Posted 23:15 by Grote 0 comments

It's a Grand Ol' Party

That's Right folks its time for the second convention. McCain and Guilianni(sp?) speak tonight I'll keep you posted on what time it is and where I am.

8:26 Between phone calls and vistors, I didn't get to see much but I caught at a glance, the Live From New York bit, out of the corner of my eye. Gosh,how original.

8:29 CNBC, is re-running the Meet the Press interview with Mrs. Clinton. Who will probably be the 2008 or 2012 presidential nominee for the Democrats.

8:30 She says the money is distributed by a per capita basis but it is also distributed by population. Um, duh.

8:33 Fox News "Will John Kerry be seen on the same stage with Michael Moore?" to Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY). A lot of stuttering and spin, but no real answer. Well I guess that's because the obvious one is because Moore is a kook.

8:34 MSNBC Cheney walks into the room. He's phase two of my theory on how Bush gets re-elected. Phase One, apologize for the war. Ok, we're not going to get much more than what we got the other day. Phase Two, drop Cheney for a more popular Republican, McCain or Guilianni for example.

8:38 Just a personal thought, I've heard a lot of remarks about Bush going into the lions den by holding the convention in New York (which very Democratic). I think a bigger lions den might have been San Francisco, especially with that dumb Gay Marriage Constitutional plank.

8:40 PBS Interestingly they interview a latino Republican. This is interesting because neither party has a strong latino base. Most African Americans vote Democrat, whites are about 60-40 republican, but neither has a strong latino base. You'd think they'd reach out to them by having a major latino figure speak.

8:48 CNN interviewing Bush the Senior. He wises dodges questions about anything that can be used against his son. He does slam the NYT, for trashing his son.

8:52 Hey its Bruno! Ron Silver actually, he played Bruno Gianelli on the West Wing, and helped get Pres. Bartlett a second term. I guess the GOP can't lose now with Bruno workin for them. First (that I've seen) reference to 9/11. "We will never forget, never forgive and never excuse." He quotes Gen. Douglas MacArthur, when the general signed the treaty to end the war.

8:56 He makes a good point about his colleagues in the entertainment business, who are willing to speak out about atrocities and horrors but when we go use force to stop them, they protest against the force.

8:57 He's got them on their feet and chanting "Four more years". Wow, I didn't see this kind of cheering until Sharpton on Wed. with the Dems.

9:00 MSNBC Matthews says that a lot of speeches do not mention Iraq, but mention the war on terror. Obviously, the war in Iraq isn't popular and the war on terror is popular. However, they have trouble realizing that the two are related in Bush's mind.

9:05 A call to my readers, did John Kerry say "Knowing everything I know now, I would have voted *for* the war in Iraq." Especially you people in the newspaper business. ;)

9:06 My senators (both Repubs) are being interviewed, they ask if Bush is in trouble in Ohio? I agree with them, when they say that Kerry is in trouble. He really should have gotten a 15 point bump, and he got about a 7.

9:13 MSNBC is talking about how Bush is stabbing at the middle the entire convention. Ah, the power of the incumbent. You already have your base locked in. You don't have to worry about uniting it and then going after the middle. You can just grab the middle and run baby, run.

9:18 Everyone (except PBS obviously) is at commercials. I betcha McCain or Guilliani is up at 930.

9:29 Fox News , not surprisingly is interviewing Trent Lott. Really, there isn't much going on. Someone should poke McCain with a stick and get him out there.

9:38 Wow, boooooooooring. Nothing going on, I'm not sure which is better a back to back speeches at 10. Or like the Democrats, one at 9 one at 10.

9:43 Remember Dick Morris? The guy who got in trouble for the sex stuff under Clinton? (No, the other guy ;)) He's a "political analyst for Fox News. ATTENTION MAJOR NEWS ORGANIZATIONS. I WILL WORK FOR ABOUT HALF THESE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL BOYS!

9:58 Fox is interviewing Ron Silver. He supports Bush mostly because of 911 and the democratic party's hipocracy.

10:00 Fox McCain, steps up, let's hear what he has to say. He's making a case for the War. "We need to see this war to a just end." Hear Hear. "We need to provide our children a better country than the one we were blessed to be given."

"We were not attacked for what we have done, but for what we are." Even if we leave Iraq, we will not be left alone. It's either us or them, and I'd rather it be us left standing, where I can say what I want to say, read what I want to read, and write what I want to type.

"As we have been good friends with other countries in times of their perils, it is fair to expect solidarity from them."

"I do not doubt the democrats sincerity but they should not doubt ours."

10:12 McCain's speech is alright, but nothing special. More of a trumpet than policy. Not surprising really. Policy will be Wed. and Thurs. However an open question to anti-bushites. Besides Iraq, has he really done a bad job? I mean you can't blame outsourcing on him, and you sure can't blame the recession on him either. He was in office 6 months when the recession started to hit and then 3 months after that was 9/11, if you believe the economy wasn't going to tank under Gore, I have a bridge to sell you.

10:15 McCain RIPS Michael Moore, and then they show him on the screen and the boos roll down. "A disingenous filmmaker who would have us believe that Saddam's Iraq was an oasis of peace when in fact it was a place of cruelty and torture chambers..."

10:19 Wow, really I didn't believe that the speeches this week was going to touch on Iraq and he's defending it. The joint press conferences, I uh, mean debates, will decide this election.

10:26 He wraps up, with a strong ending "We are Americans but we will never surrender and they will."

10:26 A tribute to the victims of 9/11. Nothing of note. Touching, but no substance. I'm hoping for my sanity that this isn't a sign of things to come.

10:38 Danny Rodriguez, the former NYC cop, sings Amazing Grace. I think it's better than God Bless America but that may be due to over exposure.

10:40 Moving right along, Rudi! This convention is like an elephant, slow goin but when it gets movin hard to stop. "Welcome to the capital of the World."

10:42 They heard from us in Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya. Khadaffi gave up his pursuit of WMDs without us firing a shot. That does say a lot about this President, and the world view, piss us off and we won't hesitate to come back at you.

10:44 Great line, "I've never seen so many Republicans in NYC, I feel so at home, finally." I look at the screen (remember I haven't gotten the deal from Dell or Gateway yet, so i don't get to watch, just to listen, since I face away from the screen). But they put up a beautiful shot of the NYC skyline.

10:46 "Neither party has a monopoly on virtue, we have right ideas and wrong ideas, but there are times when leadership are most important."

10:48 He's got a lot of moist eyes going, he's a great speaker and I wouldn't mind a McCain/Guilianni ticket in '08. But maybe we're getting ahead of ourselves.

10:52 Common theme tonight, "a great, peaceful religion was hijacked and is portrayed as evil." He brings up a lot of terrorism events and the lack of punishment in Europe. "Appeasement, acceptance, and compromise." I personally, didn't know that Germany let go the Munich terrorists. Really, if Germany and in the case of Italy (he mentioned it in his speech) had punished them, we might not be in the mess.

10:56 "It will not stop with Al Queda." That's a question that I've never gotten answered, do we go after the IRA next? Just askin. Although then again the IRA has been off my radar lately.

11:01 Guilliani is roasting Kerry about his inconsistancy and quotes Kerry. "I did vote for the 87 billion, before I voted against it." Kerry's flipped not only on Iraq, but on Israel and Palestine and barriers.

11:05 Guillani brings up a good point, if Kerry claims that foreign leaders prefer him, does that mean he'll conceed to their opinion to keep them happy?

11:15 Well, its past my bedtime, he's still going on. See ya Wednesday night folks! (I have plans, again, on Tuesday).