so, i know i've had some pressure to give equal ink to mccain's speech as i gave to obama's last week, so here i am to share my thoughts. here goes:
-what was with those backgrounds? what was he doing, delivering the speech in front of a hollywood blue screen so that we can later put in a CGI president? like jar jar or gollum? weird.
-not that this matters AT ALL, but the man is hard for me to look at. i just keep thinking of men in black, how there are aliens among us. when i watch john mccain, i can't help but think that there's an alien in there and we are all in for a takeover.
-as to tone, i really appreciated mccain's speech over palin's. palin seemed so sarcastic and downright mean, while mccain seemed respectful. i appreciated that.
-as to substance, mccain's speech felt long and boring. i mean, don't get me wrong, his story of being a p.o.w. is absolutely amazing and compelling, but it doesn't necessarily make him the right person to be our president. the actual policy info seemed like the same old stuff.
-just as i was drawn to obama's claim of offering some change we can believe in, i felt somewhat drawn in by mccain's claim of being a reformer, a maverick, and really offering something different from where we've been. i long for that. so, at this point, i am really looking forward to the debates, so we can get a bit more clear about the issues. i want less cheerleading and more specifics about the plans these tickets have for leading our country into the future. the conventions were fun, but they were just that: conventions. they were gimmicky and polished and shaped by campaigners. now its time for these men and women to really talk about who they are and what they will do to lead us. i'm listening...
Comments
He signed onto 90% of President Bush's positions--that doesn't make him a maverick--it makes him a sidekick. If disagreeing 10% of the time makes one a "maverick," i'm a Lutheran maverick, apparently.
even in his own speech when he was describing his 'maverick' status, he was essentially describing a loner, what is often called in clergy circles a 'lone ranger.'
as far as palin let me be clear. anyone who knows me knows that i am a big supporter of women and believe that women should be treated with fairness and equality and respect. i am an advocate for women. but her gender does not automatically qualify her. i am glad a woman is once again in the running for vice president, and insofar as she is a woman and it would "break the glass ceiling" as it were, i am rooting for her. but, in terms of who she is and what kind of vice president (and possibly acting president) she might be, i have some issues with her, starting with the bitterness and the tone of her speech. i really hope to see more respect by all 4 of the candidates in the next couple of months. let the campaign operatives do the mudslinging. let's at least pretend to treat each other with respect. geesh.
and billy, i don't think any of these candidates are going to get into office and 'fix' much of anything. but they might have the chance to pick a supreme court justice or two, and meet with russia and china and georgia and iran. and maybe, just maybe, they will have some influence in how we move forward with our energy addiction, and that is an issue that matters very much to me.
o'reilly has been interviewing obama and will continue to air his interview mon-wed of this week on the fair and balanced news channel.
should you wish to hear more about issues and the like.
I live in St. Paul, MN. I drove past the convention site (the XCel Energy Center) downtown a few days before everyone showed up, and this was my impression: "Hey, what's with all the concrete barriers, and why is there a CIRCUS TENT downtown? Oh...the tent has a huge Fox News logo on it..."