GOP Convention
September 6th 2008 05:47
The GOP Convention is over. Honestly, the Republicans did about as well as they could have done. The GOP brand is in tatters after the last eight years under Dubya (who wasn't there and only gave a short speech via satellite), so the convention had a nearly impossible task of convincing voters to keep the Republicans in power.
There were some good speeches. I'm a Fred Thompson fan, so I enjoyed his speech. He spoke about true conservatism and gave a tremendous recounting of McCain's ordeal as a POW. Mike Huckabee gave a very entertaining speech. He has that "down home" thing down pat. I had hopes that the more dynamic Mitt Romney who started to emerge in the primary season would show up at the convention, but he has reverted back to the stiff, wooden Mitt. His speech was a yawner. Rudy Guiliani is a bit of a firebrand and he gave an animated speech, but I just don't like his style. Also, he seemed to ramble quite a bit in his speech. It didn't do it for me.
Sarah Palin turned out to be the big hit of the convention. She had been relentlessly attacked and mocked by the ridiculously out-of-control media and even Obama and his disciples made several dismissive and condescending remarks about her. Well, she is no shrinking violet. She stepped up and put the Democrats on notice. She is a serious candidate and the Democrats would make a big mistake if they underestimate her. She went after Obama like a missile and did it with a smile on her face. Also, the base seems to love her. It remains to be seen whether she will appeal to the independents McCain needs to win, but she brought a much-needed shot of excitement to the convention and she may have opened our eyes to the future of the party.
John McCain was...well...John McCain. It was probably one of his better speeches in terms of delivery, but it was something of a letdown after the crescendo built by Palin's speech. The topics he covered were mostly boilerplate Republican talking points. The only exception -- and it was a key exception -- was his frank admission that the GOP and Washington has miserably failed the American people. Truthfully, he had to make such an admission. He couldn't credibly claim that the country is thriving. However, his admission was a pretty good attempt to remind voters that he is a maverick and that he won't hesitate to take on folks in both parties to solve problems. When you combine that with Palin's outsider status, you have a ticket that could appeal to a lot of Americans.
Even though the GOP did well, I still don't like their prospects. The electorate is angry and is looking for scalps. I seriously doubt that the voters will return a Republican to the White House. However, McCain and the party did a remarkable job of at least giving themselves a shot at it.
There were some good speeches. I'm a Fred Thompson fan, so I enjoyed his speech. He spoke about true conservatism and gave a tremendous recounting of McCain's ordeal as a POW. Mike Huckabee gave a very entertaining speech. He has that "down home" thing down pat. I had hopes that the more dynamic Mitt Romney who started to emerge in the primary season would show up at the convention, but he has reverted back to the stiff, wooden Mitt. His speech was a yawner. Rudy Guiliani is a bit of a firebrand and he gave an animated speech, but I just don't like his style. Also, he seemed to ramble quite a bit in his speech. It didn't do it for me.
Sarah Palin turned out to be the big hit of the convention. She had been relentlessly attacked and mocked by the ridiculously out-of-control media and even Obama and his disciples made several dismissive and condescending remarks about her. Well, she is no shrinking violet. She stepped up and put the Democrats on notice. She is a serious candidate and the Democrats would make a big mistake if they underestimate her. She went after Obama like a missile and did it with a smile on her face. Also, the base seems to love her. It remains to be seen whether she will appeal to the independents McCain needs to win, but she brought a much-needed shot of excitement to the convention and she may have opened our eyes to the future of the party.
John McCain was...well...John McCain. It was probably one of his better speeches in terms of delivery, but it was something of a letdown after the crescendo built by Palin's speech. The topics he covered were mostly boilerplate Republican talking points. The only exception -- and it was a key exception -- was his frank admission that the GOP and Washington has miserably failed the American people. Truthfully, he had to make such an admission. He couldn't credibly claim that the country is thriving. However, his admission was a pretty good attempt to remind voters that he is a maverick and that he won't hesitate to take on folks in both parties to solve problems. When you combine that with Palin's outsider status, you have a ticket that could appeal to a lot of Americans.
Even though the GOP did well, I still don't like their prospects. The electorate is angry and is looking for scalps. I seriously doubt that the voters will return a Republican to the White House. However, McCain and the party did a remarkable job of at least giving themselves a shot at it.
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Comment by Lester Caudill
Round Politics
I was truly impressed, by Gov. Palin, and yes even John McCain. He sure did show guts when he picked Palin, and looks like it was a very good pick at that.
But the most amazing thing is that she is more talked about than Obama, and McCain, it's almost like Sarah Palin is running against Barack Hussein Obama, and not John McCain.
Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
Lester has a good point. Sarah does seem to be running against Obama more than McCain does. It would be a waste of her time to concentrate her efforts against Obiden. Like swatting a fly with a hydrogen bomb.
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate
Comment by PopulistConservative
Angry Electorate