Thursday, September 4, 2008

John McCain

Welcome to the John McCain nomination speech breakdown...once again this is unfettered by watching punditry on Fox, CNN, or MSNBC, that I will watch once I am done writing this.
McCain started out slow, he is not a skilled teleprompter reader.  And he used the real people examples that I can't stand, such and such from wherever lost their real estate investments..etc....The code pink operative was kind of amusing.  But the Iraq vet was not, and I spent the first five minutes of the speech thinking, "Why did we get in this war?"   So then after a while he started to pick up steam, and he got in a couple OK points, my favorite of which went something like this, "Obama wants to try to shrink the global economy and bring your old job back which can't happen, while I want to help you get a new job"  Mac was also strong in denouncing government waste and pork barrel spending in the govt (Yes I know Sarah has some pork in her past)   
John McCain himself said that if he was blessed with a little more charisma and a deeper voice he would have already been president, and I happen to agree with him.  (I myself made a colossal mistake in voting for his opponent in the 2000 primary. )  Some of these speaking deficiencies were on display tonight as his teleprompter timing was a little off, and sometimes he would put the emphasis on the wrong words.   But I knew his recounting of his heroic accomplishments as a Naval aviator, and trancendently gutsy decision in Hanoi would come through.  (Note to Jimmy Carter and others who think he is using his story for political gain....of course he is!  Every politician does this...and even though poltical junkies like me know this story inside and out, the majority of Americans do not, or may have heard in passing, why wouldn't he tell it in the biggest speech of his political career)   Anyways, I teared up a little bit, hearing about it.  And I even flashed to John Kerry in 2004....back then I was very cynical regarding his service in Vietnam, because I disagreed with him politically, and I have learned since then to not give in to base "Us vs Them" mentality which is deep within our DNA and served our evolutionary ancestors well in keeping us safe.  (It is also something Sarah Palin tapped into masterfully last night)
Sorry getting off on a tangent, McCain ended his speech with two seperate calls, the first was to serve a cause greater than ones self.  I believe this is a universal altruism that played well, "If you don't like something, fight to change it, etc."  The finale was a scene right out of Network, I almost thought McCain was gonna shout, "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!!"  In contrast to Barack's homerun, and Sarah Palin's completely out of the blue homerun, I give this one a solid double, an RBI walk off double.

P.S.  If Rudy and the campaign so worried about 'sexism' why did the campaign  give people buttons to wear that said, "the hottest governor, from the coolest state"?   Aint politics entertaining?  (:

P.P.S  I am still voting for John McCain, but if George W Bush was running for a third term I would vote for Obama.

11 comments:

Sailing Vessel Serenity NOW said...

Agree with you on alot of the points. McCain is not a good shoot from the hip communicator. He has alot of substance but has a hard time delivering it. He didn't hit a grandslam homer like Sarah Palin did in her remarkable speech last night. It was definately one for the ages. Perhaps that is one of the reasons he picked Palin. I think they make a great ticket!! I do disagree with you on your commnet about making a mistake voting for George W. in 2000. I would vote for him in a heartbeat if he was running in this election. He is the REAL DEAL!! We are coming up on the
7th anniversary of the worst attack on American soil. I will be forever grateful to President George W. Bush for his staying the course, his resolve and for taking the fight to the enemy on "their" soil rather than another attack on this country. I predict that in years to come he will be judged as a great President who stayed the course and never waivered from his beliefs. For that I will admire and be forever grateful for his service. Love ya, Susan

Anonymous said...

Are there any worries that Palin may overshadow McCain?
I have found myself looking forward to the Biden/Palin debate and not that interested in what the top dogs have to say.

baptist mike in utah

Anonymous said...

By the way. I was the one guy who voted for Keyes in the 2000 primaries. Dont feel to bad about voting for W.

BMIU

Grandma Dee said...

Garrett, I loved your account of McCain's speech. You made comments based on the issues rather than on following the party line. I like how you make me think about these things. Also loved that you shed a tear during the speech. A man that is not afraid to show his sensitive side.
Hugs,
GMA Dee

dole2obama said...

Big Guy-
Bush and Republicans have been masterful at one thing. Replaying a murder scene and convincing the American people that invading Iraq was somehow connected to 9/11. (see Susan's post) Many people, such as Susan, believe we are "taking the fight to the enemy on their soil." This is true in Afghanistan and is a nice talking point but why do we not cross over the border and go in to the Pakistan region to get Bin Laden? Imagine if 7 years had gone by and Clinton did not get Bin Laden? Invading and occupying Iraq HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE WAR ON TERROR! Iraq was a complex secular nation that allowed Christianity, Judaism, alcohol, the Internet, cell phones, satellite T.V., music, choice regarding women's dress etc. Hussein was a terrible dictator but he was NOT A MUSLIM FUNDAMENTALIST and recognized the threat that Al Quaeda and a fundamentalist border nation such as Iran posed to Iraq. Not one of the hijackers originated from Iraq, Al Quaeda was not operating in Iraq, there were no weapons of mass destruction found in Iraq. How is this war of choice "keeping America safe?"
P.S. Millions of people agree with Susan's point of view and they have every right as an American to express their view. I am just seeking to understand this view.

Sailing Vessel Serenity NOW said...

Matt:

Like finding Bin Laden is an easy thing to do? I am sure BHO will have his GPS honed in on the "one" of thousands of caves in Pakistan, Afghanistan and wherever else the Allah Bin Laden is stinking up a cave. Or perhaps go to the gates of hell to find him. love ya, Susan

P.S. Do you think Iraq is better off today than it was 7 years ago?
P.S.S. Just heard a rumor being reported in the next issue of US magazine. W. knows where Bin Laden is but is waiting for the October surprise to capture him thus assuring McCain/Palin victory.............. :)

Garrett said...

Ding, Ding!

In this corner we have dole2obama

In this corner we have Susan (who does not have her own handle and thus uses her husbands handle 'serenity now')

this debate has begun.

Sailing Vessel Serenity NOW said...

Gar:

I had my own handle first. When Dennis started his blog he didn't know that I already had serenitynow. So that is how it all started. love ya, Susan

dole2obama said...

Susan-
I am not saying getting Bin is an easy thing to do. The point that I am making is that it is known that Bin Laden is operating in the mountanious border region on the Pakistan/Afganistan border. The Bush administration claims we are going after the terroist and "taking the fight to the enemy." I am pointing out that this is not true as we have refused to cross over the border due to a complex geopolitical situation. The Bush administration constantly dumbs down their rhetoric and wraps their foreign policy ideals in simple flag waving statements such as "taking the fight to the enemey" when indeed the opposite is true.
Point 2-
Is Iraq better off today? This is an impossible question to answer. On a broad scale it is better for the Kurds in the north, proably worse off for the Sunni and Shia. It is not better off for the some 60,000 innocent civilians and their families. Having never traveled to Iraq before the war this is an impossible question to answer.

Sailing Vessel Serenity NOW said...

A few points here. Personally I don't believe Bin Laden is alive. It has been reported for several years that he is reported to be suffering from kidney disease. Pretty tough to put oneself on a kidney replacement list or even get kidney dialysis when you are living in a cave. Plus his ego is/was so big that he would never be able to lay dorment and keep his ranting against the evil West silent for as long as he has.

As far as "taking the fight to the enemy" goes let me give you my feeling on this issue which seems to get a few upset.

Al Qaeda was operating in Iraq. Iraq was one of many rogue states in the region that kept Al Qaeda going with protection and resources and save haven for the terrorists. Some of the biggest terrormaster minds were operating out of Iraq. We have and continue on a smaller scale now to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq. Our military is risking their lives fighting against terrorists in foreign land. I could be worse. The terrorists are fighting against the BRAVEST and the BEST soldiers in the world, the United States of America. If they were not fighting the fight over there the terrorists could be murdering (like they did on 911)unarmed, unsuspecting Americans at a time and place of their choosing on OUR soil! Also let us not forget that President G.W. Bush was not alone in making the decision to invade Iraq. This country has been trying to remove Hussein since the Gulf War. In fact Al Gore when running against W. he was wanting to get them more than W. Also the Congress passed and Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act. In 1995 the CIA tried to organize a coup to no avail. My point is that many before W. wanted to invade Iraq and topple this monsterous person. And the Reps/Dems were right there with Bush, had the same informationt that Bush had when we decided to invade Iraq. Where is the finger pointing at those member's now.

In closing I can't imagine anyone thinking that Iraq is not better off now than they were under Hussein. A brutal dictator who slaughtered over 2 million of his own people, had rape and torture rooms and he and his ruthless accomplices ruled with a iron fist certainly cannot be missed by the Iraqi people. I think our efforts to cut the head off of Al Qaeda operatives based in Iraq and to build a better, freer Iraq as not just the right thing to do, it was in Americas best interest.

Love ya, Susan

Brett said...

Okay what is the deal with McCain's campaign making a big deal out of the lipstick on a pig comment? Obviously it is made regarding Bush/McCain policies not Palin. Was it intended to be a double entandra? Maybe. But who cares?!?! Suck it up! You sound like a bunch of whiny democrats. 'Yeah, I spent years in a POW camp, but I am going to demand an apology for a comment.' Mac, shut up - you sound like the whiny left that we have grown to despise. Don't demand an apology, be a man! Laugh - don't demand an apology. Let Obama be who he is and you be who you are. Arghhh! I am depressed? What party is Tim Calhoun running for again?