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Conventions Over; Race Begins Anew
- Filed under: McCain, Presidential
- Date: Sep 5,2008
First things first. I made the right decision on skipping the live chat here to go watch the speech with some local Republicans (nice to meet many of you in person for the first time tonight). I would have stopped participating in the chat 1/4 of the way through McCain's speech due to the comments. Anyhow……
Whether you liked the speech or not tonight, it was vintage John McCain. He was himself and stated what he believes in. McCain will never win awards for speech making. On purely delivery, I'd give it a C, but on a McCain scale it would be a B (the crowd did not help him with their constant interrupting at inopportune times). The last 15 minutes were powerful and sincere but I wonder how many people were still watching at just past 11 in the East. Sometimes all of us think that everyone knows his story. In reality, that probably isn't the case; not everyone goes from news site to news site and blog to blog every day and is fully up to speed on major political figures. In a one sentence summary: John McCain made a clear case for himself as an experienced agent of reform in Washington.
It was overall good, not great. I imagine it was somewhat effective to the people he was trying to reach (again, not the people in the online chat here) but of course nowhere near that of last night. It couldn't be. I expected a little better (very disjointed), thought he would roam around more, maybe take his jacket off. The finish was great - he did the right thing to keep talking over the applause. I am not going to sit here and tell you it was a great speech, but I don't think it was designed to be like Palin's. Anything else would have been un-McCain like, and since he is running on his image, it likely would have backfired IMO. In the end, I feel the sum was far more than many mediocre parts. He did it his way, and he will win or lose his way. It's the only way he can win and the only way he knows.
This week went off better than anyone in my party could have hoped for even a month ago. The Democrats had a solid convention, better than I had hoped it would be. But we matched them. The GOP was written off as dead in the spring, just one more easy chapter in the Obama coronation. Not quite the case now. The Palin pick looks better by the day and it is a rare instance where the VP pick will have a huge impact on the final result. Democrats are hoping she is going to have a huge slip up they can pounce on, but I don't see it happening. The vile attacks on her and her family backfired and afforded her the opportunity to get to make her case to 40 million people. Without the venom, she probably just barely exceeds the 24 million some that watched Biden.
If this election is about oratory and reading off teleprompters and giving great speeches, Barack Obama will win. If it is not, John McCain will win and Obama will wonder every day for the rest of his life why he was too stubborn to take Hillary Clinton as his running mate. The race would have become a mere formality.
(New poll question in the sidebar!!!!)
Side Note: Pundits seemed to really dislike Tom Ridge's speech. Now I am glad he is not our VP, but I thought he was effective.
Polling Note: I expect a slight uptick for McCain in the tracking polls tomorrow. Not because of anything that happened this week - I'd wait until the end of next week if you want a clear picture - but because the strongly Democratic Labor Day samples will roll off. If I am right, I caution Republicans to not get that excited - living day to day on polls is bad for your health. Also exercise caution in jumping for joy over the CBS Poll that shows the race tied. CBS has traditionally put out trash polls and the only thing that looks different to me in this one as compared to their last effort (Obama +8) is the more realistic sample.
21 Responses for "Conventions Over; Race Begins Anew"
Ambivalent about McCain's speech, I see.
"The vile attacks on her and her family backfired and afforded her the opportunity to get to make her case to 40 million people. Without the venom, she probably just barely exceeds the 24 million some that watched Biden."
You know a candidacy is in trouble when it's political supporters can only find excitement in an unknown moosehunting newbee wingnut.
Perhaps, when you have time, you could share the, you know, quotes, of all those "vile attacks." Thus far, no one else has been able to produce any.
About the 40 million….Probably one third of those viewers were Obama supporters checking out the moosehunter/field dresser for the first time.
You know a candidacy is in trouble when supporters start examining photos of the bellies of 17 year old children, trying to uncover some dirt on the birth of an infant with down syndrome.
Probably 18 million of those viewers voted for Hillary in the primaries and are wondering why Obama supporters are examining photos of the bellies of 17 year old children, trying to uncover some dirt on the birth of an infant with down syndrome.
Proof? Oh, I forgot. Today's Republicans are faith-based.
"About the 40 million….Probably one third of those viewers were Obama supporters checking out the moosehunter/field dresser for the first time"
Just like all 37 mil for Obama were for him.
John McCain gave a powerful speech that will reach through to Americans that sit at home, not those who get paid to pick apart what people say.
The McCain/Palin team has rocked Democrats back on their heels. Ben you are right to say that Obama will wonder forever why he didn;t pick Clinton. Palin never would have been picked and the convention would have been dull.
McCain had more viewers than Messiah!!
I thought McClowns speech was a joke. His vague promises of free this and free that was depressing. He cant be serious about providing a supplemental income to cover the difference between what a person was making at their orginal job vs. a newer lower paying job. Every time I try to get behind him he sinks even lower.
sometimes its the lesser of the two evils. mccain wins in that argument.
Ben - Agreed. I stopped by the chat but was really put off by the Obama disciples and their ridiculous attacks on Palin and her family.
Were any of those attacks on Palin as mean as calling the triple amputee veteran, Max Cleland, unpatriotic?
Anything as mean as that?
McCain set the Palin family up for all this exposure. He knew the daughter was pregnant and chose to release that information the following day after the announcement. Then, silly people were told to believe that it was all the media's doing….and they're oh-so-mean to the Barracuda.
Oh, dear. Did you see the rallies with McCain and Palin today? People are fired up. This race just got exciting.
david gregory said “education is a civil right” is carbon copy of something george bush said. what a tool.
As a full time single parent, of 14 year old twins, who I’ve raised by myself, I find the people who say Palin cant do this offensive.
Are mothers important? Yes and family is important. Lets not hold her to a double standard.
The Palin excitement carried over to McCain's speech. More people tuned in to watch McCain than to watch Obama last week. Interest has been generated in the GOP ticket. We have a presidential race now.
I thought McCain's speech was pretty good, not great. His story is compelling, but I thought he exhibited the same problem that people have criticized Obama for in the past, a lack of specifics. Obama, on the other hand, did get specific during his speech last week (and his specifics scared the heck out of me).
And Rev, way to stand up for sexism. You never cease to amaze me.
I liked McCain's speech. And I agree with the author. It was HIS speech. I believe him. And I sooo respect Sarah although I was a lifetime democrat until now. She is pro-life and I am pro-choice. But I trust her that she practices what she preaches and she will respect me for my views. I am very disappointed with the democrats. Now they are saying that the woman must choose between having children and having a career. Is that the democratic party I used to be a member of?
This ticket earned my vote.
I find it funny that when I read the ABJ over the last 2 or 3 days there were at least 4 to 5 editorial mentions about her 17 year old girl being pregnant. So what? Do you think that they could have wrote about something with substance? No. The thing that gets me is the people who were ridiculing her for daring to run for VP while having a downs child, and two other children still in the house. The MSM calls us backwards for what we belive in? They are the pathetic ones.
pumadem is a liardem. How stupidly insincere can one person be?
"She is pro-life and I am pro-choice. But I trust her that she practices what she preaches and she will respect me for my views."
News to puma: The presidency and vice-presidency ain't some f*cking women's coffee klatch where Dr. Phil bullsh*t fills the room and everyone simply emotes. If you are pro-choice…and McCain is elected….there will no longer be any choices left for you and other women. These monsters are not going to agree to disagree. Are you out of your mind?
puma is a plant…in both senses of the word.
Try commenting on equal pay for equal work.
And please…
"The thing that gets me is the people who were ridiculing her for daring to run for VP while having a downs child, and two other children still in the house."
Where is the evidence of this? Where?
And this too…
How is it that radical right women who have insisted for decades that mother's should be at home raising their children….you know, god's way…..now, with Palin,….have thrown all that in the trash as unuseable?
Can someone explain how that works?
The Reverend just doesn't get it. It's why he resorts to namecalling.
More people turned into see Palin than Obama or McCain!
Not very Reverend like to use so many curse words!
Why is it when we do something that the other side considers finally coming onboard instead of welcoming us with open arms we are ridiculed and chastised? There should be accolades of greetings but there are none? All it seems to do in my opinion is galvanize our contempt for one another, separates us further. This is why we never get things done because we grow further away from one another rather than work with each other. It is "look at what the party done" rather than what we all have done. Whatch the youtube CNN clips http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKBEdEpNN2k The CNN Anchors say it all. Not only about the Down's Child but about the FIVE OTHER CHILDREN SHE HAS TO RAISE. The bias is obvious unless you are so blind to have your party to win you don't care what they say which some WON'T. But then again, truth hurts, don't it? BTW, why do we always have to show proof however others it seems we have to take their word for it?
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