John McCain Takes His Case to the RNC
Posted in Public Affairs, wordpress, Politics, campaign, election, McCain, GOP, conservative, News Media, Opinion, David Brooks, Gov Sarah Palin on September 5th, 2008 by Stanford Matthews 
The view from this blog contrasts some of what was heard from Shields and Brooks on PBS with Jim Lehrer and Judy Woodruff. You may wonder why someone with conservative views would tune in to PBS for RNC coverage on McCain’s night to shine. Let’s just call it this way. Shields, pretty much left leaning with a mixture of objective and subjective analysis and commentary. Brooks, largely conservative and some may say more often right leaning than objective yet in fact he is as balanced or more so than Shields.
Tonight was a good example for bearing out the judgment above. Both columnists agreed that their impression of McCain’s reform theme sounded like throw the bums out and that the base offered a tepid response to that part of the speech. Is this blog the only place that gets it? Country first, not party first as well as a reform agenda reaching across the aisle for any reasonable solutions to the issues we face. He mentioned BOTH parties failed to accomplish the necessary objectives for the American people and it needs to be corrected. If it is throw the bums out it is throw the bums from both parties that ‘work for themselves’ rather than work for ‘the people’. Why neither Shields or Brooks or anyone else on the PBS coverage did not get that defies logic.
What would have made more sense is to be honest and say some past ‘bipartisan’ efforts by Senator McCain were not successful. McCain/Feingold and McCain/Kennedy would be two of the more notorious examples. Even assuming McCain participated with the best of intentions, most accounts say the campaign finance law was a failure but with due respect to McCain the Supreme Court handled a free speech exception that was one of the items that doomed the stated intent of the legislation. And to his credit Senator McCain admitted he learned his lesson from the American people on McCain/Kennedy but still holds with the idea that the American people are compassionate and will embrace amnesty after the borders are secure. With the GOP platform supporting the rule of law on immigration and the sound thrashing Congress received last summer on McCain/Kennedy there is reason to believe amnesty is dead. But one never can be too sure.
It is well known that John McCain is not an orator. With that in mind, ignoring minor stumbles and earlier reports of teleprompter errors, McCain’s overall performance on his address to the RNC this evening was above average. Sarah Palin’s rousing performance was a tough act to follow on speech making. But for all the criticism McCain endures of his references to his military service and POW experience, together with the finale of the speech it was moving, obviously heart felt and passionate. Rather compelling testimony from a Presidential candidate seeking to convince the public he has the country’s well being at the center of his efforts. His lifelong service to country and a brief review of that history should satisfy most viewers that he is genuine and honestly interested and capable to discharge responsibilities of the Office of President of the United States.
With reports that Obama/Biden’s lead in the polls is all but disappeared, beyond an RNC bounce it may indicate that the country is getting it. Part of the message from McCain/Palin these last few days expressed the notion that we won’t all agree all the time but will be able to work through problems and do what is best for the country. That means not every item on everyone’s wish list will be accommodated. To be realistic we must all take some bad with any good. And to this point the most promising chance for what is best for this country lies with McCain/Palin.
McCain Accepts Republican Nomination, Pledges to Reform Washington
John McCain’s RNC Address Sept 4, 2008 (transcript)
Stanford Matthews
MoreWhat.com
To Michelle Obama’s credit, and if the bio is accurate, with a modest beginning was able to successfully complete work at Princeton and Harvard Law and have successful careers at a law firm concentrating on marketing and intellectual property, as an intern with the controversial Mayor Daly of Chicago in planning and development, starting a public service organization and then became Associate Dean of Students at the University of Chicago. This seems to bear out her claim that she and her husband have chosen community service as how they make their livings. Which by all accounts have been lucrative. How does one earn a substantial income working in community service? That may be where the elitist label is generated.
little more substance and get the nod from the afforementioned commentators as well as a larger segment of the population that not only appreciate a flare for spectacular presentation but eventually ask, where’s the beef? Where are the specifics and what have you accomplished to qualify you to be President?
It’s madness. Its madness I tell ya. A view from the PBS coverage tonite included a woman listening after Carter spoke via whatever and Obama’s half-sister was speaking. She was already teary-eyed. Then there was one who looked stunned or confused or just plain not happy. One could guess the first already drank some Kook-Aid and the other hand not. Apparently one Obama supporter and one for Clinton. Two different kinds of Kook-Aid are being offered.
While observing some of the coverage by PBS of the Dems convention this evening some points are reinforced. To go further than David Brooks opinion of Pelosi’s speech that she basically said Obama is a Democrat and that is good so vote for a Democrat, she mentioned again that nagging failed agenda of a New Direction for America which they may have unveiled for the 2006 midterms and nothing has happened since. She also credited Obama with the toughest ethics legislation in decades, another falsehood. Then Jimmy Carter helped them point to their manufactured victims. Then his half-sister said Barack helped her follow her dreams and would do the same for you. If that is the case, why couldn’t she follow her dreams independently? Did she need Barack to do that? Here we go again. The Dems can do nothing but repeat their tired old mantra of hope and change. Because that is all they have to offer. Hope and change that never provides solutions. They were victorious in the 2006 elections and nothing has come of it yet. Now they want you to give them the White House and nothing would come of that except extending the political future of do nothings.
Don’t be shocked if a high percentage of independents and even Democrats vote for John McCain. Obama should lose much of the women’s vote without Clinton and the ad from McCain on the story above may begin to convince more women that the GOP is a better choice for them. It is for most people. It is just a simple matter of them not figuring that out yet. GOP perfect? Not even close. But they are far and away better than the left choice. As it works out on two acounts, they are the right choice.
Fourth place finds columnist David Brooks being bested by two villains and a fashion statement. One can only ponder whether his writing is viewed favorably or not. As it would appear he performs the conservative duties countered by Mark Shields liberal leanings on the PBS News Hour hosted by Jim Lehrer in their Friday discussions, it is again left to the audience to determine the value of the commentary. Was the author who wrote for the Weekly Standard that ended up at the NYT late to the game? Brooks once suggested that an opportunity to work for the NYT was the holy grail or brass ring of journalistic ambitions. The timing suggests that the move came after the revelation exposing plagiarism within the ranks and lax oversight by management amid allegations of publishing habits that posed a clear and present danger to national security.
That climate, global warming, Al Gore and arctic are found on the list may suggest an obsession with the environment and an unhealthy fixation on one side of an issue. The presence of other groups of related search terms may also suggest the thinking of the audience and any successful business knows appealing to their preferred market reflects well on the bottom line. Is it too foolish to propose that content appealing to a broad range of viewpoints could be equally successful?
