RNC Wrap-Up

Tonight was the final night of the RNC. In many ways, it was anti-climactic compared to last night. The speakers were solid but not flashy. The rafters weren't raised like they were last night with the Romney-Huckabee-Rudy-Palin line-up. I guess they didn't want anyone who might overshadow McCain himself. That's understandable, but it made for a bland evening.

The only speakers I caught in full were Cindy and John McCain. Though Cindy is not a tremendous public speaker, she was adequate. The thing that strikes me about her, though, is that she embodies the essence of the First Lady. She is gracious and kind, has a purpose that is greater than herself, spends a great deal of her time helping the less fortunate, and has this intangible sense of class about her. You can't help but love her! The thing that I appreciate most about her is that she has been doing the typical First Lady things for years. You can't fake that kind of philanthropic work for that long. She's not a rah-rah speaker, but she is the real deal.

I'm going to succumb to the lack of sensationalism and not do the running commentary with McCain's speech, but I will offer some thoughts on it (full text here).

He gave immediate props to Pres. Bush and Laura Bush - nice. He also said some very nice things about his wife (as he should) and his mother. He also spoke quite eloquently about Obama, complimenting him on his achievement.

Interestingly, a couple protesters caused a ruckus and were removed from the convention hall pretty early on. It was impossible to hear what they were shouting, since the GOP crowd drowned them out with "USA! USA!". McCain nimbly asked the crowd not to be distracted by the ground noise and static, and the crowd went nuts.

Some of my favorite excerpts from the speech:

All you ever asked of government is to stand on your side, not in your way. And that’s just what I intend to do: stand on your side and fight for your future.

[L]et me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd: change is coming.

I’m not in the habit of breaking promises to my country and neither is Governor Palin. And when we tell you we’re going to change Washington, and stop leaving our country’s problems for some unluckier generation to fix, you can count on it. We’ve got a record of doing just that, and the strength, experience, judgment and backbone to keep our word to you.

The first big spending pork barrel earmark bill that comes across my desk...I will veto it. I will make them famous, and you will know their names.

I fight to restore the pride and principles of our party. We were elected to change Washington, and we let Washington change us. We lost the trust of the American people when some Republicans gave in to the temptations of corruption. We lost their trust when rather than reform government, both parties made it bigger. We lost their trust when instead of freeing ourselves from a dangerous dependence on foreign oil, both parties and Senator Obama passed another corporate welfare bill for oil companies. We lost their trust, when we valued our power over our principles.

We’re going to change that. We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire. The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.

We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn’t make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.

I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can. My opponent will raise them. I will open new markets to our goods and services. My opponent will close them. I will cut government spending. He will increase it.

My tax cuts will create jobs. His tax increases will eliminate them. My health care plan will make it easier for more Americans to find and keep good health care insurance. His plan will force small businesses to cut jobs, reduce wages, and force families into a government run health care system where a bureaucrat stands between you and your doctor.

Education is the civil rights issue of this century. Equal access to public education has been gained. But what is the value of access to a failing school? We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work.

Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents and students.

I’m not running for president because I think I’m blessed with such personal greatness that history has anointed me to save our country in its hour of need. My country saved me. My country saved me, and I cannot forget it. And I will fight for her for as long as I draw breath, so help me God.

[N]othing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

He's not a gifted speaker. In fact, he gives George W. Bush a run for his money. The speech was fairly bland, and maybe even flat at times. Fortunately, the gift of public speaking isn't what is necessary to make an effective President.

General impressions
Once again, we heard a whole lot of spontaneous chanting: "USA! USA!" Didn't get that last week. McCain spoke a lot about the future: fixing problems, looking ahead, re-establishing America's position of leadership in the world. He talked at length about his history, including his experiences as a POW. I have to say that I don't need to hear that any more. I get it - I know the history, and I understand that's what has given him his unshakable character. I guess they felt it necessary to go through it again to show how he became such a patriot after that experience.

It was a solid speech, though not great. I don't think it had to be. It just had to set out the case for the McCain-Palin ticket. They are the real agents of change, ready to take on the Washington establishment, the Democrat party, and the world.

Now it's back to the campaign trail for a few more weeks before voters get their say at the polls.

As I said after the DNC, history shows us that most candidates get a small bump in the polls after their convention. The average is about 5%, and that's about what Obama got. I will be very curious to see if the sudden enthusiasm from the Republican base translates into a bigger poll bump. Time will tell.

There's my two cents.