QandO
Questions and Observations| « Banner Idea | Main | Zell on Hardball » |
|
September 01, 2004 Liveblogging RepubliCon '04 Zell, Miller, who 12 years ago, gave the keynote address from this very podium at the Garden, will now keynote this convention. This must be some speech he'll be giving. All the press is talking about it. They've already read it, of course, but its release is embargoed, so they can't say what's in it. But they are evidently waiting with great anticipation. Apparently, Zell didn't understand what the national Democratic Party was about, until he got to the Senate. His entire career was spent in Georgia politics, in the Lej as Lt. Governor, and Governor. So, Washington must've been quite a surprise. It's not the same party outside of Georgia.
"The conscience of the Democratic Party". Nice to know it has one.
My family is more important than my party. And a big hello to you "security moms" out there. Vote early and vote often.
Zell don't f*ck around. Oh, and once a Marine, always a Marine. Semper Fi!
As hard as it is to believe, this is what the Democratic Party looked like prior to 1968.
Miller is repeating the laundry list of weapons programs Kerry opposed. It sounds like a run-down of every weapons system in our arsenal, except the M16. Mr. Miller apparently doesn't like the idea of submitting our military plans to the Elysee Palace, either. John Kerry, who says he doesn't like outsourcing, wants to outsource our national security. This was a really, really, tough speech. And he looked pretty darn angry at having to deliver it.
Dick Cheney has accepted the nomination. So, for all of you who bought the Cheney futuers at Tradesports when it was in the 70s, should be happy now.
They tell me Senator Edwards got picked because of his good looks, his charm, and his great hair. How do you think I got the job? Heh. The laughs would probably have been bigger if the audience hadn't been irritated by the glare of the klieg lights reflecting off his skull.
When listening to Mr. Cheney, the word "electrifying" doesn't exactly leap to mind. It's really more of a lecture than a speech, so far.
Hmm. Apparently, someone is being frog-marched out of the hall by burly and dangerous-looking--but well-dressed--gentlemen. Apparently a protestor. Maybe he'll be able to tell us later how that worked out for him.
Quite a forceful presentation of the post-911 history, starting with Afghanistan, then Iraq, and concluding with the fact that Libya's nuclear weapons materials are now stored in Oak Ridge, TN. No mention of Iraqi WMDs though, something the Democrats will certainly mention.
More on Mr. Kerry's senate record: Support for a nuclear freeze, opposition of the Gulf War. Again, Mr. Cheney is mocking Mr. Kerry's "more sensitive war" statement, which is, I think, to deliberately misconstrue Mr. Kerry's statement. It gets a good response from the crowd, though.
Senator Kerry says he will defend America after is has been attacked. My fellow Americans, we have already been attacked. Good line.
George W. Bush will never seek a permission slip to defend the American people. I suspect that Mr. Kerry's solicitous concern for our allies in Paris and Berlin will be a difficult hurdle to overcome.
On Iraq, Senator Kerry has disagreed with many of his fellow Democrats, but his most dramatic differences have been with himself...Senator Kerry sees two Americas. That makes it mutual. America sees two John Kerrys...This reflects a habit of indecision, and sends mixed messages.
I think we're seeing what will be a relentless litany of Mr. Kerry's record in the Senate, his constant opposition to military and intelligence spending, and his apparent indecision on security issues since 911. Frankly, the BC04 team doesn't need to mention Vietnam. The ensuing 30 years provide them with more than enough ammo. If this election is indeed about the war on terror, Kerry loses by 55%-45%.
Tonight's attacks on Mr. Kerry's record are, I think, made even more effective by Senator Kerry's failure to talk about his own record. The Dems went into Boston with the idea that the American people had already decided to dump Mr. Bush, and all Mr. Kerry needed to do was to look presidential. In so doing, he left Boston with no attempt to define what his public life has been about. That left a blank slate for the Republicans to do so, and tonight, they did so with a vengeance. As of now, essentially the only thing the American people know about Mr. Kerry's Senate record is what Messrs. Miller and Cheney said about it. Kerry may regret failing to inoculate himself against it. This means Mr. Kerry now has to scramble and play catch-up to redefine a record whose main points have just been framed by his opponents. That's bad politics, and it implies that Mr. Kerry was wildly overconfident last month in Boston. |
Regarding Kerry's opposition to virtually every
defense system: "U.S. forces armed with what? ...spitballs?"
OMG! Zell has never been better!
Posted by: George at September 1, 2004 09:26 PM
Did it strike you that Zell seemed almost mad when he was speaking?
Posted by: McQ at September 1, 2004 09:46 PM
Has the same speaker ever given the keynote address at both parties' conventions before (not in the same year of course)?
Posted by: Dave Schuler at September 1, 2004 09:51 PM
Almost mad? This was Preacher Zell, Fire and Brimstone, raining down righteousness upon the heads of the Democratic party.
Zell is just. ..spellbinding. I am from Georgia and as Passionate as he ALWAYS is, I have never seen him more passionate than in that speech.
My lord, between him, Gulianni and Arnold. . .
Not just one, but THREE breathtaking speeches. I normally can't BEAR to waatch a political convention of either parrty. THis one has had me spellbound and rivited.
Posted by: Ryan at September 1, 2004 10:26 PM
Zell was friggin' great. The folks on MSNBC immediately started framing him as angry and "too tough" after the speech.
Did anybody get the pleasure in seeing Chris Matthews interview him after the speech? He started using his little techniques that allowed him to embarrass Michelle Malkin and Zelly ate his lunch on live TV! He really put him in his place, it was fantastic!
Posted by: Brian at September 1, 2004 10:41 PM
Miller actually said he wished he could challenge Chris Matthews to a duel.
That was one of the goddamndest interviews I ever saw on television. Utterly sensational.
Posted by: Billy Beck at September 1, 2004 10:45 PM
As a Republican in Georgia, I voted for Miller twice as Governor. He won me over a long time ago with his no nonsense common man approach. No nuance for him. GO ZELL!
Miller stuffed Matthews when he said this interview is over unless you let me answer the questions. Chrissy meekly complied I cheered, it is the first time someone havs ever told Matthews to "shove it". Theresa couldn't have said it better!
Posted by: EddieP at September 1, 2004 10:53 PM
Miller made us remember that this is still America no matter what the left is telling us about the global community, etc. We lead, we do not follow. We carry more than our share of the burdens of the world but we do not complain.
I have found the entire convention to be uplifting and extremely interesting, unlike many from the past. Now if Bush delivers, I think he can expect a bounce in the polls and do believe lots of voters will be convinced by what they have heard this week.
Of course Miller is ANGRY! His party deserted him and all other conservative Democrats. Also abandoned reason and sanity somewhere along the way as well. Since he is retiring, he was finally in a position to speak his mind and did he ever! This has made the previous convention appear totally anemic by comparison. Makes us proud to be Americans and feel more secure. The DNC just gave me the willies (southern for shivers)and Kerry must not be allowed to be in charge of our military.
Cheney was good but Miller stole the show and brought down the house.
Posted by: Anna at September 1, 2004 10:54 PM
Too bad Zell's retiring. I'd vote for him as Prez in 2008, me being a Republican or no. What a speech.
Posted by: Jamison Banks at September 1, 2004 11:07 PM
A commenter over at Little Green Footballs said that John McCain was on the air apologizing for Miller's speech. Is there any truth to that?
I caught all of Miller's speech, but only the last 5 minutes of Cheney's, and was watching it on CBS. I didn't see McCain anywhere, but he might have been on when I wasn't watching -- or he might have been on another network, I have no idea.
Posted by: Steverino at September 1, 2004 11:40 PM
I am in awe of Zell Miller's speech, it is without a doubt the most devastating National Convention speech I have ever seen regardless of Party. And when I think about it, I realize why. Domocratic positions and policies are so lacking in intellectual clarity, so empty of moral values, so insubstantial in anything but emotional appeal, that the only way a party based on such empty promises to even compete in the political marketplace is to use full words, passion, and hyperbole to make their case. In short they are masters of rhetoric.
How amazing to hear that mastery of rhetoric used to slap down one of their own. Truly refreshing and one of the greatest Convention speeches of all time.
Boy I bet the Kerry people are wishing that speech had gotten missed by the National Networks.
Posted by: webviking at September 2, 2004 12:05 AM
I am in awe of Zell Miller's speech, it is without a doubt the most devastating National Convention speech I have ever seen regardless of Party. And when I think about it, I realize why. Domocratic positions and policies are so lacking in intellectual clarity, so empty of moral values, so insubstantial in anything but emotional appeal, that the only way a party based on such empty promises to even compete in the political marketplace is to use full words, passion, and hyperbole to make their case. In short they are masters of rhetoric.
How amazing to hear that mastery of rhetoric used to slap down one of their own. Truly refreshing and one of the greatest Convention speeches of all time.
Boy I bet the Kerry people are wishing that speech had gotten missed by the National Networks.
Posted by: webviking at September 2, 2004 12:06 AM
Zell Miller's speech is the Pat Buchanan of this convention. The hardcore Republicans love it. But the rest of the country will revile it as a hateful, deceitful, irresponsible pile of demagoguery. If you want to know what generally centrist foreign policy hawks thought of it go check out Andrew Sullivan or Oxblog. And yes, John McCain did apologize for it because he saw it for what it was - a disaster for the GOP. Expect to see others do the same in the coming days.
You can whine that the media is spinning it - and you will, when the speech is pointed to as the moment when voters saw the national security message of the GOP as over the top. Fine. You probably thought the media was unfair to Buchanan in 1992. But that speech will alienate swing voters and energize Democrats (real Democrats) more than any speech at any convention this year.
Posted by: Elrod at September 2, 2004 02:16 AM
That is not a viable thesis, Elrod.
Posted by: Brian at September 2, 2004 06:16 AM
Elrod ... you'd have a point if a Republican had said those things. But it was a Democrat ... is that George Bush's fault too (or was it the evil Rove perhaps?).
Posted by: McQ at September 2, 2004 07:19 AM
Elrod would have a point if the speech actually were hateful, deceitful, or irresponsible. I heard the speech last night and read the text of it this morning. Miller is angry at his party's behavior but I didn't see hatred in any statement he made.
Posted by: Steverino at September 2, 2004 08:25 AM
Seems to me dictionaries are going to have to expand the definition of the word "hatred":
any criticism of the political Left
Posted by: RandMan at September 2, 2004 02:32 PM