Republican Convention Thread.

[NorthSideSox72]

I was watching someone last night saying how this was a divorcing of the Republican party from Bush.

Wow - now I'm really curious to see this.

 

[lostfan]

I watched it and got sick of hearing the names Bush and McCain. It was very disappointing. Like I said, I had the same problem with the Palin speech.

He didn't really mention their names that much except to draw contrasts.

[southsider2k5]

I was watching someone last night saying how this was a divorcing of the Republican party from Bush.

 

Good.

[lostfan]

Wow - now I'm really curious to see this.

I didn't watch the speech b/c I don't think I could stay awake for 50 minutes of a McCain speech, but I saw highlights. He more or less listed all the reasons people are pissed off at the Republicans recently (except, say, the war and Guantanamo Bay) and when you look at them closely, they weren't "Republican" failures so much as "Bush" failures. But he never actually mentioned Bush's name directly.

[pierard]

I thought the same as well and hadn't had a chance to post this, I thought his speech last night was VERY well done.

 

I thought his delivery was better than advertised (he seemed very genuine). However, in my opinion the material was very weak. Not a bad speech, but if it was better written it could have been really damn good. I will concede the end really surprised me and was quite strong.

[lostfan]

Good.

I'm all for the Republicans re-defining themselves and I hope McCain succeeds here even if he doesn't win. If there was more Huckabee-esque positiveness without the crazy-ass social conservatism, and if there weren't so many hawks squawking about, I'd probably be a registered Republican.

[southsider2k5]

like say, hiring a lobbyist to get millions in earmarks

 

Yeah, Obama really doesn't have much room to talk there... Really interesting is all of the religious organizations he asked for money for.

 

http://answercenter.barackobama.com/cgi-bi...vZHM9JnBfY2F0cz

[southsider2k5]

I didn't watch the speech b/c I don't think I could stay awake for 50 minutes of a McCain speech, but I saw highlights. He more or less listed all the reasons people are pissed off at the Republicans recently (except, say, the war and Guantanamo Bay) and when you look at them closely, they weren't "Republican" failures so much as "Bush" failures. But he never actually mentioned Bush's name directly.

 

No he hit them hard on big budget and big government. Congress in the one putting this crap on to Bush's desk, not the other way around.

[jackie hayes]

It's nice that you all can infer things to feel indignant about from her speech. i too could have used a few less funny jabs, but she wasn't mocking community organizers per say, but mocking the idea that registering people to vote equates to executive experience. That is like saying he can be President because he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. And the comments about her 'cockiness'? Oh please. The Obama camp exudes cockiness, with his 'President' chair on his campaign plane to all his faux presidential seals. Maybe it is creative editing or just luck of photographers, but it seems like every time they print a picture of Obama, he has his head tilted back just a bit so he appears to be looking down on people. That, or his logo is positioned behind him so that the circle looks like a halo, or aura around his head. And quit comparing her speech to Obama's. She is running for VP. Biden's speech contained no meat either, so why did hers have to?

Now that's just completely wrong. She was saying that a community organizer has no actual responsibilities. That followed Giuliani's speech, in which he literally scoffed at the very words. They both mocked the very idea of being a community organizer, and the ridicule contained nothing specific about Obama's experience.

 

As for the rest, it was a political speech. If you want to go disrespectful, nasty, and personal with the vp speech, that's a choice. But doing so gives the lie to much of what McCain said last night. I don't think they can continue this particular good-cop/going-at-the-other-side-with-a-broomstick-cop routine for very long.

[FlaSoxxJim]

I also think he did well, better than expected and went with his strengths.

 

I think the overall tone that McCain views the presidency as one final mission from a patriot and hero is a strength he rightly went with.

 

The downside/reality is that it's hard to believe that a 25 year Washington insider can ever be an agent of change in Washington, no matter how many people call him a maverick. Also, a promise to bring change to Washington pales in comparison to the challenge set forth by the Obama campaign to work together to change the direction of a wayward nation.

 

Lots of rhetoric on both sides to be sure. But if McCain is going to sink or swim with the American hero platform, a promise to change business as usual in Washington is not setting the bar high enough, imo.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Now that's just completely wrong. She was saying that a community organizer has no actual responsibilities. That followed Giuliani's speech, in which he literally scoffed at the very words. They both mocked the very idea of being a community organizer, and the ridicule contained nothing specific about Obama's experience.

 

Mocking community organizers was probably the stupidest mistake in Wednesday's speeches. And, sadly, it wasn't even a calculated risk – it just never even dawned on the speechwriters that they would be belittling the hard work and passion of millions of "little people" by deriding community organizing as being a job with zero responsibility. They are rightly getting hit hard for it now by lots of service organizations on all sides of the political spectrum.

 

[southsider2k5]

Mocking community organizers was probably the stupidest mistake in Wednesday's speeches. And, sadly, it wasn't even a calculated risk ��it just never even dawned on the speechwriters that they would be belittling the hard work and passion of millions of "little people" by deriding community organizing as being a job with zero responsibility. They are rightly getting hit hard for it now by lots of service organizations on all sides of the political spectrum.

 

That was a direct result of the Obama camp derisively referring to Palin over and over again as "mayor of a small town" versus governor. They were mocking her job and her responsibilities.

[EvilMonkey]

That was a direct result of the Obama camp derisively referring to Palin over and over again as "mayor of a small town" versus governor. They were mocking her job and her responsibilities.

Maybe the mayors of small towns should get together in their outrage and send Obama a letter! Manufactured outrage. CO's are important. They do not make you ready to be C in C.

[FlaSoxxJim]

That was a direct result of the Obama camp derisively referring to Palin over and over again as "mayor of a small town" versus governor. They were mocking her job and her responsibilities.

 

That may be, but it remains a really stupid pushback. There is less risk at the polls of potentially pissing off several hundred small town mayors compared to pissing off a couple million community organizers.

[FlaSoxxJim]

CO's are important. They do not make you ready to be C in C.

 

You should have been the speechwriter, because that's the message that should have come across – and would have been effective. Not the one that did – that Community organizers have zero real responsibility or relevance in the GOP universe.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

You should have been the speechwriter, because that's the message that should have come across – and would have been effective. Not the one that did – that Community organizers have zero real responsibility or relevance in the GOP universe.

Exactly. Saying it doesn't qualify you for Prez is smart. Mocking it was stupid, and handicaps the GOP ticket in the ground game, where they are already well behind the Dems. This will just make it even harder to get the local vote out for them.

 

[lostfan]

Maybe the mayors of small towns should get together in their outrage and send Obama a letter! Manufactured outrage. CO's are important. They do not make you ready to be C in C.

I believe it's fair to say the same thing about a small town mayor though. Which is what the Dems have been doing.

[southsider2k5]

I also forgot to mention, I really liked that he mentioned his respect and admiration for Obama, and how there is more that unites them than divides them.

[HuskyCaucasian]

There are reports a few delegates fell asleep in the stadium during the speech. Not figuratively fell asleep... literally fell asleep.

[Rex Kickass]

You should have been the speechwriter, because that's the message that should have come across – and would have been effective. Not the one that did – that Community organizers have zero real responsibility or relevance in the GOP universe.

Except for the thousands of people who organize for the GOP and actually manage their ground game. Community Organizers turn people out to vote. Oops.

[Rex Kickass]

I also forgot to mention, I really liked that he mentioned his respect and admiration for Obama, and how there is more that unites them than divides them.

 

McCain really took a page from Gore's playbook in 2000. At the debates, he would always talk about how there are hundreds of issues that he sees eye to eye with Bush on... and McCain was using the "Fight for you" thing that's vintage Bob Shrum actually.

 

I caught bits and pieces of the speech. I thought it was well done. McCain is always able to overcome his lack of orator's talent at a convention. He did it in 96, he did it four years ago and he did it last night.

 

I will say this though, although what he said at the end was pretty inspirational, it felt a lot like someone at the end of his career, not someone trying to start a new phase of one.

[EvilMonkey]

McCain really took a page from Gore's playbook in 2000. At the debates, he would always talk about how there are hundreds of issues that he sees eye to eye with Bush on... and McCain was using the "Fight for you" thing that's vintage Bob Shrum actually.

 

I caught bits and pieces of the speech. I thought it was well done. McCain is always able to overcome his lack of orator's talent at a convention. He did it in 96, he did it four years ago and he did it last night.

 

I will say this though, although what he said at the end was pretty inspirational, it felt a lot like someone at the end of his career, not someone trying to start a new phase of one.

Well, once you are president, where can you really go after that? Not many higher positons left.

[Rex Kickass]

Well, once you are president, where can you really go after that? Not many higher positons left.

 

But he isn't President yet, is he?

[clyons]

"My friends, if you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist...

 

Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an -- an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed."

 

 

Just don't become a community organizer after leaving college. My surrogates will mock you mercilessly.

[southsider2k5]

"My friends, if you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist...

 

Enlist in our Armed Forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an -- an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed."

 

 

Just don't become a community organizer after leaving college. My surrogates will mock you mercilessly.

 

And what ever you do, don't run for mayor, or live in a small state.