Saturday, September 8, 2012

Post-Convention Thoughts

  • The Republicans have some terrific young talent. Both Ryan and Rubio gave great speeches. Condoleeza Rice continues to make a case for running for some sort of office: I have to think she'd be a serious contender if she ever wanted it.
  • Romney's speech was solid. Not a home run, maybe, but it made the case for competency. It would be hard to watch his bio and not see him as an executive who can get things done.
  • Then again, I'm usually OK with the government NOT getting things done.
  • Then again, this one time we need to get a few things done, like repealing Obamacare. So if we must have an effective executive, let's have it be a Republican who's repeatedly promised to do just that.
  • The mendacity of the Democrats was stunning. You could visualize a mountain of straw men building up around the convention center.
  • We were repeatedly told that Republicans will privatize Social Security, end abortion, take away your contraceptives, put blacks back in chains, throw grandma off a cliff, and let your children starve. It's notable that these attacks don't come from minor, fringe party elements: they were mentioned in speeches by President Obama, Vice President Biden, and former President Clinton.
  • Consider the following facts: Obama was elected promising to "transform this country." He said if he hadn't turned around the economy in four years his would be a "one term proposition." He did not, in fact, defend the current state of the economy at all, so he has by his own admission not turned it around. His signature achievement (Obamacare) is unpopular and was not mentioned at the convention, and he suffered a massive electoral defeat in 2010. And yet, with all that, he's polling at nearly 50%. I'm an optimist by temperament, but when I reflect a bit I can't help but feel that, just maybe, we're doomed.
  • By contrast with the Republicans, the Democratic young talent is pathetic. Antonio Villaraigosa's Soviet-style vote on an amended Party platform was a thing to behold, and he's a guy they're grooming for national office. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz's attempt to explain the vote were described by Anderson Cooper as "from an alternate universe." It would be sad if it weren't so important.

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