Obama/Biden vs. McCain/Palin

[PujolJunkie]

It was a good speech, well delivered and timed to a good crowd reaction.

One of my biggest issues with her speech was the timing and the crowd reactions. She wasn't being interrupted by an over-enthusiastic crowd, she would pause and wait and then the crowd would react as though the pause was their cue. Not naturally flowing at all.

No matter how comfortable she seemed to get to everyone else, she just looked so lost and like a deer in the headlights to me. She looked like she was terrified.

[ghostrunner]

- Has she actually lied about the Bridge to Nowhere? All I recall her saying is that she said "no thanks" to the bridge. That's basically true. They didn't build it. She may have campaigned in favor of it, but it's going to be hard to play gotcha on someone for NOT building a useless bridge.

You're really re-interpreting what she said to fit what you want it to say. Her exact quote was:

And I’ve championed reform to end the abuses of earmark spending by Congress. In fact, I told Congress, thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere. If our state wanted a bridge, I said, we’d build it ourselves.

She campaigned in Gravina Island while running for governor in support of the project. And she did not return the "abusive" earmark money to Congress as she implies in her statement, she just decided not to use the money for the bridge, as she had promised to that community when running for office.

It's pretty clear really. That statement she made got a big round of applause and for all fo the most disingenuous reasons.

No, I'm interpreting it literally. There's nothing in there about returning money. There's nothing saying she campaigned against it. I don't have a problem if she diverted the money elsewhere. It may have gone to a more useful project. I don't know if that's the case, but the point is that government money wasn't used for a pointless bridge. It was killed under her watch, and I think she's within her rights to take some credit.

Also, I resent the idea that I'm trying to spin her comments in some way that's appealing to me. I disagree with her on a host of issues. I'm just trying to mete out what's true and fair and what isn't.

[TimeForGuinness]

I really hope that one of these days, America wakes up and realizes that it's ok to be a moderate.

[haltz]

Is there a video anywhere?

[TimeForGuinness]

Is there a video anywhere?

I'm sure it's on YouTube...they all are.

[PujolJunkie]

I really hope that one of these days, America wakes up and realizes that it's ok to be a moderate.

It really is. This is one of the reasons that, and I'm totally not afraid to admit this straight up, that John McCain AND Sarah Palin terrified me against Obama. Because there's so much talk about how OBAMA IS LIBRULEST EVER and McCain is such a Maverick. It's not until I realized that McCain abandoned everything that made him the man he was in 2000 and that Palin is as far-right as it gets that I relaxed. Because these two are NOT the maverick moderates that they paint themselves to be. Not even close.

[PujolJunkie]

I think this sums it up. From FiveThirtyEight:

She gave a great speech for someone who would not be vulnerable to hitting back. A keynote, or frankly the Giuliani role. But after giving that speech, if she has any kind of embarrassing moment on the trail, she will be open to serious blowback. That was a Chutzpah Speech for someone with no foreign policy credentials who is fending off the Personal Scandal of the Hour. If she threads the needle and runs a gaffe-free campaign, it might work. But if her amateurism gets exposed in any way during the next few months, look out.

[UK]

I really hope that one of these days, America wakes up and realizes that it's ok to be a moderate.

I'd rather be moderate than far left as my social views prevent me from doing so though. It's frustrating in a way to realize that if I take my views step by step, it falls in line with the left everytime. If someone has similar views as me, I believe they are going to be what's best for this country.

[haltz]

Nate Silver is everywhere.

Hopefully this election doesn't slow down PECOTA this offseason. Let's make sure and keep our priorities straight.

[Schlich]

More power to you. That's why we have a democracy. But if Obama is such your dream guy, why would you even watch tonight? To laugh at your opponent? I'm not trying to be condescending, it's a genuine question.

I always listen to both (all) sides.

This is a republic. Why would I not?

I totally agree. It's just that some people fail to see that a lot, dare i say the majority, of accusations and faults one can find in the other party, can also be found in their own party.

So if PujolJunkie wants to vote for Obama because that's what he believes, i'm not going to try to convince him otherwise. Just watch the speech for crying out loud. I dont think the GOP meant it to be some revolutionary speech. Just letting America get to know the VP candidate a little bit.