By 
The speeches on both sides of America’s political fight are now over with the conclusion of John McCain’s speech tonight at the Republican National Convention. I watched the debate on NBC and their commentators said that McCain did not attack Obama as much as Obama attacked him, as well as offering more specifics in his speech then Obama. I agree with both assessments, but it is pretty clear that McCain has no where near the rhetorical ability of Obama so his articulation of his specifics may not have come across very well to voters.
Governor Palin on the other hand can articulate and articulate very well judging by her speech the other night. She is definitely the anti-Obama. However, like I said before the majority of people vote for who they like for President not the Vice-President. Governor Palin has just re-energized the McCain campaign and the Republican base. It will be interesting to see what the polls say, but I think it is still the Democrats election to lose; it has just become less of a sure thing this week.
You all can have your say in the comments section.
3:02 pm on September 4th, 2008 1
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and by co-opting wholesale Obama's message of "change," McCain proved it once again. Some people in the audience were even shouting, "Yes, we can!"
After the partisan hate-fest we've seen all week at the RNC, I don't think many swing voters are going to be very convinced by McCain's attempts make nice and reach across party lines, either.
McCain used to be a "leader," but now he is clearly a follower (of both the hard right and now even Obama), and it's a rather sad sight to behold.
3:53 pm on September 4th, 2008 2
Just wondering if anybody noticed how cspan attempts to influence each event with their panning to audience members.
During the RNC medal of honor tribute for Michael Monsoor and the following tributes to Bush(senior) and others, either the audience was jam packed with VFW and AL members or that was at least the the impression cspan wanted to viewers to have. You came away from watching it thinking that the GOP was the party of the military, patriots, and heroes.
During Palin's speech, the cameras frequently panned to what appeared to be "soccer" moms in the audience. I guess in an attempt to portray the GOP as the party of typical American families and family values.
During Obama's speech, the camera was consistently panning to a gay couple, asians, and african americans in the audience. Obviously to portray Democrats as the party of minorities.
Are these camera shots dictated the party that's hosting the event, or this something cspan does all on it's own?
4:08 pm on September 4th, 2008 3
Obama just schooled O'Reilly on Fox News and didn't give up an inch or lose his cool, either. My man's tough!
6:20 pm on September 4th, 2008 4
Was I the only one who found it hilarious that the cameras zooming in on the only two black people in the audience during Guiliani's speech?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HahW5Qd_-7o
7:14 pm on September 4th, 2008 5
I'm probably the only one that felt this way, but during Palin's speech, I couldn't help but visualize the Clampett's hopping into their truck to go to DC.
7:21 pm on September 4th, 2008 6
"Was I the only one who found it hilarious that the cameras zooming in on the only two black people in the audience during Guiliani’s speech?"
Hey, Lincoln was in the Republican Party. The GOP is all about diversity, man!
Latest headline from the Alaska blog Mudflats (on WordPress):
"Palin Leaves Campaign Trail. Flees North."
Hmm, that's very interesting. Guess she has more than one spider hole, eh?
8:48 pm on September 4th, 2008 7
Palin was the wrong choice. She's messing McCain up even more. If he thought he was going to get the 'woman' vote with Palin, then, he guessed wrong. A lot of the Repubs don't care for her and think she's the wrong choice, so while people don't directly vote for president, the vp does come with the package and does have some impact.
She's having the wrong impact…maybe not on comedians, though. Material for days.
10:00 pm on September 4th, 2008 8
"…offering more specifics in his speech then Obama."
What speech were you watching? I have never seen such a boring speech. He didn't do a thing to appeal to swing voters and forgot to mention any policy. This was not a good ending to the RNC.
He will get a two point bounce max. On the other hand, Palin raised over 10 million for Obama. Nice.
1:12 am on September 5th, 2008 9
Yes indeed. The Dems sure had a love feast for their brothers and sisters in the Republican Party last week. No one, not even Biden and Obama, said a bad word about McCain. I was really impressed with how non-partisan and restrained they were.
How memories fade so quickly. It must be against all moral codes-of-conduct for the Republicans to return fire. It should make for some interesting debates when McCain and Palin both agree with their Dems counterparts on every point that is brought up. Never attack your opponent, that’s the Democratic American way!
I’ll give you this one though. McCain is one boring public speaker. I’ll vote for him because I support the principles of the Republican Party, not because he can give a good speech. He needs to stay with his Town Hall Meeting strategy. Does pretty will in those settings. And why is it that Obama never took him up on his offer of joint Town Hall Meetings again? I forgot the excuse he used.
6:13 am on September 5th, 2008 10
Ancient Soldier
Don't know the reson BO gave (like it matters anyway), but the reason can be given in one phrase; he can't think on his feet.
He needs that telepromter. His mouth works fine.
8:24 am on September 5th, 2008 11
Mccain was on teleprompter overload from what I saw. Ironic how the Repub fans always want to talk about a teleprompter when Mccain proved during his speech that he is basically nothing but a walking teleprompter.
9:06 am on September 5th, 2008 12
Ancient Soldier,
A Town Hall meeting is not a debate. Don't kid yourself. Obama will eat McCain in the debates.
9:12 am on September 5th, 2008 13
"No one, not even Biden and Obama, said a bad word about McCain. I was really impressed with how non-partisan and restrained they were."
Then you weren't paying attention. Obama, Biden and Hillary were all out there rallying against the goons everyday.
2:05 pm on September 5th, 2008 14
"The Dems sure had a love feast for their brothers and sisters in the Republican Party last week… How memories fade so quickly."
Uh, were the Dems lying about McCain's record, as Palin and Giuliani were about Obama's? Did Obama lie about his own record, as Palin did about hers? Was the tone of Hillary's speech as downright nasty as Palin's was, when she was channelling Tracey Flick before the entire nation? And then to add insult to injury, McCain has the gall to steal Obama's message of change! No, no memories do not fade quickly at all, so please try harder next time, my friend.
"He can’t think on his feet…He needs that telepromter."
Are you kidding me? Did you see Obama on O'Reilly on Thursday? That jacked-up blowhard was trying every which way to get under Obama's skin, but Obama never lost his cool and offered a measured but muscular vision of US foreign policy that was convincing and had nothing to do with telepromptors. O'Reilly even said Obama's early opposition to the Iraq invasion was "perspicacious."
All I'm hearing from the GOP supporters on this thread are distortions and potshots at the Dems, instead of a positive articulation of why the GOP ticket deserves 4 more years in the White House. You're not going to attract many swing voters with that kind of apporach, I'm afraid.
3:07 pm on September 5th, 2008 15
I hope Gov. Palin is enjoying her vacation back home in Alaska:
http://kr.youtube.com/watch?v=955Y3NJTRIE
12:43 am on September 6th, 2008 16
Humm, is this like broken or is it just me?
12:46 am on September 6th, 2008 17
"Then you weren’t paying attention. Obama, Biden and Hillary were all out there rallying against the goons everyday."
Yes Clam, I know. I said that with my tongue planted firmly in my cheek. If you watched Joe Biden today, he seemed to think it was terrible that the Repubs said bad things about the Dems. Like the Dems were Alter boys or something.
"A Town Hall meeting is not a debate. Don’t kid yourself. Obama will eat McCain in the debates."
Well Clam, I hope Obama brings some lunch so his jaws have something to do when they go up and down. But seriously, we'll just have to wait and see. I just checked the kitchen and I'm fresh out of tea leaves. BO might turn out to be a better debater than he was in the primary when Hillary and Joe constantly walked all over him.
12:49 am on September 6th, 2008 18
Listener, you're right about McCain's terrible use of a teleprompter. He really is a poor public speaker. Most men of action are poor at public speaking. They have to use action instead of pretty speeches to get the job done. And after the experiences McCain has had, even the blind can see that a war hero like him is surely a man of action.
I doubt if I’d have lived through what he did. And I know I could never have survived with my sanity if I had been captured and treated like he was. Not many men could. I saw some nasty stuff in that war, but compared to McCain’s experiences, mine were a walk in the park. I am really proud to call him brother.
12:51 am on September 6th, 2008 19
Your royal hindass, What airline is she flying? It must be a fast one. I watched her on TV yesterday giving a speach in Wisconsin. Oh, maybe there is a town in Alaska named Wisconsin…I get it.