Barack Obama has said, assuming he obtains the Democratic nomination at the convention in Denver, that he will make his acceptance speech at Mile High Stadium, in front of 75,000 plus people! Obama will speak, coincidentally, on the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.McCain, heading to the Republican Convention in Minneapolis, has another story to tell. He is hounded by the most unpopular president since Richard Nixon. That wouldn't be so bad if Bush would stay in the shadows, but you can expect Bush to speak to the Convention which means that all things Republican will be tied to his administration.
Furthermore, according to an article by David Knowles, the GOP platform, is "at present ... a 100-page-long decree that mentions George W. Bush's name at every scintillating, right-wing turn of phrase:
"Virturally the entire platform will have to be rewritten to lessen the imprint of the president, who has the highest disapproval rating of any White House occupant since Richard M. Nixon."
McCain has fawned over the religious right since his campaign began, with ludicrous results. His fawning continues in an attempt to assure right wing conservatives that his thinking is their thinking and he's their man.
But that may not be enough. Knowles says the "conservatives are itching for a fight. Will the new Republican road-map include such McCain priorities as global warming, stem cell research, immigration reform, and campaign finance restriction? Just how many planks can you change before you admit you've installed a new floor altogether?"
I think Knowles is being overly generous to Senator McCain. I'm not sure anyone knows at this time where the senator stands with regard to the issues of global warming, stem cell research, immigration reform and campaign finance restriction. He's flipped and flopped over these and other issues just about every week. Maybe by convention time, he'll be walking lock-step with the right wing on everything!
Of course, that will lose him the moderate vote (if there is such a thing anymore in Repugnican land!)
Another piece of McCain's nightmare is the fact that Ron Paul is waiting in the wings to toss a monkey wrench in the works. Ron Paul, having really nothing to lose, has "booked his own 'mini-convention' so as to overlap (like a minor eclipse) over the bigger party down the way:
"Maverick GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul has booked an arena in Minneapolis for a 'mini-convention' that could steal some of John McCain's thunder just days before he accepts the Republican nomination."
Poor John! Couldn't happen to a nicer Repugnican.
1 comment:
I suspect that Ron Paul will also take votes from Obama as will Nader and Barr. Hopefully he will still win. We need drastic change for awhile to clean up the deadwood. In four years, we might be able to return to a two party system. If the Republicans win, we will see more of the same gridlock we have seen since 1994 when Newt forced all Republicans to vote as a unit, dominated by him for much too long. Then we saw Tom DeLay enforce rigid unity. In the meantime, districts were gerrymandered to ensure incumbents of both parties stayed in office, thereby perpetuating gridlock and control by a few. If we are to survive, it must be changed and some rules changed too.
If we are not up to that as a nation, our children and grandchildren will live in a very different world.
I know some people will vote based on a few hot button issues only and ignore the larger picture. That cannot be helped with an electorate that is not advised of enough facts to determine what is happening. Our media has a role and we shall see if they are up to their task. For all you younger people reading this, it is urgent that you think carefully before casting your vote, regardless of which side you are on!
Bob Poris
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