The republicans are no dummies.
By tightly controlling the story around Sarah Palin, with an unprecedented lack of access by reporters, two weeks after their convention – the story is still Sarah Palin. I turn on the radio or TV and all I hear are reporters complaining about the lack of access to her and how she is still such an unknown in the race.
Whether you consider that good press or bad press, it’s press. And she’s still getting a lot of it.
In Sunday School lately, we’ve digressed back to the time in our youth where it was uncool to read things outloud in class. I mean, what’s more embarrassing for our budding egos than mispronouncing the name Kishkumen or Pahoran or Ammonihah? (come on folks… amone-aye-hah? or amun-eye-uh? pick one!)
So lately to counteract the trend of deathly silence when the teacher asks “who will read…” I have been randomly jumping up and down in my seat, waving my hand in the air while shouting “pick me! pick me!” Totally kindergarten style! Then I proceed to mess up every proper name, place, and punctuation in the section.
John McCain did a reasonable job last night. At least, he didn’t botch the job, which was what many were expecting. It’s no great secret that this man is not much for oratory, but he did what he could to make a case for his presidency, and I think he actually made a more grounded, defined, specific case than Barack did.
Barack’s speech was a very high-level, kitchen sink speech. He is basically going to do everything in the world when he’s president. McCain’s speech just served to reaffirm that which we think he will already do. So I think I have a much more solid idea of what McCain’s priorities are. Barack, still not so much.
However, the best part of the convention came at the balloon drop where certain members of that “elite media” were given large red X’s to stand on… and poor Andrea Mitchell of MSNBC/NBC got exactly what was coming to her…
Just to get us off on the right foot… I couldn’t help but bring this up. Someone obviously didn’t inform HP’s former CEO that the projected backdrop for her speech would totally clash with her pantsuit:
YIKES! But for reals… down to business.
Back to school is kicking my buns. I have been running like a banshee with my hair on fire. We have 3 soccer games a week, 2 soccer practices a week, 2 dance practices, maybe 3 if one daughter gets into the class she wants, 1 preschool, (twice a week), 2 elementary school with daily homework and spelling words, 2 piano lessons (and thus practicing every day), 1 activity days, 1 playgroup, maybe 2 if my friend talks me into her’s too, plus a new yard to fix up, a new house to still finish organizing, laundry and still at least 3 hours of scrubbing/cleaning a week. That just touches it. The point? I haven’t had any time to watch the political conventions at all.
I have been reading up on the conventions as much as I can here and there, but it really isn’t much. I know nothing really, but I do have to say, that when I do, and particularly when it comes to Bill and Hillary, I feel like I am back in high school.
As promised, here are a few impressions from last night’s Republican National Convention:
Day one of the Republican National Convention was basically cancelled due to Hurricane Gustav making landfall yesterday. It appears like everything in the gulf coast will return to normal quick enough for the convention to get back on track today, but it still kind of ticks me off that the Democrat’s love fest didn’t get interrupted in a similar way.
I’m really glad they evacuated New Orleans, even though the storm was less powerful than expected. Of course, next time everyone will think “it’s not going to be bad, just like last time.” Why do we idiot humans think things can never be worse than last time? It’s almost like we have only the capability to store feelings from ‘the last time.’ Hopefully Katrina was tragic and disastrous enough that it will remind us for at least a generation to not mess with these things.
I’m telling you, the Reps can’t catch a break this year. Even the hurricanes are against them.
It has been a big week, and yesterday was a HUGE day in politics. I’m sure thousands (if not millions) of you logged on to see what I had to say about Barack’s speech and McCain’s VEEP pick.
Sorry for the disappointment.
Let me just say that instead, I focused on singing a lot of Karaoke last night. ‘Nuff said.
For those of you who wondered why I gave so much coverage to the DNC this week, don’t you fear. I will be putting the same amount of scrutiny into the upcoming RNC. So stay tuned.
How does this man do it? Bill Clinton definitely had the money line in last night’s speech:
People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example, than by the example of our power.
Bill was in rare form last night. He is one of the most gifted politicians I have ever witnessed in my lifetime, able to pull speeches like this out of you-know-where and knock them out of the park.
Now, I have one major problem with the logic here. I doubt a Vladamir Putin or a Mahmoud Ahmedinijad is paying much attention to America’s example. Everyone guns for the person in first place, and America has gotten slightly complacent as the world’s leading nation. However, my belief is that the only way America can stay on top in the long term is to always keep the moral high ground, to be above reproach and honest to ourselves and to the world.
That is all I have for today. Pitiful, I know. It was this or nothing at all.