OK, I'm going to give equal billing here to the RNConvention. And I'm going to attempt to be unbiased. It's so weird to say that.......given that I am a republican, I think, or at least I was, I think. I don't know anymore.I hadn't planned to watch McCain's speech last night. I've been struggling with a cold or allergies or something lately.....mostly struggling with health insurance companies who are wearing me down, hence my cold. At any rate, I woke up on the couch in time to watch the news, who then cut-away to McCain's speech. And I'm glad I watched it. But I have to say, it was a little odd, maybe not the speech so much as watching the frenzied crowd's reaction to it.
First of all, I noticed it was very white. Oh sure, there was the token minority thrown in, but it seemed very starched, pressed and white. Even the youth looked too clean. Does this represent America, today? Should it?
I know R's often say that Obama is all hype and that his crowds respond to only that, but I'm trying to understand how one could watch Obama's speech in its entirety and McCain's speech and not realize it was the R's who were worked into a frenzy over hype. Seriously. Toward the end, when McCain was saying we needed to fight, fight, fight, fight for America, fight for our kids, fight....etc., did you see the woman nearly entranced, swooned by his speech like an old time revival say "yes! yes! yes!" as she waved her sign in a steely grip? McCain said Americans are tired of D's & R's yelling at each other, well, sir, Americans are tired of the "fighting"....which is exactly how the crowd assembled in Minnesota interpreted your speech.
I wish that McCain the maverick would return. He is who I voted for 8 years ago over Bush. But he has changed his position to align the right. I can't trust that he is going to stand up to lobbyists when he has changed his position on drilling due to big oil bankrolling his campaign. Can we really trust anyone anymore?
There was no substance. Period. Except to say that he would begin off-shore drilling immediately. He threw a bone to the christian conservatives by saying he believed in a "culture of life".........what kind of non-committal statement is that to the pro-lifers? Obama at least admitted we don't all see eye to eye and that common ground must be found. And McCain continued the rhetoric of bad D's raising taxes, creating bigger government, etc.
It is as though you can say anything anymore and so long as you have enough money to throw at that message, a misled electorate will put you in office. It happened in river city's mayor's race, it will likely happen in the governor's race this fall due to the extraordinary claims by Mitch's camp, and it's a toss-up for the presidency. And to conclude this by saying "as if it matters" is probably too cynical.......but, it is what it is and there is very little we can do about it, despite the call by the Senator to create change in our communities by seeking public office. You have to fit the R or D mold......so then, it really isn't about change at all, is it?
7 comments:
Well said. I was also struck by how white the crowd was. I wonder if that bothers the typical Republican voter or at least gives them pause. I imagine it goes unnoticed by most people.
Second, can we really call McCain a maverick when he has changed most of his maverick positions to appease the Republican base? As an Independent voter, he didn't give me any comfort.
Third, how bizzare is it that Republicans are now campaigning against the record of their own party for the last 8 years? Re-elect us again because we did such a terrible job. Weird.
yes......my thoughts exactly on the whole "as a party we've failed the american public" speech. It brings into question, does the party even KNOW what it stands for anymore? He is accurate in saying it's moved away from the party of Lincoln & Roosevelt.....and me. Just like Reagan said "I didn't leave the democratic party, it left me" only, its the R's who left me. or did they right me?
I hear you're causing quite a stir on the pfm site, send some of those die-hard R's my way, I'll set 'em strait.
At the end of the day, for most P4M readers (or any religious conservative Republican voter), the only issues that matter are abortion and gays. You can argue till you're blue in the face about taxes, healthcare, foreign policy, energy, whatever. None of it matters. I'm sympathetic about the abortion issue (not about the gay issue), but I find it ironic that the only party talking about having an honest discussion about finding common ground to reduce the number of abortions is the Dems and Obama. Did that sentiment come up once at the Republican convention? The truth is, the Republican big-wigs love the abortion and gay issues. It's like a drug they keep feeding their base to keep them happy Republican soldiers.
I have tremendous respect for your willingness to break from the conservative Christian political herd. It takes guts to be the outcast.
nawh, it doesn't take guts...just a mouth I've never learned how to keep shut.
I told my wife a few years back that the biggest hoax being played in politics is that of the Republican party making Christians feel like they matter. i.e. "culture of life"
Yet viewed from another angle, why should Christians be engaged in making any political party feel as though it mattered.
As the old hymn says, "The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the Light of His Glory and Grace!"
spot on, Vanilla!
HR, sorry to use your blog to vent but the price of gasoline just jumped 35 cents here in river city! WHY!!!!!!!! I am tired of being screwed by oil companies and the party they support!!!!!! WE have become a second class nation pouring our money into foreign coffers for a cheap gas fix!!!! and now we are paying the price!!! Anyone who can support the Palin/McCain team will be complicit in the continued screwing of AmericanS!!!
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