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Before It’s Too Late: Thoughts on the Republican Convention
By Brian | September 8, 2008 | Share on Facebook
This whole “stuff happens every night, even when you’re too busy to be blogging this week” thing is a real drag, ya know? Anyway, since I wrote about the DNC (motto: “holds conventions on more convenient weeks for Brian Greenberg”) on a nightly basis, I figure I should at least lay down a few paragraphs for their rivals.
Those who are bored by such things, please move along…
Night #1: The benevolent cancellation. For what it’s worth, I didn’t see this move as patronizing, nor did I see it as an excuse to keep George W. Bush out of the XCel Center. I thought the reaction was pitch perfect. For the record, they turned the night over to a plea for disaster relief donations, featuring the two “first ladies” – Laura Bush and Cindy McCain. They chartered planes to fly the Gulf Coast delegates back to their home states so they could be with their families, homes, etc.. And not tiny planes either. Planes large enough to bring their families back to Minnesota in case they wound up with no other place to go. They had the governors of those states speak via satellite to the convention. McCain went to Mississippi, not for a photo op, but to meet with the local Emergency Management Agency. At the impromptu press conference after the meeting, he didn’t give a “thumbs-up-nice-job-Brownie” assessment. He said things were looking good, but communication could be better and they were working on improving that. It’s been so long since any politician from either party gave an honest assessment of a situation without regard for how it’d play to the media, I almost fell off my chair. Also, note this as the point when I realized that John McCain is much better at governing than campaigning. Like Al Gore. Like John Kerry. <insert dramatic music of doom here>.
The other Night #1 (aka Night #2): John McCain is an honest-to-goodness war hero. As a Navy pilot, he almost died three times. The first two times, he asked for more. The third time (which took 5 1/2 years), after he learned to walk again, he ran for Congress, then the senate. Where he stayed for 30 years. We owe the man a debt of gratitude the size of an aircraft carrier. But we don’t owe him our vote. That, he has to earn. Best line of the night belonged to Fred Thompson, who is back in his element as “above average actor doing a dramatic reading,” rather than politician:
Now, being a POW certainly doesn’t qualify anyone to be President. But it does reveal character.
Exactly, sir. John McCain has character. All in favor? The ayes have it. Tomorrow’s mission: prove to me that I should vote for this man of unquestionable character.
Also: I know they’re running away from the Bush record, but there were much better choices for the “let’s review our current president’s accomplishments” speech than Laura Bush. Chief among them, George H.W. Bush. Why didn’t the only living, Republican ex-President address the convention? He could have been this convention’s Bill Clinton (popular, “knows what it’s like to be President, etc.). Bush’s speech? Meh. Biggest problem wasn’t the 8-minute length or the satellite hookup. It was the fact that he clearly couldn’t hear what was going on in the hall, so he spoke over his applause and made it seem (on TV) like he was rushing through it.
Also also: Joe Lieberman. Yeah, he’s a Democrat. Right. So was Ronald Reagan. Once…
Night #3: First of all, I’ve quickly come to hate the term “red meat.” Aside from it being a gross generalization (there’s a difference between pointing out your opponent’s political flaws and hurling ad hominem attacks, both of which occurred at both conventions), they’re also using it wrong. In this case, Giuliani’s speech isn’t the red meat, Barack Obama is. Giuliani is the tiger devouring the red meat. But, I digress. Speech by speech:
— Mitt Romney: Yawn. I’m going to attack Barack Obama now. Ready? Go. Moving on…
— Mike Huckabee: “Well, let me say that, as much as I appreciate this magnificent opportunity to speak tonight, I’ve got to be honest with you. I was originally hoping for the slot on Thursday night called the acceptance speech. But I want you to also know that I am genuinely delighted to be here to speak on behalf of my second choice for the Republican nomination for president, John McCain.” Translation: “Vote Huckabee in 2012.” If Hillary had done this, the earth would have shaken at it’s core. As it stands, it’s just wildly inappropriate.
— Rudy Giuliani: First of all, the raucous reception he received in the hall continues to convince me that this man will one day be the Republican nominee for president. Fiscal conservative, social liberal, bureaucratic sonofabitch. I can’t wait. But alas, the stars have not yet aligned, so wait I will. Second, the only thing better than a speech by Giuliani is a speech by Giuliani when he has absolutely nothing to lose. This was more of a roast than a speech. At times it was too harsh, at times it was hysterical. It contained kernels of truth (Obama has, in fact, led nothing. “Community Organizer” is, in fact, a weak point on Obama’s resume. IMHO, Democrats should stop trying to refute these points and stick to Obama’s strong points, of which there are many. Again, though, I digress). Those who have been blogging the “list of lies” in Giuliani’s speech have completely missed the point. Last thought: it was a good decision to let him run long and punt on the “Sarah Palin introduction video.” The video was Hollywood-produced genericinema. Rudy was Reverend Wright without the racism…
— Sarah Palin: I still don’t like the way she was chosen, and I know the speech was written before she was selected, but man, you’ve got to hand it to her – she can deliver a speech. She went from “almost unknown” to “national political celebrity” with a single convention speech. Much like a certain senator from Illinois did back in 2004. Still think it’s just a speech? Think again. A clear homerun. Oh, and McCain shouldn’t have emulated Obama and come out on stage at the end. He looked especially old next to her, her husband and all her kids (the term “Grandpa” leaps to mind). Also, he had absolutely nothing to say. Awkward…
Night #4: The grand finale. Again, speech-by-speech:
— Cindy McCain: Listening to her introduction – meetings with world leaders, charity work, outspoken about land mines and third world poverty, I wonder: if they felt they needed a woman to be vice-president, why did no one consider Cindy McCain? Discuss…
— Other speakers: Were there other speakers? I forget now. Telling, I guess…
— John McCain: He was setup just like the Clintons and Biden setup Barack Obama. They’ve made the case that he’s got character, and that he speaks his mind. So, senator, what do you intend to do as president? Well, it turns out, that wasn’t the question McCain set out to answer. Instead, he pulled out the lingering “John McCain: Bush’s third term” theme and squashed it like a bug. Not that it didn’t need squashing, not that he didn’t do a good job squashing it, and not that I wasn’t glad to see it squashed, but it seemed like the speech was written at the conclusion of the DNC, ignoring everything that transpired at the RNC. There was a little substance in the middle regarding taxes and the like, but beyond that – nothing. Again, I say: he’s much better at governing than at campaigning. On the other hand, if the Palin pick took away the “Obama’s too inexperienced” meme from the Republicans, McCain’s speech (and the overall tone of the convention) attempted to take away the “John McSame” meme from the Democrats. I’m ruling it a grounds-rule double.
Interesting, isn’t it, that both candidates’ speeches were somewhat anti-climactic at their respective conventions? In Obama’s case, I think I’ve got to credit the two Clintons for hitting the ball so resoundingly out of the park. In McCain’s case, well, I just don’t think he has that kind of speechifying in him. He looks like he desparately wants the election to be over with, so he can get into the oval office, roll up his sleeves and get to work. At what? Well, he still hasn’t told me, has he?
Topics: Political Rantings | 2 Comments »
* Based on what I’ve heard about GHWB in the last eight years, the first reason why you won’t see him on a convention stage is because he disapproves of what W has done as president, and doesn’t have the political chops to effectively fake it. The second is that, regardless of whether you believe that W buys into the Oedipal Destruction Myth, the Republicans certainly do.
* So was Ronald Reagan. Once. ISBS LOL line of the year.
* The current Republican party will have to completely implode upon itself before Giuliani will ever be anything more than a pet attack dog. For the vast wing of the party that will require triple doses of Xanax before voting McCain, there aren’t sufficient pharmaceuticals on the planet to get them to vote for Guiliani.
* I wonder: if they felt they needed a woman to be vice-president, why did no one consider Cindy McCain? Aside from the general mind-bendingness of the concept, the 12th Amendment requires the Prez and VP picks to be from different states. Granted, with seven homes, this was doable. Cf. “Dick Cheney doesn’t really live in Texas” in 2000.
* I’m personally flabbergasted that anyone thinks that Obama’s speech was “anticlimactic.” I thought most of it was excellent, and the exceptions were the parts that gave me chills. Last time I remember having a similar contemporary political sensation was 1992; usually when I need a dose of that, I’m turning to historical speeches.
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