Tonight it’s Mitt’s Turn

Let me start by saying once again. Republicans are brilliant campaigners, but they can't govern. Representative Paul Ryan gave a brilliant “red meat" speech in a soft-spoken tone. Paul Ryan was speaking for the audience but also to the 6% who are undecided. The informed voters already know the facts, so Mr. Ryan knew he had ample opportunity to sway the unsure, who usually don't fact check. Paul Ryan put the Obama campaign on defense knowing that they now have paint Ryan as a pathological liar. Independents don't like dirty campaigns, and Ryan knows it. It's like that football player who retaliates with a punch of his own and then gets flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Democrats still think that having the facts on their side will matter, but they still haven't found an antidote for politicians who lie and when confronted will double down on that lie. For example, last night Ryan implied that Obama shut down a GM plant in his hometown of Janesville, Wisconsin. He and the residents of Janesville know that the plant was closed down in December of 2008 before Obama took office. Oh he told a tearjerker that was based upon a campaign promise by Obama when he visited Janesville in 2008. The Bush administration closed down the working portion of the plant in December of 2008. President Obama inherited an economy that was losing 750,000 jobs a month; I guess Mr. Ryan could indict the president for several campaign promises. He placed the blame of our credit rating being downgraded without saying it was the house Republicans who refused to negotiate to pass the debt ceiling. The two biggest whoppers were facts of omission when he said the president walked away from Simpson -Bowles without saying that he did the identical thing. The other was implying once again that the president raided Medicare without mentioning his own budget where he takes the equivalent amount. All in all, Ryan did what he had to do, and he did a brilliant job by putting the Obama campaign on notice. He's the first-generation Xer in the Republican Party to run for the office of the vice president. He's the future leader of the Republican Party and last night, he proved it.

I have never forgiven Condoleezza Rice for the propaganda she put out in the lead-up to the Iraq war, but I have to admit she gave a great speech last night. She had the house eating out of her hands. I only wish she would have denounced voter suppression, but that may have put a damper on her speech that was tailored made for the crowd.

I saw an up-and-coming star in Republican Party in New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez, who knows how to use the words to excite the crowd. Her biggest line, I thought was when she told the story of her working for her parent's security firm. She said at 18, she guarded the door of the local Catholic bingo night ,sporting a .357. Magnum; naturally, that brought the house down.

Lawrence O'Donnell of MSNBC summed it pretty good by saying that the GOP helped their cause last night. He said the crowd went home happy and excited, and they won't pay any attention this morning, to that fact check portion of their daily newspapers. The independents are being cornered at the water cooler this morning, by Democrats and Republicans with their version of Ryan's speech.


 I was waiting for Mike Huckabee to stand up for Todd Akin remarks and the GOP piling on but evidently he knows where his  bread is buttered.

I respect John McCain for his service and how he conducted his 2008 campaign but is there a war this man doesn't support? If left up to him we would have troops in 5 Arab nations and not in his words "leading from behind." He needs a warm glass of milk and some cookies and just chill.


Tonight ,Mitt Romney will have to make the speech of his life and like many; I can't imagine him surpassing the excitement the crowd showed for Condoleezza Rice and Paul Ryan last night. I guess the excitement will come as the Republicans accept him as their leader in their fight to supplant President Barack Obama.

Last night my wife had this to say when she heard the excitement of the convention crowd “OH MY GOSH." This is her first rodeo, I told her that we hadn't even come up to bat; a 3-0 lead in the first inning is nothing when you have the two best orators in Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, the world of politics has ever known and Joe Biden can hold his own.

 I've been critical of our newspaper's online forum lately but the recent blog by Pastor AT Coffee brought new life to the forum. Hopefully, this will be the trend for the future. The author refused to engage in the usual ad hominem attacks, so the opponents had to concentrate on the subject he wrote about.