Forums dot lukpac.org

Well, Ryan? You ready yet?

Some highlights for me:

* As Mr. Colbert so aptly put it, the "compassion" that surfaces every four years. Perscription drug converage (coming "real soon now")! No Child Left Behind! Schools are apparently doing better...one example is cited, and this feels like the sort of thing I'll be seeing refutations of every day now.

* Endless comparisons of Iraq with 9-11. Lovely.

* A condemnation of John Kerry's "tax-and-spend" policies. Kerry plans on "raising taxes" (is he referring to the planned rollbacks of tax *cuts*? That isn't the same thing). Ehh. I might prefer a "tax and spend" policy to a "DON'T tax, but still spend" policy, which seems to be our current outlook.

* "I voted for it before I voted against it." I can understand mayors, congressmen...hell, even vice Presidents repeating this disingenuous line which ignores the absence of the ability of voters to enact anything approaching a line-item veto on legislation. But for the President of the United States of America to pretend that he doesn't understand the intricacies of this issue in order to make a cheap point--a cheap point which, as I'm sure you've all noticed, has been made OVER and OVER and OVER--is positively frightening.

* Kerry and Edwards: they voted for the war! So did a lot of people who thought there was imminent threat.

* Statewide tests for accountability. The end of social promition, in other words. This is a complex issue, which unsurprisingly is reduced to tales of triumph and much hot-air about "the soft bigotry of lowered standards." What do experts in education think about this?

* Gay marriage, abortion, and weapons of mass destruction all merit one mention each.

How about the line about the values of the majority *NOT* being the values of Hollywood? You're with us! You just don't know it yet!

Isn't anyone else bothered by the tactic of painting certain geographic regions as being 'bad' for America? No, in their defense, they're not saying that that particular piece of land is evil or anyone there is bad or wrong, but you see people, both sides, who hold up Massachussetts (sp?), the South, "Hollywood," or Texas as being representative of what they believe is wrong. It's a cheap shot, an easy lift for the choir, but for true independent voters, doesn't that leave a bad taste in your mouth?

The same shit's been going on for at least a century, so I guess carping about it isn't going to change anything soon.

I had the same thoughts. What if Dems said something like "We all know the values of Texas don't represent those of the heartland! Nor do those of the deep south!"

But Hollywood and New England are fair game.

"Fair game" in something dirty like politics, I suppose, but a bad sign of things heading in the wrong direction. Bush ran as a "united not a divider" in 2000. Whether or not he was sincere about it, he or someone in his camp obviously understood the value of that sentiment.

I'm still a McCain man, but unfortunately, while many proclaim their respect for his advice, few follow it.

God bless Mo Rocca:

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/specia ... s.pundits/

I'm working on an annotated version -- it's taking a while. But it's on the way.

Ryan

http://news.yahoo.com/fc?tmpl=fc&cid=34 ... _Bin_Laden

SURPRISE IMPENDING!

lukpac wrote:I had the same thoughts. What if Dems said something like "We all know the values of Texas don't represent those of the heartland! Nor do those of the deep south!"

But Hollywood and New England are fair game.

From a New Mexico rally:

THE PRESIDENT: ...

The other day my opponent said he thinks he find the heart and soul of America in Hollywood.

AUDIENCE: Booo!

THE PRESIDENT: I think you find it right here in Farmington, New Mexico.

-------------
Q: Where did Ahhnold make his money, anyway?

Patrick M wrote:Q: Where did Ahhnold make his money, anyway?

Arnold Schwarzenegger spoke.

Ron Silver spoke.

Angie Harmon spoke.

Fred Dalton Thompson spoke and narrated the film introducing Bush.

Bush mentioned both Schwarzenegger and Ronald Reagan in his speech.

And yet Republicans continue to pretend they hate Hollywood celebrities.

Bennett Cerf wrote:Angie Harmon spoke.

You just ruined my day.


[I didn't watch any of the coverage.]

I just loved the podium/pulpit with the cross on it. So subtle.

Ryan

BC, insult to injury, eh?

That was too much like work. Well, here's an annotated version of the RNC speech. I didn't do a Extraneous Words Removed version because it just didn't work -- this was too watered-down and vision-for-the-future-y for that.

Actually, it was a pretty serviceable speech, with only a couple of screaming howlers. (The repeat of the "Kerry didn't want to spend money on the troops" lie, the "Nicaragua is a noble example of America's morality" head-scratcher, and a few others.)

Anyway, I made this into an HTML document to spare the poor board. View here:

http://members.iglou.com/rspaight/bushrnc.html

It's going to be a long two months.

Ryan