Response by Rick Thigpen

John Kerry got what he needed out of the first debate. With high hope for the future, a prediction in regard to it is ventured: Kerry will win.  Without these debates, the Bush campaign appeared to be succeeding in defining John Kerry for much of the American public. The debates offered Kerry the opportunity to break the mold that Republicans had so carefully crafted for him. And he did.

Comment by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Academic Associate, Rick Thigpen (J.D., Columbia University Law School). Rick is a former Executive Director of the New Jersey Democratic Party and now a partner in The Strategy Group and is a campaign coordinator for the Essex County Democratic Party. Rick Thigpen, Esq. can be reached at (609) 394-0888.