There's nothing wrong with liberalism In fact if Obama were in Canada he'd be slightly left of center. So I get a hoot hearing how extreme to the left Obama is.
Anyways I agree that McCain does need to do all that you outlined but he has to also do it in a coherent manner. There have been times during the campaign where he looked and acted a bit befuddled and to blunt had "senior moments". I also think that McCain can't make any flubs and such as it'll be a flashback to when Dole was running in '96.
All in all I hope for the best for McCain tonight. This is one of the biggest nights of his political life.
SPTO wrote:
Anyways I agree that McCain does need to do all that you outlined but he has to also do it in a coherent manner. There have been times during the campaign where he looked and acted a bit befuddled and to blunt had "senior moments".
I agree with this. A couple of moments where the audience thinks "Wow, he's just so OLD" could dispel a lot of the energy that the Reps gained last night.
RobVarak wrote: First, he has to formulate a counterattack to the "voted with Bush 90%" meme. He should draw personal, policy and character differences with Bush. The trick is that he can't do so as aggressively as he may like in front of a GOP audience.
I think the most you can count on is: "I've had my differences with this party before (smile), and as you know president Bush and I didn't always see eye to eye (bigger smile, followed by a smile and head nod from Laura Bush, crap, it would be more affective if Bush was actually there), but we agree on all the major issues (recite war, small government, smaller taxes, etc) while senator Obama... (start attacking for 25-35 minutes)...end of speech.
I know this is superficial and largely irrelevant, but the GOP would be smart to keep McCain off stage solo with the Palin family as much as possible.
Without Cindy by his side, McCain looked geriatric and wooden as hell standing next to Todd and Sarah Palin and their young family last night after Sarah Palin's speech.
pk500 wrote:I know this is superficial and largely irrelevant, but the GOP would be smart to keep McCain off stage solo with the Palin family as much as possible.
Without Cindy by his side, McCain looked geriatric and wooden as hell standing next to Todd and Sarah Palin and their young family last night after Sarah Palin's speech.
Take care,
PK
Agree. I'm sure that he'll have his daughters with him, though. I'm surprised his sons haven't been around, but they may have other obligations It would be especially powerful to have them there given the fact that they haven't been around.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
pk500 wrote:I know this is superficial and largely irrelevant, but the GOP would be smart to keep McCain off stage solo with the Palin family as much as possible.
Similarly, does Biden know he is NOT running for president? I've seen a couple of interviews with him and Obama together, and he appears very close to sending Obama to his room...
RobVarak wrote:McCain has immersed himself in foreign policy. He knows the world like Obama knows the South Side of Chicago. And his track record is one of sound judgment.
Hadn't heard this said about McCain or him characterizing himself this way. He's not a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
He is a member of Armed Services. Does Armed Services = foreign policy?
Or do Senate committees not matter for Senators and he got his foreign policy immersion somewhere else?
He doesn't know the geography around Iraq terribly well, even though he's positioned himself as a leading policy maker on Iraq.
JackB1 wrote:I also see how McCain's wife had it front and center for a while for all to see and now Pain is on a mission for "special needs kids". I wonder how much attention she paid to this noble cause before she had one of her own?
QFT... and by that I mean quit f*cking talking.
Jack, unless you've got some evidence of Palin kicking a kid with special needs down a flight of stairs, or her killing special needs legislation, or something similar, how can you even say this? Come on...
RobVarak wrote:There are three rhetorical tasks that McCain must accomplish tonight.
I am going to overstate some things here for the sake of shorthand. I'm NOT endorsing all of them.
First, he has to formulate a counterattack to the "voted with Bush 90%" meme. He should draw personal, policy and character differences with Bush. The trick is that he can't do so as aggressively as he may like in front of a GOP audience.
Secondly he needs to make it clear that his record shows that he will implement the policies that Americans need in Washington and outline what those policies will be. Obama's record shows no similar willingness or ability. He emerged from the most corrupt urban political machine in the nation and never did anything to reform it. He served in one of the most decrepit state governments in the nation and made virtually no effort to change it. The one baby step he did make was in, ironically enough, campaign finance reform.
Finally he needs to demonstrate that Obama has poor judgment on matters of international policy. Inexperience isn't the issue, judgment is. Obama is just another Ivy League lawyer with a Blackberry and a huge address list of advisers. But we've seen for the last 8 years what can happen if you have an executive who relies overly much on adviers. McCain has immersed himself in foreign policy. He knows the world like Obama knows the South Side of Chicago. And his track record is one of sound judgment.
I don't think he needs to have the speech of his life, as some are saying. I think he needs to serve up a substantial alternative to Bush's mistakes and Obama's liberalism.
What do you take at night to give you such wonderful dreams?
He's not going to talk negatively about Bush in front of the faithful. Hell, he's hardly done that on the campaign trail. Both parties hate admitting that they have half-wit embarrassments cocking things up. Plus, if he does say anything negative about Dear Leader, it will be a wonderful soundtrack for an Obama commercial showing McCain in full body hug with Bush, his nose nestled so close to the president's pit that Jack would pass out just thinking about the germ transfer.
Brando70 wrote:Plus, if he does say anything negative about Dear Leader, it will be a wonderful soundtrack for an Obama commercial showing McCain in full body hug with Bush, his nose nestled so close to the president's pit that Jack would pass out just thinking about the germ transfer.
Inuyasha wrote:this is very hokey. It's like she's running for leader of the PTA.
Exactly my thoughts. Put this woman in charge of a bake sale....not a heartbeat away from ruling the free world. The fact that the heartbeat in question is 72 years old and counting is a very real concern.
Rob, to answer your question above...apparently so.
Brando70 wrote:
He's not going to talk negatively about Bush in front of the faithful. Hell, he's hardly done that on the campaign trail. Both parties hate admitting that they have half-wit embarrassments cocking things up. Plus, if he does say anything negative about Dear Leader, it will be a wonderful soundtrack for an Obama commercial showing McCain in full body hug with Bush, his nose nestled so close to the president's pit that Jack would pass out just thinking about the germ transfer.
I totally agree, which is why I said it's difficult. But you can draw distinctions in many ways. You don't need to even say Bush's name if it's written and delivered properly.
WCO re: McCain's foreign policy experience.
For starters in many cases Armed Services and Foreign policy are closely linked. He's been on several select committees regarding specific international affairs. He's traveled to over 60 different countries and met with dozens of world leaders over decades of service.
Contrasting that with "Barak's Excellent Adventure" and trips to Africa would seem to be a fair and useful exercise.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
RobVarak wrote:There are three rhetorical tasks that McCain must accomplish tonight.
I am going to overstate some things here for the sake of shorthand. I'm NOT endorsing all of them.
First, he has to formulate a counterattack to the "voted with Bush 90%" meme. He should draw personal, policy and character differences with Bush. The trick is that he can't do so as aggressively as he may like in front of a GOP audience.
Secondly he needs to make it clear that his record shows that he will implement the policies that Americans need in Washington and outline what those policies will be. Obama's record shows no similar willingness or ability. He emerged from the most corrupt urban political machine in the nation and never did anything to reform it. He served in one of the most decrepit state governments in the nation and made virtually no effort to change it. The one baby step he did make was in, ironically enough, campaign finance reform.
Finally he needs to demonstrate that Obama has poor judgment on matters of international policy. Inexperience isn't the issue, judgment is. Obama is just another Ivy League lawyer with a Blackberry and a huge address list of advisers. But we've seen for the last 8 years what can happen if you have an executive who relies overly much on adviers. McCain has immersed himself in foreign policy. He knows the world like Obama knows the South Side of Chicago. And his track record is one of sound judgment.
I don't think he needs to have the speech of his life, as some are saying. I think he needs to serve up a substantial alternative to Bush's mistakes and Obama's liberalism.
What do you take at night to give you such wonderful dreams?
He's not going to talk negatively about Bush in front of the faithful. Hell, he's hardly done that on the campaign trail. Both parties hate admitting that they have half-wit embarrassments cocking things up. Plus, if he does say anything negative about Dear Leader, it will be a wonderful soundtrack for an Obama commercial showing McCain in full body hug with Bush, his nose nestled so close to the president's pit that Jack would pass out just thinking about the germ transfer.
Its okay to dream ....
Yep...No way he talks negative about Dubya...He might elude to differences but Bush isnt getting kicked by McCain.
EDIT: nevermind you beat me to it
RobVarak wrote:
I totally agree, which is why I said it's difficult. But you can draw distinctions in many ways. You don't need to even say Bush's name if it's written and delivered properly.
.
Last edited by XXXIV on Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.
RobVarak wrote:He's traveled to over 60 different countries and met with dozens of world leaders over decades of service.
As opposed to travelling to 60 of the same countries? Although, if your mothership in the Balkans is any indication, he may have travelled to the same place there in the last 20 years and have visited about ten countries.
RobVarak wrote:
Much like unions, feminists long ago gave up on actually acting in the best interest of the group that they putatively represent in favor of tossing their lot in with the Left irrespective of the merits of a particular candidate or issue.
Selecting Sarah Palin, who was touted all summer by Rush Limbaugh, is no way to attract most women, including die-hard Clinton supporters. Palin shares nothing but a chromosome with Clinton
If this election accomplishes nothing other than driving a stake through the heart of the lie of the "feminist" establishment than it's already done us all a great service.
Last edited by RobVarak on Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.
XBL Gamertag: RobVarak
"Ok I'm an elitist, but I have a healthy respect for people who don't measure up." --Aaron Sorkin
Did she give any solutions to the problems in any part of the speech? I don't remember any. But I know that's what the VP is for. The top of the ticket will do that I am supposing.
From the various blogs I've read, looks like the speech was well liked by the base and so-so by independents. So nothing surprising there. But looks like evangelicals really liked the speech, like 90 some percent approval. Most are saying that a family like her represents theirs, which I can see out there in rural america. Most were even saying they've experience teenage pregnancy like her daugther has. But her family does sound about like a typical hardcore conservative Evangelical Christian home. I notice that a lot of conservative Evangelicals seem to have a laundry list of significant problems in their family and personal lives. Which is probably the appeal of fundamentalist religion in the first place. It gives a sense of security and comfort to people with rocky lives. Either that or the demands of it drive many people to become rocky. Not too sure, maybe some of you can elaborate on this.
Looks like the GOP is using the sexism charge in their favor now. If the 'elite' media asks any question about her experience, they will be charged with sexism and that they wouldn't ask a man about that would they? But I saw some really sexist buttons during last night speech by the delegates, why don't they cry about that?
Sarah Palin delivered a powerful speech last night, but she did not "wing it."
That is what Erick Erickson, citing sources close to McCain, has written on his blog, RedState.
Erickson writes that "the teleprompter continued scrolling during applause breaks. As a result, half way through the speech, the speech had scrolled significantly from where Governor Palin was in the speech."
This claim has been picked up on Drudge and could quickly enter into the insta-mythmaking about a speech that need not be embroidered.
Perhaps there were moments where it scrolled slightly past her exact point in the speech. But I was sitting in the press section next to the stage, within easy eyeshot of the teleprompter. I frequently looked up at the machine, and there was no serious malfunction. A top convention-planner confirms this morning that there were no major problems.
Erickson writes that the same malfunction happened during Rudy Giuliani's speech earlier in the night. Again, I watched the teleprompter during this speech and it worked without problem. Giuliani, as is his wont, simply decided to go off-script and add some new lines, such as one attacking Obama for his "bitter" comments.
So one blogger has more credibility than another blogger? They're BLOGGERS. I couched what I said as not necessarily credible because it was bloggers who put it out. You refuted it with another blogger, claiming it as god's truth.
Inuyasha wrote:
Looks like the GOP is using the sexism charge in their favor now. If the 'elite' media asks any question about her experience, they will be charged with sexism and that they wouldn't ask a man about that would they? But I saw some really sexist buttons during last night speech by the delegates, why don't they cry about that?
Slow your roll, Siam. They're not alone in that charge:
I don't doubt that there's a lot of overlap in the committees. Many of them may date back to the 19th century.
And any Senator who's been in office over 20 years have traveled all over the world, met a lot of world leaders.
But many of those are junkets and the meetings are ceremonial.
Obviously McCain has been out in front on security and war issues as well as campaign finance reform.
I've just never heard of him being mentioned among foreign policy mavens like other members of Congress.
I don't recall much about him before his 2000 campaign but he doesn't come across as someone steeped in policy. It's more like his takes on issues are more gut response. He idolizes Reagan and whatever virtues one may ascribe to Reagan, delving into policy is not one of them.
Inuyasha wrote:
Looks like the GOP is using the sexism charge in their favor now. If the 'elite' media asks any question about her experience, they will be charged with sexism and that they wouldn't ask a man about that would they? But I saw some really sexist buttons during last night speech by the delegates, why don't they cry about that?
Slow your roll, Siam. They're not alone in that charge:
Bringing up child rearing and how it would affect her job is sexist.
But when Palin's supporters were pressed to explain her experience on foreign policy , the media was being accused of being sexist and demeaning to women. The GOP is using this to rally base support by portraying Palin as being besieged by the male-dominated mainstream media but would it work on independents? Is that their plan now? It could backfire.
Inuyasha wrote:
But when Palin's supporters were pressed to explain her experience on foreign policy , the media was being accused of being sexist and demeaning to women.
That doesn't make any sense. Got a link or source for that claim?
In fact if Obama were in Canada he'd be slightly left of center. So I get a hoot hearing how extreme to the left Obama is.
...I was making a joke as in I always have them 
