The first full day of the Republican convention--the schedule was put back from Monday because of Hurricane Gustav--went off smoothly. President Bush was beamed in from the White House, and Fred Thompson and Joe Lieberman were the other headliners. No sign yet of Sarah Palin, due to speak on Wednesday, and the subject of almost every conversation in the margins of the event. Whatever the rest of the country may think of her, whether she proves to be an asset or a liability to the McCain campaign, her selection has generated extraordinary excitement and enthusiasm here.
At the same time, though, her arrival on the ticket threw the first day's pace off a little. With Palin nowhere to be seen, day one, as they say, buried the lede. The idea was to devote it to introducing John McCain, but is any American politician less in need of an introduction?
The tributes were well enough done. True, Bush's reference to McCain's spirit being more than a match for the "angry left" was a bit puzzling. (Does anybody even in this hall think that Obama represents the angry left?) But Thompson's funny, punchy speech had everybody asking, why wasn't he like that during the primaries? Aside from the sustained ovation for a fallen soldier, Thompson got the biggest cheer of the night. ("And we need a president who doesn't think that the protection of the unborn or a newly born baby is above his pay grade.") His speech even had a morsel of policy content (taxes are a bad thing), which otherwise would have been entirely absent from the day. But there was nothing very surprising and, thanks to Palin, it all seemed a little beside the point.
Lieberman's speech certainly ought to have seemed surprising, but his apostasy is old news. Eight years ago, this man was Al Gore's running-mate; now here he was speaking up for the Republican nominee. He rested his case on the fact that McCain is an extraordinary man and these are extraordinarily dangerous times. But he said little to elaborate. He got a round of applause for Bill Clinton--no mean feat with this crowd--when he contrasted Clinton's occasional willingness to work with Republicans with Obama's record. And he got one big laugh: "If John McCain is just another partisan Republican, I am Michael Moore's favourite Democrat." If I had been just another of the partisan Republicans packing the hall, I might have been a little insulted by that, but the audience either failed to make the connection or was in a generous frame of mind.
Most Democrats by now detest Lieberman, of course, but one other thing he said might persuade those who don't to get with the program. He not only praised McCain's support for the surge of forces into Iraq (fair enough), but contrasted this with Obama's "voting to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield". That was tendentious at best, and the most aggressive attack on Obama of the day. Obama has never argued for funding to be cut off; he wanted a timeline for withdrawal attached to the funding. He did vote against a funding bill that failed to include such a provision; but then Lieberman himself, and most Republicans, also voted against a funding measure that did include such a provision. One way or another, almost everybody has voted against funding for the troops. Lieberman's charge was unfair, and did not sit well with his appeal for one-nation bipartisanship.
And then again, there is Palin. Lieberman, widely thought to have been McCain's first choice for VP (McCain is said to have switched because the base would not wear it), applauded the selection. "Governor Palin, like John McCain, is a reformer. She's taken on the special interests and the political power-brokers in Alaska and reached across party lines to get things done. The truth is, she is a leader we can count on to help John shake up Washington. That's why--that's why I sincerely believe that the real ticket for change this year is the McCain-Palin ticket." Lieberman and McCain see eye to eye on national security. But Lieberman is pro-choice on abortion, and a social liberal in other respects as well, whereas Palin is a social conservative. Genuine though his admiration for McCain may be, stretching his endorsement to the whole ticket seemed a stretch too far.
One last observation. Barring breakdowns later in the week, the
Republicans have won the platform war hands down. The Democrats had
their cheesy game-show set followed by the much-derided Greek column
thing. The Republicans have a clean, reflective stage in front of an
enormous high-definition screen, used so far to excellent effect. If I
were with the DNC, I'd find out who was responsible and book them for
2012.
The Republicans also seem to have won the "as little diversity in the crowd as possible" war. The stunning and bold move to pack the room with predominantly old white men clearly takes the day. I would suggest the democrats heed this victory as well for 2012
Clive,
Is it true you have three testicles?
Did the commemorative aspect of the night throw anybody else off as well or was it just me? "Remember Ronald Reagan? Remember Teddy Roosevelt? My, my, those sure were the good old days." It was like a viewing for the Republican Party. Tomorrow, with Palin, will either be the funeral itself or a wonderful revival of the pale, cold corpse. I'm beginning to think that the sole reason Republicans are so excited by Palin is that she is not an old, angry white man. Besides her, I don't believe that any of the major speakers are younger than 60, a minority, or a woman. It's like they simply want to prove to Americans that Republicans are normal people, too!
I found the night to be really depressing, above all. This is a party very much looking back with little idea how to move forward. Oh, and not one word about the economy. Not one single word.
There wasn't a word about the economy because for a majority of the crowd in attendance last night the economy works just fine...
What we are watching is the chaotic end of the Republican party of the last fifty years. Out of touch with what the United States is facing, taken over in a beer hall putsch of right wing zealots, with no idea of how to govern, with not a single authentic idea to change the destructive nature of this country's domestic and foreign policy that has become criminal over the past eight years. This is the way political parties end: fractious in-fighting, grasping, lurching, and finally collapsing.
My guess is that the Republican party will split into at least two new organizations, a centrist party that will, in some ways, mix centrist Republican and Libertarian ideologies; and a second more radical religious right and bellicose party whose ideology will be centered on a bellicose foreign policy and laissez-faire domestic policy.
This is an historic time in more ways than most of us first perceive.
Adin
seems prescient Adin...unfortunately the party will rally around its new messiah, Palin and lurch onward. I for one am not drinking the Palin Kool aid...
Re: the Appearance of the set.
Actually, Clive, I thought the set at the Xcel Center looked kind of chessy. Perhaps in person the effect of the reflective floor and screen seem classy, but on TV it looks unsophisticated and somewhat cheap. It seems like there was more of the Pepsi center full of people and whatever they used to block off sections that weren't going to house people did not come off looking like obvious tarp draped over seats (either side of the Xcel stage looks just like that).
Amazing all the cooments about old white men, the Demo stage needed purification after the appearance of Willie Jeff, and almost buckled under the weight of ol' Teddy
Amazing all the comments about old white men. the Demo stage needed purification after the appearance of Willie Jeff, and almost buckled under the weight of ol' Teddy. Remember when indeed.
"The idea was to devote it to introducing John McCain, but is any American politician less in need of an introduction?"
After the Democratic Convention?
It was worth reintroducing him just to remind folks how ludicrous those speeches about "just like Bush" were.
By far the most compelling moment of the evening came when Fred Thompson discussed the details of McCain's service and internment in Vietnam. It's a well-trodden story, but it has rarely been told as elegantly and with such uncompromising detail. I've often questioned McCain's overuse of the "POW card", but I had little doubt, after hearing that speech, that his military service is indeed a testament to the leadership and judgement he would bring to the Oval Office. Sadly for McCain, all of this will be overshadowed by the Palin mess.
Spotted a typo and fixed it for you:
"The idea was to devote it to introducing John McCain, but is any American politician less in need of an introduction?"
After the Democratic Convention?
It was worth reintroducing him just to remind folks how ludicrous those speeches about "just like Bush" were.
Posted by Cunt
All the shit that's going on, and you finish talking about a HD television
No wonder you're Megan's Mentor - you talk even more shit than she does.
here is note I sent Lieberman's office which sums up my view of him :
you are next to Benedict Arnold as a traitor. You may have fooled the political pundits but I see through your "hawkish " ways. The only reason you have supported the Iraq war is because it eliminated one of Israel's most virulent enemies . Everything you do is a charade to hide your real motives. Your smiling face is repugnant to a good moral conscience. Rather than renouncing your democratic party status ( which you don't even have the guts to do ) you should renounce your US citizenship. jh
Lot of angry libs on this post. There will be even more after the Palin speech.
Lot of angry libs on this post. There will be even more after the Palin speech.
Why Leo,
Is she going to conceive on stage to share the miracle with the faithful?
And lo she comes to lead us to the promised land...
Actually, the HD screen felt oddly idolotrous from home. Fred is talking and occasionally the screen zooms out to show tiny Fred with HUGE John McCain behind him. Seemed a bit..I don't know... cult of personality, especially since it was used to highlight a night that basically was simply a repeated testiment to how Maverick-y John McCain (he's a P.O.W., don't you know) is. No policy details- justlots and lots of McCain is great and Dems suck.
Clive,
Is it true you have three testicles?
The big screen looks good from the long shot, but thats not how most of a speech is shot. It looks like a chroma key screen. Its like a weather man with a malfunctioning backdrop.
Platform war? Or Podium war?
Remember Steve Schmidt: this isn't a campaign about issues.
Lots of angry dems spewing lots of petty, nit-picky venom. Wonder what they're so upset about? Hope it's because they're worried. They should be. When are they going to wake up?
On the political spectrum, most of America has been proven to be somewhere near the center. I actually weigh in a little left of center. But the dems have shifted so far left that there's not a single one that I could vote for in good conscience.
Nowadays, all dems seem to have (or buy into) the Michael Moore mentality and have completely lost touch with the hard, cold facts of life in the real world. Life is not a fairy tale. Empty rhetoric and wishful thinking won't make us live happily ever after. They have fallen of the left end off the chart! Enter Ann Coulter....
Re: "With Palin nowhere to be seen, day one, as they say, buried the lede."
I don't know what it is with bloggers, but if I never saw the words "lede" or "graf" again, it would be too soon. But for some strange reason, it's nearly impossible to read blogs for more than a few minutes without running across one or the other.
Bloggers in general would do well to remember that using these terms doesn't make them seem more like journalists, it justs marks them as bloggers and makes them seem like wannabes.