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Wednesday, September 5, 2012

It’s not always about the numbers sometimes it’s about people



Political conventions are supposed to gin up the base, bring together party leaders to work on a platform, hear partisan speeches, have a good time but most of all; it's a time when the nation tunes to hear their vision and plans.  I believe the Republicans accomplish what they wanted and last night the Democrats  got  off on the right foot.

I've been disappointed with the Democrats who have not embraced what we now lovingly  call Obamacare because they were too lazy to read the legislation and understand that it had to take small increment steps to succeed.  They should have recruited last night speaker, Stacy Linh, who told a story of her young daughter Zoe, who underwent two open heart surgeries.  It would not have been possible were it not for the repeal of the lifetime caps in Obamacare. Stacey said that Mitt Romney said he would repeal Obamacare, which would be devastating to her family because they could not afford to pay for Zoe's upcoming surgeries and care.  She had an answer for Mitt Romney's key line when he said,  "you know there's something wrong with the kind of job [Obama's] done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him. " She said,  that she knows that her best feeling was when she read the letter from her insurance company stating that Zoe would no longer have lifetime caps." The second best day for her was when the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare.

I think the Democrats did a great job of stagecraft because the under card speakers such as former Governor Strickland, Governor O'Malley, Rahm Emanuel, Tammy Duckworth made compelling reasons to reelect President Obama, and they were not there to promote their own agenda.  They effectively warmed up the crowd for the three speakers who would eventually bring it home.

Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts gave a fiery speech about Mitt Romney's lack of accomplishments and said, "All that today’s Republicans are saying is that if we just shrink government, cut taxes, crush unions, and wait, all will be well. Never mind that those are the very policies that got us into recession to begin with! Never mind that not one of the governors who preached that gospel in Tampa last week has the results to show for it. He left with a message I will remember when he said, "Quit waiting for pundits or polls or super PACs to tell us who the next President or Senator or Congressman is going to be. We’re Americans. We shape our own future. 

The keynote speaker was San Antonio's Mayor Julian Castro, who had all the pressure in the world for him to deliver a speech that would make him worthy of the honor of being the keynote speaker.  It was the first time I've ever heard the mayor speak, and I was impressed by his style.  He would smile, yet was firm in making his case of reelecting President Obama.  He told a story of coming from poverty and thanking those that made it possible for him to attend Stanford and Harvard.  His grandmother and mother were not(still aren't) wealthy, so he had to take advantage of Pell Grants, Affirmative Action, programs just to get the opportunity, so he could prosper.  He said that the kids at Stanford and Harvard were no different from the ones at Thomas Jefferson high school in San Antonio, so he spoke of “invest now for prosperity in the future. “ He spoke a little about the pre K program he's trying to start in San Antonio.  It's on the ballot for November, and it will cost taxpayers 1/8 of one penny or $7.81 per household.

I can't come up with enough accolades for Michelle Obama's speech last night.  It was an emotional plea to give her husband one more chance to complete the job.  She made an excellent point and brought the house down with these words " "Being president doesn't change who you are. ... It reveals who you are." I think she was trying to say that economic events changed but the president values never did. That message was for the undecided because most political strategists  say that those voters cast their vote for President Obama in 2008.

There's always that difference of opinion, Chris Wallace said the first lady, and the Democrats were just be asking for more government, and Charles Krathammer said it was a well-written speech and delivered brilliantly but said that"he didn't buy one single line of it.”

The first night is in the books, and the pundits on both sides will get their chance to evaluate it.

My wife thought that I was a little overboard last night, but I didn't want to miss a thing, so I used PIP to go back and forth between CNN's and MSNBC's coverage.  I also had my iPhone, so I could keep up with Tweets, and I used my iPad to watch ABC's special coverage application.  Tonight I'll have to watch the convention after the football game because I do have priorities.

The Democrats can thank their lucky stars that they have their version of  the old Mariano Rivera to pull them out of a bind; when they need it, like the "Big Dog" Bill Clinton…..Bill Clinton will be tonight's  keynote speaker tonight and there's no doubt that he will do what's he's been doing since he's became one of America's greatest politicians.

21 comments:

Mike said...

dale

I brought your post from the other blog over to this one.
I too remember the conventions being covered from gavel to gavel but I don't remember watching them. We can't expect the the networks to cover them because people won't watch them.
It's true the onus is on the political parties to jam everything into that 1 hour of prime-time coverage.

I agree with the message of both parties; we always find a way to prevail and this time is no different.

Mike said...

This blog has been around for about two years without having any rules but I don't think the readers want a post that comes entirely from a cut and paste.

Write a few paragraphs (2) and leave a link if you don't have the ability to summarize an article but I'll think delete future C& P posts.



Edith Ann said...

I don't undestand how folks can't be jazzed about a national political convention! Granted that republican one last week was an off and on snooze fest, with more than one whack-a-doodle in attendance, but I think the Dems have brought their A-Game! At least no one is talking to the furniture yet.

I have 5 friends attending the Charlotte event and the rest of us are being treated to the best pictures and commentary. Juanita Jean has not met a stranger yet!

I am excited about Julian Castro! Wouldn't he make a fantastic Governor? Then what about a leap to Washington? I could stand it!

Not a football fan, so I'll be watching all evening.

Mike said...

EA
Even small government conservative, Joe Scarborough said that last night's last three speakers out- did anyone the republicans put up last week. He said that the excitement in the hall surpasses the less-exciting convention the GOP put on.

The republicans are already trying to rain on the democrat's parade by saying that Obama had to bring in Thursday night's expect the acceptance speech because they were afraid that they couldn't fill up the Bank of America football stadium..lol... They actually brought in the event indoors because of the thunder and lightning and rain that the workers would have to endure building the stage and setting things up... The Republicans are now saying that Obama can no longer fill a stadium... The GOP does not have the memory of an elephant because it wasn't long ago that Romney only had 1000(bused in several hundred) at Ford field in Pontiac Michigan..:-)

This should interest you: on Morning Joe, Micah Brzezinski cited a poll that had Romney ahead on the woman's vote by five points... Chuck, political analyst extraordinaire, said " then Obama must be ahead in white males" Micah looked puzzled because she doesn't understand polls but Chuck Todd pointed out that Obama is leading in the polls, so he couldn't be behind in both categories unless pollsters are counting another species ...:-) Its polls like those that make me believe born2Bme, when she says that she doesn't have any confidence in polls..lol

Oh, I won't miss a minute of the convention and but I'll be about 3 hours late.... Chuck Todd said that the republicans are probably hoping for a close football game, so the nation won't tune into the convention...lol

dale said...

And I thought I was the only Republican who is shaking my head. EA had a prominent poster today who is expressing the same sort of pessimism as I. Gosh he even used the "L" (for Libertarian) word.

I can not believe Republican's are supporting Romney as much as they are vetting against Mr. Obama. I was at the movies Saturday evening and almost came to a verbal sparring match. My GOP/Catholic friend wouldn't defend the capabilities of Mr. Romney. He continually offered up Romney as the alternative to Mr. Obama. There is little excitement about our GOP nominee. But there is pure venom against the current President. For me, I am hoping for the result I have noted here several times before. But voting for a Massachusetts Establishment liberal is not an option. Enjoy your Convention. And pray with me that the GOP can hold the House. (We can call that a compromise. You do preach compromise, don’t you?) And I did enjoy the gentleman from San Antonio's speech. With a little luck we can convert him into a new kind of Republican. My party needs fellows like him.

Mike said...

dale
I can honestly say this about Libertarians; they are consistent... I don't greet agree entirely with their economic philosophy but tend to agree with them on civil liberties.

I believe that Republican excitement is with Paul Ryan and yes, they'll go through barbed wire, a hurricane, a burning polling place, and will vote in voter suppression measures to get President Barack Obama out of office.

It was you who noticed the lack of enthusiasm in the primaries for Romney which kept him below 35%.

I disagree, I don't think Romney is a liberal but he doesn't really have any core principles, so I can't prove it because he's all over the map on any given day. When Todd Akin had his fiasco, the Romney camp said (on his abortion stance) that he was in favor of the exception for rape and incest. I believe it was yesterday, he went back to no exceptions... Who knows?

I think the house will remain in GOP hands because of the gerrymandered districts. I'm hoping to cut the majority in half at least.

You're going to need more than luck to convert Mayor Julian Castro; that transfiguration will take all the future republican draft choices..:-)

The pundits like to dream; they are already seeing Julian Castro going against Marco Rubio in 2020..lol

Legion said...

Just a thought about Bill Clinton s ad on tv for President Obama.

It seems strange to me that he says President Obama wants to increase educational opportunities, rebuild the infrastructure and is on the right path... " But that depends on a strong middle class, that's what happened in my term."

Obama s path, there's nothing wrong with it, but this is not Clinton s terms in office. So isn't he kind of saying it won't work because the middle class isn't as strong? Or that first the middle class must be made stronger? Then Obama s plan will work?

Anyway, I still think Clinton was a lucky man, he served during the .com boom, roughly 1995-2000. Investor money flowed like cheap wine on skid row and a lot of bums became millionaires,some only temporarily.

Legion said...

Oops, cut my above quote "It only works if there is a strong middle class, that's what happened during my administration."

I guess he could mean the economy is "It".

But again, what does he, or the writers of the ad, really mean?

Mike said...

Legion357

That is so true; I did not become a millionaire not even a temporary one but my portfolio allowed me to retire early and take advantage of a severance package. It was the dot.com era that made a novice like me look like a genius. Bill Clinton raised taxes and the GOP controlled Congress cut spending, a lot of revenue flowed in allowing them to have surpluses.

Can't really have a fed balance budget, when you can't really forecast expenditures... Under this logic, states’ balancing their budgets is a must.

It does take a strong middle class because we are the consumers, so if you believe in the middle- up strategy, you will agree with Bill Clinton.

I'm not sure but I think that ad is trying to influence voters to make Congress extend tax cuts for only those making less than $250,000. They are emphasizing tax cuts on the middle -class instead of Romney's 20% across the board tax cut.

Funny about that dot.com era, it was the free market's extravagant spending that led to those technology firms going under.

Money was flowing in so we needed affordable housing and you know the rest of the story... ;-)...As you say we were in a bubble and didn’t know it.

dale said...

I'll trade you Romney, Jeb Bush, a State Rep and a draft choice to be named later. And I'll give you Rick Perry for free. Use him as you see fit. :)

Mike said...

Lol...Don't want your has been,never was and your future Guv whose main feature is his hair.

Legion said...

I wouldn't take Guv Goodhair, even for free lol.

You must have made some good .com bets Mike, I didn't make any, but my mom, on the advice of my brother the CPA, bought about 5K of Worldcom, all gone in 2 years. :|

Mike said...

About three of us ,luckily latched on to a smart person we worked with...he ate and breathed the market...There were many times when we cringed ,as he advised us to sell at what he thought was a stock's highest peak and put in a risky start-up tech company.
He was younger than we were and eventually lost a lot of value in his portfolio...By the grace of God,I rolled my gains into low risks IRAs just before I retired....I lost a lot during the 2008 (6 yrs after retirement) financial meltdown causing a lot of anxiety in our household but luckily the stock market picked up....I haven't regained all my losses and my wife reminds me of that..:-)

Edith Ann said...

You can keep Rick Perry! Even if you threw in Tommy Lee Jones, Matthew McConoughey, AND Sam Elliot.

And you can keep all the Bushes and Romney too.

born2Bme said...

Where's the thumbs up button when you need it?
Clinton hit it out of the ballpark!

Mike said...

Shhhh..I haven't see it yet....:-)
What great night,a Cowboy win and what I hear a barn burner of a speech by Clinton..It doesn't get any better.

born2Bme said...

Well then get ready to enjoy yourself.

dale said...

The old Clinton Presidency keeps being remembered with greater fondness. And I did watch the Clinton speech. Balanced budgets. No war. Lower taxation. Man..... If there had just not been that girl. Alas. Back to the present. Perhaps one day Clinton and Reagan's faces may be on Mt Rushmore.

Edith Ann said...

Not condoning Clinton's behavior, but even Geraldo Riveria said Bill Clinton will be remembered as the greatest politician ever. If his only smudge is the Monica Lewinsky, then he already has eclipsed many of the republicans! Gingrich. Nixon. Cheney. And on, and on, ad infinitum. Bill Clinton is admired around the world. He is a true diplomat and a statesman. What he should most be remembered for is being the President who left office with the place in great shape only to have Bush fubar it damn near to death! Maybe this is where all that fear and loathing comes from--the republicans are afraid everyone is like Bush becasue they think everyone is a republican!

And then there is poor old Ronnie Raygun--he's been brought up so much as the savior of the republican party (and we all know the truth on much of that), it's almost a crime how he's been abused!

Mike said...

dale
Bill Clinton and Ronald Reagan raised taxes and we enjoyed prosperity.

Your party impeached the former president for his misdeeds and yet he enjoys a 67% approval.

Democrats believe in redemption and no man is without sin.

The democrats don't shy away from their believes for political purposes. Where was George Bush and Dick Cheney? The democrats paid a tribute to President Carter on the first day and featured their last president.

Prominent leaders including The first lady said we would not judge people on who they choose to love and I could go on and on but I'm writing another blog..:-)

Mike said...

EA

I will follow up on your post...Stay tuned..:-)