Anyone who knows how I feel on the subject of educational vouchers (and anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis falls into that category) is well aware I disagree with John McCain on his approach to education.
He also worries me with his insistence that people can be retrained for better, long-lasting jobs (those jobs will usually last until the CEOs can figure out a way to outsource them and increase their pay and benefits).
But those exceptions noted, John McCain just concluded a historic acceptance speech, and one that leaves Barack Obama's at the Democratic National Convention in the dust.
McCain's story, one with which we are all familiar by this point, is as compelling now as it was the first few dozen times I heard it. His belief in fighting the entrenched special interests and the lobbyists, and his undeniably sincere call to service is a genuine pleasure to hear.
What was especially gratifying was the near silence that greeted the senator a few times during his speech when he dared prick the sacred cows of the Republican party, especially his pledge to veto the pork bills and name names.
In an earlier post, my headline said that McCain is giving the speech that he should have been able to give eight years ago. It has always been my belief that this country would have been better off if McCain, and not George W. Bush had been the Republican nominee in 2000, whether McCain or Al Gore won.
During the past eight years, we have had a president who listens only to those who agree with him. Hearing McCain say tonight that he will reach across the aisle, and knowing he has a proven history of doing it, lets me know that no matter which of the two candidates wins in November, we will see a change for the better when it comes to the partisan bickering that has divided America for the past eight years.
"But those exceptions noted, John McCain just concluded a historic acceptance speech, and one that leaves Barack Obama's at the Democratic National Convention in the dust."
ReplyDeleteAre you on crack? In both content and delivery, Obama gave a far better speech.
By the way, this is utter drivel:
"During the past eight years, we have had a president who listens only to those who agree with him. Hearing McCain say tonight that he will reach across the aisle, and knowing he has a proven history of doing it, lets me know that no matter which of the two candidates wins in November, we will see a change for the better when it comes to the partisan bickering that has divided America for the past eight years."
McCain has become a shadow of his former "mavericky" self. In 2000, he called out the Christian right and the radical left, decrying the influence of "the agents of intolerance". Now he strives to gain their acceptance. He attacked Bush's tax cuts in 2000 and 2001, now he offers a more sweeping regressive tax cut for the wealthiest.
Did you hear him mention McCain-Feingold or immigration reform tonight? All he did was say "corruption bad!" (who can disagree?) and try to give his party a chance to move past scandals.
Obama's acceptance speech was not one of his better ones, though it was a well-delivered speech and did reach numerous high notes. Obama was far better Tuesday after Tuesday during the primary season, especially after the Iowa caucuses. McCain's speech tonight was a tad overlong and Democrats should be able to effectively attack his comments on education and the economy, but the rest of the speech, though lacking Obama's rhetorical flourishes, still did a much better job of presenting McCain's case. He also effectively ripped into the corruption and excesses of the Bush administration. if Hubert Humphrey had been able to make a similar break from LBJ in 1968, we never would have had Watergate.
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