Republican Convention - Day 1
10:00 - John McCain likes blue- blue suit, blue shirt, blue tie.
10:06 - McCain is wrong, the terrorists do attack us for what we do, not who we are. Does anyone think they sit around in a cave and say "We hate freedom." That is so stupid. They hate us because we prop up dictators, abandon revolutionaries in Afganistan (like Osama bin Laden), support Israel, and so on. They do hate our culture- our food, our movies, our belief in certain things. But no one flies planes into buildings because they hate McDonalds, right?
10:12 - McCain is praising Bush's leadership on and around September 11th. His finest moment.
10:16 - McCain describes Michael Moore as a "disingenuous filmaker" which to me is letting him off lightly. Moore is there however, in the media section, and doffs his cap playfully as boos rain down around him. McCain tells Chris Matthews on MSNBC later that he was unaware Moore was in the hall. However, this whole part does not appear in his prepared text ( http://www.gopconvention.com/cgi-data/speeches/files/oi07hf896nd7in9fr129gu4t5jv74i7m.shtml) so who knows? Good moment, or cheap shot?
10:22 - He is using the word "love" an awful lot for a guy who is such a tough guy. Maybe he is really just a big softie.
10:25 - McCain looks more and more like a turtle, with little neck and that round, craggy face poking out from his suit.
10:30 - The convention's tribute to 9/11 with speechs from relatives of the dead and classical music is on. Carried live on all 3 cable networks- I only mention this, becuase Fox did not carry the Dems tribute.
10:31 - Just as an aside, much has been made of the choice of NYC for the convention and whether or not this represents "politicizing" the tragedy. This was the biggest event of Bush's presidency, his finest hour, and will influence our foreign policy forever. Are they supposed to pretend it never happened? I think it also helps show that New York is back, andbarring anything happening, New York is secure enough to host this huge event.
10:40 - "Amazing Grace" is being sung. This beautiful song sucks all the air out of the room as Rudy Giuliani takes the stage. Hearing it, I am thinking about my grandmother's funeral twenty years ago, not a political speech.
10:46 - Giuliani says the terrorist cannot determine where we go and what we can do- damn straight!
10:49 - "A nation of courage" as a sign...I don't know- why not use the word "America" or "United in Courage"?
10:50 - Rudy seems like he is just talking out loud, not giving a speech. He is really "in the moment" and connecting with people. This would be very effective in a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire in a few years. I'm just saying. Okay, actually Rudy could never win the Republican nomination.
10:51 - 9/11 was "the worst crisis of our history"? Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis might disagree.
10:52 - Also, as I recall the British burned Washington DC in 1812- that seems like a big deal. Pearl Harbor launched us into the biggest war of all time. But anyway.
10:54 - Giuliani says we cannot appease terrorists, mentions specifically European nations (to audience boos) who have released terrorists in the past. He lists long history of terrorism from Israeli athletes in Munich, Achille Lauro planecrash, et cetera. He compares appeasing terrorists to Europeans appeasing Hitler and Bush to Churchill for standing up to them. For some reason, he does not mention Lebanon, a lesson all terrorists learned very well. A terrorist attack completely changed American policy, defeated the US military, and drove us away from the Middle East, tails-betwixt-legs. But that was Reagan, so would not fit our theme.
10:55 - He wants us to go on offense, not just defense. Okay, I think we all agree on that, don't we?
10:57 - Bush stands by his principles, and does not do just what is popular. "What others call stubborness, I call principled leadership!" The crowd roars. Okay, 2 points.
1) This argument- Bush stays course, Kerry flip-flops has become an underlying dynamic of this race in the media and public perception. The Bush people have brilliantly taken credit for others' ideas that they first opposed (in Texas, the Patients Bill of Rights he boasted of against Al Gore- he vetoed it, Homeland Security department- Joe Leiberman, campaign finance). Is this caricature true? No. Or at least arguable. But that does not matter, and it is not the argument the Dems can win, so it is a bad line of attack for them.
2) Giuliani says this making-a-decision-and-staying-with-it is the "most important characterisitic of being a great leader". No, the most imprortant part is making the right decisions and then being able to convince others to follow. They follow, you lead- get it? Sticking with an idea even when it is unpopular because you think it is the right thing to do is admirable. Sticking with an idea even when it is contrary to the facts is an error. That is the difference. And what has Bush ever propsed that is so brave?
11:01 - Rudy Giuliani just lied. by saying Kerry voted for "the war." He voted to give the president the authority to go to war. This is a distiction he is too smart to not pick up.
11:01 - Kerry voted for the $97 before he voted against it- Giuliani says this was the exact same bill. Nope, another lie.
11:02 - I guess this is why John Edwards needs his two Americas. That is hilarious- we will all be hearing that line a lot!
11:04 - In another alleged flip-flop, Kerry told an Arab group that the Israeli barrier is "a barrier to peace" and told The Jerusalem Post it was a valid form of self-defense for Israel. Okay, cannot it be both? Depends on which side of the barrier you are on, right? Our offensive operations in Iraq are not peaceful but yet Bush says they are a valid form of self-defense for us, right? This is like something Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh would do.
11:09 - Okay, maybe this is a cheap shot, but listening to Rudy list all these "flip-flops" is making me angry. He is simply lying and has lowered himself here in my opinion. Let's look at Rudy. Marries his second cousin Regina Peruggi , they get divorce (he has marriage annulled). Marries second wife Donna Hannover, has two kids. Cheats on her very publicly with his own press secretary and then with another woman. In her divorce papers, she cites Rudy's "open and notorius adultery" like say, walking with his paramour Judith Nathan in New York's St.Patrick's Day Parade, leaving his wife at home. Now they have married for his third marriage. So, Rudy, who's a flip-flopper? Oh, and if you run in '08, good luck with the religious right. They love pro-choice, pro-gay marriage candidates who have been married 3 times.
11:10 - Overall, though, Giuliani is very effective. McCain seemed like he was reading- almost as if he was reading someone else's words. Giuliani has clearly made his speech his own. Again, he is so conversational that it softens his edges.
11:15 - Post-game begins, CNN is interviewing someone on the floor, MSNBC same deal. Fox actually discussing speech- Mara Liasson says "2 Americas" riff is the soundbite (I agree). Mort Krondracke says if these speeches were auditions for 2008, then Giuliani is "10 miles" ahead of John McCain. Maybe, but they had different missions, and it is McCain's turn next time.
11:20 - Fox's Chris Wallace is interviewing Matthew Dowd, BC04 strategist, who says admiringly that Giuliani's speech was "quintessentional New York." I swear. I assume he means quintessential but maybe he learned his phrasing from the president.
11:30 - Joe Scarborough on MSNBC says he is struck by how muhc the Democrats ran a positive but vague "incumbent" convention and how the Repubs are running an aggresive attacking "challenger" convention. I agree- the Kerry campaign seems to think people are ready to make a change, and all they had to do was clear the bar of acceptability. For the most part, I agree, but eventually Kerry needs to give people a reason to vote for him, not just against the other guy. His convention was his big opportunity to do that, and he didn't.
11:51 - Greta Van Sustren is interviewing Steven Baldwin- click! Chris Matthews has a pro wrestler- "Big Show" or something like that- click!
Time for bed.
10:06 - McCain is wrong, the terrorists do attack us for what we do, not who we are. Does anyone think they sit around in a cave and say "We hate freedom." That is so stupid. They hate us because we prop up dictators, abandon revolutionaries in Afganistan (like Osama bin Laden), support Israel, and so on. They do hate our culture- our food, our movies, our belief in certain things. But no one flies planes into buildings because they hate McDonalds, right?
10:12 - McCain is praising Bush's leadership on and around September 11th. His finest moment.
10:16 - McCain describes Michael Moore as a "disingenuous filmaker" which to me is letting him off lightly. Moore is there however, in the media section, and doffs his cap playfully as boos rain down around him. McCain tells Chris Matthews on MSNBC later that he was unaware Moore was in the hall. However, this whole part does not appear in his prepared text ( http://www.gopconvention.com/cgi-data/speeches/files/oi07hf896nd7in9fr129gu4t5jv74i7m.shtml) so who knows? Good moment, or cheap shot?
10:22 - He is using the word "love" an awful lot for a guy who is such a tough guy. Maybe he is really just a big softie.
10:25 - McCain looks more and more like a turtle, with little neck and that round, craggy face poking out from his suit.
10:30 - The convention's tribute to 9/11 with speechs from relatives of the dead and classical music is on. Carried live on all 3 cable networks- I only mention this, becuase Fox did not carry the Dems tribute.
10:31 - Just as an aside, much has been made of the choice of NYC for the convention and whether or not this represents "politicizing" the tragedy. This was the biggest event of Bush's presidency, his finest hour, and will influence our foreign policy forever. Are they supposed to pretend it never happened? I think it also helps show that New York is back, andbarring anything happening, New York is secure enough to host this huge event.
10:40 - "Amazing Grace" is being sung. This beautiful song sucks all the air out of the room as Rudy Giuliani takes the stage. Hearing it, I am thinking about my grandmother's funeral twenty years ago, not a political speech.
10:46 - Giuliani says the terrorist cannot determine where we go and what we can do- damn straight!
10:49 - "A nation of courage" as a sign...I don't know- why not use the word "America" or "United in Courage"?
10:50 - Rudy seems like he is just talking out loud, not giving a speech. He is really "in the moment" and connecting with people. This would be very effective in a town hall meeting in Manchester, New Hampshire in a few years. I'm just saying. Okay, actually Rudy could never win the Republican nomination.
10:51 - 9/11 was "the worst crisis of our history"? Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis might disagree.
10:52 - Also, as I recall the British burned Washington DC in 1812- that seems like a big deal. Pearl Harbor launched us into the biggest war of all time. But anyway.
10:54 - Giuliani says we cannot appease terrorists, mentions specifically European nations (to audience boos) who have released terrorists in the past. He lists long history of terrorism from Israeli athletes in Munich, Achille Lauro planecrash, et cetera. He compares appeasing terrorists to Europeans appeasing Hitler and Bush to Churchill for standing up to them. For some reason, he does not mention Lebanon, a lesson all terrorists learned very well. A terrorist attack completely changed American policy, defeated the US military, and drove us away from the Middle East, tails-betwixt-legs. But that was Reagan, so would not fit our theme.
10:55 - He wants us to go on offense, not just defense. Okay, I think we all agree on that, don't we?
10:57 - Bush stands by his principles, and does not do just what is popular. "What others call stubborness, I call principled leadership!" The crowd roars. Okay, 2 points.
1) This argument- Bush stays course, Kerry flip-flops has become an underlying dynamic of this race in the media and public perception. The Bush people have brilliantly taken credit for others' ideas that they first opposed (in Texas, the Patients Bill of Rights he boasted of against Al Gore- he vetoed it, Homeland Security department- Joe Leiberman, campaign finance). Is this caricature true? No. Or at least arguable. But that does not matter, and it is not the argument the Dems can win, so it is a bad line of attack for them.
2) Giuliani says this making-a-decision-and-staying-with-it is the "most important characterisitic of being a great leader". No, the most imprortant part is making the right decisions and then being able to convince others to follow. They follow, you lead- get it? Sticking with an idea even when it is unpopular because you think it is the right thing to do is admirable. Sticking with an idea even when it is contrary to the facts is an error. That is the difference. And what has Bush ever propsed that is so brave?
11:01 - Rudy Giuliani just lied. by saying Kerry voted for "the war." He voted to give the president the authority to go to war. This is a distiction he is too smart to not pick up.
11:01 - Kerry voted for the $97 before he voted against it- Giuliani says this was the exact same bill. Nope, another lie.
11:02 - I guess this is why John Edwards needs his two Americas. That is hilarious- we will all be hearing that line a lot!
11:04 - In another alleged flip-flop, Kerry told an Arab group that the Israeli barrier is "a barrier to peace" and told The Jerusalem Post it was a valid form of self-defense for Israel. Okay, cannot it be both? Depends on which side of the barrier you are on, right? Our offensive operations in Iraq are not peaceful but yet Bush says they are a valid form of self-defense for us, right? This is like something Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh would do.
11:09 - Okay, maybe this is a cheap shot, but listening to Rudy list all these "flip-flops" is making me angry. He is simply lying and has lowered himself here in my opinion. Let's look at Rudy. Marries his second cousin Regina Peruggi , they get divorce (he has marriage annulled). Marries second wife Donna Hannover, has two kids. Cheats on her very publicly with his own press secretary and then with another woman. In her divorce papers, she cites Rudy's "open and notorius adultery" like say, walking with his paramour Judith Nathan in New York's St.Patrick's Day Parade, leaving his wife at home. Now they have married for his third marriage. So, Rudy, who's a flip-flopper? Oh, and if you run in '08, good luck with the religious right. They love pro-choice, pro-gay marriage candidates who have been married 3 times.
11:10 - Overall, though, Giuliani is very effective. McCain seemed like he was reading- almost as if he was reading someone else's words. Giuliani has clearly made his speech his own. Again, he is so conversational that it softens his edges.
11:15 - Post-game begins, CNN is interviewing someone on the floor, MSNBC same deal. Fox actually discussing speech- Mara Liasson says "2 Americas" riff is the soundbite (I agree). Mort Krondracke says if these speeches were auditions for 2008, then Giuliani is "10 miles" ahead of John McCain. Maybe, but they had different missions, and it is McCain's turn next time.
11:20 - Fox's Chris Wallace is interviewing Matthew Dowd, BC04 strategist, who says admiringly that Giuliani's speech was "quintessentional New York." I swear. I assume he means quintessential but maybe he learned his phrasing from the president.
11:30 - Joe Scarborough on MSNBC says he is struck by how muhc the Democrats ran a positive but vague "incumbent" convention and how the Repubs are running an aggresive attacking "challenger" convention. I agree- the Kerry campaign seems to think people are ready to make a change, and all they had to do was clear the bar of acceptability. For the most part, I agree, but eventually Kerry needs to give people a reason to vote for him, not just against the other guy. His convention was his big opportunity to do that, and he didn't.
11:51 - Greta Van Sustren is interviewing Steven Baldwin- click! Chris Matthews has a pro wrestler- "Big Show" or something like that- click!
Time for bed.
posted by Scott L. Stuart at
10:06 PM
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