RNC 2008

[IchorFigure]

It looks as though God has sent hurricane Gustav in order to punish the Republicans for having too many homosexual folk and irreligious types amongst their ranks this year. That or perhaps it's the Republicans supreme disrespect for Giae that has global warming karma biting them in the rear. Seriously though, the convention as it's sounding right now will be delayed until Tuesday, or further. Rumor is McCain might even have to accept his nomination via satellite if it's that bad. I'm actually a little bummed, because I'm really curious about how they will come off on some of the leftist areas, and it doesn't look like a solid 4 day lineup will happen. It seems to me as though they have been shifting to the left at least on issues such as environmentalism, energy, and the welfare state.

Check out their stage setup as well, it's basically one enormous video flag. It's like Fox News threw up all over a Nuremberg rally.

[gags]

W is currently talking by satellite. Damn the man is just painful to watch. Earlier they showed a pretty slick short video on Mike Monsoor, the Navy Seal who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. It was very inspiring. Too bad so many good men like Monsoor have been sacrificed because Bush didn't fight the war the way it should have been fought. Of course, that wasn't in the video.

Edited September 3, 2008 by gags

[dadmonson]

I'm still trying to decide who I'm going to vote for.

[softwareNerd]

The signs being waved say "Service" and "Country First". I think McCain might well try to push some mandatory service of the type that Obama wants too.

[01503]

The signs being waved say "Service" and "Country First". I think McCain might well try to push some mandatory service of the type that Obama wants too.

Every time I look outward into the world, I see that what Rand said becomes more and more true. They really ARE two sides of the same coin. It's either for "the people", "the country", "the public good", "the environment", "for America", for everything except yourself. Apparently, as Obama said, we are all our brothers' keepers. And, according to McCain, we must work for a cause higher than ourselves.

[TheEgoist]

Neglecting just about everything surrounding the convention, I thought Thompson's speech was quite good from a political standpoint, and his re-telling of McCain's brutal 5 years in Vietnam nearly brought a tear to my eye. That DOES take a man, but unfortunately it's not a man I want running this country, ever.

[Mammon]

W is currently talking by satellite. Damn the man is just painful to watch. Earlier they showed a pretty slick short video on Mike Monsoor, the Navy Seal who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. It was very inspiring. Too bad so many good men like Monsoor have been sacrificed because Bush didn't fight the war the way it should have been fought. Of course, that wasn't in the video.

What was in the video was how Mike was a hero because he put his country before himself. Country first.

[IchorFigure]

Neglecting just about everything surrounding the convention, I thought Thompson's speech was quite good from a political standpoint, and his re-telling of McCain's brutal 5 years in Vietnam nearly brought a tear to my eye. That DOES take a man, but unfortunately it's not a man I want running this country, ever.

I'd agree there on all of those points. I watched the Obama and McCain biographys on CNN the other day which went into his military career.

I'm writing up a summary but I stink at being brief and I'm trying to edit my notes down.

[agrippa1]

Every time I look outward into the world, I see that what Rand said becomes more and more true. They really ARE two sides of the same coin. It's either for "the people", "the country", "the public good", "the environment", "for America", for everything except yourself. Apparently, as Obama said, we are all our brothers' keepers. And, according to McCain, we must work for a cause higher than ourselves.

Both wings of the Republicrat party have reached a new low in the level of expectations from their leaders. Never has there been a more fertile field for a serious, liberal (small 'l') third party. And who do we get? That old elephant Babar in a Libertarian suit. wtf?

[IchorFigure]

Admittedly, there are respectable things about McCain. Unfortunately, this convention seems focused on his worst premise of his campaign, service. The second minor theme seems to be highlighting the heritage the Republicans have with the values of the Founding Fathers. Mmmhmmm what a mix. The signs held up by the crowd say, "Country First" and "Service", and match the large banners siding the stadium walls. This convention was also pocketed with multicultural parading. The prayers offered by the rabbi, or the black NBA player. The native Americans in full dress retiring the flag. The adopted children from poor countries, and of course the women folk.

Because of the hurricane, day 1 was very brief and centered around it. First they instructed everyone to take out their cell phones, and text message to the Red Cross to donate to hurricane relief. Then Kevin McCarthy gave a speech about the role of government saying; "It's their money, they earned it and they have a right to keep it"..."some people in Washington have all the answers we disagree" no to new bureaucracy and no to the costs they bring"..."[people should have] a healthy distrust in the role of govt intervention in peoples lives". Sounds good on the face of it, I'm not sure where he's been the last 8 years though.

Day two started with surprise, another prayer. Requesting we Republicans prevail "so that we might be a blessing to other nations of the earth". Later a pastor would also thank god for "the evacuation opportunity" given to us in the hurricane. I guess that would be the opportunity provided by the satellites and weather imagery devices made possible by applying reason, not prayer.

Next, Wes Gullett paraded his daughter out onto stage where he talked all about how great it is to "service others" by adopting poor foreign children. The kid smiled and waved, and Cindy McCains adopted daughter smiled and waved. "Serve a cause greater than your self interest I've listened to McCain say". The entire time he gives this stiff, trite speech, his daughter is just standing idly having to listen about how grateful she has to be to this guy apparently only wanted a daughter to "service mankind". I can't even imagine the nerve of having a parent like that. "We have duties to others and duties to ourselves, and we can shirk neither" a quote from Teddy Roosevelt plays sandwiched in between speeches. A leader for a farmers charity speaking about service again what's important is you find it in your heart to find time to provide service for others" "make it a way of life" "true heroes are the ones across our country who provide service to others."

On to military service now. Captain Leslie Smith gave a moving speech about her time in the Middle East. She suffered a leg injury and had to have medicine but she is allergic to it. However she wanted to live (although she had to turn down the vision of her dead grandma and dog she saw!) so she had the medicine applied "and miraculously i recovered!". Afterwards, she started asking "why me? The most liberating day came when i stopped saying 'why me', and started saying 'why not me'?". Followed shortly after by a little boy with asthma who grew up to be a Navy Seal. During a fire fight in Iraq he threw himself onto a grenade without a hesitation, and so "for putting his country before self he became a hero in the War on Terror". Of course they wouldn't be willing to consider that maybe he valued his freedom so much, that he'd rather die than have to be a grateful serf in the way these people keep trumpeting.

Altruism is a hell of a thing. It is moving to hear these stories of people who lost their lives fighting for America. It's also appalling and perverse at the same time that they are toting them for political agendas, and to hold them up as someone who destroyed themselves for the rest of us who are now eternally indebted and could only ever hope to match such virtue by destroying ourselves for others as well.

Laura Bush is up, and pushing for Hillary votes by reminding us all of the females in Bush's circle. Also noting the 2million africans who receive aid from American thanks to Bush, and how 50 million people within Afghanistan and Iraq now enjoy freedom. Now president Bush gave a speech which is sure to have had what will be the most talked about quote in the next few days. Calling the Democrats "the angry Left". There were some other swipes to the Democrats, including Joe Leibermann himself giving an extensive speech supporting McCain. Norm Coleman speaking about a former mayor of Minnesota who was infamous for saying "I'm not indecisive, am I?" saying it should be the slogan of Obama's campaign.

Fred Thompson also gave a (charismatically) great speech, urging to vote for "a woman who has actually governed rather than just hit up the Washington cocktail circuit". And also against voting for someone who uses "a teleprompter speech designed to appeal to our enemies abroad". My favorite quote of the night, "[the Dems are] just going to tax business. So unless you purchase products from business don't worry its not gonna affect you".

YES, right on. Followed right after by, "someone who doesn't think that not protecting the unborn deserves a copious pay grade" Ohh... never mind.

My thoughts so far on these two conventions this year. It seems as though we will have to choose.

Do we want service to God and the military, or to environment and others? Do we want our politicians to pray at the end or the beginning and end of their conventions, or all throughout? Do we want our nationalized charity to go to protestant churches, or liberationists churches? Tough, issues to consider all around.

[gags]

What was in the video was how Mike was a hero because he put his country before himself. Country first.

I think Monsoor probably did what he did because he valued his comrades to such a high degree. That the political spinmeisters would take that and turn it into a cheesy slogan to rally the party loyalists isn't surprising. At least the video honored a man who deserves every bit of recognition he received and more.

[IchorFigure]

Hahaha, for as much as a Mormon freak Mitt Romney is, his Al Gore crack was amusing. His speech was pretty on target, although I don't know how much he actually believes it or is willing to do such things

[IchorFigure]

There was a lot of solid speeches tonight, peppered in with support for pro-"life", and "traditional" marriage. Lots of hypocritical references to keeping government size and spending small as well. They really excelled at making some nasty stabs at the Democrats however, if that matters. It was somewhat entertaining at least.

[Mammon]

Guess who this knocked up bitch is?

Can't wait too get this one in the White House.

Edited September 4, 2008 by Mammon

[agrippa1]

Guess who this knocked up bitch is?

Can't wait too get this one in the White House.

Sell it to Kos

... I suppose you'd prefer this bitch:

[gags]

Guess who this knocked up bitch is?

Can't wait too get this one in the White House.

You are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for dirt now. How pathetic.

[Steve D'Ippolito]

Frankly, this whole business about her daughter is totally irrelevant. Even Obama has declared it off limits, even if his suckups at Daily Kos and Moveon refuse to give it a rest.

You look like a heel bringing it up, Mammon.

Why do I get the impression that you aren't simply for Obama because you are against the Republicans, but actually for Obama regardless of his opponent?

[edit--replaced "give" with "get" in the last sentence--*minor* change in meaning there! ]

Edited September 4, 2008 by Steve D'Ippolito

[D'kian]

Frankly, this whole business about her daughter is totally irrelevant.

Indeed. As far as I'm aware, only Sarah Palin would be the VP, not her entire family. Nor am I aware that any of her daughters are being considered for an adminsitration post.

[volco]

haha, just watched Lieberman's speech. *enlightning*! Guess he's kinda scared to have a potential muslim in office.

SERVICE!

[KendallJ]

You are really scraping the bottom of the barrel for dirt now. How pathetic.

Thanks Gags, I wasn't going to say anthing when I first saw it. Mammon, you really do your point a discredit with posts like this one. THere is far too much to be upset with the Republicans on, that sticks to the realm of ideas, to require you to become a punk.

[D'kian]

Rudy gave a good half speech, most of it devoted to thrashing Barak Obama. Nothing really new in that, but I was surprised how far Rudy ridiculed Obama. Ridicule is supposed to inspire laughter and, thus, contempt. It's ugly. Still, he made a good point about how often Obama has voted "Present," during his time in the Illinois legislature and the Senate. "Present" used to be a kind of protest vote. But if it's used too much it does ressemble "I don't know. I can't make up my mind."

The other half of his speech, alas, was largely altruistic. It seems the theme in this year's convention is "service to a purpose bigger/higher than yourself."

I expected Rudy to discuss Iran seriously. I was disappointed.

[gags]

The "Country First" and "Service" themes are horrible. I'd prefer the "Gridlock!" theme.

[exaltron]

The "Country First" and "Service" themes are horrible. I'd prefer the "Gridlock!" theme.

Indeed, I would say the "country before self" theme is altruistic and expressly anti-objectivist. Risking your life when faced with the alternative of living under tyranny is certainly rational and proper, but the "country first" rhetoric is mostly useful to idiotic Republicans who prefer that those who they need to sacrifice themselves don't question their duty.

[IchorFigure]

So far the Democrats defense to last night seems to be "they're just being mean" and "they didn't mention how to fix the economy". I'm not sure if there's going to be any theme tonight like economy, or foreign policy, or if it's mainly just his acceptance speech. I wouldn't mind hearing a little bit more about both of those topics.

[IchorFigure]

Day 4 seemed to focus roughly on foreign policy with other issues here and there.

There was a long string of typical, unremarkable speakers. And then one of the more standout moments in my mind. A brief montage of the history of Islamic terrorism and the U.S. which did a good job of illustrating how long and agonized and subordinate to weak politics it has all been. Poignant and dramatic. And then next up... an extremely religious NFL coach and Nascar team owner Joe Gibbs.

"I think life is a game"..."you and i are players and god is the coach"..."would he put us here without a game plan? Absolutely not"..."his game plan leads to success". And, "wouldn't it be great to have someone who will say 'i wonder what god will think about this' "it's my hope that McCain and Palin will lead America to a spiritual revival so that god can truly bless America". I do not think this man necessarily speaks for McCain. But he absolutely speaks for the kind of people in McCain's party who he would be to impotent to know how to stand up to.

Finally McCain made his acceptance speech. Early on there was a couple protesters or something that caused a ruckus and had to be thrown out. He commented something like "pay no attention to the static and background noise". It was mostly the same things we've already heard a thousand times, and long elaborations on his military career. It picked up steam at the end, about when he made it through his time in Hanoi and was transformed by love for Americas ideals saying, "I wasn't my own man anymore, i was my country's". "Nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself".

Honestly the end of his speech was pretty damn rousing. Insisting "we stand up for what is right". If I didn't think those promises were so hollow, and given the last several years of Republican rule, I might just be persuaded that "their kinder, gentler form of rape is actually consensual sex".