Looks like McCain did well tonight by speaking well. I accept he is not the best of prepared speakers but I dont think any one can be worse. Puttting the past behind and rating against his previous performances, this speech was the best according to me. He did not mention his experience ( which he did use as a key point in his first of speeches) but just told what he would do to help the people !
He said many things I agree with, and a lot of things I liked. For example, energy. While I think the Republicans are more right on it, that we need the smorgasbord of options developed, I still think they focus too much on drilling. Yes, we need more domestic drilling. The problem is that they emphasize it too much. Drilling is not a magic wand that is going to end all of our energy problems for a while so that we can defer the other options to the next generation. If you really are for everything, please show it. The Democrats similarly have a problem with emphasizing too much on alternatives and completely ignoring oil.
I also liked his attacks against his own party. Now, while the conventioneers were going wild, I think a lot were shaking their heads, because they don’t want to admit the party needs reform. McCain realizes the problem and is calling his party on it. *cough*Barack Obama could take a few lessons from McCain on this.*cough*
Another place I think conservatives, or at least some conservatives, were shaking their heads, is education reforms. McCain talked a lot about school choice, but largely framed it in terms of public school. No talk of vouchers for private schools (though he has talked about them in the past) or homeschooling. I know more than a few conservative bloggers are going to call him out on homeschooling. I don’t really have an opinion one way or another on the issue. I did public school and while it had problems, it largely worked for me. If someone wants to homeschool children, more power to them.
There was a two second moment when he mentioned all about Sarah Palin’s executive experience. So much for cringing whenever he hears someone mention it. He didn’t dwell on it, though, like some of his colleagues, which is probably a good thing. I don’t think he wants people to start making the comparisons.
Finally, defense. Here I’m a little disappointed. Just as I’ve been disappointed with Barack Obama’s “4 more years of Bush” meme, I’m disappointed with the “he puts country second” meme. But, it looks like this race will defined in those terms for the next two months. And neither candidate should let the other just get away with saying these things. They both have an excellent opportunity to say why what the other says is wrong.
On aesthetics, I liked the crowd surrounding McCain thing. He does best at town hall meetings, so trying to make it more comfortable for him is only a good thing. But, that screen! His speech was in danger of losing the speech with the puke green screen that accompanied the first part of the speech. The screen, while okay for when you’re at a huge convention hall, doesn’t work when aired on TV. I think the Republicans got it after a while, sort of. They changed to a less puke green screen, that, while still distracting somewhat, made it easier to focus on McCain.
I thought they had it down, until they changed to a screen with a flag to the right side, and sky blue on the rest! It was just as distracting! I highly expect Stephen Colbert to make a new green screen challenge tomorrow night or next week, where you can pick from your choice of green or blue chroma keying. Oh, and the “voice of God thing” and then switch to a spotlight of McCain coming out…awkward!
So, I think they speech was good, for a man who doesn’t usually do well with prepared speeches. It was pretty exciting and all. He had a tough act to follow with Gov. Palin. Do I think he surpassed it? No. It could have been somewhat better. The problem was that McCain spent a lot of time explaining things in great detail. Now, explanation is a good thing, but dwelling on a subject for too long can make your audience lose attention. Basically, he should have used this kind of stump speech at Saddleback, and that one here.
Yet, in the end, I think it was an okay end to the convention.
And this is exactly what Voters feel about the speech delivered. Do check it out"What an incredible speech. He clearly explained who he was, what he has done, and what he fights for. He seems to honestly care about the individuals of this country, not whether they belong to a blue state or red state. … I may not agree with all of his stands, but I trust the guy to make an honest decision -- and to make sure we, the American people, know why he made it."
-- Diane Murphy, 42, Sterling Heights independent
"I suppose that, if anyone was going to win based on biography alone, it'd be McCain. That story is compelling, even if it doesn't go a long way toward fixing health care or the housing crisis. And I was moved by hearing him talk about it. However, I know McCain's biography already. Tonight, I really wanted specifics about what he would do as president -- and didn't get much. The calls for bipartisanship and mutual respect were good. But they rang hollow after all the non-stop Obama bashing from the rest of the convention speakers (Palin in particular) and the tone of the McCain campaign so far. I found all the saber rattling to be disturbing. And all the yelling of ‘fight with me’ at the end was creepy. We don't need that kind of militaristic rhetoric at such a dangerous time."
-- James Melton, 45, Detroit Democrat
"Was this Palin’s vice president speaking tonight? This was not the John McCain that I have heard speak in the past; this was his speechwriter’s words and his awkward motion at delivering them. The first 20 minutes were about country and USA chants. … McCain did not address or seem to understand the fact that our pride in country also comes with bringing home a paycheck at the end of the week. McCain did not seem genuine in his speech last night, he seemed rehearsed. I think that he will lose points in the polls after this speech; McCain needs Palin to take the lead in his campaign for president."
-- Dustin Waugh, 36, Westland Democrat
"I get it, McCain wants to work for us, but I still didn’t see a substantive economic plan. He talked about education and equal opportunity but didn’t address the fact that more and more Americans are coming up short when it comes to sending their kids to college. … There is no question that he is the right guy when it comes to defense, but I think someone should remind him, it’s the economy."
-- Walter Capers, 41, Highland Republican
"I am not sure if I was watching the Republican National Convention or True Hollywood Story tonight. I had this feeling John McCain was trying to hoodwink the American people with his promises and stories of war in his speech this evening. Sure he has been through hell and back, a lovely family and the experience behind him, but I am still not certain that makes him the right choice."
-- Nicole Perry, 34, Wyandotte Democrat
No comments:
Post a Comment