Republican Convention Thread.

[lostfan]

I watched one of the smartest people in computer security give a speech and just was in shock at how horrible it was. I have met the man personally and have talked to him, brilliant person horrible horrible public speaker.

Was he awkward socially?

[lostfan]

I said that the left winger bloggers would be like moths to a flame on this speech, and gee, I Was right.

I predict that by approximately 8:30 am the sky will be lighter than it is now.

 

At 8:31 I will pat myself on the back for being right.

[southsideirish71]

Was he awkward socially?

 

 

 

Bingo.

 

[kapkomet]

I predict that by approximately 8:30 am the sky will be lighter than it is now.

 

At 8:31 I will pat myself on the back for being right.

I know, I know... too easy.

 

In all honesty, it cracks me up because all these libs want to talk about the GOP spin machine. s***, these libs can rip apart anything faster then the GOP machine can even start up.

 

[HuskyCaucasian]

I know, I know... too easy.

 

In all honesty, it cracks me up because all these libs want to talk about the GOP spin machine. s***, these libs can rip apart anything faster then the GOP machine can even start up.

we're better organized

[farmteam]

I definitely felt mocking (and then the crowd laughing at) the Community Organizer stuff was a bit classless.

 

I'm more surprised that there hasn't been a lot of talk about her comment about Obama only caring about prisoners' rights (can't remember the exact words). To me, it sounded like she was saying prisoners don't have rights if the U.S. government doesn't want them to.

[HuskyCaucasian]

I definitely felt mocking (and then the crowd laughing at) the Community Organizer stuff was a bit classless.

 

I'm more surprised that there hasn't been a lot of talk about her comment about Obama only caring about prisoners' rights (can't remember the exact words). To me, it sounded like she was saying prisoners don't have rights if the U.S. government doesn't want them to.

It was something along the lines of that Obama is more interested in giving terrorists in Gitmo rights than he is in fighting terror.

 

"Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America ... he's worried that someone won't read them their rights?"

 

I think it was Rudy who also said a similar line.

[Rex Kickass]

It's real early to see what the reaction will be. Might be a big bounce for the GOP, might be negative, might have no effect at all really. I saw about half the speech.... and have seen people saying it was as good as Obama's speech. I disagree and here's why.

 

When I watched Obama's Speech, I thought to myself "Wow, this is getting really negative. Reminds me of McCain's green screen speech a couple months ago." Then he talked about the positive changes he would make - with some substance behind them. He would attack but do so respectfully. His speech was as much about making America better and what he can do to help make it better as it was to show how McCain wasn't right.

 

Palin's speech was all about his family. Then it was about cheap shot after cheap shot. No real substance to the speech. Nothing to tell me why she's a good choice. Just cheap shot after cheap shot. It felt nasty.

 

I'm biased, I admit. I'm voting for the Democrat regardless because I feel that is the party that bests works for my interests. But if I was undecided? I'd probably look for the candidate who doesn't feel like the only way to win is to be nasty.

[FlaSoxxJim]

We all knew Huck was telling a whopper when he stated that Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

 

But, I had no Idea how off-base he was. Or how few people it actually took to vote this nasty woman into mayoral office.

AP: Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor's election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.

 

The reality, then, is that Barracuda got just over 2% of the votes running for mayor of Frozen Mayberry that Biden did in the primaries before bowing out.

 

Sounds like Huck has got a bad case of Karl Rove Math.

[jackie hayes]

I definitely felt mocking (and then the crowd laughing at) the Community Organizer stuff was a bit classless.

 

I'm more surprised that there hasn't been a lot of talk about her comment about Obama only caring about prisoners' rights (can't remember the exact words). To me, it sounded like she was saying prisoners don't have rights if the U.S. government doesn't want them to.

Athomeboy gave you the quote, but just to be clear on the context -- it's a reference to the Supreme Court decision stating that Guantanamo Bay prisoners do have habeas corpus rights. It's part of the 'red meat', as many Republicans are angry about that decision. Obama supported it, McCain opposed it. The administration's position is basically what you said, applied to the Gitmo prisoners -- that they have no rights. Presumably, McCain believes the same thing.

[jackie hayes]

It's real early to see what the reaction will be. Might be a big bounce for the GOP, might be negative, might have no effect at all really. I saw about half the speech.... and have seen people saying it was as good as Obama's speech. I disagree and here's why.

 

When I watched Obama's Speech, I thought to myself "Wow, this is getting really negative. Reminds me of McCain's green screen speech a couple months ago." Then he talked about the positive changes he would make - with some substance behind them. He would attack but do so respectfully. His speech was as much about making America better and what he can do to help make it better as it was to show how McCain wasn't right.

 

Palin's speech was all about his family. Then it was about cheap shot after cheap shot. No real substance to the speech. Nothing to tell me why she's a good choice. Just cheap shot after cheap shot. It felt nasty.

 

I'm biased, I admit. I'm voting for the Democrat regardless because I feel that is the party that bests works for my interests. But if I was undecided? I'd probably look for the candidate who doesn't feel like the only way to win is to be nasty.

"This election is not about issues." It wasn't a slip, it's an organizing idea behind this convention and the McCain campaign.

[EvilMonkey]

It's nice that you all can infer things to feel indignant about from her speech. i too could have used a few less funny jabs, but she wasn't mocking community organizers per say, but mocking the idea that registering people to vote equates to executive experience. That is like saying he can be President because he stayed at a Holiday Inn Express. And the comments about her 'cockiness'? Oh please. The Obama camp exudes cockiness, with his 'President' chair on his campaign plane to all his faux presidential seals. Maybe it is creative editing or just luck of photographers, but it seems like every time they print a picture of Obama, he has his head tilted back just a bit so he appears to be looking down on people. That, or his logo is positioned behind him so that the circle looks like a halo, or aura around his head. And quit comparing her speech to Obama's. She is running for VP. Biden's speech contained no meat either, so why did hers have to?

[kapkomet]

"This election is not about issues." It wasn't a slip, it's an organizing idea behind this convention and the McCain campaign.

And that is the reason McCain loses. And big. If they can't win on issues, RSO's going to clean their clock in a popularity contest.

 

[BigSqwert]

I think people are overestimating what it takes to stand up in front of a large group of strangers and make a speech. Memorizing a speech is one thing, being able to stand up and deliver the content fluidly is another. I have spent a lot of my career speaking at conferences, and in front of large amounts of people. There is a difference when you have a small room of a hundred, and another when you are on a stage with a wireless headset speaking to a large auditorium being video broadcast.

No doubt.

[BigSqwert]

We all knew Huck was telling a whopper when he stated that Palin "got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States."

 

But, I had no Idea how off-base he was. Or how few people it actually took to vote this nasty woman into mayoral office.

 

 

The reality, then, is that Barracuda got just over 2% of the votes running for mayor of Frozen Mayberry that Biden did in the primaries before bowing out.

 

Sounds like Huck has got a bad case of Karl Rove Math.

Dang. He wasn't even almost correct in his lie.

[BigSqwert]

Mystery Solved!

 

A lot of people were asking tonight: what the hell was that mansion up behind John McCain tonight during the first part of the speech? As I noted below, the TV close-ups only showed McCain's head against the grass in the picture, which made it look like he was reprising his famed green screen performance. And when they panned out, it looked like McCain was showing off one of his mansions.

 

Well, several readers have written in to tell me that the building is actually the main building on the campus of the Walter Reed Middle School in North Hollywood, California. And sure enough, this page on the school's website makes it pretty clear that they're correct.

 

You can compare below ...

 

 

So it's not a mansion, but a middle school. But that still doesn't answer the question of why they picked this picture to have him standing in front of -- when I would imagine that 99.9% of the US population would have no idea what they were looking at.

 

(ed.note: Thanks to TPM Readers JR and EK for cluing us in.)

 

Late Update: I'm surprised this hadn't occurred to me. But several readers have suggested that perhaps one of the tech geeks charged with setting up the audio/visual bells and whistles for the evening was tasked with getting pictures of Walter Reed Army Medical Center but goofed and got this instead. At first I thought, No, that's ridiculous. This is a major political party with big time professionals putting this together. Nothing is left to chance. I mean, is this the RNC or a scene out Spinal Tap or Waiting for Guffman? I still have a bit of a hard time believing they're quite that incompetent. But when you figure in what appears to be the utter lack of any logic for this school being behind McCain and the fact that it has 'Walter Reed' in its name, I'm really not sure you can discount this possibility.

 

(ed.note: Special bonus snark: That's not stock photo keyword searching we can believe in.)

 

LINK

[kapkomet]

It amazes me that people sit there and pick this s*** apart just purely to say, HA, GOTCHA! It means NOTHING.

[NorthSideSox72]

Heh. I posted in the Palin thread about her speech, surprised no one had posted about it. Hadn't gotten into this thread yet. Sorry.

 

[BigSqwert]

And where was McCain's flag pin!?!?

 

He hates our troops!!!

 

[southsider2k5]

I will probably be alone when I say this, but I thought John McCain made the speech of a lifetime last night. He did exactly what he had to do last night. It was a very positive speech, unlike Obama's who spent most of the night attacking Bush and McCain, and unlike Palin, who spent most of her speech taking pot-shots at Obama. McCain actually sounded like the guy I wanted to vote for in 2000, by moving back to the middle of the road, instead of the right wing conservative crap he has spewed to try to lock down the right wing. I also really liked that unlike Obama, he was willing to stand up and critisize his own party, and their failures economically and in Washington. He also did a very good job of leaving all of the religious overtones to a very small minimum, and largely out of the speech. He actually won my vote yesterday instead of being the guy who was the guy I could hold my nose for. The stand up and fight charge at the end was the best inspiration since Bush on the rubble pile.

 

Bravo.

[kapkomet]

I will probably be alone when I say this, but I thought John McCain made the speech of a lifetime last night. He did exactly what he had to do last night. It was a very positive speech, unlike Obama's who spent most of the night attacking Bush and McCain, and unlike Palin, who spent most of her speech taking pot-shots at Obama. McCain actually sounded like the guy I wanted to vote for in 2000, by moving back to the middle of the road, instead of the right wing conservative crap he has spewed to try to lock down the right wing. I also really liked that unlike Obama, he was willing to stand up and critisize his own party, and their failures economically and in Washington. He also did a very good job of leaving all of the religious overtones to a very small minimum, and largely out of the speech. He actually won my vote yesterday instead of being the guy who was the guy I could hold my nose for. The stand up and fight charge at the end was the best inspiration since Bush on the rubble pile.

 

Bravo.

I thought the same as well and hadn't had a chance to post this, I thought his speech last night was VERY well done.

 

[NorthSideSox72]

I will probably be alone when I say this, but I thought John McCain made the speech of a lifetime last night. He did exactly what he had to do last night. It was a very positive speech, unlike Obama's who spent most of the night attacking Bush and McCain, and unlike Palin, who spent most of her speech taking pot-shots at Obama. McCain actually sounded like the guy I wanted to vote for in 2000, by moving back to the middle of the road, instead of the right wing conservative crap he has spewed to try to lock down the right wing. I also really liked that unlike Obama, he was willing to stand up and critisize his own party, and their failures economically and in Washington. He also did a very good job of leaving all of the religious overtones to a very small minimum, and largely out of the speech. He actually won my vote yesterday instead of being the guy who was the guy I could hold my nose for. The stand up and fight charge at the end was the best inspiration since Bush on the rubble pile.

 

Bravo.

I'm looking forward to watching it on my DVR.

 

I don't agree that Obama spent most of the night attacking Bush and McCain, but, that was a different speech. I'll be curious to see this more positive McCain, and see if he really did out-positive Obama.

 

[BigSqwert]

I will probably be alone when I say this, but I thought John McCain made the speech of a lifetime last night. He did exactly what he had to do last night. It was a very positive speech, unlike Obama's who spent most of the night attacking Bush and McCain, and unlike Palin, who spent most of her speech taking pot-shots at Obama. McCain actually sounded like the guy I wanted to vote for in 2000, by moving back to the middle of the road, instead of the right wing conservative crap he has spewed to try to lock down the right wing. I also really liked that unlike Obama, he was willing to stand up and critisize his own party, and their failures economically and in Washington. He also did a very good job of leaving all of the religious overtones to a very small minimum, and largely out of the speech. He actually won my vote yesterday instead of being the guy who was the guy I could hold my nose for. The stand up and fight charge at the end was the best inspiration since Bush on the rubble pile.

 

Bravo.

Apparently you did not watch that speech.

Edited September 5, 2008 by BigSqwert

[southsider2k5]

Apparently you did not watch that speech.

 

I watched it and got sick of hearing the names Bush and McCain. It was very disappointing. Like I said, I had the same problem with the Palin speech.

[lostfan]

I will probably be alone when I say this, but I thought John McCain made the speech of a lifetime last night. He did exactly what he had to do last night. It was a very positive speech, unlike Obama's who spent most of the night attacking Bush and McCain, and unlike Palin, who spent most of her speech taking pot-shots at Obama. McCain actually sounded like the guy I wanted to vote for in 2000, by moving back to the middle of the road, instead of the right wing conservative crap he has spewed to try to lock down the right wing. I also really liked that unlike Obama, he was willing to stand up and critisize his own party, and their failures economically and in Washington. He also did a very good job of leaving all of the religious overtones to a very small minimum, and largely out of the speech. He actually won my vote yesterday instead of being the guy who was the guy I could hold my nose for. The stand up and fight charge at the end was the best inspiration since Bush on the rubble pile.

 

Bravo.

I was watching someone last night saying how this was a divorcing of the Republican party from Bush.