Every once in a while, you feel like a witness to history. I was lucky enough to see it in person. September 3rd was one of those nights in the Xcel Center in St. Paul. Win or lose in November, Sarah Palin has shown that she is the real deal. It may well have been one of the most impressive political speeches in a generation. That’s especially true when 90% of the national audience hadn’t even heard of Palin just one week ago. When you get a standing ovation in the cheap seats, you know it’s a good speech, and she did.
I was always taught that the best way to deal with a bully was to punch ’em in the nose. Giuliani and Palin teamed up to go on offense and in a way that was effective for the Republicans for the first time in this entire presidential campaign.
McCain didn’t choose Palin to win moderate/independent voters. McCain has that territory pretty well staked out. McCain needed Palin to shore up his base . . . and shore up his base she did. She was reminiscent of Margaret Thatcher in that she gave a tough, no-nonsense delivery that was unabashedly conservative.
After all of the tabloid b.s. was boiled down, it was just her talking to the American people and she delivered. Liberal women, unions and the Obama campaign are officially scared of Palin. It is already manifesting itself locally and nationally. Instead of words like confident, forceful, and direct, the spin machine will spit out images like sneering, bitter, and smug.
Great lines
From “the speech” . . . .
I guess a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.”
Starting in January, in a McCain-Palin administration, we’re going to lay more pipelines…build more nuclear plants…create jobs with clean coal…and move forward on solar, wind, geothermal, and other alternative sources. We need American energy resources, brought to you by American ingenuity, and produced by American workers.”
In politics, there are some candidates who use change to promote their careers. And then there are those, like John McCain, who use their careers to promote change.”
Harry Reid, the Majority Leader of the current do-nothing Senate, not long ago summed up his feelings about our nominee.
He said, quote, “I can’t stand John McCain.” Ladies and gentlemen, perhaps no accolade we hear this week is better proof that we’ve chosen the right man.
Do you know the difference between bulldogs and hockey moms? Lipstick!
And there is much to like and admire about our opponent. But listening to him speak, it’s easy to forget that this is a man who has authored two memoirs but not a single major law or reform — not even in the state Senate.
Other News, Notes & Observations
I love finding humor in the obtuse. To see that MSNBC is located just to the left of Al Jazeera in the Xcel Center, I just had to smile.
Rudy, Rudy, Rudy
Rudy was relaxed and as on point as he has been since he started his own campaign for the presidency. From his speech . . .
He (Obama) worked as a community organizer, and immersed himself in Chicago machine politics. Then he ran for the state legislature – where nearly 130 times he was unable to make a decision yes or no. He simply voted “present.” As Mayor of New York City, I never got a chance to vote “present.” And you know, when you’re President of the United States, you can’t just vote “present.” You must make decisions.
Because “change” is not a destination … just as “hope” is not a strategy.
When speaking to a pro-Israel group, Obama favored an undivided Jerusalem. Until the very next day when he changed his mind. I hope for his sake, Joe Biden got that VP thing in writing.
Endgame
It’s hard to know what will happen in 60 days, but I know what will happen in the next five. Expect a massive assault on Palin by the mainstream media and liberal blogs over the coming days. It will all come out of the woodwork and it will come quickly. Just in case you want to see what the “objective media really thinks . . .
(hattip Slabbed)
Some, like Karl Rove, think that will backfire. We will see.
The tide is certainly with Obama, and the election is still his to lose. If he does lose, Obama’s name will become synonymous in Democratic circles with Dukakis. Democrats kill their own, especially those that screw up a big lead for the presidency.
As my accountant recently said . . . pray for McCain but plan for Obama. However, I think tonight the prayers might just get a little more momentum.
Magnolia Tribune
