Live Bloggin' as I Watch the Repubs' Convention...

I'm watching tonight's Republican Convention and trying out writing thoughts as I watch here...

Governor Huckabee is talking now. He says Obama's trip over to Europe wasn't worth it, as though the world's opinion of and collaboration with the U.S. doesn't matter. Cheap shot at how Palin supposedly got more votes running for a mayor's spot in Alaska than Biden got running for president--I can't see how that's actually true.

Now he's talking about McCain's time as a POW in Vietnam. It's a heroic period for McCain, and certainly shows some of his character; but, my problem with it is that many people have good and heroic stories, but that doesn't justify them as our next president in the way many seem to make it out to be.

I can't see that it's relevant that VP nominee Sarah Palin's intro includes explaining that she was a beauty queen winner...

They're talking now about her personal qualities, all which sound valid (and which Repubs often appeal to voters the most on, sometimes at the cost of actually balancing this with the issues though)...This lack of an issue-based focus among Republicans was shown recently with this recent comment by McCain's campaign manager: "This election is not about issues...this election is about a composite view of what people take away from these candidates."

The speaker (Hawaii governor) leading up to Palin's speech just used the (over-used) comment that Obama gives good speeches, as though that's a negative...

Same speaker just made a valid point that Palin has executive experience and that Obama and Biden don't, though McCain doesn't either to my knowledge. It's a fair argument that Palin brings something in the way of managing a big budget that they don't, however they deal with massive sums of money in Congress in some very similar ways...

It must be nice for them to be able to call McCain a "maverick" no matter whether he actually has held that up over the last few years (he really has not of recent).

Uh oh, here comes 'ol Rudy G. (Giuliani that is), former NY mayor, he's a real cracker-jack, will likely try and swing for the head with some comments based on what I've heard before...here he goes with the fear factor, talking about how we need to watch out for our safety...they really did just tell this story (with Huckabee above) of McCain's POW experience--I have no problem with the story, it's powerful, but they told it last night and earlier tonight, they just don't have to tell it again and again...now he's poking fun at Obama--literally, poking fun, saying it's a "problem" that he was a community organizer...wow, it really stokes the crowd though, this emotionalism...

Now he brings up the "least experienced candidate" comment, saying Obama's the least experienced in a 100 years--perhaps he thinks Lincoln, who had basically identical credentials to Obama, shouldn't have been in there...I can't believe Giuliani has the gall to bring up experience with someone like Sarah Palin as VP candidate--when Palin has at least the same, but I think measurably less experience then Obama; and it is a simple reality that McCain has had melanoma cancer a number of times and Palin may really have to take his place at one point...

And couldn't be the Republicans this time without Rudy here bringing up drilling offshore for oil--because that will really motivate us all towards healthy approaches to energy...and geez, I should've known that Rudy, who primarily campaigned for the Rep. nomination this year on his experience as NY mayor during 9/11, would bring the fear factor on in full strength, saying "Democrats are in a state of denial" about the real problems of terrorism--what a factually baseless statement.

Now Giuliani's talking up some cheap shots about changes in position for Obama--the most credible argument would be to walk through the points and consider what Barack said on those changes. Geez, this is pathetic though, really, it's an endless attack on Obama, and says so little about what McCain has to offer...

The crowd looks like it'd cheer on anything Giuliani here has to say; it's really unnerving and makes it seem as though the crowd would cheer on the same type of pathetic cut-downs (for lack of a more mature term for the pettiness of it) if it were a little kid getting pushed around on a playground or something--it's like Obama said in his acceptance speech last week, "making a big election about small things." I think I'll do another one of these posts to start over with Palin's speech above...

Update: Josh, a college buddy of mine who commented below, had a great comment on his blog about Giuliani's speech: "honestly, i don't think that i have seen as many disgruntled, angry white people in one room together as i have tonight watching the former mayor of NYC Rudy Guliani's speech tonight at the republican national convention. i mean seriously. they made fun of obama being a community organizer...they literally stopped and laughed at him. it sure is something to laugh at, you know, a young black guy trying to make a difference in his neighborhood and city. they showed the faces of young white men my age who scowled with what seemed like hatred in response to Guliani's cadences. where does the anger come from? honestly, i felt like i had a little vomit in my mouth each time Guliani smiled and used terms like "energy exploration" to describe the continued vain dependence on oil through drilling in alaska and wildlife areas rather than "exploring" renewable energy. or take when Guliani emphasized McCain's willingness to go to the ends of the earth to eradicate any enemy of the US with military power, and then pointing to Palin's religion as a sign of God's affiliation with the republican party."

As a note to readers, I have to say that Josh and I are in a bit of a different place in terms of our worldviews, but we've got so much in common at the same time; the fact that we were both offended on an ethical level at various qualities of Giuliani's speech shows, in my view, that people coming from somewhat different perspectives can still connect on areas related to ethics, humanity in general, etc. (as you and I happened to talk about last weekend Josh).