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Thursday, September 04, 2008
Ever Get the Feeling
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 11:28 PM
Obama peaked too soon ...

And McCain is just now catching his stride???




Thursday, September 04, 2008
My Favorite Lines from McCain's Speech
Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 11:22 PM
Nope, it wasn't a barnburner speech. But, we all know speeches aren't really McCain's thing. I'm betting McCain will be a lot more fiery in the coming debates like he was at Saddleback Church a few weeks ago.

Although the speech wasn't as rousing as Sarah Palin's last night, there were several noteworthy moments. Here are the lines that stuck out to me the most:

-To Obama,  "Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us. We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other."

-About Governor Palin: "I’m very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington."

- "I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not."

- "I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s."

-"We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history. "





Thursday, September 04, 2008
McCain Rips Bush in New Book
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 11:02 PM

Bob Woodward's new book, "The War Within," may help John McCain remind voters of his past policy disagreements with President George W. Bush.  According to Fox:

"Woodward notes that Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama opposed the surge, while GOP presidential candidate John McCain was “advocating more troops for years.” Woodward also quotes McCain expressing frustration with the Bush White House, clenching his fists in the West Wing and exclaiming to Woodward: “Everything is f---ing spin.”





Thursday, September 04, 2008
McCain's Moment: "Change Is Coming"
Posted by: Hugh Hewitt at 10:10 PM
"I am not in the habit of breaking my promises to my country, and neither is Governor Palin."

In a strong speech that crescendoed to a stirring close, Senator McCain laid out a classically conservative series of policy objectives, with a large emphasis on education reform --a very smart priority for the fall campaign.  And his pledge to shake the spending culture of Washington to its roots is as sincere as it is overdue.

McCain's rhetorical stride, always steady from his gracious-to-Obama beginning through his response to scattered hecklers --"Please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static"-- gained momentum when he turned to energy and then beyond that to the war,

"We must see the threats to liberty clearly," was the point at which McCain began to leave Obama in the rear view mirror.  The more he talked --about al Qaeda and Iran, about "the brave people of Georgia"--the more his thorough seriousness about the job ahead contrasted most sharply with the absurdity of Obama's claim to be prepared for the presidency and the job of Commander-in-Chief."

"I am not afraid of them," he said of the world's thugs.  "I am prepared for them."

"I know how the world works, the good and evil in it," he declared. 
"I know how to secure the peace."

Early on, McCain announced: "But let there be no doubt, my friends, we are going to win this election."

The contrast between McCain and Obama is so sharp, the vast gulf between the former's sacrifice, service and experience and the latter's extravagant sense of self so wide, that there is every reason to believe McCain.








Thursday, September 04, 2008
McCain!
Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 10:04 PM
Liveblogging it, lemme know what you think for my video wrap-up later tonight!

VIDEO SEGMENT
10:04:
"John McCain is a momma's boy." That gets a lot of laughs. Dear God, I didn't know McCain's father ordered Vietnam to be carpet-bombed while his son where there in captivity. Feels like I'm always learning new stories about McCain's military bio.
10:07: "In prison I fell in love with my country," fellow POW Orson Swindle reads from one of McCain's book "Faith of my Fathers."
10:08: Video reminds us McCain worked to normalize relations with Vietnam. Narrator says he did is because "it was healing for America."
10:09: Now we're onto policy. Narrator says McCain would "do almost anything to keep taxes low."
10:10: Narrator reminds us McCain called for more troops to go to Iraq.
10:11: Narrator gets a little creepy mystical, Obama-like, "The stars are aligned. Change will come, that change must be safety, prosperity, optimism and peace."

McCain takes the stage

Nice, loooong standing ovation for him. Palin didn't overshadow him there. People are chanting "USA!USA!USA!"
10:15 Return of the green screen. The background is really green grass set against a marble-ish, Washington-like building. I don't *think* it's the White House, but it has that look.
10:16: Expressed gratitude to President Bush for leading our country through its "dark days."  Praises other Bush family, his wife, says she will make a "great First Lady."
10:20: The screen just became a much more pleasing shade of green. McCain promises "I won't let you down."
10:21:Tells Obama "we'll go at it over the next few months...but you have my respect for admiration" and "we are both Americans and that's an association that means more to me than any other."
10:22: "Let there be no doubt, my friends, we're going to win this election. And after we've won, we're going to reach out our hand to any willing patriot, make this government start working for you again, and get this country back on the road to prosperity and peace."

Protesters getting dragged out. Crowd shouts "USA!USA!USA!"
"Please, please my friends, my dear friends, please don't be diverted by the ground noise and the static. I'm going to talk about it some more, but Americans want us to stop yelling at each other, okay?"

10:25: Thanks audience for giving Palin such a warm reception last night. She stands up for what's right, and she doesn't let anyone tell her to sit down"
10:28: Nice line: "
I'm very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can't wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming."
10:30: Promises to expose earmarxists.  "I will make them famous and you will know their names! You will know their names!"
For those of you watching at home, the screen isn't all blue here in St. Paul, it's a sky with an American flag waving off where you can't see.
10:32: Praises General David Petraeus and our military. "that strategy succeeded and rescued us from a defeat that would have demoralized our military, risked a wider war and threatened the security of all Americans."
10:35 Says government lost our "trust" when we "valued power over principles and we are going to change that."

Gotta start working on my video wrap up now. This is a much more sober speech than last night for sure.




Thursday, September 04, 2008
Just Words?
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 9:47 PM

... After hearing Ronald Reagan's speech at the 1976 convention, most delegates knew they had nominated the wrong man for president. 

... After hearing the other veep short-listers these last two nights, most delegates know they nominated the right woman for vice president.




Thursday, September 04, 2008
Live Blogging Cindy McCain
Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 9:35 PM
Nice video, I thought hers was better than Sarah Palin's.

Opening: Love the blue skirt suit and that's she's wearing her hair down. Softens her up, sort of Meg Ryan-y. And no podium, watch out.

9:37: Duty is going to the her theme.
9:39: "Tonight is about renewing our commitment  to one another, it's not about us. It's about our special and exceptional country" and "We give way to no one and no other party" in the cause for freedom. Some guy is holding up his computer camera from the convention floor, taping Cindy McCain. Weird.
9:42: People are holding signs that say "I love Cindy." There must be like 5 or 6 different signs for McCain, McCain-Palin, Cindy, Pawlenty and other speakers/causes under every seats. Or maybe different delegations have different signs. There's just a lot of different signs.
9:43 I'm writing about signs because this speech is dry. I admit it. TV shows a woman in the audience rubbing her eyes.
9:44 Gives a shout-out to Sarah Palin. Her banana clip beehive do is back. Peanut gallery wonders if Cindy will get a roaring applause line for anything other than Sarah Palin.
9:47. I'm wrong. She's lauding her husband as a "hero in Vietnam." That works. Good stuff. Says her son Jack will graduate from the Naval School this fall "ready to do his service" and her other son "served honorable in Iraq." I'm so happy she's talking about being a military mom. My mom is one, too. It's tough.
9:48: Describes her father as "a true Western gentleman" with a "can-do spirit" whose "handshake was his solemn oath."
9:50: Talks about adopting and going abroad to do charity work. Introduces her friend Ernestine who suffered tragedy in Rwanda. Says she doesn't seek retribution, but love. Says "you are my hero."

End her speech with a "recommendation" that Americans vote for McCain in the fall. Overall, I'd say her speech was fine, but bland. Sort of like the previous speakers.

Any chance the McCain people are lowering expectations...?




Thursday, September 04, 2008
Matthews Says GOP is Faking It
Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 9:25 PM
MSNBC's Chris Matthews accused the GOP of crying "crocodile tears" over the attacks made on Sarah Palin.

This clip is crazy. Watch it, it's 10 minutes long, but the it gets heated nearly a minute in. H/T Ben Smith at Politico.






Thursday, September 04, 2008
Flashback ...
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 9:21 PM
On this historic night, as John McCain prepares to speak, I can't help but think back to this memory ...






Thursday, September 04, 2008
Chatting with Congressman Cantor
Posted by: Amanda Carpenter at 9:09 PM
I had the chance to speak with Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor (R.) as he strolled by us Townhallers a few moments ago.

I told him I felt like the McCain and Palin were doing a fine job positioning themselves as the "reformists," but didn't have a firm grasp quite yet on what particular things they would be reforming. Sure, I know they want to cut spending and beat corruption but now I'm looking for something a little less abstract. "What does reform really mean to McCain-Palin," I asked

"It's about restoring accountability," Cantor, a former small-business owner, told me. He went on to explain the need for Congress to start getting used to meeting their budgets, just like small-business owners have to make payroll each month.  "Taxpayers have to start getting a better return on their investment," he said.

I also noticed Cantor was carrying a copy of the book "Audacity of Deceit." I asked him how it was. "I don't know, somebody just handed it to me," he said. "I have a feeling I am going to like it."







Thursday, September 04, 2008
McCain or McCarthy?
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 9:02 PM
Very interesting messaging ...

peace.png picture by MattLewis01




Thursday, September 04, 2008
After the Speech ...
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 8:43 PM
As you can see below, Townhall intern Adam Brickley (who is also the man behind the Draft Sarah Palin blog) is on Colbert tonight. 

Brickley.png picture by MattLewis01




Thursday, September 04, 2008
Barracuda
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 7:42 PM
Palin officially nominated.  They're playing her song...




Thursday, September 04, 2008
A Few McCain Speech Excerpts
Posted by: Jonathan Garthwaite at 7:15 PM
Excerpts from Sen. McCain’s acceptance speech, as prepared for delivery, are below.

On running mate Alaska Governor Sarah Palin:

"I’m very proud to have introduced our next Vice President to the country. But I can’t wait until I introduce her to Washington. And let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming."

On solving problems in Washington:

"The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause, it’s a symptom. It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.

Again and again, I’ve worked with members of both parties to fix problems that need to be fixed. That’s how I will govern as President. I will reach out my hand to anyone to help me get this country moving again. I have that record and the scars to prove it. Senator Obama does not."

On love of country:

"I fell in love with my country when I was a prisoner in someone else’s. I loved it not just for the many comforts of life here. I loved it for its decency; for its faith in the wisdom, justice and goodness of its people. I loved it because it was not just a place, but an idea, a cause worth fighting for. I was never the same again. I wasn’t my own man anymore. I was my country’s."





Thursday, September 04, 2008
Alaskans Proud of Palin
Posted by: Matt Lewis at 6:51 PM
A new poll suggests that the selection of their governor, Sarah Palin, as the Republican VP nominee has increased Alaskans' support for the GOP ticket.

My video interview here
.



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FEATURES FEATURES

Brushing Trig's Hair ...

Posted by: Matt Lewis
9/4/2008

How are you feeling, Keith Olbermann?

Posted by: Mike Gallagher
9/4/2008

Harry Reid Calls Palin 'Shrill'

Posted by: Amanda Carpenter
9/4/2008

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