Thursday, August 30, 2012

The Grown Ups Are Back!

Today, let’s focus on a couple things that have been said by some very bright Republicans at or around the convention in the last few days. These are key points we should all remember.

Paul Ryan: Paul Ryan spoke last night and laid out pretty much what every Presidential candidate from either party should say, which is why it’s sad his words are so rare.

Naturally, he called for a repeal of Obamacare, which he described as “more than two thousand pages of rules, mandates, taxes, fees, and fines” and which he said has “no place in a free country.” He also promised 12 million jobs, which I take with a grain of salt. But more importantly, he said this:
“Before the math and the momentum overwhelm us all, we are going to solve this nation’s economic problems. And I’m going to level with you: We don’t have that much time. But if we are serious, and smart, and we lead, we can do this.”
It’s about time someone said this. As far back as I can remember, politicians have assured us that everything was fine when we knew it wasn’t. They pretended they had generations to save Medicare, balance the budget and pay off the debt. This was always a lie. The American public knows the truth, we just want to hear that our leaders understand this. And now we’ve found one. And Ryan does.

He also said this:
“Here is our pledge. We will not duck the tough issues – we will lead. We will not spend four years blaming others – we will take responsibility. . . The work ahead will be hard. These times demand the best of us – all of us, but we can do this. Together, we can do this.”
This statement packs a lot more than I think people realize. This strikes me as a declaration that Ryan intends to complete broad-based reform and will not shirk issues just because they are hot button issues that upset the public. To me, this sounds like (1) reform of the healthcare system, (2) reform of Medicare, (3) reform of Social Security, (4) education reform, and (5) comprehensive immigration reform. I base this list on the other things the campaign has spoken about in the last few months. And if I’m right, and if they achieve their goals, Romney/Ryan could very well end up remaking America in a much more fundamentally conservative, free market manner that Reagan even attempted, much less achieved. They could also solve the four glaring problems that still plague this country, outside of the black/white racial divide – education, fiscal sanity, an out-of-control medical system, and what to do about the eleven million illegal immigrants.

Ann Romney: After her rousing speech at the convention, where Ann Romney was largely seen as winning over women and humanizing Mitt, she went to the Latino Coalition luncheon, where she made a direct appeal to Hispanics on a basis other than ethnic appeals:
“I spoke to women last night and I wanted women to understand how important this election is for their children, but as I was sitting backstage listening, I thought, it's also very important that the Latino community recognize how important this election is for them. And they are mistaken if they think they are going to be better off with Barack Obama as their president. There really is only one way for prosperity, for small business, and that is, this is the simplest way I can say this: If Mitt Romney wins, America wins.”
Notice, her appeal was based on prosperity and small business. It’s about time. I’ve been saying this for a long time. Republicans need to stop seeing Hispanics as a monolithic race which needs to be wooed with promises of racial spoils. They need to learn that Hispanics are people, just like everybody else, and we need to give them they should join us. . . reasons why their lives will be better off.

Ann Romney points out that women should think about the things Mitt will do for America which will make America better for their children and now she’s pointing out how Romney offers the only path to prosperity for the Hispanic community. Compare that with the Democrats who offer only fear, hate and a lifetime of living on government benefits in poverty.

She also went further and took Hispanics to task for not being open to the truth, and the Democrats for trying to trick Hispanics:
“It really is a message that would resonate well if they could just get past some of their biases that have been there from the Democratic machines that have made us look like we don't care about this community. And that is not true. We very much care about you and your families and the opportunities that are there for you and your families.”
This is a critical message. The first step in breaking anyone out of a cycle of dependency is to stop telling them they are doing fine when they aren’t. And here Romney makes it clear that Hispanics are not doing fine and that they are not being honest with themselves. They are instead acting on bias, a bias the Democrats feed.

I think messages like this combined with Romney’s plan to bring prosperity to all corners of America in a color-blind way will go a long way to waking people up in these communities. And then they will see, as Ann Romney said, that they should “naturally be voting” for the Republicans.

This approach is so much better than Bush talking about how he speaks Spanish or prior Republicans trying to out-pander the Democrats. This is an approach that promises people the truth, a better life, and respect.

Chris Christie: The MSM is tearing Christie apart for his speech. Using the usual “unnamed Republican sources told us” approach, the MSM is claiming that everyone thought Christie’s speech was self-centered. Frankly, I just don’t see that. His speech was strong and highly partisan and went straight at Obama’s failures. For example, he said this about Obama’s leadership:
“There’s only one thing missing now. Leadership. It takes leadership that you don’t get from reading a poll. You see, Mr. President, real leaders don’t follow polls. Real leaders change polls.”
He also spoke of making the right decision, even when it’s hard, and he attacked Obama for not doing that:
“Our leaders today have decided it is more important to be popular, to do what is easy and say ‘yes,’ rather than to say ‘no’ when ‘no’ is what’s required.”
And he attacked their policies:
“Our ideas are right for America and their ideas have failed America.”
But what struck me again was the straight talk aspect of his speech. As with Ryan, he made the point that the American public is smarter than the political class wants to believe:
“They believe that the American people don’t want to hear the truth about the extent of our fiscal difficulties and they believe the American people need to be coddled by big government. They believe the American people are content to live the lie with them. They’re wrong.”
And he finished by refusing to sugarcoat what needs to be done:
“We all must share in the sacrifice. Any leader that tells us differently is simply not telling the truth.”
Ryan made these points better, but I think it’s vital that these points are being made at all. For the last 12 years, our government has gone on a spending binge, trying to buy our loyalties. They have added massive entitlement programs and drowned us in debt. They have destroyed the future to cover up the mistakes of the present. The Democrats have played a hateful, divisive strategy of race baiting and economic spite. The Republicans have gone along to placate the media. I get the sense from the speeches above, that those days are over.

The grown ups have returned.

169 comments:

Tam said...

The return of the grown-ups brings out the giddy little school girl in me--squeee!!

Listening to Ann Romney and Paul Ryan especially, I get the sense of seriousness and capability of the new RR administration to take on hard challenges and to solve problems. One of my favorite Ryan moments was saying, "We WANT this debate, we WILL HAVE this debate, and WE WILL WIN THIS DEBATE." I feel like these guys are tough and brave and bold and I totally believe everything they say.

And I imagine what America will look like after 8 years of Romney then 8 years of Ryan. Giddy, giddy, giddy!

Then I pray that they don't let us down.

Unknown said...

Andrew: Your choice of subject matter is excellent. Adults, not just politicians. One thing the party out of power too often does is claim everything is an utter disaster, but if you elect us, we'll fix it in five minutes without any sacrifice on your part. These speakers so far have been honest in telling the American public that we're all in this together, and there are no miracles, or success without effort. I applaud them, and you for pointing it out.

And thank God, we finally have leaders who aren't afraid to say that wealth is a good thing rather than something to be ashamed of. Then, reminding the listeners that wealth can happen to anyone, regardless of current status, if they work hard at it. They've even said that sometimes you fail, but you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again. Many of the Republican speakers have done just that.

T-Rav said...

Doin' the Snoopy Dance... :-)

In all seriousness, and I don't like to make such sweeping statements, but Ryan's speech last night was, I firmly believe, the best political speech I have ever heard. I liked Palin's VP speech in '08 a lot, but I think this was head-and-shoulders above it. I literally cannot think of a single real criticism to make.

I thought Christie's and Ann Romney's speeches were pretty good, though not spectacular. Both started kind of scripted but got better over time. The one that surprised me the most, though, was Condi Rice's. The substance of her remarks--the U.S. needs to continue an active presence overseas--is of course debatable even among conservatives, but the way in which she delivered it was really good. Folks online were referring to her, NM Gov. Martinez, and Ryan as the party's "Murderers' Row" last night.

AndrewPrice said...

Tam, I agree entirely. I was genuinely excited for the country listening to these speeches. What comes across is a serious sense of competence, a willingness to take on tough issues, and a sense that these people will handle it the right way rather than the easy way.

I'm thrilled.

And it absolutely feels like the grown ups are back in charge!

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, I've been thrilled with their approach. They aren't trying to paint a rosy picture and they aren't trying to cast blame. They are doing what I expect from business people -- they have told us exactly what needs to be done, told us we might not like it on the way but it is necessary, and promised us they will do it. What more could you want from a President/VP?

And I'm truly thrilled with just the amazing sense of competence, professionalism and integrity which comes off this ticket.

I have honestly not been this happy about a Republican ticket since Ronald Reagan!

DUQ said...

What's funny is the sour grapes approach the MSM is taking. The new meme is that the convention has been dull and a waste of time. If that's all they got, they are doomed!

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, Rice is getting a TON of praise today for her performance. So is NW Gov. Martinez. And Ryan is getting positively glowing reviews. Even Yahoo had a story about viewers reacting to him as "totally honest."

When I think back to 2008, there was no one who excited me. Palin did briefly with her speech, but apart from that, the party seemed to be full of has-beens and never-wases. But now I feel so much potential out there. This convention has highlighted an amazing amount of talent.

And I'm thrilled too that they have taken this position of being so serious in their approach. These speaks haven't been hateful or partisan smears. They haven't been pie in the sky promises or fantasy babble. They've been professional yet inspiring. This is what real leadership looks like.

And I'm thrilled that they are announcing right up front that they intend to do serious reform. I have waited for that since 1988!

P.S. Love the Snoopy Dance!

AndrewPrice said...

DUQ, The MSM is lost once again. They tried the racism angle and that failed. Now they're trying the sour grapes angle... "well, it wasn't that great anyway" and that's failing. They have nothing left to attack with.

AndrewPrice said...

As an aside, Ann Romney is the one who thrills me most in her speech to Hispanics. This tells me that Mitt is very serious about winning over Hispanics and I think his approach is excellent.

I think that in 4 and 8 years, the electoral map will look very different in several states as Hispanics start to drift Republican.

He just needs to find a way to tamp down the rhetoric from conservatives when they fix immigration.

Kelly said...

Who is speaking tonight beside Romney?

DUQ said...

Andrew, I love Ryan and everything he said. But I agree with you about the Romneys. I am truly excited!

Also, everyone is saying Clint Eastwood is speaking tonight!!

T-Rav said...

Andrew, I don't like to get too optimistic. But I really believe after last night that we've got the election in the bag. Ryan's speech has to have won over a significant number of independents and fence-sitters, and the others helped too. I think someone's going to have to really screw up for us to lose this.

AndrewPrice said...

Kelly, I've been trying to look that up and I can't find a list. Hopefully someone else can find it?

AndrewPrice said...

DUQ, I can't wait to see Clint speak! What a great surprise. That will draw a lot of viewers is my guess.

Tam said...

Kelly and DUQ, here I go again with the giddy school girl...Dirty Harry! That would make my day.

~squeeeee!!!!!!!!!!~

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, :)

I like the way you think! I am supremely confident about this ticket. But even more so, I'm incredibly confident that they will fix this country. Honestly, Romney and Ryan are unlike anything I've seen in my lifetime since Reagan. He was the last President I actually felt knew what needed to be done and had the brains to do it.

I'm very, very happy!

AndrewPrice said...

Tam, LOL! Well said! This convention has really made me happy! I feel great for our party and our country! :)

And yeah... Dirty Harry! How awesome is that!!

DUQ said...

Tam, I never was a school girl, but share the feeling at the moment! I feel giddy right now!

ellenB said...

Tam, LOL! Me too!!

What a great guest, Dirty Harry! Whoever put this convention together was a genuius.

BevfromNYC said...

I have not watched Gov. Martinez yet, but I watched Rice and Ryan. Spectacular. Finally, people talking about how GREAT this country is. I even got a tear in my eye when Ryan spoke about his Mom. Thanks God the adults are taking control again!

Tam said...

Gov. Martinez was awesome too. Best line, "I'll be damned...we're Republicans!"

AndrewPrice said...

Ellen, I can't wait to see Dirty Harry. Even more, I can't wait to hear what he says!

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Doesn't it feel like the adults are back? That's the first thought that hit me -- this is an affirmation that someone responsible is finally going to be in charge. And not only that, the whole team was team of adults!

I honestly have not been this happy about a candidate since Reagan.

rlaWTX said...

Tam, I LOVED that line. She was good, toodling along with the good ole "I came from nothing" speech, amusing, interesting, la-di-da, and that story - it was just fantastic!

And Ryan - Oh Boy! Oh Boy! Oh Boy!
one of my faves: freedom "over the supervision and sanctimony of central planners"
I loved that he faced the crap that's been thrown his way over Medicare. He faced the perceived differences between him and Romney. He faced the religion issue. Straight up and straight forward.
YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!

Only 50years after JFK (when I added that up and realized it had been that long- Yikes! anyway), who wold have thought the the "stodgy" conservative party would have a Mormon and a Catholic on their White House ticket! :)

AndrewPrice said...

Tam, That was a great line. This whole convention has been full of great lines... meaningful lines!

rlaWTX said...

Oh, and I had the "adults are in the room" thought while Condi was speaking.

And Pawlenty was pretty good too - he seemed to have the "be funny" speech...

AndrewPrice said...

rlaWTX, It is interesting isn't it? The conservative party isn't so stodgy anymore. Not to mention, this party is not what the Democrats claim: this has become a dynamic party with a broad base of Americans of all races, religions and genders.

I think in ten years time, the electoral map will look a lot different. I'm really thrilled about this administration!

AndrewPrice said...

rlaWTX, I saw your comment earlier and I had to laugh because I had the same thought -- the adults are back!!

AndrewPrice said...

By the way, comments have been vanishing into the spam filter for two days now. I'll keep fishing them out though. So far nobody's comments have completely vanished.... knock on e-wood.

T-Rav said...

One caveat some people have brought up is that the speech wasn't seen by as many people as the '08 convention speeches were (thanks to the networks for that), so not a whole lot of voters got a chance to be blown away. But, 20 million is 20 million, and I'd guess it's going to be variations on this for the rest of the campaign. Maybe we won't get a huge bounce, but I'll settle for a slow but steady upward trend.

rlaWTX said...

T-Rav - "Tortoise and the Hare" ;)

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, 20 million is about what Obama draws when he does national speeches now. It's also around 1/5 of the number of people likely to vote. So I'd say it's still a good size audience.

Plus, then you have people like my dad who didn't watch, but who read the transcripts today.

AndrewPrice said...

rlaWTX, Better than the hairy tortoise! ;)

DUQ said...

So who is everybody's favorite so far? I vote for Ryan.

Tam said...

...and there's my sister who didn't watch but will find a link to watch it today too.

AndrewPrice said...

DUQ, I would go with Ryan as well so far. He was terrific!

AndrewPrice said...

Tam, Exactly. I don't think ratings mean what they used to in light of the internet these days.

Tam said...

DUQ, Ryan for sure, although he was just the brightest shining star among many. I'm so happy!

Joel Farnham said...

If you want the list of who is speaking when, go to therightscoop.com. It has three feeds, and a list for each night's speakers. It doesn't list Eastwood, last time I checked, but he is going to be on prior to Romney.

T-Rav said...

DUQ, I would rank Ryan #1, Condi #2, and then a tie several ways after that.

I know a lot of people just watched before that, but some of the afternoon speakers were good, too, especially Tim Pawlenty. His campaign may have fizzled, but given the way he's gone to bat for Romney these past months, he should definitely get an Administration spot if he wants it.

BevfromNYC said...

T-Rav and Andrew - they do not factor that people may be watching on Non-Neilson cable stations like CSPAN or through internet sources either, so that 20million may be off by alot too. THe same could be said for Obama's speeches, but probably not because no one wants to listen to him through any medium anymore.

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, Thanks! Here's the list -- and an interesting list it is! It actually looks like last night was better, though there will be a couple interesting ones:


Remarks by U.S. Rep. Connie Mack (FL)
Remarks by Newt and Callista Gingrich
Remarks by Craig Romney
Remarks by Governor former Jeb Bush (FL) (boooo!!)
Remarks by Bob White, chairman of Romney for President campaign (tater salad?)
Remarks by Grant Bennett
Remarks by Tom Stemberg
Remarks by former Massachusetts Lt. Governor Kerry Healey
Remarks by Jane Edmonds, former Massachusetts Secretary of Workforce
Remarks by Olympians Michael Eruzione, Derek Parra and Kim Rhode

10:00 p.m. Remarks by U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (FL)

Remarks by presidential nominee Mitt Romney

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, Pawlenty has done excellent work He's another one with solid ideas and a real competence streak. I think he'll do well in the administration.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, It's possible the number is much higher. It's also likely that the number of "casual observers" who may not actually watch, but pay attention is very high. Either way, this is a solid audience and makes me think that all the reports of an enthusiasm gap are true.

Joel Farnham said...

Andrew,

The networks report that 17 million people less than 2008 watched yesterday. Here is a happy thought. That 17 million people are watching it on the internet or C-Span. They don't want to hear any more from the liars at MSNBC, CBS, NBC, ABC or any other legacy media.

Most of the media shut down when they don't like the color of the speaker. Who knew that they hate blacks and latinos so much?

Jen said...

I haven't watched anything as of yet, but intend on watching at least Ryan's speech. I have heard excerpts from many of the speakers though (Rush has been playing them), and thought "Woo-hoo!" to what they were saying.

I went to C-SPAN to see what was available earlier today, and started reading a few comments about Ryan's speech. Idiots that just don't get it.

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, I think it's stunning, but not unexpected that the MSM turned away for almost every single minority speaker. It tells you something about the tone-deafness of the MSM.

AndrewPrice said...

Jen, I wouldn't bother with comments anymore unless you know the people who are commenting. Most of those are nothing more than propaganda at this point. Some are even paid for by organizations like Media Matters and done by computer programs. The rest are just mindless retards trying desperately to smear the other side.

Individualist said...

Ryan's speech was superb. I thought the line about 20 somethings having to live in their childhood rooms watching fading Obama posters wondering when they can m ove out and get on with their life said it all.

Ryan did a good job of addressing the issues.

As an aside last night Mia Love's website was hacked with nice little adult type language of the other variety including the bard about being a house n-word. Bloggers got the screen shots.

Dems Love for Mia

Ed said...

The grown ups are back indeed! I am loving this convention!

Joel Farnham said...

This is so cool. I have the RNC feed. No commenting, no whiners, no people trying to re-interpret what the speaker said. Just music and speeches. This is the only way to watch this convention.

AndrewPrice said...

Indi, That has been the modus operandi of the left for many years now, to smear minority Republicans in racist and sexist terms... and then the accuse the Republicans of being racist or sexist.

AndrewPrice said...

Ed, I sounds like everyone is pretty pleased. Just as funny, the MSM is left with nothing to attack, so they're calling the convention "boring." LOL!

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, I'm glad you found a good feed.

AndrewPrice said...

As an aside, I saw that Newt spent the afternoon defending Akin. Yet another reason to be happy that he's not the nominee.

I just wish he wasn't speaking tonight. Hopefully, nobody will listen.

Newt said...

God, me, wants me to build a moonbase. Then we'll build mirrors to reflect Akin's genius!

Unknown said...

I'm watching it on C-Span. Fox may be on the conservative side, but they feel they have to tell us that right in the middle of speeches. They've stepped all over some of the best speeches.

One observation, and I don't draw any conclusions from it. Did someone tell the delegates that smiling is against the law? Even during the best applause lines and most significant statements, when they pan through the audience a huge percentage of the attendees look like they're at a funeral. Some of them look positively grim. Even when they're standing and applauding.

T-Rav said...

In polling news, the latest product from Reuters (though it is an online poll) has Romney up 44-42, and they've pretty consistently shown Obama in the lead. Also, another poll has Michigan statistically tied.

Also, in case anyone's interested, PPP has another poll from here in the Show Me State, and it has McCaskill and Akin tied. They're using a realistic sample this time, so that's something, maybe.

Tam said...

I did NOT like the tag-team format from the Gingritches. Blech. I didn't care for Craig Romney speaking spanish. Blech.

DUQ said...

Tam, The Gingriches are weirdos.

T-Rav said...

Tam, I never have been able to understand why several of these speakers (even Martinez) are speaking Spanish. 90% of the people watching don't know what they're saying. The people who do speak Spanish either don't care about being spoken to in Spanish or they can only understand that language, in which case they can't listen to the rest of the convention, so who cares? It just seems like pandering to me.

Unknown said...

Tam and T-Rav: Like it or not, we need to make some inroads into the Hispanic communities. Being practical is not the same thing as being cynical (which is what I think the Democrats do all the time).

I'm not at all uncomfortable with hearing Spanish spoken (briefly), and in many states it's not considered pandering, it's a sign of respect. Too long the Republicans have appeared to think that speaking some Spanish is a sign of disloyalty. I'm not saying it's true, I'm simply saying it can appear that way, and we all know that appearances are often as important as or more important than reality.

As a supporter of English-only statutes, I am also open to hearing the language being spoken for a moment or two at important events. Besides, Craig Romney did better in Spanish than he did in English. LOL

Tam said...

Lawhawk, it didn't bother me (in the sense that I might be offended) that he spoke spanish, I just didn't care for it. I agree that being practical is not the same as being cynical, but I also agree with T-Rav that it feels a little pandering-ish, kind of like a show--Look! We speak Spanish! Then again, this whole thing is a show, so I guess it's okay. Still, I didn't care for it much.

Unknown said...

Tam: I don't think you're being unfair at all. I just see the use of the Spanish language as part of a speech as being a fair hat tip to a huge number of people whose perception is that the Republican Party is anti-Hispanic. The use in this convention seemed quite reasonable to me, but I certainly respect your feelings as well. To me, it said "look, we respect Spanish," rather than "look, we speak Spanish."

It may have something to do with where I live, who my lifelong friends have been, and who my two sons-in-law and daughter-in-law are. I'm used to Spanish showing up occasionally in our routine conversations.

T-Rav said...

LawHawk, I can see that side of it. I just don't think approaches like these are very productive. It doesn't seem to me that a Hispanic voter watching is going to see Craig Romney speaking in Spanish and say, "Hey, I can identify with those guys." Like Tam, it doesn't offend me, it just makes me roll my eyes a bit.

AndrewPrice said...

I'm on the fence about speaking Spanish at an event like this. I can see where some people would see it as respectful and an effort to reach them -- so in that regard I think it's a good thing.

I am concerned though to the extent people see it as pandering. I don't know if Hispanics really see it that way or not?

AndrewPrice said...

Also, if anyone is hoping to watch the convention on FOX, forget it, they are talking and doing commercials almost 90% of the time.

Tam said...

C-Span for me.

Unknown said...

Andrew: I can't say I can draw a conclusion either way. I do know that those in my family have reacted with "it's about time," and most of them agree with me about English-only statutes and assimilation. There may be some feelings of pandering toward the non-Hispanic speakers who spoke some Spanish, but when we have that many Republican elected officials and business people who are Hispanic, I just don't see how that can be considered pandering by anyone outside of the hardcore left.

If you get it, switch to C-Span. It's just broadcasting the convention, warts and all, with no comment and no commercials.

T-Rav said...

On the other hand, if you have no desire to listen the music of Taylor Hicks, Fox is your best bet.

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, I just don't have an opinion on it because I'm not sure how it's received. I would assume it's a good thing, but I have no real basis for saying that.


I'm on CSPAN because FOX was pathetic.

BevfromNYC said...

CSPAN is the only way to watch. It actually assumes that the watchers are intelligent enough to understand what is going on.

BTW, personally I don't care what language they use as long as what they stay on a message that I can believe in...

T-Rav - you just don't like Taylor Hicks 'cause he's old...

T-Rav said...

Bev, if by "old" you mean "talentless hack representing the worst of reality television," then yes, that's why I don't like him.

Individualist said...

Who else is speaking spanish besides Romney's son.

I think the whole point of that was to highlight the fact that Romney's family hails from Mexico. A fact that eludes Obama's hit squad trying to paint him a rich New England white guy. Since it was a short speach I dod not mind. Though I try feebly to translate it.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, That's how I define old too! What a coincidence! LOL!



(BTW, the spam filter hates you today. I'm not sure why.)

Joel Farnham said...

At first when I saw the Olympic people on the speaking list, I thought, HUNH? Now I think it is GENIUS.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Then you're gonna love Biden's speech... it's going to be IgPa AtinLa!

BevfromNYC said...

Andrew - So THAT'S Biden's problem. He speaks IgPa AtinLa or pork laten in Biden-peek...

AndrewPrice said...

Pork Laten! LOL! Nice!! :)

T-Rav said...

Andrew, I briefly got tired of shooting kittens in the face and decided to look for new targets. Honestly, I didn't even know filters could scream.

BevfromNYC said...

Okay, maybe it's 'cause I'm a woman, but I've spent way too much time tearing up...the firefighting couple who 14 yr old son died, the woman who had the preemie, the Olympic Athletes...please make them stop making me cry!!!

A Special Annoucement said...

"Mitt decided not to run. He says, 'sorry.'"

AndrewPrice said...

Mr. Dirty Harry!!!!!!!!!!!!

BevfromNYC said...

OMG IT really IS Clint Eastwood!!!

BevfromNYC said...

Dear "Special Announcement"

SHUT UP!

Yours Truly,
The Management

AndrewPrice said...

That was awesome -- the stupid idea of trying terrorists in downtown NYC!

T-Rav said...

I thought "The Management" was definitely NOT "BevfromNYC"?!?!?!?!?!

AndrewPrice said...

This is 1/2 awesome and 1/2 OMG he's gotten old!

AndrewPrice said...

Make that 85% awesome!

BevfromNYC said...

Dear T-Rav

Ummm....er...ummm, someone hacked my account??!!?

Yours Truly,
BevfromNYC and Definitely NOT The Management

DUQ said...

Best... political.... comedy... routine... ever!

BevfromNYC said...

Andrew- I was thinking exactly the same thing until he started the dialogue with "Obama". He is roasting Obama the only way someone from Hollywood COULD do it...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, This has turned brilliant!

T-Rav said...

Dear Obama: Do you feel lucky? Well--do you? Punk?

Joel Farnham said...

Clint Eastwood, that was great.

BevfromNYC said...

I have never heard Rubio speak. This should be good.

T-Rav said...

I didn't fully get it at first, but it quickly turned comedy gold! :-D

AndrewPrice said...

I like Rubio, but Ryan's speech blows him out of the water.

BevfromNYC said...

OMG! He is great speaker....

BevfromNYC said...

Ryan better watch out 'cause there's a third great "R" in the Republican Party...and to quote Chris Matthews...I'm getting chills up my leg...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, Chris Matthews is getting chills too, but they're just the beginning of the shakes.

T-Rav said...

Andrew and Bev, I could put a name on what those shakes are stemming from, but the fact that this is a family blog prevents me from doing so. Suffice to say, it's from a part of his body that is dying and will never function again, not even when he looks directly at a picture of Obama.

Jen said...

Hey Dummocrats, Go ahead, MAKE MY DAY! Way to go Clint!

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, Penilemortis? Ouch.

BevfromNYC said...

Okay, everyone has to agree that Marco Rubio was the perfect choice to lead in to Mitt...

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I like Rubio, but I thought his speech was rather rambling.

Joel Farnham said...

It is what Americans Deserved!

AndrewPrice said...

Ok, I have to say this is a poor speech. His stump speech is much better.

MSNBC in about 20 minutes said...

OMG!!! Mitt Romney is dragging Neil Armstrong's memory through the mud!!!

Unknown said...

Rubio's speech was lackluster and repetitive. Unlike some of his previous barn-burners. But it won't hurt him or Romney. He can come back from this a lot easier than Clinton came back from the most snore-inducing speech of all time.

AndrewPrice said...

Lawhawk, Clinton's speech was UNBELIEVABLE! It was like a train wreck.

T-Rav said...

Andrew, it seems like his main goal is to come across as a genuine person and defuse the line that he's an UNFEELING RICH GUY.

Meh. We didn't really need more raw, red meat, since there's been plenty of that the past 24 hours, but I think it would have been better to focus on what's ahead and the way back to prosperity and all. It sounds like he's starting to get into that now, though.

Joel Farnham said...

Andrew,

You may not like this speech, but guess again, all those people before him are, for want of a better word, hired by him. Those people are going to be out there making sure this country is great again.

BevfromNYC said...

Dear MSNBC in 20 minutes -

You are idiots...

Thank you
The Management (definitely NOT BevfromNYC)

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, I think he would have been better off talking about the future and his program. This is kind of dull and the applause lines are getting lost.

Nice defense of Bain though.

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled and I'm 100% sure he's going to do well, but this hasn't been a good speech. It's overwritten and rambling and it comes off as dull and unconnected.

BevfromNYC said...

Andrew - I think he is painting a picture. Frankly this is the first time I've heard him speak...and I am getting it.

Joel Farnham said...

To you Andrew, not to me.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I think he's finally hitting a stride.

AndrewPrice said...

12 Million jobs.... 5 steps:

1. Energy Independence

2. Education reform (vouchers)

3. Free trade agreements

4. Balanced budget

5. Reducing taxes on business, small business regulation reform, repeal/replace ObamaCare.

Good plan.

AndrewPrice said...

That was a brilliant contrast

"Obama promised to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. My promise is to help you and your family."

BevfromNYC said...

I LOVED the pregnant pause after the "slow the rise of the oceans"....

BevfromNYC said...

Ummm, he's not using a teleprompter...

Joel Farnham said...

Great finish.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, There was a teleprompter, but I'm not sure he used it.

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, I did like the finish a lot.

AndrewPrice said...

From listening to Bev, it sounds like he did a lot to win over women early on.

T-Rav said...

Well, that was nice. I don't think I'm alone in saying Ryan's the more exciting/appealing of the two. But it wasn't a bad speech.

Joel Farnham said...

T-Rav,

Yes, I agree. Ryan is more exciting. Guess who is his immediate boss? Romney.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav and Joel, That's the huge plus for Romney, his selection of Ryan means that Ryan's skill becomes proof of his ability to make excellent choices.

AndrewPrice said...

And Obama just sent me an e-mail whining about how much money Romney is spending. LOL! He wants me to send him $10.

BevfromNYC said...

Andrew - Though Rubio fired me up, I care more about the actions of politician than the words of a politician. Words mean nothing. Actions mean everything. Look, what the convention is now is pep rally and I think they hit it just right. They moved and fired people up. That's what this is about. Firing people up to get them to the polls. Let's see what happens next week at the Dem convention. Can they do it again?

Joel Farnham said...

Andrew,

Yes, The Grown-ups are Back. It took them a while, but they are here. :-)

Writer X said...

Romney's speech was better than I thought it would be. Impressive, all the way around. His record and experience is heads and shoulders above Obama. Seriously, is there any contest when it comes to the economy?!

Romney/Ryan unquestionably have my vote.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, The Democratic convention will be interesting because they have several problems. For one thing, it's hard to excite people about a record of failure. For another, they need to excite their base, which means there will be a lot of hate. So it will be interesting to see how it all turns out.

T-Rav said...

Andrew, ask them if they will accept play money. If so, tell them I will donate $500 from my Monopoly game.

Individualist said...

As the Republicans closed the convention officially Fox News reported the Obama campaign's response...

"there is no big idea here..."

Thinking about this I might have to agree. The Republican convention were about very mundane maybe even small ideas .... JOBS

BevfromNYC said...

Romney didn't make me tear up and sentimental, he made me feel confident that he may actually know what he is doing. That's more important.

AndrewPrice said...

T-Rav, I'd happily send them fake money. Fake money for a fake president.

AndrewPrice said...

Bev, I'm glad. :)

Unknown said...

Bev: As Andrew pointed out, the grownups are back. Now we'll get the Democrats weeping and laughing and shrieking. Not a real thought in the bunch. This was a substantive convention, theirs will be full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Macbeth said...

LawHawk, why you gotta drag me into this?

BevfromNYC said...

LawHawk - there has already been a lot of "sound and fury" from the Dems already, but how will they justify the last 3 3/4 years?

Unknown said...

Sorry, Mac.

Bev: They can't, and that's why they need the sound and fury.

Joel Farnham said...

I just saw Clint Eastwood again, and HE WAS ACTING. Check it out. He was speaking perfectly normal until he got Obama in the chair. The rest was acting. He is not a natural comedian so he acted like a far older man with lots of pauses for effect. If a line went flat, you would dismiss it because you are seeing an old man talking. :-)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Good analysis Andrew!

Loved Clint's routine! Of course, lefties didn't get it.

Rubio was fantastic!

Mitt tore a hole in Won! Outstanding!

The GOP has a deep bench of quality patriots.

The donks have Charlie Christ! Sandra Fluke! A fake Indian! The head of NARAL! And NOW!

Yeah. That should appeal to middle America.
LOL!

Kit said...

On the DNC: It will be an interesting contrast if, given the RNC's focus on the economy and jobs, the DNC sticks with the "War on Women" meme.

Romney's speech: The "Rose Story" was powerful. Kinda hit me fast and took a bit to realize what he had said.

Kit said...

I didn't think much of the Clint speech but I might give it another view tomorrow.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

And unlike our narcissist in chief, Mitt knows how to honor a great American hero, Neil Armstrong.

Just hearing about what Mitt has done for folks, untrumpeted, really shows he is a caring person who will help those in need if he's able.

Obama only helps people (or pretends to help people) to help himself.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

What I really liked about Ryan, Romney, Rubio, etc., is the clarity and honesty.
They presented the choice we all have between Mitt and Clueless in the clearest and most concise way.

Meanwhile, Obama is still trying to get people to let him be clear. With no plan, no less, other than to spend more money we don't have.

Conservatives wanna leave our kids and grandkids a better America and better opportunities than we had.

Leftists wanna burden them with crushing debt, less liberty and a Nanny State telling them how to live their lives...oh, and impending bankruptcy, no Medicare and no Sicial Security.

Hmm...it's so hard to choose. :^)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Ha! Something I saw on Twitter:

Velociman‏@Velociman

I think today is the day the oceans of bullshit began to recede.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

At the end of the DNC convention will they drop condoms instead of balloons?

It would be keeping with their theme.

Joel Farnham said...

I watched Clint a third time, and he was not only doing a Bob Newhart skit, but Don Rickles at the same time. Acting like an old man at a bar or something.

If you can get the MSNBC people to not understand that Obama has been shot up and knifed time and again with such ease... plus Clint put a bomb under Obama's seat. All the while talking like a seemingly border-line senile old man. Loved the line that Biden is the intellect of the Democrat Party.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Joel: It was an inspired act, I thought!

Leave it to MSNBC to miss every point they can't comprehend.

Obama is so thin skinned I wouldn't be surprised to see him send the Secret Service after Clint to make sure he isn't a threat.

They really are that crazy.

Aye! Hilarious line about Biden! And probably more true than we know. Which doesn't bode well for the democrats. :^)

Joel Farnham said...

Ben,

I just can't get over Eastwood's performance. Every single line was delivered with such precision. He even made the half-thoughts sound like he was going off on a tangent to lessen the bite. Clint savaged Obama time and again.

It was a comedy skit worthy of Will Rodgers and Groucho. The current comic crop who say that Obama can't be made fun of, just got handed about 8 minutes worth of comedy and an indictment of their profession, only they don't know it.

Anthony said...

I skipped watching the convention because I'm too cynical to get excited about speeches but I've read transcripts of some of the speeches and the right things are being said.

Its just words, but people who say the right things might do the right things whereas people who say the wrong things have no possibility of doing the right things.

Anthony said...

I just watched Eastwood's routine. Meh. I revere Eastwood but comedy isn't his forte.

*Shrugs* Of course, according to Wikipedia Every Which Way But Loose was Eastwood's most popular film at the time it was released, so clearly even before last night a lot of people disagreed with me.

Anyway, I liked his serious lines at the end.

Individualist said...

Obamanomics at Work

"OFA claims Romney's plan to create 12 million jobs is unsupported by any concrete proposals, and that economists say the Obama administration is already on track to create that number of jobs by the end of this term."

Translation: Nu Uh! You can't make 12 million jobs by 2016 Mitt and and we are going to do that by January anyways ... so there ....

Joel Farnham said...

Anthony,

You have just seen an actor's actor comically destroy Obama. He did it without effort all the while looking like a border line senile old man. The clues are there. The first minute, every sentence was perfect. Then the pitch perfect deliveries of sharp invective with out barbs. He sliced and diced Obama neatly with humor. Right after, "Go ahead, make my day." line, Clint took his bow, then turned abruptly and strode off the stage fully in command. I know, I was looking for the shuffling I expected. I didn't see it.

This routine should be closely studied by people who want to be actors.

rlaWTX said...

I wasn't as impressed with last night's line-up as I was on "VP night". But the ones that were good were GREAT. I know it's only words, but it sure felt good to be excited about a whole ticket. 4 years ago I had some hope when Palin joined the ticket, but that mostly fizzled by the election - even if I was hanging on for the win out of desperation. BUT, this time around, I am seriously excited about the GOP offering.

Of course, this much strength and depth means there is going to be A LOT of nastiness form the left for the next 2 months... let 'er rip!

AndrewPrice said...

Joel, Somebody was saying, though I can't verify this, that Eastwood was parodying or mimicking something Jack Palance did to Billy Crystal.

AndrewPrice said...

rlaWTX, I'm seriously excited too. This is honestly the first ticket I've felt that way about too since Reagan! I really do feel they will change the country for the better.

As for this just being words, there are words and then there are words. I think what is important is not the words themselves, but the thought processes they convey. In this case, the words they are choosing tell us that they have a very different vision for America than prior politicians. They radiate confidence, a plan, and vision. That's rare in politics.

That said, part of what troubled me last night was that last night's speeches were too political. They were "yay! America, we're the best" and "ooh, the other guy is bad and we're different." To me, that's too standard for politics -- that's the meaningless garbage everyone says. It's just cheerleading.

Before last night, I thought the speeches were much more nuanced and showed candidates who had a genuine plan for what they intended to do. They talked about specific changes and how they thought those would work and they gave us a sense that they knew what they wanted. Last night was a lot of "I'm going to make everything better!"

Also, I thought the prior nights were more honest. Last night was packed with a lot of "Americans are the best and nothing really needs to change except the guy in the White House." Ryan was much more honest, telling us that there will be hard times ahead and that we need to accept some things we might not like to fix our problems.

Anthony said...

Joel,

I'm not claiming Eastwood is senile or that he isn't a great actor, just that he's not much of a comedian (most comic actors are very limited and go through their entire careers playing one guy).

I think a 'Halftime in America' type sketch endorsing Romney and condemning Obama would have been more useful.

Tennessee Jed said...

how very refreshing. I really thought the R's did a great job even though I had to see all but last night on internet replays.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Andrew, while I agree with your analysis, mostly, I think it was smart of Romney to bring a lot of red meat.

A lot of conservatives have been critical of Romney for not doing this enough, which is only partly true, but nonetheless, a lot of conservatives had this view, and the view that Romney was too wooden.

He shattered that false view very well, IMO, and brought more than enough red meat for everyone to get their fill.

However, he also laid out his plans clearly and with vigor, and explained how that would help us.

Did he go overboard? Arguably, perhaps. But I can forgive that. The rest of the speech was very good. Not as good as Ryan's I think, but impressive nonetheless.

Romney inspires confidence because he demonstratively knows how to be successful even against daunting odds.

In contrast, all Obama has is a past of "present", sniping, dividing and failure.
Obama is the one who needs humanizing and a plan that both republicans and democrats won't laugh at.

Just my two cents. :^)

Notawonk said...

The RNC is over, but the fight remains. I have new hope (dare i use that word) and a renewed sense of getting this job done. Plus, there was the bonus of Clint entertaining me.

AndrewPrice said...

Ben, I can appreciate the view that this was a red-meat speech, though I don't think it was. I think this was a speech aimed at women and Hispanics, with the idea being to humanize him and to call attention to his heritage. That's why the first 30 minutes were about his family (the rose moment was particularly poignant), and the rest was kind generic cheerleading.

His stump speeches are much better in terms of both red meat and in terms of presenting a picture of the future.

The problem I have with it is that I think he would have been better served with a much tighter speech that felt less manufactured and was either harsher from the get go or less harsh in the end. I think he would have been better served to end the speech with his vision of the future under his administration.

AndrewPrice said...

Patti, Yep, the fight is on.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Can't argue with that, Andrew. It certainly could've been better, but it was still good, I think, and Obama's won't be nearly as good.

The vast majority of voters have got Obama's number and know that all he has left is lies and disgusting smears.

And besides, maybe Clinton, the DNC speakers will all come across as bloomin' idiots that are so far out of touch with the average American they'll sound like shrill aliens.

"No, really, we're your friends. You have to believe us." :^)

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