* Obama's speech was wonderful in many ways. Most of all, it was genuinely inspiring. I respect this guy. And it was an effective rebuttal to the various McCain attacks. Obama was clearly not a Paris Hilton-type celebrity. He was unpatriotic only to the frightened wingnuts who forward all those ALL CAPS messages. His foreign policy ideas are a refreshing counterpoint to Bush's global failures.* Anyone who watched that speech should have no fear that Obama would be a wise, forceful leader. He looked presidential. The more people see of Obama, the more impressed they should be.
* I wonder how many swing voters saw the speech itself, as opposed to taking in only the commentary. For those who actually saw the speech, Obama makes Democrats look like the party of strength. McCain makes Republicans look like the party of pettiness and fear. Or the party of garden gnomes.
* McCain still has a very good chance of winning the election. If Palin proves to be capable on the big stage, McCain's choice of veep will be an effective counter to Obama. And McCain doesn't need to prove that he'll be a good president. He just needs to make the election a referendum on Obama, and let the Republican smear machine take it from there.
* I'm going to enjoy the Republican convention to see how McCain balances supporting Bush and presenting himself as the candidate of change.
* I want to get back to the point of both Democrats and Republicans offering offsetting strengths and weaknesses. While the Democratic party has its problems, the Republican party brings nothing to the table. They've abandoned previous core principles like small government and fiscal responsibility. I want to see the Republicans smashed and humiliated so they can reinvent themselves into the party that I can at least partially support.
Good comments. I keep hearing how good Obama's speech was, maybe I'll go watch it. But all I've been hearing about for the past week is the convention and frankly I was sick of it by the time Obama gave his speech. Seriously, these conventions should be ONE day! They gotta know most Americans don't have the stomach for more than that. So then it just looks like a (insert party here) love fest.
ReplyDeleteObama's was the only speech I watched for the reason you're talking about. I'll watch McCain's too, but that's it for the Republicans. Oh, and maybe Palin. If she steps it, she'll offset some of Obama's momentum. If she seems weak or inexperienced, McCain's going to have to start accusing Obama of being a commie pinko.
ReplyDeleteAmen, brother.
ReplyDeleteBob,
ReplyDeleteI think both Palin and McCain have shown they will cut government spending. Obama wants to raise taxes to pay off the debt. Which is better??? Cut spending or raise taxes?? Palin has made a bigger difference in Alaska than Obama has made in Illinois. McCain is not another Bush!! Far from it. He's voted against his party several times. How many times has Obama voted against his? Zero!!! No Balls!! He wants to make everyone happy. A good leader can't make everyone happy.
Preface: the following comments apply equally to McCain.
ReplyDeleteWhat I learned from Obama's speech is that I am to the point that I no longer believe that any politician actually personally believes anything they say.
Sure, they have hopes, goals, etc., but unless Obama intends on becoming the first Dictator of the United States, he has zero chance of doing 99% of the things he's talking about.
There are many reasons he won't get them done, but the formost is that the POTUS doesn't have the constitutional authority to enact legislation.
"...I'm going to provide affordable healthcare...I'm going to elimate our dependence on oil within 10 years...I'm going to turn the economy around..."
For once, I'd like to hear one of these folks say, "I'm going to ask Congress to write, ammend, vote on, and pass a bill..."
I really liked what Obama said about getting off of foreign oil right away by drilling in the US and then getting off oil altogether in the next 10 years (as noted above, I'm not sure how he's supposed to do it).
Oil is a dead-end, so I don't understand why McCain won't admit it and talk about moving on. "Big Oil" is lining everyone's pockets, so I don't think it's just about getting paid. Besides the fact that it is the military-industrial complex that stands to make the most money when we do start getting serious about updating from oil.
Botched
pedaldork - Palin hasn't shown that she'll cut government spending in any way. She's done the opposite as both mayor and governor. She's one of those politicians who's milked the federal government for assistance. McCain has a better record.
ReplyDeleteIn the pre-Bush Republican party, I'd understand your point about fiscal responsibility, but this new Republican party has no interest in balancing the budget. Under Bush, Republicans lowered taxes AND increased spending. When Clinton was president, there was a surplus -- our government raised more in taxes than it spent. When Bush became president and Republicans controlled congress, they increased spending, including discretionary spending, increased government, and lowered taxes. They've abandoned their conservative principles.
I think Bush and McCain are similar in ways more important than voting with/against their own parties, but keep in mind that McCain has bragged about voting with Bush more than 90% of the time. But the main thing is that McCain is a Republican. That party is destructive and broken.
Botched - You should become a speechwriter: "As President of the United States, I promise to put forth a number of strongly worded memos and suggestions to my legislative friends. And when they have passed legislature that I agree with, I vow that I shall sign aforesaid legislature into law, per the Constitution."
Bob,
ReplyDeleteI do agree that the current administration has really destroyed the budget, but I do not believe that McCain/Palin will do the same. The problem with any bill passed is the pork barreling that is connected with it. Being self employed, Barack will tax us to death. Many small businesses will be taxed out of business.
Obama has a million "great" ideas but there are no plans on how to reach those ideas.
I'm voting for Ross Perot!
ReplyDelete