by Ruth
A. Sheets
The
Republican National Convention is in session again. My real-time observations
are here.
1. Rand
Paul is way too emotional, especially since so much of his speech was centered
on a basic lie that President Obama said that people didn’t actually build
their own businesses. The man is a bit nutty.
2. I am
getting a headache. I think hearing all the negativity and hatred by the
speakers is really getting to me. I can’t see how this can be uplifting for
anyone, even the Republicans who are more attentively listening to it.
3. John
McCain’s speech started out graciously and is nearly the first time someone
actually began with reference to Romney and his nomination. McCain, though
quickly moved to the talking point that Obama (implied) is leading
from behind. What nonsense! Of course, he had to get in the plug for the
military folks. His comment “if we don’t make a change, We will move toward “a
future that is dimmer, darker, more dangerous than anything we have seen” is a
bit over the top. More militarism is in the offing. Then, there’s another set
of lies accusing the current administration of leaking secrets. I had hoped for
higher ground for McCain, I can see that will not be happening. Scare the core
supporters. I don’t know if this is a good strategy.
4.
OMG! There is an attorney general duet. It is kind of sad. They are trying to
represent their position opposing Obamacare. Because they didn’t win the
argument in the Supreme Court, they are whining. “The only reason Obamacare
stands is that it is a tax. This is not why our founding fathers established
America.” They had a set of dueling questions equally ridiculous, but the crowd
likes it. It is so scripted, it is embarrassing. Two Southern lawyers making
such a presentation is offensive since it is the working poor and middle class
who will benefit most from Obamacare and neither of them will be in either
category. They don’t even see the silliness of their presentation. Any
listener not in the hall did, though. NPR followed the duet by interviewing
someone who supported Romneycare in Massachusetts., but not Obamacare. The
hypocrisy is actually funny. It makes no sense, but the delegate doesn’t seem
to notice. NPR folks won’t call him on it.
5. One
speaker, John Thune of SD, said “let it never be said of us that when we were
faced by such an economic crisis that we did nothing.” That is amusing since
that is exactly what Republicans have done for the past four years. That is
audacity!
6. I
keep hearing that negativity doesn’t work when it comes to ads, but it clearly
works at conventions and with some viewers.
7. Ok,
Rob Portman from Ohio is now speaking. He again is playing on the untruth that
Obama is against success and that Romney got money “the old fashioned way, he
earned it.” An interesting borrowing of a slogan from a defunct company,
Smith-Barney, but certainly not true. His business practices slanted his deals
so that he couldn’t lose. It was for others to lose. Isn’t it interesting that
we are being lectured to by the budget director for George W. Bush, the one who
took a large surplus and turned it into an incredible deficit. How can he
possibly blame Obama? Another hypocrite in action.
8. Tim
Pawlente, another over emotional speaker. It is just another reiteration of the
talking points. He has another drippy story about his past, growing up among
the poor. How is it so many people who grew up so poor ended up rich in the
Republican Party? I suspect the Government helped him a lot in his rise, but he
wants the government off his back. fascinating! Now he comes to the candidate,
Romney and talks about his wonderful success. If it is so wonderful, how come
so few people actually like him and the rest of the people in the hall have to
be convinced that he would be a good president. Now, Romney is a “great
leader” Hyperbole! There is no evidence of his personal leadership greatness.
I want to know what He has actually done to make life better for anyone outside
his family or faith.
9. Mike
Huckabe would not strike anyone as being a Christian minister. His comments
were a mixture of untruths and half truths. His back-handed comment that
President Obama was the only “self professed evangelical in the campaign this
year” lets him keep the seed of doubt about Obama’s Christianity germinating
among the stupid. Huckabe claims to be “pro-life” but is really only
pro-birth. Pathetic!
10.
Then it was Condaleza Rice’s turn. I expected a lot from her because she is,
after all a college professor and accomplished woman. Her speech was just
another iteration of the same old same old. More military, more security, more
business, less regulation, more success, you get the idea. Her difficult past
was also a small theme, as it fit in with all the others these two evenings.
Then, what was most disturbing from someone who knows foreign policy pretty
well, she claimed that Romney knows and understands foreign policy and will be
good at it. She can’t possibly believe what she said. If she does, she is not
someone to be admired for her judgment.
11.
Susanna Martinez was next in the parade ofsuper successful people who “made
it.” This making it was presumed to be all on her own. She was a Democrat
according to her, but she saw the light and became a Republican because she
couldn’t possibly support welfare and pay for those awful people who just
collect government money. She also loves guns. You can’t miss that.
12.
Now, it is Paul Ryan’s turn. He is strident. He uses that arrogant tone of
voice to make himself seem more important and knowledgeable than he actually
is. It works with a lot of people. He begins with lines about the Obama
administration being silent about their record because all they can do is sow
fear. Then he claims that Romney is so decent that he can’t be dragged down by
negativity. He goes for the family card early by introducing his cute wholesome
family, including his mom. Now, his family story, almost as pathetic as the
rest of the folks on the docket tonight. He is so proud that he lives on the
same block where he grew up and belongs to the same church. OK, how does that
qualify you for anything? Then, he blames Obama for the closing of the factory
in his hometown. It couldn’t be outsourcing! You can tell he has practiced his
speech so well that he has all the inflections down perfectly. He claims that
Obama had a moment when he got everything he wanted from Congress. I don’t know
when that was and neither does anyone else. There was one company that was
involved with alternative energy and all Ryan can talk about is that they
borrowed and lost the money. The banks and insurance companies lost a lot more
than that and well, they have a lot of power, so they don’t count as failures.
What a waste of time.
13. He
didn’t go there! He wouldn’t do it! He did it! He did the lie that has been
given the “pants on fire” rating. Is that what people want, a vice president
who lies and doesn’t mind doing it in front of a huge audience? Scare the old
people about Medicare! Do it even if you have to lie. That’s not good! I know
that his plan will not make things better for any senior today or in the
future. If he were as intelligent as he would like everyone to believe, he
knows it too. Maybe, money does blind people to things.
14. Oh
no, he didn’t blame Obama for the down grading of America. That was a direct
result of Republican refusal to negotiate to raise the debt ceiling. Ryan’s
smugness and pretended disbelief are disingenuous. but Republicans have to
march in step these days.
15. OK,
he drags out the line that Obama has caused a bigger debt than any other
president. OMG, another pants on fire! Mr. Ryan forgets that Bush did not
count the wars and tax cuts as part of the debt. Obama chose to be honest and
count it all. Of course, that caused the debt to rise on paper, but it had
already risen years before.
16.
Here it comes, the family story of his mom building a business presumably on her
own. You’d think that all those Republicans are so gifted that they could all
do it on their own. Isn’t that nice. They talk about a mythical plan they have
of coming up with 12 million jobs in the next few years and do it with not
raising the debt. He lies! We are in a recession and that is not going to
happen. He is even more naïve than Obama was when he was running four years ago
and less excuse for it. There it is the word “freedom.” I knew he had to throw
it in somehow. His hyperbole is now getting out of control. He accuses Obama
of calling his promises his record. That is really what Romney has done. His
only record is working at Bain Capital and helping out with the Olympics (with
government support, of course). How does either activity prepare him for
anything America is facing? Ryan has even less experience. He has been in
government, that hated government for most of his adult life.
Hmm!
17.
Here comes another myth, that is the belief that people can still move up from
one class to the next. There is less mobility due to lack of opportunities in
business than there has been since the 1890’s and that is not Obama’s fault
because as Ryan says, Obama is not a businessman. I have pretty much gotten to
the point where I can’t listen to the garbage any longer. Besides, “The Daily
Show” is about to come on and that show makes more sense than Ryan can ever
make. Oh wait, before I go, he did it again. He’s on the theme of Obama
bashing Romney’s success. I have not once heard Obama bash Romney’s success,
but that is another Republican myth. Democrats are bashing Romney’s dishonesty,
disingenuousness, fabrication of events, the way his wealth is hidden in other
countries to avoid taxes, the way Romney changes his views, character, and
positions to meet whatever situation he is in. The call for tax returns is
appropriate. Why is Romney running? Maybe it’s just the power and prestige he
wants.
No comments:
Post a Comment