I should have known better. I knew it wasn't good for me. At 11:30 last night I was drinking my third cup of coffee and munching on potato chips as I watched Charlie Rose and the pundits at his round table talk about the evening's speeches.
Yes, I tuned in last night at 10:00, against my better judgment but feeling like I should see what the republicans were going to say. I watched the speeches of Rudy G. and Sarah P.... Well, actually I listened and glanced at the television while I checked what my favorite pundits were saying online. Their impressions were the same as mine about the negative tone, the mocking of the democrats, and the absence of talk about what they would do for the economy, education, health care, equal pay, and how our nation is viewed by the eyes of the world. I felt deflated when I crawled into bed at 12:22 this morning.
What a difference from last week, when I watched the democratic convention every night. I'd start each evening with the Jim Lehrer NewsHour and stay with PBS as the speeches started. I like the reporters, political pundits, and historians on public television. I rely on their balanced reporting and commentary. Each night at the convention the speech-makers presented what the democrats would do for America. Sure, they talked about how they differed from the republicans, but the essence of every speech was to lay out the specific changes a democratic administration would make to improve the lives of Americans and rebuild relationships around the world.
Last week I felt inspired and hopeful about the future. Hillary, Bill, Joe, and Barack made me think about what's possible. I thought back to what Bill Clinton was able to accomplish as president. This country can flourish again, if the democrats win the election.
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6 comments:
you hit the nail on the head - I watched part of it and couldn't help myself from chatting with Katie about how unreal the whole thing was.
Sharon,
I couldn't agree more. The Republicans relied heavily on bashing Obama last night -- it was the keynote of the campaign. Could they lack confidence in their own platform? So much of what I watched last night was, well, plain rude. They rely too heavily on "religion" and "family values" (Is rudeness and name-calling a family value, I wonder?) Watching each one up there giving his/her speech, I couldn't help but recall each of their public and private scandals and "moral mishaps." And then I shook my head and turned off the TV. Palin did give a rousing speech -- but it scares me, how little we know about her.
Sharon;
I agree with you. There's so much work to be done between now and election day if the Dems are to succeed; we'll need every last one of us out there to get involved in some way and vote our candidates into office.
Well, what else can they do but bash? Bush hasn't left them with a legacy to stand on. And it's their own fault for not taking a more critical stance with the administration when it was clear they were heading in the wrong direction.
What is most scary is that McCain is still close enough in the race to win despite this.
I have a lot of respect and admiration for John McCain and his life's journey. But, that doesn't mean he's the man I want serving as our nation's leader. So much of what was emphasized during the week was his service to the nation, his time as a POW. Again, these experiences impress the hell out of me, but his political leanings turn me off. So, this year, I'm definitely voting for the party versus the man.
I love this quotation from Albert Einstein: "The significant problems
we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them." When two people from the same party support the same ideas, isn't that just more of the same? How can same = change? I'm not Einstein, but I know it doesn't add up.
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