Scranton vs. San Francisco

First some of my favorite lines from Governor Palin's speech: 

"I love those hockey moms.  You know they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?  [as she gives a subtle little point to her mouth]  Lipstick."  [Roar from the crowd] 

"Before I became governor of the great state of Alaska, I was mayor of my hometown. And since our opponents in this presidential election seem to look down on that experience, let me explain to them what the job involves.  I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a "community organizer," except that you have actual responsibilities. I might add that in small towns, we don't quite know what to make of a candidate who lavishes praise on working people when they are listening, and then talks about how bitterly they cling to their religion and guns when those people aren't listening. We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco." 

"Our opponents say, again and again, that drilling will not solve all of America's energy problems -- as if we all didn't know that already. But the fact that drilling won't solve every problem is no excuse to do nothing at all. Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we're going to lay more pipelines ... build more nuclear plants ... create jobs with clean coal ... and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers."

"I've noticed a pattern with our opponent. Maybe you have, too. We've all heard his dramatic speeches before devoted followers. And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it's easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform -- not even in the state Senate.

This is a man who can give an entire speech about the wars America is fighting, and never use the word "victory" except when he's talking about his own campaign. But when the cloud of rhetoric has passed ... when the roar of the crowd fades away ... when the stadium lights go out, and those Styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot - what exactly is our opponent's plan? What does he actually seek to accomplish, after he's done turning back the waters and healing the planet? The answer is to make government bigger ... take more of your money ... give you more orders from Washington" 

"In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers.  And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change. They're the ones whose names appear on laws and landmark reforms, not just on buttons and banners, or on self-designed presidential seals. Among politicians, there is the idealism of high-flown speechmaking, in which crowds are stirringly summoned to support great things. And then there is the idealism of those leaders, like John McCain, who actually do great things. They're the ones who are good for more than talk ... the ones we have always been able to count on to serve and defend America." 

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And from Rudy Giuliani's speech:

"On the other hand, you have a resume from a gifted man with an Ivy League education. He worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature - where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted "present."

As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote "present." And you know, when you're President of the United States, you can't just vote "present." You must make decisions.

A few years later, he ran for the U.S. Senate. He won and has spent most of his time as a "celebrity senator." No leadership or major legislation to speak of. His rise is remarkable in its own right - it's the kind of thing that could happen only in America. But he's never run a city, never run a state, never run a business.  He's never had to lead people in crisis.

This is not a personal attack....it's a statement of fact - Barack Obama has never led anything."

[Note from me: of course, he has run a successful presidential campaign thus far - let's give him that]

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"Look at just one example in a lifetime of principled stands -- John McCain's support for the troop surge in Iraq.  The Democratic Party had given up on Iraq.  And I believe, ladies and gentlemen, that when they gave up on Iraq they were giving up on America.  The Democratic leader in the Senate said so: "America has lost." 

Well, if America lost, who won? Al Qaida? Bin Laden? In the single biggest policy decision of this election, John McCain got it right and Barack Obama got it wrong.

If Barack Obama had been President, there would have been no troop surge and our troops would have been withdrawn in defeat.  Senator McCain was the candidate most associated with the surge.  And it was unpopular.  What do you think most other candidates would have done in that situation? They would have acted in their own self-interest by changing their position.
 

How many times have we seen Barack Obama do that?  Obama was going to take public financing for his campaign, until he didn't.  Obama was against wiretapping before he voted for it.  When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem.  Until the very next day when he changed his mind.

I hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing."

[Note: the line on Biden was simply precious]

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"When Russia rolled over Georgia, John McCain knew exactly how to respond.  Having been to that part of the world many times and having developed a clear worldview over many years, John knew where he stood.  Within hours, he established a very strong, informed position that let the world know exactly how he'll respond as President.  At exactly the right time, John McCain said, "We're all Georgians."  

Obama's first instinct was to create a moral equivalency - that "both sides" should "show restraint."  The same moral equivalency that he has displayed in discussing the Palestinian Authority and the State of Israel.  Later, after discussing it with his 300 foreign policy advisors, he changed his position and suggested that the "the UN Security Council," could find a solution.  Apparently, none of his 300 advisors told him that Russia has a veto on any UN [Security Council] action.  Finally Obama put out a statement that looked ...well, it looked a lot like John McCain's.
Here's some free advice: Sen. Obama, next time just call John McCain." 

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"And as we look to the future never let us forget that - when we are at our best - we are the party that expands Freedom.  We began as a party dedicated to freeing people from slavery... And we are still the party that is willing to fight for freedom at home and around the world.  

We are the party that wants to expand individual freedom and economic freedom... because we believe that the secret of America's success is not central government, it is self-government.  We are the party that believes in giving workers the right to work.  The party that believes parents should choose where their children go to school.  And we are the party that believes unapologetically in America's essential greatness - that we are a shining city on the hill, a beacon of freedom that inspires people everywhere to reach for a better world."  

"A Star is Born"

This phrase uttered by several members of the media within moments of the completion of Sarah Palin's speech.

This is one speech I would strongly encourage you to watch...if you missed the original, I'll find a link to a YouTube version.  Not only is it historic with her being the first Republican VP Nominee, but more than that, she is unlike any major politician I've ever seen.  She was amazing...truly amazing.  She was smart, tough, funny, and "pitch perfect" which is a rare though prized quality in politics.  

She presented herself, her family, her candidate, and her party very effectively, but at least as impressive was the way she sliced and diced Obama and the Democrats.  She was very clever, used humor, but made solid points at every turn.  I found myself filled with pride to sit with my daughter Tori and watch such a remarkable woman in such a setting (who, I should say came across very specifically as a woman and a mother, not as a woman trying to act like a male politician).  Ultimately, I believe strongly that it should be character and policy that should drive our choice in political races, not gender or race or religion.  That does not detract from the separate appreciation of the evident strength of individuals from different backgrounds, and it was really something to see and hear her tonight.  

I will follow in a bit with some lines pulled from her speech and Giuliani's.   Hers was the best but there were great ones from both.  More to come...

Added: I don't know if the whole speech is here, but here's a YouTube link to her speech: here. 

Added: Interesting point made on NationalReview Online about the abuse Palin has taken in the mainstream media the past few days.  

"Don't Tread on Me! [Victor Davis Hanson]
Palin Bites Back...

Tonight I flipped to CNN and was struck by the talking heads flipping out about the Giuliani/Palin mocking of community organizers—as if the Obama team's dismissals of "small-town" mayors was fair play. The MSM networks are going ballistic at her speech and apparently never imagined that anyone would dare bite back—and also at them, the 'elite media' of the press, no less!

Compared to what Kerry et al. said about McCain, Palin was no tougher on the other side, so it is odd to hear CNN female pundits suddenly shocked, shocked that a "woman" would dare attack a man like that, and that it may "not play" outside the hall. Like it or not we are back in a cultural and populist war, brought on by a week of liberal character assassination.

The Left made a terrible mistake in the manner they have smeared Palin, and now they seem appalled at the red-state authentic populist backlash which is a different sort than studied Bidenism, where one recalls a distant childhood, not the recent past, or the living present, to prove they are one with the people."

Interesting on Palin

From National Review Online: "Why Do We Like Palin? [Victor Davis Hanson]

Much has been written why Palin both brings strength to the McCain ticket and is a gamble at the same time. Why then the growing wave of popular sentiment in her favor?

Various reasons, but one I think is that millions of Americans are simply tired of being lectured at by smug elites. Jetting Al Gore made tens of millions finger-pointing at us about our global warming. Obama's America, apparently unlike Rev. Wright's Trinity Church, is a cruel, downright mean and dysfunctional place. John Kerry's United States is one of the half-educated in need of Ivy-League enlightenment and tutorials.

So along comes someone (unlike Biden's vastly inflated middle-class biography) who really is from the working class. She likes it—and finds snowmobiling, hunting, fishing and living in small-town America not as a wasteful use of carbon-emitting fuels, cruelty to animals, gratuitous depletion of our resources, or proof of parochial yokelism. Instead it is a life of action in an often harsh natural landscape, where physical strength is married to intelligence to bring us food, fuel, and progress.

Palin's symbolism is the antithesis of the metrosexual wind- or body- surfing politican, and hair-plugged, neurotic TV pundit So at this time, right now, millions apparently like Palin's atypical 19th-century profile. Again, it's a pleasant change of pace from Harvard Law School, DC politics, "community organizing" and the can't-do, 'they raised the bar on me' collective complaint.

If she can beat off the frothing Newsweek/MSNBC/New York Times inbred rabid wolves, and do it with the grace she has shown so far, she will fill a deep yearning among Americans for someone like her. A lot of Americans, if they watch reality shows, prefer truckers on ice or Bering Sea crab fishing to endless psychodramas of thirty-something suburban whiners.

So apparently they are eager to see a rare politican who is unapologetic about America's past achievements (cf. Obama's "tragic history" and need for more "oppression studies"), and who reminds us with pride that a muscular world of action, not community organizing, creates the bounty that others use and take for granted but so often sneer at the methods of its acquisition.

Right now, there are millions rooting for her in a way not true of Biden—and many who are criticizing her don't have a clue why that it is so."

Day One (or is it two?) of the Republican Convention

OK, I'll count it as day one, since Mr. (Hurricane) Gustav owned yesterday.  

A few headlines and memorable lines from tonight: 

First, from the USA Today: "Eight years after he accepted the vice presidential nomination at the Democratic convention, Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, the featured speaker Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention, made the case for Republican candidate John McCain.  'I'm here to support John McCain because country matters more than party,' Lieberman said.  'I am here tonight for a simple reason, because John McCain's whole life testifies to a great truth: being a Democrat or a Republican is important.  But it is nowhere near as important as being an American.'   'When others wanted to retreat from the field of battle, when Barak Obama was voting to cut off funding for our troops on the ground, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion and support the surge,' Lieberman said.  'And because of that, today, our troops are at last beginning to come home, not in failure, but in honor.'"

A laugh-out-loud line from Senator Fred Thompson in his amazingly good bio of McCain (though this line was about VP nominee Palin): "And I can say without fear of contradiction that she is the only nominee in the history of either party who knows how to properly field dress a moose...with the possible exception of Teddy Roosevelt...She and John McCain are not going to care how much the alligators get irritated when they get to Washington, they're going to drain that swamp." 

(Thompson on McCain as a POW in Vietnam): "So then they put him in solitary confinement...for over two years.

 Isolation ... incredible heat beating on a tin roof.  A light bulb in his cell burning 24 hours a day.

Boarded-up cell windows blocking any breath of fresh air.

 The oppressive heat causing boils the size of baseballs under his arms.

The outside world limited to what he could see through a crack in a door.

 We hear a lot of talk about hope.

 John McCain knows about hope.  That's all he had to survive on.  For propaganda purposes, his captors offered to let him go home.

 John McCain refused.

 He refused to leave ahead of men who'd been there longer.

 He refused to abandon his conscience and his honor, even for his freedom.

 He refused, even though his captors warned him, "It will be very bad for you."

 They were right. 

It was.

 The guards cracked ribs, broke teeth off at the gums.  They cinched a rope around his arms and painfully drew his shoulders back.

 Over four days, every two to three hours, the beatings resumed. During one especially fierce beating, he fell, again breaking his arm.

 John was beaten for communicating with other prisoners.

 He was beaten for NOT communicating with so-called "peace delegations." 

He was beaten for not giving information during interrogations.

 When his captors wanted the names of other pilots in his squadron, John gave them the names of the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers.

 Whenever John was returned to his cell — walking if he could, dragged if he couldn't — as he passed his fellow POWs, he would call out to them.

 He'd smile ... and give them a thumbs-up.

 For five-and-a-half years this went on.

 John McCain's bones may have been broken but his spirit never was.

Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be President.

 But it does reveal character.

 This is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of history have sought in their leaders.

 Strength.

 Courage.

 Humility.

 Wisdom.

 Duty.

 Honor.

 It's pretty clear there are two questions we will never have to ask ourselves, "Who is this man?" and "Can we trust this man with the Presidency?" 

(Thompson on the Democrats): "To deal with these challenges [to our nation] the Democrats present a history making nominee for president.

 History making in that he is the most liberal, most inexperienced nominee to ever run for President.  Apparently they believe that he would match up well with the history making, Democrat controlled Congress.  History making because it's the least accomplished and most unpopular Congress in our nation's history.

 Together, they would take on these urgent challenges with protectionism, higher taxes and an even bigger bureaucracy." 

(Thompson on Obama's tax proposals): "Now our opponents tell you not to worry about their tax increases.

 They tell you they are not going to tax your family.

 No, they're just going to tax "businesses!" So unless you buy something from a "business", like groceries or clothes or gasoline ... or unless you get a paycheck from a big or a small "business", don't worry ... it's not going to affect you.

 They say they are not going to take any water out of your side of the bucket, just the "other" side of the bucket!  That's their idea of tax reform." 

"John McCain cannot raise his arms above his shoulders.

 He cannot salute the flag of the country for which he sacrificed so much.  Tonight, as we begin this convention week, yes, we stand with him.

 And we salute him."

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Anyhow, it was a strong night and the combination of President Bush, Senator Thompson, and Senator Lieberman all giving strong testament to McCain's character - from their very different perspectives - was impressive.  

Hurricanes

Well if this wasn't already a strange sort of election year, the partial postponement of the Republican National Convention because of Hurricane Gustav just adds another twist.  

Fortunately, the worst case scenarios for the hurricane seem not to have occurred.  Whether the same will be true for John McCain and the Republicans remains to be seen!  You can theorize some negatives and positives for McCain in terms of how things have occurred, but it's just hard to call.  

Later today I'll be posting more as the RNC does ramp up, and we can also discuss the sad nature of politics when the lives of family members gets pulled into the political grinding machine.  Obama said it best: "let's not go there."  

More to come...keep posting comments...you guys are great!

Introducing: Sarah Palin

This transcription of Gov. Palin's statement introducing herself is as good a starter on getting to know her as any I think, so check out this link and see what you think: Governor Sarah Palin

Clearly one of the angles they are taking is that Palin can garner some of the voters who were behind Hillary's campaign at least in part because of her gender.  That's smart.  You find a way to get votes from whatever quarter you can.  

She certainly appears tough enough for the campaign and she's clearly driven by conservative principles and has shown strength in sticking to her principles.  Check out this link to a USA Today article about her.  And an LA Times article on her.  

She hasn't been in politics a long time, but what experience she has is executive experience as mayor and as governor, which is more than can be said for McCain, Obama, or Biden.  To get a sense of her style, you should watch this 8-minute YouTube clip of Glen Beck and in the second half he interviews her.  She's impressive in her communication ability, no doubt.  

We may not feel like we get to know her better until the VP debate (not sure when that will be), but it should be interesting.  I'm open-minded about the choice and inclined to feel quite positively about it, but again things are sketchy still because we are only now being introduced.  

Am I bummed about Romney not getting the nod?  Sure, but it's not that unexpected, and in any case the other advantage is by not picking a primaries opponent nobody's supporters can feel put out by not having "their guy" selected.  

Nope It's Not Mitt

Sounds like Gov. of Alaska, Sara Palin.  Anytime a relative unknown is picked I don't think it matters much.  The one smart thing about it is that if John McCain wins it will likely be with support from some Hillary Clinton backers, so choosing a woman on the ticket could be meaningful to those voters.  It will be interesting to see what the reaction is to the pick.  

Obama Speech Reaction

There were some moments in the speech that were not particularly good, but the last 10-15 minutes or so were excellent.  

Regardless of political philosophical differences and party affiliation, we should all feel proud to see an American with African ancestry up there on the stage accepting the nomination of a major political party.  One of our cherished values as a people is that we believe in equality of opportunity, and here Barak Obama was, having taken advantage of his opportunity and succeeding.  He spoke with the voice of a leader and was skilled in his delivery.  The purposeful comparison to Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" speech was important...we should judge a person by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.  So it was a proud moment for all Americans to see this value enacted.  

Now, I had my kids sit and watch a portion of the speech, and I tried to explain a few things to them.  First, that each party has a chance to bring many of their strongest supporters together for a convention, and it gives them a chance to look their very best.  Obama has his turn this week, McCain will have his next.  Second, that political speeches are like advertisements.  They are designed to persuade in a particular direction; they are not designed to give context and balanced understanding.  When Obama said that when votes came up in the Senate promoting higher fuel efficiency vehicles or more investment in renewable energy and "John McCain said no," he is making it sound as though McCain is against those things, when of course he's not - he may just not have liked that particular bill or that particular approach to the problem.  So you can't just accept these things in a political speech.  You listen, record some key claims and points in your brain; you listen to the other side and you read other opinions and think it through and compare to other things you know.  

That's our job over upcoming weeks; to try to see through the talking points.  I heard a strange (to me) analysis by a CNN reporter after the speech, where he said that in his experience with campaigns over the years, he thinks the differences between the candidates are greater and more stark than he's ever seen.  I'm not sure he's been on the same planet I have in that case.  I think the differences were much more stark in the last few elections than in this one.  That said, there are key differences as we've discussed in past months.  Those differences will be our focus over the next 10 weeks.  

I was impressed by another thing in the speech.  Most Democrats I've heard speak do not speak as strongly regarding the importance of a strong and determined foreign policy as Obama did.  He also was able to bring up some normally very divisive social issues in a manner that found some areas of agreement.  And, he was willing to state that yes, his proposals will be expensive, but that he feels he has accounted for how to pay for these things.  Normally it seems to me Democrats are not as forthright in discussing the cost of many of the programs they propose.  I thought it was impressive that he was willing to put those things out there openly, which are normally considered weak areas for Democrats.  

Now we will begin to hear and talk about counterpoints to Obama's speech.  It's one thing to talk about a strong foreign policy, but how would he respond to specific situations?  He's been criticized by many including some in his own party (even his now-running-mate Joe Biden) for expressing a willingness to meet with pretty much any of our enemies, kind of an "anytime, anywhere, we should at least talk to them" approach.  Although this sounds good, it is not always wise policy.  There are many ways to communicate, of course, but in terms of direct talks (and especially with the President himself), there are important signals that are sent to both enemies and allies around the world with certain actions, and these have to be weighed carefully.  Sometimes the right thing may be direct talks.  Other times it may be best and most effective to communicate in other ways than direct talks with the President.

It's one thing to find some areas of agreement in divisive social issues, but in many respects that just kicks the can a little farther down the road, but ultimately they still have to be dealt with and there is not always an effective compromise position to certain issues.  And on these divisive issues, as we'll discuss, Obama as a Democrat is pretty much required to take a certain side when push comes to shove on these issues.  Abortion is a case in point.  With the recent question-answer session on these topics with Obama and McCain, Obama addressed the moral questions related to abortion, but in terms of specific position, he did not differ with the position of his party.  In fact, one of the key problems I have with Obama is that although he sounds very reasonable and balanced, his actions at least to this point in his career have been down-the-line liberal orthodox.  So when it comes right down to it, it seems to me that Obama has shown himself in action to be extremely liberal, not centrist as he is working to sound now.  

And, it's one thing to have the courage to say "yes my programs will be expensive, but I have a plan for how to pay for them" and it's another thing to actually make that happen.  Once government programs are put into place, they tend to take on a life of their own and it ends up being a lot tougher to pay for than was anticipated.  You may recall that when President Reagan took office, he planned to both cut taxes significantly, and cut government programs significantly.  Well, he succeeded in cutting taxes, and the economy benefitted, but he had a heck of a time trying to get Congress to cut government programs.  That tends to be the way of things.  

So those are a few early thoughts I have.  Let me know yours.

P.S. Word is out that tomorrow at noon John McCain will announce his running mate.  Although I still have no idea, I've heard a few details that suggest that it just might be Romney.  We'll find out one way or the other tomorrow.   

For those of you who, like me, think Romney was the best candidate running for either party, if Romney does become the VP pick, let's make an online donation to John McCain's campaign to show our support.  Sound good?  

Convention Time!

Apologies all around for my long hiatus from the political blogging!  Long story short big changes at work have been kicking my butt on top of all the other things we have going.

Also, to be quite honest, my enthusiasm has waned a bit, in large part because I was truly excited by Romney as a candidate, but not as much by McCain, and I have distinct differences with Obama and the Democrats.

That said, I still recognize the great important of this election, and it's time to get some discussion going again.  There's just a little over 2 months to go until election day, so let's put our thinking caps on and see what we come up with.  

Just a quick couple of thoughts to get this started, and will follow with other (issue oriented) posts in coming days.

(1) Despite Obama's distinct natural advantages in this election cycle, McCain has pulled into a statistical tie with him in recent weeks.  This is astoundingly impressive to me.  Just based on the dynamics in the political world this year, I would expect Obama to have a substantial lead.  So hand it to Mr. McCain and his team...great job so far guys.  

(2) We are nearing the end of the Democratic Convention in Denver, and Obama gives his acceptance speech tonight.  Given what a great speech maker he is, I expect a strong performance from him.  His choice of Joe Biden as his running mate I personally don't think is a big deal nor will it change anything much in the overall dynamics in the race.  

(3) It appears likely that McCain will announce his VP pick as early as tomorrow, in part to shorten the cycle of attention for Obama and the Democrats that usually follows a convention.  I've heard mixed things.  A lot of people are suggesting Romney will be the guy, but I've heard a couple of comments to the contrary so I'm really not sure.  Of course I think it would be the best pick he could make, but we shall see.  

(4) Based on my brother David's request, my next topical post will be about health care policy.  It's an incredibly complex topic, but I'll try to break it down to the essentials and tell you what I know or can discern about the proposals of McCain and Obama on health care policy.  

Thanks everyone! 

McCain Classic Quote on Dems and Taxes

This is a great one from John McCain today regarding the two Democrats still in the race:

"Both promise big 'change.'  And a trillion dollars in new taxes over the next decade would certainly fit that description.  All these tax increases are the fine print under the slogan of 'hope:'  They're going to raise your taxes by thousands of dollars per year - and they have the audacity to hope you don't mind."