August 31, 2004
Republican Convention: Day 1 Notes
The Republican National Convention opened yesterday with two of its more liberal politicians, Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain, taking the stage. Senator McCain, whose dalliances with the other side have confused the more right-leaning conservatives, won the affection of delegates by "mauling" Michael Moore, who was at the convention under the auspices of writing for USA Today. On the Today Show Tim Russert called Moore the GOP's favorite pinata; Moore, for his part, seemed to revel in the attention. Related: Analysis of Day 1 from NY Times and Washington Post says it's all about terror and September 11. And then there's the Republican Party platform (PDF) that's driven by the social conservatives in the party.
Former Mayor Ed Koch was also on hand yesterday, acting all goofy. Check this quote that Newsday picked up: "Never underestimate a mayor of New York. Some believe we have the powers of that young wizard Harry Potter. The current mayor uses them to make our city even greater." Whoa whoa whoa, Ed, don't bring the hocus-pocus to the GOP, okay? It freaks them out.
Also, possibly the most attractive Republican couple, this side of a genetics lab, Angie Harmon and Jason Sehorn, took the stage to introduce a war hero. Angie, Gothamist has to hand it to you: From Baywatch Nights to Law & Order and now this. Tonight will see another celebrity transformation, in the form of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Other speakers today: George P. Bush (hot nephew), Princella Smith (winner of MTV's Stand Up and Holla promotion), Elisabeth Hasselback (Survivor player, The View host) and Laura Bush (wife). Here's the complete schedule.
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This is beautiful
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/2004-08-30-moore-gopamerica_x.htm
What exactly does Moore's hand signal mean? Surprized they let him in at all (and that he would want to be there).
two more months...two more months!
If war was a non-profit venture, then there will be a lot less Republicans supporting Iraq or other wars.
i seriously doubt if the average republican is a war profiteer heather...rather i think they've been duped into believing that somehow this quagmire in iraq is securing our "freedom." most republicans aren't that greedy...just that gullible!
It's an "L" as in "loser"
Loved the Saturday Night Live opening for the Convention shown on MSNBC and on the big screen over the stage!
Uhm, no comment on the inappropriately over-the-top dress Angie was wearing? Jen - come on - I expect you to comment on such things.
You guys are doing a great job of providing balanced coverage. I'm a registered Democrat but I support many Republicans. The Monday night speeches all focused on 9/11 just sickened me. And terrorism is the only reason why I support Bush. The speeches were like Angie Harmon's dress - way too much and inappropriate for the occasion.
But war IS a non-profit venture.
No Wait, I forgot About Haliburton...
Moe, did you also enjoy Jonah Goldberg's comments from the DNC in Boston??? http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-07-27-goldberg_x.htm
My favorite quote:" In many ways, Moore is worse than McCarthy since at least tail-gunner Joe was right on the big question that Communists are bad. What Moore gets right beyond the spelling of his name is beyond me."
Jason and Angie are one dreamy couple...what are they running for? I'd vote for 'em!
Mauling? Hardly. He called him "disingenuous." Michael Moore has never just such tame language when speaking of Republicans. And acutally, as the crowd was chanting "four more years" Michael began chanting "four more months."
Michal Moore for president!
dudemasicus
Your sad attempt to drive traffic to your site won't work again. by the way, very witty
<sigh>
Refreshing to know RNC Delegates can be just as Childish as anyone...
That's terrible.
What matters in the end is that one candidate fought for his country and one didn't - and not becuase he thought the Vietnam war was unjust. Just because he was a rich kid who could get away with it. And then he has the nerve to make claims about other people's military records? For shame.
Well, I just Wish GW would come out and Condem it.
These Knee Jerkers question John Kery's Vietnam record and pull Childish stunts like this...
Nuts.
Today Rep. Schrock of Virginia just resigned. He is rated 2nd most conservative Republican in House. Has 92% vote rating from Christian Coalition. Known for his strong anti-gay views for many years. Why did he resign? Messages left by him on gay sex site soliciting sex.
How many of these Republicans are rotten hypocrites and liars? How many of these hypocrites hide behind religion and national security?
...
oh WoW.
Could this be Another Gay American in U.S. Politics??
Video Link of Moore/McCain Incident (RealPlayer)
alison,
i am curious about your statement "terrorism is the only reason why i support bush." personally, i think the administration's unilateral, arrogant and ignorant approach is making it worse. i'm sure the terrorists want bush to win because it will actually help their "cause." i would love to hear why you feel bush is doing a good job on terrorism.
He was giving two hand signals to his broker instructing him to SELL his classic six overlooking the Reservoir and simultaneously to BUY a triplex in the Time Warner Center. It's much easier to fight capitalism when you have nice views.
According to today's Post, Angie Harmon is NOT registered to vote and at 32 has NEVER voted in her life. "Politcs used to freak me out," says Harmon.
WTF?!
Ann,
That's a good point. After 9/11 I was just really grateful that somebody would take action rather than just fire missles or undertake dipolomatic talks because I really wanted some real change. Now, I'm weighing who I'll vote for this year and terrorism is my key issue. I think that Bush has gone too far, excluding diplomacy entirely but I'm not sure Kerry would do anything better. I just don't know and I don't know who to vote for and I'm just really confused. I mean, I have a degree in Political Science and I'm contemplating not voting for the president in such a key year because I can't decide which guy is better/worse.
So, if you have any advice, let me know. Right now I'm just digging into Kerry's voting record (trying to place it into the context of world events that could explain some of his flip-flops) and reading the scary republican agenda.
Thanks!
Alison
alison,
thanks for taking the time to reply. i appreciated hearing about your views and your open mind.
have you read the op ed piece by charley reese of the orlando sentinel? he and the paper are very conservative yet reese plans on supporting kerry in this year's election. he even recommended his readers check out the kerry website (www.johnkerry.com) i'm not sure about the op ed piece's URL as my mom forwarded the entire email to me. it is worth the search on google.
kerry's voting record in senate has been very liberal and consistent. i feel like the so called "flip flops" are a result of republican name calling. kerry's positions on issues are nuanced and thoughtful. he understands the world is complex and tough issues cannot be distilled into a bumper sticker. reese mentioned this in his sentinel article. he said "it's unfortuante that in our poorly educated country, kerry's very intelligence and refusal to adopt simplistic slogans might doom his presidential election efforts."
have you checked out moveon.org's website? they have alot of information about kerry that you might find helpful. the new yorker also ran a great profile on him a few years ago. i'm sure it's archived at www.newyorker.com
as for the war on terrorism, i feel kerry would do much better than bush. he understands the importance of diplomacy which is crucial. terrorism is an international problem and everyone needs to work together to fight it. also, kerry has randy beers on his counter terrorism team. randy worked with richard clarke who did an excellent job fighting terrorism until the bush administration gave him the cold shoulder pre 9/11. have you read his book "against all enemies?" i highly recommend it. the book is full of information from clarke's tenure under bush hw, reagan, clinton and bush w.
i also feel that kerry's experience in vietnam makes him a better leader. he knows that war is a serious matter and he would never make the mistake of trying to do one on the cheap, for his own personal profit and without seriously exploring all the alternatives first.
i must say, i find the republican attacks on kerry's war service absolutely revolting. bush and cheney did everything to avoid service yet they slander another man's heroism? they also did the same to john mcain and max cleland.
anyway...i hope that helps.
good luck with the research! i hope you will find the candidate that suits your needs.
Holy shit - was that just a civil exchange? Somebody mark this down for the records!
Ann - thanks so much for the info. Good thing we have a long weekend coming up since I have a ton of voting homework to do. I do think many of the accusations against Kerry are not balanced by either the world situation at the time (once the Cold War was over nobody should have been in favor of spending money on weapons rather than educatio) and by his nuanced understanding of the world. Interesting. Both of my sister's live abroad so I'm getting the views from Europe too.
And Erica - your comment made me laugh and feel like a real adult at the same time.
alison,
i'd love to hear about the results of your research. i'm also curious about your sister's viewpoints. i saw a headline via the village voice that said europe was supporting kerry.
erikka- i loved your comment too!
have a great weekend!
Hi All,
I'm a registered (unlike Angie Harmon) Independent voter, and I have to say kudos to everyone who expresses their views intelligently, politely and informatively!
The war on terror is the biggest issue to me, and I was having a major challenge understanding the Liberal position on it until I listened to Laura Flanders describe how the Troubles with Northern Ireland were finally put to rest by engaging the IRA & their supporters in the mainstream political process. I thought her position was really well put, with only one exception...I don't trust that Muslim extremists want to be engaged in mainstream political processes, I think their agenda is to rid the world of Infidels and especially Jews and anyone sypmathetic to Jews, and to convert as much of the rest of the world as possible to Islam. These people scare the hell out of me - every bit as much as the Spanish Inquisition would have scared the hell out of me a few hundred years ago.
As for the swifboat controversy, the mere fact that Kerry set foot in Viet Nam makes him a brave soul in my book, no doubt about it, but his strong antiwar feelings after he returned, and his consistent votes against intelligence and defense spending for the past 20 years have led me to believe that he'd be a much better president in a time of peace than in a time of war. I was stunned when Kerry said he'd fight back IF we were attacked, I mean...hello, isn't that what already happened on 9/11? So Bush gets my vote this time, only because he understands that we can't negotiate with these terrorists, and the alternative to a very strong show of force is appeasement.
Believe me I don't support the entire Republican platform! But I don't have to agree with it in order to support the President, that's what Giuliani, McCain and Schwarzenegger showed me last week - there's a lot of room for disagreement and diversity. And speaking of diversity, I agree totally with Leno on this: "Here’s the hypocrite of the week award, in Virginia, Congressman Ed Schrock, who opposed gay marriage and gays in the military suddenly dropped out of the race after allegations came out he called some gay sex hotline. You know who answered the phone? The Governor of New Jersey!". :-D
gigi,
i read your post with interest. can you tell me the source for your information re: kerry's anti defense/anti intelligence voting record? i'd like to take a look at it. i hope it's not the same source that zell miller used for his RNC speech.
also, why do you feel kerry's anti war stance is a negative? i feel it makes him a better leader. he realizes that war is serious, it is a last resort and he won't be hasty when asking young men and women to die for their country. i belive bush and cheney's numerous vietnam deferments are part of the reason why they have been so pro war. they have no idea what it really means.
could you explain to me why bush is "strong on terrorism?" i truly feel the administration's behavior is making the problem worse. our presnce in iraq is inflaming arab hatred for america and attracting more terrorists to the "cause." meanwhile, america is doing nothing for afghanistan. it is reverting back to warlords and the opium industry is flourishing. doubtless, those profits will go to support terrorism.
plus the administration's unilateral attitude does nothing for our standing in the international community. as terrorism is a global problem, we need to work together with our allies.
loved your leno quote!
ann