Tag: Speeches

Where Is The Love?

I am sure that everyone has knowledge of the economic crisis we are experiencing.  Everyone has an opinion on what to do and what was the cause.  Actually, we may never know the real answers.  But yesterday, the markets were doing fairly well early, but then Bernanke went on TV and talked about the economy and the approaching deepening of the crisis.  The markets reacted by dropping 200 points.  I hovered in that range until the Pres. goes on TV and talks about the crisis and the challenges that we face and that all will get better.  While he was speaking the markets dropped another 300 points and the final total of the markets was down a big 508 points.

Yes everyone was trying to be bleak without being bleak….did not work!  The investors seem to have zero trust in those guys to handle this situation.  The Congress talked then passed the bill that Wall Street wanted…it may cost $700 million of taxpayers money, but it will save the average person’s retirement and savings…..wait!…..since the talk started on the bailout the markets have lost around 1500 points….is that not about $2 trillion dollars of wealth?  So more would have lost by this time if they had waited and got ALL the facts before the vote?

Will Democrats Punish Lieberman?

On Tuesday night, Joseph Lieberman, a man who ran with Al Gore against George W. Bush in the 2000 election, endorsed Senator John McCain at the Republican National Convention. This very public switching of teams has many wondering how the Democratic Party will respond.

During his speech, Senator Lieberman stated that Barack Obama doesn’t have the experience it takes to be commander in chief. “Eloquence,” Lieberman said, “is no substitute for a record.” The former Democrat, now an independent, went on to criticize Senator Obama for his failure to fund the troops. And the hits kept on coming. You don’t have to be a Beltway insider to assume that many blue-staters were seething.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada, expressed his displeasure with Lieberman’s speech. CNN reported that some from Obama’s campaign accused Lieberman of lying to Republican delegates when he claimed that Obama never reached across party lines.

Meanwhile, according to Roll Call, some sources within the Democratic Party predicted that Lieberman could “face punishment for party disloyalty” if the Dems win a majority in the Senate. Others insist that retribution isn’t in the cards. Hey, it’s just politics, not high school.

Should he be punished?

Ron Paul Talks With Supporters

The unsuccessful Republican candidate for president told the estimated crowd of 12,000 boisterous supporters that while he would not take credit for the growth of their movement over the last year, “I would hope that our efforts did a lot to speed up the revolution, which was coming anyway.”

He and earlier speakers throughout the day directed much of their criticism at the other event across the way in St. Paul — the Republican National Convention — where they said Republicans, and specifically conservatives, who had lost their way continued to stifle alternative views within the party.

In fact, they have endured “treatment of exclusion, of marginalizing and just making fun of what we are doing,” said the 10-term congressman from Texas. “It didn’t surprise me much. But the more they did that the more it seemed to energize you more.”

“And guess what? Not one single taxpayer cent was spent on this rally,” Paul said with reference to the Democratic and Republican events — which primarily were financed with private donations, though they also required about $20 million each in public security support.

The rest of Paul’s speech included a laundry list of issues revolving around scaling back the federal bureaucracy, preserving civil liberties and ending the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He lashed out at what he called a preventative war policy that has made the country less safe and has inflamed America’s enemies abroad. He got the biggest applause when suggesting the Federal Reserve system was unconstitutional, as are the federal income tax and the war on drugs.

He closed out his remarks by calling for more urgency, more action, a “peaceful civil disobedience” against big government and what he called unconstitutional behavior in Washington.

Repub Convention–Day 3

On the third day little has changed at the Repub convention….they are still selling a person, not issues.  Speeches by Guiliani, Huckabee and Mitt, but everyone waiting for the new VP to make her appearance and she did.  The speech was everything one would expect from a Repub.  There were insults, half truths and personal bio.  There was lots about country being safe and secure but nothing about the economy and the plight of working people.  It was the basic Repub  attack speech.

If one is a Repub then the speech was excellent, but if you are anything but a Repub then the speech was lacking in substance, but was full of BS.  Tina Fey will be a good candidate…oh…sorry…Sarah Palin.  Anyone that attacks her in any way will be a sexist.

How about the other speeches?  Guiliani was about as unappealing as usual.  Huckabee was…wsell…I had to take a dump…have no idea.  Then their was Mitt.  He talks down to people in a typical Repub way.  He also was very underwhelming.

Oh boy, one more day and the Big Kahuna speaks.  I am still waiting to hear about the planks in the Repub platform or what they will specifically do to help working people….you know the average American.

Repub Convention–Day 2

First, day 1 was a bust–Gustav peed on their parade. The Delegates had to forego the McCain-Palin love fest and play a different political card–sympathy. Mrs McCain and Bush asked the people to give and give some more to help the victims of Gustav.

DAY 2–or as I call it Pee-Pee Day, Palin and Patriotism and did I mention he was a POW? OMG! Fred Thompson lives! And he was awake and speaking. Lieberman was–well–Lieberman. If you listen to these guys talk about Palin, one would get the impression that the convention was a bout her and that she has more “executive” experience than even her running mate.

The media coverage was the usual crap. But one thing that was different was that there was a plethora of Repub surrogates telling the world all about McCain’s plan. It was different from the Dem Convention in so much that the media allowed just about as many Republicans to voice their positions as Dems at St. Paul the Repubs get a captive audience.

I have one question for the Repubs.  Has anyone told them the economy is in the tank?  Not one of the speakers mentioned it in their speeches, but flag waving was the order of the day.

I always enjoy it when I here people talk about the media being in the tank for Obama.

Dems In Denver–Day 3

First, Obama wins the nomination in a roll call, where Clinton’s name was placed into the process also.  All that is left now is his acceptance speech.

The night was full of speeches by first Bill Clinton and then Joe Biden.

Mr. Clinton proceeded to do precisely what Mr. Obama’s campaign was looking for him to do: attest to Mr. Obama’s readiness to be president, after a campaign largely based on Mrs. Clinton’s contention that he was not.

“I say to you: Barack Obama is ready to lead America and restore American leadership in the world,” Mr. Clinton said. “Barack Obama is ready to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States. Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States.”

Next was Biden.

Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, Mr. Obama’s choice for vice president, accepted the nomination with a speech in which he spoke frequently, and earnestly, of his blue-collar background, in effect offering himself as a validator for Mr. Obama among some voters who have been reluctant to embrace the Democratic presidential nominee.

He then turned to Senator John McCain, the likely Republican nominee, signaling how he would go after him in the campaign ahead. He referred to Mr. McCain as a friend — “I know you hear that phrase a lot in politics; I mean it,” he said — and then proceeded to offer a long and systematic case about why Mr. McCain should not be president.

All in all good speeches and I believe that the Dems have finally set their tone for the upcoming election.  But my problem is that the media has been creating drama where there is no drama and have yet to mention the issues and the platform of the Democratic Party.

Obama-Clinton Tensions Continue

As Democrats arrived here Sunday for a convention intended to promote party unity, mistrust and resentments continued to boil among top associates of presumptive nominee Barack Obama and his defeated rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

The former president is disappointed, associates said, because he is eager to speak about the economy and more broadly about Democratic ideas — emphasizing the contrast between the Bush years and his own record in the 1990s.

This is an especially sore point for Bill Clinton, people close to him say, because among many grievances he has about the campaign Obama waged against his wife is a belief that the candidate poor-mouthed the political and policy successes of his two terms.

While Bill Clinton remains angry about how he and his wife were treated by both Obama backers and the news media — and he is particularly resentful at what he sees as unfair allegations that he tried to exploit racial divisions for political advantage — he has made the decision that he will put forward a positive face for Obama’s benefit at Denver.

Damn!  How long will this pouting by Bill and Hillary’s supporters continue?  I still do not understand the supporters that say they will vote for McCain before they would Obama.  Why would a Dem vote Repub, a partythat has nothing in common with their beliefs?  The only answer I have is that it is about personality and not the country.

Denver Is For Democrats

It is late August, hot weather, high humidity, yet another Nicholas Cage movie and……oh yeah the Dem Covention starts today.  All the usual suspects will be in Denver doing their thing.  But will be most interesting will be just how the media will work Phelps into the conversation.

Cable news networks — including CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and others — plan extensive live coverage as warranted. ABC, CBS and NBC were planning an hour of coverage beginning at 9 p.m. today through Thursday.

Today Theme: “One Nation”

Headline speaker: Michelle Obama

Others: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California; President Carter; Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill; Maya Soetoro-Ng, Barack Obama’s half sister; Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama’s older brother; Jerry Kellman, mentor and friend to Barack Obama; Illinois Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Today also features a tribute to Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy.

Tuesday Theme: “Renewing America’s Promise”

Headline speaker: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton

Keynote address: former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner

Others: Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy; Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr.; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland; House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel of Illinois; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick; Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano; Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell; Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland; New York Gov. David Paterson; Federico Pena, former secretary of energy and transportation and former Denver mayor; Sen. Barbara Boxer of California; Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, Sen. Mary Landrieu of Louisiana; and Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri

Wednesday Theme: “Securing America’s Future”

Headline speaker: Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Obama’s selection as running mate

Featured speakers: President Clinton; former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota; New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson; Sens. Evan Bayh of Indiana, John Kerry of Massachusetts and Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia

Others: include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada; Rhode Island Sen. Jack Reed; Colorado Sen. Ken Salazar; House Majority Whip James Clyburn of South Carolina; Florida Rep. Robert Wexler; and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley

Thursday Theme: “Change You Can Believe In”

Headline speaker: Barack Obama accepts the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination

Obama In Europe

On Thursday evening in a glittering Berlin, Mr. Obama delivered a tone poem to American and European ideals and shared history.

But he was vague on crucial issues of trade, defense and foreign policy that currently divide Washington from Europe and are likely to continue to do so even if he becomes president — issues ranging from Russia, Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan to new refueling tankers and chlorinated chickens, the focus of an 11-year European ban on American poultry imports.

Europeans admire Mr. Obama’s political skills, and welcome his apparent readiness to respect opposing points of view. For many here, that raises the prospect of a sharp break with the policies of the Bush administration, especially in its first term, when the United States chose to ignore the Geneva Conventions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, rejected the Kyoto accord on global warming and invaded Iraq, starting a war that some of America’s European allies opposed.

This from the NT Times and all I can say is huh?  Vague policies?  he is a politician–that is what they do.  But on the other hand, vagueness travels both ways–McCain is more vague than Obama–but both are masters at obfuscation.

McCain Stumbles Again

First McCain stumbled over the difference between Sunni and Shi’as in Iraq.  Who the good guys were and such.  Now he stumbles again.

In a townhall meeting held Tuesday in Albuquerque, N.M., John McCain mistakenly referred to current events in Czechoslovakia, a country that ceased to exist in 1993 after separating into the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

McCain expressed “regret some of the recent behavior that Russia has exhibited…including reduction in oil supplies to Czechoslovakia.”

THis is not such a big deal except that it does fly a bit inot the face of his claim to the better experience in foreign policy, when he has a hard time with countries and Iraqi tribes and religious sects.  Or it could be in his mind the Czech Republic and Slovakia are still one country.  If so then that could lead to more criticism of his age.