McCain Fails to Deliver Any Tropic Thunder
For all the hullabaloo about whether John McCain would match Sarah Palin's performance at the Republican convention, it wasn't even close. Where was the tropic thunder? McCain may have ended his speech with a Knute Rockne-like cry for Americans to fight and fight some more -- for what he never really said -- but most of his speech was a snooze, delivered in the tone of a kindly old uncle reminiscing about World War II before fretting about how how those pesky Russians are stirring up trouble again.
McCain's answer to America's woes seems to be a program of self-improvement -- "serve a goal greater than yourself," he suggested. But he never really explained what that goal might be. After eight years of the Bush administration running two wars without demanding an iota of sacrifice, indeed passing lavish tax cuts, McCain's exhortations could hardly have sounded more empty. In fact, to judge by McCain's talk, the only problem America seems to suffer from is that "some Republicans" -- once again, no names here -- succumbed to the temptation of "corruption." Well, yes. But it was the Bush administration's disdain for government that turned the Iraq War, among other things, into a free-for-all for contractors.
America's economic troubles barely even merited a nod, apart from vague promises to somehow emancipate America from Middle East oil. No doubt Sarah Palin will be offering some pointers in coming days about how Alaska can single-handedly solve that conundrum.
McCain clearly implied that he would like to resurrect the GOP in his own image. But so far, the only thing he has been resurrecting is the religious right by selecting Palin as his sidekick. He tried to make a virtue out of her ignorance, depicting her as a kind of freedom-fighter ignorant of Washington's corrupt ways who would help cleanse it. But for the most part, it hardly seemed like McCain's heart was even in his speech. Was tonight's more moderate version the real McCain? Maybe even he can't tell any longer.
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One thing I didn't know and I'm sure surprised all of you: He's a POW.
Yeah? And he wants to drag the rest of us into the POW camp with him.
We've all been prisoners of W. for the last 8 years, maybe we'll be released in January 09.
Very well said. Obama or Biden should use that line but if they do they will be run through the ringer for saying it. But very good, I like that. I never thought of it that way.
The One Question I want Answered is The One Question nobody will ask the GOP:If you didn't want John McCain to be your candidate/President 8 years ago Why do you want him now?
They really didn't want him this time either!
Because he's their last great hope for keeping 19th and 20th century ideals alive. You know, ideals like neverending cold war (or hot war for that matter), god and jesus forced on us at every corner, getting rid of unions, bringing back monopolies, helping the rich get richer, nationalism, etc...
I can keep going all day...
I amused myself by counting the number of people I saw yawning (at least three) checking their watches (lots) shrugging before they clapped (almost everyone, toward the end) and nodding off outright (quite a few).
That, and tallying up the rhetorical clinkers:
- "We're going to train workers for the jobs of TODAY." (huh?)
- "We're going to stop sending $700 billion a year to countries that don't like us VERY MUCH ..." (so I guess we'll all go to Orlando this year instead of France, eh?)
- "My friends, we must catch up to history!" (Sherman, set the Way-Forward machine!)
- "I have that record, and the scars to prove it ..." (Hey, don't we all, Johnny-boy ...)
- "We're going to FINALLY start getting things done ..." (as if you haven't done enough already ...)
great speech. If you're an insomniac who doesn't respond to strong drugs.
>>McCain's answer to America's woes seems to be a program of self-improvement -- "serve a goal greater than yourself," he suggested.
Like becoming a community organizer or something?
Last nights speech was filled with mixed messages. McCain was trying to call in the calvary to Washington and save us from all the bad guys. It's as if he's not part of the problem.
It's very sad when the McCain campaign has to look to the Obama campaign for their strategy...whatever Obama does, they'll just run with a cheaper version.
Not only was the speech mixed, but someone who listened to both him and Palin ends up confused. Palin was all nasty attacks, right-wing rah rah, while McCain was like --everyone work together, use the best ideas of both parties, moderation etc. Its hard to figure out what type of administration these two would put together --a repeat of Bush/Cheney perhaps with the fuzzy nice guy backed up by the pit bull??
Do you think McCain is even aware of his own contridictions? Does he remeber that a couple months ago he proudly stated he supported Bush 100%, or that he voted with Bush 90% of the time, only to now be distancing himself from the Bush administration as far as he can get, and then tell us last night what a mess Republicans have made and that he wants to be the one to reform his own Party and CHANGE it?
Doesn't he realize how bizarre he sounds to all of us? I know age affects short term memory, but shouldn't someone be at least clueing him in to his own words?
Did anyone see the VET way at the back with his humongous sign criticizing McCain. I didn't watch the speech because I wanted to stay awake for John Stewart and Stephen Colbert but saw it on Larry King.
Did McCain respond? I saw his audience looking up at the VET. They should be ashamed of themselves supporting this low life who doesn't and have never supported the VETS.
All I can say bout that speech is it was better than Ambien.
I was able to forego the restoril last night.
Well, you know, he was a p o w , so that could affect his ability to give a speech.
... and being President!
I don't mean to be rude but McCain was cheered on by what seemed to be a mob - drowning him out and cheering at the wrong times. It was scary.
You remember " slowly he turned step by step" in the old Abbott Costello movies. Why did I think of that when McCain was doing his speech?
He has had a life for the past forty years but keeps going back to the Nam war.
WRONG! "Slowly he turned, step by step..." came from a Three Stooges episode. There's irony in this somewhere!
Wilbur
Obama won or reenforced winning the sewing up of the election last night. McCain, an ideologue, could not take upon himself the role of reforming our economic, financial system. That was his only available strategy in penetrating the Obama Promises. He refused to come forward with a powerful economy, trading, financial plank except more of the same unhinged money and banking of the Bush Bunch.
Obama is very cautious in his view of the economy. And he seems unable or unwilling to connect trade imbalances and deficits with economic decline and emerging massive unemployment. Both candidates consider education and retraining as an alchemy for creating those high skilled, high paying jobs right over the horizon. Using education as a panaccea for all our ills is an old trick of timid, cowardly leaders of both political parties.
The issue is economic competence, not education competence.
It was a dumb speech.
The only way that John McCain could have honestly presented himself and his vice-Presidential hopeful as agents of change is if he had run as an Independant.
He didn't. He still wants to feed at the Republican trough, while claiming to disagree with what HIS party has done to the country for the last eight years.
What change Mr Maverick, can you effect, if you are still under the Republican umbrella???
That's putting it mildly Jacob. McCain looked and sounded like a very old, tired man. I look forward to the debates.
"Fight With Me",,,,,,that is scary! I have so many doubts about McCain and my biggest one is that he will keep us in a war somewhere, anywhere. That is my number one fear of him.
My second fear is that something will happen to him and we will have a "hockey mom" as number one in our country. After reading about her and seeing her packing guns, she will probably keep us in war somewhere also.
Considering she managed to go to Washington and garner, what? $27 million in earmarks for Alaska last year, more per capita than any other state?
I'd say she'd fit in in Washington just fiiine.
Her accusation of abuse of power also fits.
If I came out of that speech knowing anything about the man, its that he is a MAVERICK. A loose cannon. A rebel. A cowboy. One might think by listening to or by all appearances that he is a old Republican hack, bought and paid for by the corporate establishment, but do not let that fool he's a McMaverick.
When you're only reading from a teleprompter and not saying the words from the heart, it shows. People can hear it.
And you can't make up for a wafer thin agenda with more war stories. Listening to grandpappy tell me about his days in Nam for the upteenth time doesn't help me deal with today's problems. When I turned off the TV I actually felt sorry for John Sidney III, because he lost me and the presidency.
I thought I was the only one who made this connection. This man simply does not believe in his own words. If you're passionate and true to you beliefs, the words come naturally. That's what makes a great speaker. Sen. Obama speaks from the heart and to the people and he connects. McCain just read from a teleprompter for 45 min. Sad......
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