whether Dean is actually fluent in the language itself -- I've read conflicting reports on this, but if he is, I would LOVE to see a debate between Dean and Bush* in Spanish. I can hear Bush* in his best Texas accent: "Owla SEEnyor Dean. Co-moh estah OOOsted? Latinos/Latinas all over the world would be wetting their pants from laughter.

[janx]

13. I understand your point.

People who are actually fluent in a second language have usually gotten that way by living in an area where that language is spoken. Dean probably isn't actually fluent in Spanish (I could be wrong), but he's certainly very good at it. You don't have to be a Spanish speaker to pick up on that. It was smooth and effortless. The accent was impeccable.

I remember talking to some young women from Venezuala once about Chimpy's Spanish. It's apparently so bad that they laugh out loud every time they hear it. Again, that's apparent to me though I don't know much Spanish. He hesitates and stumbles. His accent is terrible.

[shance]

24. Bum Deal! El uno momento yo soy fuera de la television!

El habla en espanol!!

Ay caramba!!


I wish I had seen him speak!!! Heard he was great....

[frylock]

9. The guy memorizes four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental.

Que bueno. Now I'm literate in two languages.

[Le Taz Hot]

11. A rather cynical view

wouldn't you say? I think all the candidates get points for at least making the attempt. I'm not sure if any of the candidates are fluent as I haven't heard a lot of Spanish from them, but I KNOW Bush* isn't.

Is there something positive you would like to say about your candidate?

[frylock]

14. absolute sarcasm on my part..

and I apologize for not closing out my sarcastic remark with an </sarc>. This is a direct qoute from the shrub in response to a reporter asking Chirac questions in french:

This week, however, a smooth, silver-haired NBC correspondent forgot the rules of the game and came a cropper when he decided to chance his arm with Mr Bush at a joint press conference with President Jacques Chirac. David Gregory would appear to have a good relationship with the president. He has often publicly praised the White House staff and because he is 6ft 5in, Mr Bush has nicknamed him "Little Stretch" - to differentiate him from "Stretch", the 6ft 6in Dick Kyle of Bloomberg News, and "Super Stretch", Bill Sammon of the Washington Times, who is 6ft 7in. But, at the Elysee Palace on Sunday, Gregory found out that Mr Bush wasn't really his buddy after all.

"I wonder why it is you think there are such strong sentiments in Europe against you and against this administration?" he asked, before turning to the French leader and adding: "Et vous Monsieur le President Chirac, qu'en pensez-vous?"

The American president pursed his lips in annoyance: he does not speak French and sensed he was being mocked. "Very good," he said sardonically. "The guy memorises four words, and he plays like he's intercontinental."

Gregory, in so deep he couldn't turn back, ventured: "I can go on." But Mr Bush did a little mocking of his own: "I'm impressed - que bueno. Now I'm literate in two languages."

When the press conference was over, Mr Bush turned to Gregory and said in front of bemused journalists: "As soon as you get in front of a camera, you start showing off."

[BurtWorm]

16. I got it.

;)

[Le Taz Hot]

21. Woops!

I should have gotten it also. I had forgotten about that incident -- there's been so many sometimes it's hard to keep up.

[blondeatlast]

10. I'm not a Dean supporter (yet), but I'd love to see this!

!traigalos en!

(Bring 'em on!)

[CentristDemocrat]

12. I thought Dean came across extremely wooden and shaken.

Lieberman was throwing bombs at him all night and Dean didn't really respond to it well. I have yet to see a debate/interview appearance from Dean where I've been impressed. He seems flustered under the spotlight. While you may not "like" candidates such as Gephardt, Edwards, Kerry (and Soon Clark), they can handle themselves int he spotlight very well it seems.

[tridim]

15. What were you watching last night?

Because it sure wasn't the same debate I watched. Lieberman did attack Dean a couple of times, but not "all night" as you said and Dean's responses were calm and concise. Please give me an example of Dean being "flustered under the spotlight".

[CentristDemocrat]

17. Seemingly whenever he spoke

He stutters and seems to have trouble finishing sentences. I know he's a favorite on this message board. I'm giving an outsider's view. I just don't think he's as saintly as people around here think. It's just an opinion. Based on pure performance, I think Gephardt, Kerry, Edwards and Kucinich were the best last night.

[sham]

18. I must be confused...

I thought we were discussing a hypothetical debate between Dean and * in Spanish...

Maybe I should go back and re-read the other posts to get a better feel for the TOPIC OF THIS THREAD.

/sarcasm off

[CentristDemocrat]

20. Ok, I thought he looked moronic when he spoke in Spanish

and a debate in Spanish would prove only that he and Bush don't know how to speak it. That better?

[tridim]

19. I brought this up last night

There's more discussion on it here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=278694#279252

I think it would be much more effective to trap Bush in a normal debate. Dean should ask bush a difficult question in Spanish and request that Bush respond in Spanish. Bush would freeze up and say something like, "Uhhh.. Uhmmm.. Si?" :)

[dofus]

22. I saw Bruce Babbitt

when he was still Governor of Arizona, be interviewed in Spanish on local TV. I thought perhaps he'd served in the Peace Corps, but a google search doesn't reveal that. But his Spanish was good enough to be interviewed in that language, which is a fairly high degree of fluency.

I had Back to School night at my kid's school, so I missed the debate.

[BigMcLargehuge]

23. Bush couldn't order Nacho's Bellgrande at Taco Bell.

A debate in English will be hilarious enough. I just want to see Dean nail him to the wall like a Lapidopterist with a particularly large Monach Butterfly.