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Take Joe Lieberman....please.
After the shiny stagecraft of the Democratic National Convention last week, many people's minds turned to the question of how the Republicans would "top that" this week.
If Tuesday night was any indicator, the GOP won't best the Democrats in an apples-to-apples sense. The Democrats perhaps won hearts by pouring on the style. The Republicans look to win minds by hammering home substance.
Take Joe Lieberman. There's no confusing the Democrat-turned-independent Connecticut senator with a rock star. But he doesn't need flash. In his quiet, dignified way, Lieberman was devastating Tuesday night in undercutting the credentials of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama -- and underscoring the strong qualifications of Republican John McCain:
"Sen. Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead. But eloquence is no substitute for a record -- not in these tough times.
"In the Senate he has not reached across party lines to get anything significant done, nor has he been willing to take on powerful interest groups in the Democratic Party.
"Contrast that to John McCain's record, or the record of the last Democratic president, Bill Clinton, who stood up to some of those same Democratic interest groups and worked with Republicans to get important things done like welfare reform, free trade agreements and a balanced budget."
Lieberman was brilliant, and he showed why he, like McCain, is one of the last of the true American statesmen.
Given that, though, the speaker who should have switched the cleanup spot with Lieberman Tuesday night was former Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson. What a great, emotional recitation from him of McCain's unspeakable sacrifices.
"Now, being a POW certainly doesn't qualify anyone to be president," Thompson said of McCain's years of captivity during the Vietnam War. "But it does reveal character.
"My friends, this is the kind of character that civilizations from the beginning of our history have sought in their leaders -- strength, courage, humility, wisdom, duty, honor," Thompson said. "It's pretty clear there are two questions we'll never have to ask ourselves: 'Who is this man?' and 'Can we trust this man with the presidency?' "
The Republican Party isn't out to impress you with special effects this week. They intend on making the commonsense case for John McCain. To that end, Tuesday night marked an impressive start.
Comments
Take Joe Lieberman....please.
Republican Party: Old White Jingoists
She is the face of America and a pretty one. Seeing her family there, you know she will take care of them and the country. She will be the leader of the conservative movement for decades. Who would have thought a woman from a small town getting involved in the PTA would end up here? America, love it...just as she said.
sigraci: Still a racist.
Joe Lieberman,a liberal, has served the Dem for two decades, yet now a bastard child. Gives you some hint how the Dem party has changed into a gang of mindless socialist-not liberals. Of course by actually trying to work with Rep he has been labeled a traitor because he would put country over political party. Now he can count his days as an "active" member in congress by milliseconds.
I second that Sister and follow with an resounding Amen...But many feel that shouting out ugliness against white or Caucasians is just payback and therefore they believe it is righteous to say such things...
The left still speak from a position of fear. Of course, after her speech last night, I think they're doing the right thing. Nobama, noway.
It looks like the left will spend the next 2 months in a state of panic. None of the speeches bode well for the socialist party. We all see them for what they are, except for those that WILL not see.
PT we are not in any sort of a panic. Demographically speaking, the repug convention did look old and white. What's wrong with pointing that out. The Dem convention looked diverse, young, old and vibrant. The polling models are so wrong with the new, formerly self-disenfranchised and youth. Obama by double digits. Palin is likeable and seems like a really nice lady. However, she is just more of the same failed ideology. I'm glad your party is looking forward to your next 40 years in the wilderness. It really is not Mc's fault. You'll elected the guy you'd have a beer with twice and he has ruined your party...that's on y'all.
I stayed up and watched Sarah Palin's acceptance speech last night and thought she is well spoken and not afraid to tackle any issue including the press. No waffle or flip flop there. Maybe she'll take some members of Congress on a moose hunting trip. I hear she is more proficient with firearms than Dick Cheney!
DrGummit, wanna go moose hunting?
No thx beer, but her speech was well delivered and seemed genuine. But then again using the same std with Obama, its just words and rhetoric. I heard all the policy statements she made. You repugs say that Barack is all talk and no policies. All these speeches are rife with what people's policies are. Don't say that they are not there just because you disagree with them. I hear ya Sarah P, but i'm not buying the same old tired conservative failed policies.
Quite frankly I am tired of sitting on the sidelines listening to the same old rhetoric of the down trodden poor misunderstood group of people who believe they are due money and so much more from the government and the rest of the people...People who are supposed to continue working to provide restitution forever...These policies just might work if the government was not having to support so many with demands for more....
The next 60 days will tell the tale. The liberal press (CNN, PBS/NPR) are still up in arms after Palin's speech. Usually the base takes their cue from these two sources. I hope they're able to regain their self-control soon.
McCain chose Palin to play to the Rep conservative base, but McCain is anything but a conservative. Obama plays to liberals and socialist. No matter what the candidates say they have to work with Congress and the other party to get anything done. McCain has a long proven record of working with Dem (like McCain-Feingold act), which Obama will likely increase the divide and get little done in regard to any change. McCain has questioned Bush numerous times and especially had no confidence in Donald Rumsfeld who saw him an incompetent. What is strange is that McCain is more like the old Dem party and a McCain-Lieberman ticket would have been a possiblity, and so I find it odd he is the Rep nominee.
I just saw Biden on FOX and his biggest complaint about Palin is that she didn't address all of the need for major socialist programs and government aid to the people. Man, talk about a major divide in perspective.
Palin's speech was written by Bush's speech writer which means more of the same. I wonder what she could come up with on her own. Also, she spoke about the "good ole boys club" of which she and McCain are part of. The "picture" of the conventioners shows little diversity at all. What's wrong with that picture?! Certainly not a portrait of the makeup of the U.S. If elected, it will just be more of the same BU- -SH--. She took off the gloves with her insults and demeaning talk. So, I can't wait until she and Biden have a debate. She flip flopped on the "bridge to nowhere". Initially she was for it and then changed her mind when elected governor. That's just the tip of her iceburg. Haven't the common citizens of this country had enough yet? While the middle class and the poor struggle, the rich are not even inconvenienced by our dismal economy. That is why the economy was not even mentioned.
Obama is taking his plays straight out of the Clinton playbook. Appeal to the younger crowd that seldom looks at policies or experience and votes for the coolest candidate. If the younger generation wakes up and looks at the issues they will see that NoBama is the way to vote. Palin took it to them last night and what she said was Truth. And the Truth hurts when spoken out loud. "Two memoirs and not one law or bill ever penned" says it all.
coalminer, what is the speech writer's name? Since you seem to know. I would like to send them a congratulatory note.
Yeah coalminer give us some facts.
I thought it was Mulder!
I saw young, old, black and white at the Rep convention. You have to admit, even if you don't agree with Palin, she never stammered and is one hell of speaker. Many of you have blinders on because you are so caught up in your political party. We independents have no such loyalites.
Palin's speech last night was filled with misinformation and just plain lies. I don't have to make it up, just read your newspaper. Since you all have internet access, read the stories for yourselves.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080903/pl_mcclatchy/3035478
It's sad that the Rep party wants to play up her expertise as the Commander of the Alaska NG but when the NG is called up or deployed, it's under the federal government and not her command. McCain's campaign spokesman can't even defend her and the people will recognize how shallow she is prior to election day.
Coalminerpa - you're hitting those points that the Repubs don't want to talk about. Palin only came out against the "Brigde to Nowhere" after it receive bad press and criticism. Prior to that, she was all for it. She needs to stop talking about earmarks since her state has requested more money per capita than any other state. I also didn't hear her talk about her membership in the Alaska group that wants to secede. The talk was that Obama didn't wear a flag lapel pin but she wants Alaska to secede but all quiet from Republicans.Why?
The Democrats and the liberal left media won't like Joe's speech. It touches on character and service and voting record facts. Dems don't like facts. Hilliary doesn't think Obama is ready for the presidency, heck, Joe Biden doesn't think Obama is ready. I don't get it. What is it about this guy. Is it his lack of experience, his twisting of his own words, his refusal to stand by what he says, his lack of basic core beliefs, his situational ethics, his Marxist leanings, his fondness for all things socialist. The guy is a great speech reader, but when asked to answer spontaneous he becomes a stuttering fool. Just seems like an empty suit with lots of charisma.
What's going on here? This editorial is about Joe Lieberman but all the comments are about Sarah Palin. Looks like McCain's choice for VP has upstaged the empty-suit democrats and even outshines McCain. The Democrats with any sense have to be worried.
fd, were Sen. Obama and Gov Palin the first politician to use teleprompters? What's the big deal here?
Politcal Conventions are like movies, all full of acting and scripted scenes, etc. They are there to play on people's emotions and not intellect or common sense.
The CNN reporter, Campbell Brown, who questioned Tucker Bounds about what has Palin specifically done in regard to the National Guard later found out and reported she actually had and McCains mouthpiece didn't even know it. Remember too that Clinton quoted his being commander of the National Guard as part of his executive experience.
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