"Bubba Being Bubba"

We have all been in situations where an event is so overhyped that the event itself can never meet expectations.  That is never the case with Bill Clinton.

Last night Bill Clinton did what Bill Clinton does best.  In a rambling 48 minute speech that lasted twice its allotted time the former president gave his full throated support for the re-election of Barak Obama.  He outlined the extraordinarily difficult circumstances Obama faced upon taking office saying that no one, no  president, not himself nor any of his predecessors could have turned the economy around in four years.  He outlined the actions the president took to right the economy and he explained what they meant to the lives of Americans.  He dismantled the criticisms leveled against this president by the Republicans and he explained why the Republican plans for the future won’t work.  And he did all of this in a manner that was easily understood by his audience.  For all Obama’s oratory skills he has never been able to sell his presidency as effectively as Bill Clinton did last night. 

Bill Clinton is not a motivator.  He is a distiller.  He riffs and postulates and sometimes he goes off the reservation.  By all estimates almost 50% of last night’s speech was ad-libbed.  (The toughest job in the hall had to be the guy running the teleprompter.)  But in the end he has the extraordinary ability to sift through all the noise and nonsense and explain things in a way that connects with the American people.  And that’s what he did last night.  It was vintage “Bubba being Bubba.”

Tonight it will be President Obama’s turn.  By all accounts this will be a policy speech.  We hope so.  We will be looking for specifics on where the president wants to take the country and how he intends to get there.  Clinton cleared out the weeds of the past.  No we’ll see if the president can provide a clear path toward the future.

The Democrats have certainly convinced us that they know how to run a convention.  Now we’ll see if the president can convince voters that knows how to run the country.     

Dems. Hit It Out Of The Park

Over the past several months we have been very critical of the Democrats inability to connect with the American people.  From health care reform to equal pay for equal work to the bail out of the auto industry to TARP to the stimulus, Democrats have failed miserably in connecting the benefits of their policies to the daily lives of Americans.  The president assumed responsibility; admitting recently that his biggest failing was having been “so focused on getting the policy right” that he neglected to “tell the story.”  Pundits opined that the muddled message and lagging economy had tempered the enthusiasm among the party faithful for the president and his agenda.  Democrats were warned that if they wanted to elect the president to a second term they could ill afford to allow that malaise to cast a pall over their national convention.    

Last night, Democrats responded with an opening night that reverberated with emotion and energy.  Pundits from all political persuasions were struck by the palpable enthusiasm within the hall and wondered aloud where it had been hiding for all these many months.  The happy party atmosphere exhibited last night by the Democrats stood in stark contrast to the angry subdued scene that played out at last week’s Republican convention.  While the Republicans were all about individualism, money and achieving success the Democrats celebrated community and the important role that others played in helping us along life’s journey.  The contrast between the two conventions in terms of orchestration, message and enthusiasm was palpable.    

Perhaps the reason for this enthusiasm was that for that for the first time Obama surrogates stepped to the microphone and defended the president’s record with great passion.  Former Obama Chief of Staff and current Chicago Mayor, Rahm Emanuel enumerated the daunting problems the Obama administration faced upon taking office: an recessionary economy on the brink of a depression, two wars, the collapse of the banking industry, the collapse of Wall Street, the collapse of the auto industry, the collapse of the housing market, the monthly loss of 750,000 private sector jobs, massive unemployment, growing poverty and runaway health care costs.  Emanuel correctly noted that any one of these problems was sufficient enough to doom a presidency; and he credited president Obama with making the tough decisions necessary to turn the economy around. 

That was the last speech that looked backward into history.  Speaker after speaker followed Emanuel with a positive message about the future.  And where the Republicans marched through a parade of governors who talked about their own accomplishments while barely mentioning Mitt Romney; this was all about Obama and what he had accomplished for the country.  Massachusetts Governor Duval Patrick enumerated several of the president’s accomplishments and challenged Democrats to “grow a backbone and stand up for what we believe in.”  San Antonio Mayor and keynote speaker Julian Castro explained that the president understands the plight of Americans and has fought hard to make their lives better.  He contrasted that with Mitt Romney saying: “Mitt Romney doesn’t get it…and he doesn’t understand how good he has had it.”

But the highlight of the night was the address given by Michelle Obama.  The first lady talked about her love affair with the president.  She provided never before details about their upbringing and how that upbringing has shaped the way that President Obama governs.  She said that the president understands and appreciates the American dream “because he lived it” and that “the decisions he makes aren’t political they are personal.”  She said that the president believes that “when you walk through that door of opportunity you don’t slam it behind you…you reach back and help someone else.” And that the measure of success is not how much money you make but how many people you help along the way.” She said that after watching her husband she understands that “serving as president doesn’t define who you are…it reveals who you are.”

The reviews of the first lady’s remarks were off the charts were off the charts.  Columnists and talking heads of from every political persuasion agreed that she hit it out of the park.  Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Eugene Robinson called it “the best speech…period.”  Others called it one of the top five or six political speeches ever given.  Rankings aside, everyone seems to agree that the Democrats far overshadowed their Republican counterparts.  And if the Democrats can continue in the same fashion over the next two nights they will rekindle the enthusiasm that swept Barak Obama into office four years ago.

Tonight Bill Clinton takes center stage.  He will be competing against the nationally televised season opener for the National Football League where the defending World Champion New York Giants will take on the nationally popular Dallas Cowboys.

Republicans are no doubt hoping for an epic shootout from the Giants and Cowboys; the kind of game that will pull viewers away from what is likely to be a typically “Bubba” performance.

            

           

A Golden Opportuinty For Democrats

The Democrats will open their convention tonight having been handed a huge opportunity by the Republicans. 

The GOP spent their time in Tampa presenting a mean spirited attack on the President’s policies that was just as short on specifics as it was on facts.  Even the theme of the Republican bash: “We Did Build It!” was based on a lie; a fabricated response to a comment made by the president and taken totally out of context by the Republicans.  Instead of offering a plan for the future the Republicans trotted out a parade of governors who spent their allotted time gloating about what a good job they were doing back home. Each governor only mentioned Romney as an afterthought.

The nominee followed right along.  Romney’s time at the podium was spent criticizing the president while offering nothing specific in the way of alternatives.  Clearly the goal was to make this election referendum on the president.  The message was simple…the economy sucks…its Obama’s fault…vote for Romney.

The polls show that the Republican message did not resonate with the voters.  The GOP failed to get the customary bump in the polls that usually follow a national convention.

Now the Democrats will have their opportuinty.  They will be asked a very simple question:  “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”  From our perspective the answer is obvious.  While the economy is still struggling, no one wants to go back to the way things were four years ago.  But it will be up to the Democrats to answer that question in a way that resonates with the electorate.  And in the process they must lay out a specific vision for the country’s future.  If Democrats can accomplish these two things they will go a long way to securing the independent voters they need to win this election.

     

    

GOP Convention Day III: A Missed Opportuinty

When the GOP planned the grand finale of their convention it is safe to say that they assumed the focus would be on Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech.  Never in their wildest dreams could they have imagined that their nominee would be upstaged by a conversation between an octogenarian actor and an invisible president.

Mitt Romney gave what was probably the best speech of his political life.  It wasn’t a great speech by anyone’s estimation.  It was long on rhetoric and absent of any specific plan to move the country forward.  But it was enough to bring the doubting party members on board.  Romney did what he had to do to reach the party faithful. 

But the conversation the next day was not about Romney but about Clint Eastwood and his conversation with an invisible Barak Obama.  To call Eastwood’s rambling questioning of the invisible Obama “strange” would be a vast understatement.  There were some funny moments; but when the invisible president supposedly told Eastwood and Romney to go “F” themselves the gag went off the rails.  Unfortunately for the Republicans Clint Eastwood’s performance was the very first thing viewers saw when the national networks tuned in. 

In the end the Republicans will not get the usual bump in the polls that historically come courtesy of the convention.  The angry tone and the lack of a specific plan to move the country forward will not sway the undecided voters.  In that regard this convention was a missed opportunity for the Republican Party.       

GOP Convention Day II: A Very Good Night For Republicans

If Tuesday at the GOP convention was all about “love” and “respect” Wednesday was all about “leadership “or the perceived lack thereof coming from the White House.

John McCain kicked things off by chastising the president for “leading from behind” on foreign policy.  McCain tried to convince a war weary nation that a US military presence is needed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria and Iran.  His words were music to the ears of a crowd that is big on tough talk, guns and things that go boom.  McCain has never met a war that he didn’t want to wage or a new weapon that he didn’t want to procure.  His comments were little more than a replay of his stump speeches in 2008.  McCain would like to see a large US military presence throughout the Middle East.  But he doesn’t address the fact that we don’t have the financial resources, the military personnel or the will to wage a war against five different nations.  John McCain is a war hero and his sacrifice should be acknowledged by all Americans.  But a country struggling to make ends meet has no stomach for another endless war.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took to the podium and gave a stirring speech on American leadership and exceptionalism.  Many of us didn’t know what to expect from her as she has shunned the spotlight since her time in the Bush cabinet.  But she gave one of the most soaring, presidential speeches we have ever heard.  The audience and national pundits were blown away.  Chris Mathews, a staunch liberal and no friend of the “W” years called the speech “Churchillian.”  If you missed it you should check it out on YouTube.

But the night belonged to Paul Ryan.  Ryan accepted the party’s nomination for vice president and then shifted into the mode that has traditionally fallen to the #2 guy on the ticket…attack dog.  Ryan did not disappoint.  If you read the text of his speech you find it filled with brutally harsh language and searing attacks against the president.  But Ryan delivered it with a smile and a boyish charm that had the crowd wanting more.  Ryan criticized the president for fiscal policies that added $5 trillion dollars to the national debt.  But he conveniently left out the fact that he voted for TARP, for the auto bailout, for the Bush tax cuts, for Medicare Part D and for two costly wars…all of which were unfunded and added $3.6 trillion to our debt. Ryan continued the lie about the president robbing Medicare of $716 billion even though his own budget proposal contains the very same cuts.  Ryan is Medicare…and his willingness to place the popular entitlement program at the forefront of the debate may prove to be the focal point for voters in November.  But the most important statement that Ryan made is one that will embolden Republicans and should deeply concern all Democrats.  He said that having seen what four years under Obama has brought the country: “without a change in leadership why would the next four years be any different than the last four years?”  Democrats will have to find a good answer for that question if they intend to win in November.

Noted columnist Peggy Noonan wrote about the mood of the delegates after hearing Ann Romney and Chris Christie speak Tuesday night:  “I want to tell you they marched out of the hall on Tuesday night on fire for their side.  But I was there and they did not.  They walked out like people who weren’t sure what to think or how to feel but were hoping for the best because the love their country.  A lot.”

That certainly was not the case on Wednesday.  Ryan and Rice left them energized with the very real belief that they can win in November.  It was a very good night for Republicans.       

        

GOP Convention Day 1: Optics, Platforms And Revisionist History

Here are a few observations from last night’s opening session of the Republican National Convention.

The first part of the session brought us a lesson in optics.  Delegates from US territories Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam etc. were awarded prime seating near the podium even though they will never cast a vote in this election.  You can't claim to be a party of "inclusion" if the TV cameras only reveal white faces on the convention floor.  Meanwhile the state delegations that dared to support Ron Paul in the GOP primaries found themselves seated in the nose bleed section.

Once the seating arrangements were decided a keffuffle ensued between Ron Paul delegates and those supporting Romney.  As the states proudly delivered their votes to the podium ("The Lone Star State of Texas casts 58 votes for the next President of the United States.. etc.)the person tallying the votes only announced the votes for Romney while ignoring the votes cast for Paul, santorum etc.  thsi incensed the ron Paul delegates who initiated a shouting match with Romney delegate.  Peace was restored but the animosity remained.          

The next part of the session dealt with the passage of the party platform.  The platform is supposed to document the core principles on which the party will govern.  This year’s platform:  calls for a constitutional amendment that would outlaw abortion with NO exceptions; extends 14^th amendment rights to the unborn child, supports replacing family planning programs with abstinence education, supports the repeal of the president’s health care act, supports the right to possess unlimited amounts of ammunition, supports the right to carry extended capacity ammunition clips, supports the right of individuals holding a concealed carry permit from any state to carry their firearm across state lines, affirms that lawful marriage is between one man and one woman, supports the extension of the Bush tax cuts and the elimination of the estate tax and the alternative minimum tax and supports moving Medicare to a “premium support plan” and Medicaid to a state run block grant plan.

Once the platform was passed by the delegates it seemed to develop plague like qualities.  Party leaders took great pains to distance themselves from its existence; dismissing any attempts by reporters to dig into the platform specifics.   “The platform doesn’t matter” said former New York Governor Pataki.  Then why have a platform?

Romney’s roll call victory was orchestrated in the afternoon so that prime time would belong to a parade of Republican governors.  We assumed each of these guys was going to regale us with wonderful tales of all things Romney and the conservative principles that he would bring to the White House.  Instead we were forced to endure a chorus line of self congratulatory revisionist history as each governor told us what a great job they had done since taking office.  Kasich, McDonnell and Walker gave rhyme and verse of their accomplishments while barely mentioning Romney.  Even the ever popular Chris Christie couldn’t resist the opportunity to blow his own horn.  Christie was half way through his self promotion keynote address before he even uttered Romney’s name.  “Look what I did in my state!  I’m great!  Oh yeah…support Mitt Romney.”  Christie may have been addressing the 2012 GOP Convention...but clearly he had one eye on 2016.

While all the governors cited the horrible financial conditions they faced upon taking office none of them mentioned the eight Bush years of unfunded spending that brought about those conditions.  In fact Bush was never mentioned.  Neither was Cheney, McCain or Palin.  Instead the governors talked about how they courageously made the hard choices to balance their budgets.  Naturally they left out the carnage of reduced benefits and lost jobs those hard choices brought about.  Also absent were any specifics about how they would move the country forward.  And noticeably absent was any mention of the war Afghanistan.

Ann Romney was very good.  It is easy to see that she loves her husband very, very much.  But she didn’t tell us very much about the candidate.  And her message of “love” conflicted with that of Chris Christie who told us that being “loved” wasn’t important…gaining “respect” was the goal.

Tonight, the real star of the Republican Party speaks.  Paul Ryan will have his national coming out party.

Let’s see if HE mentions Mitt.                              

Debunking The Fiscal Conservative Myth

Sincethe Republican convention has been put on tempoary hold we would like to use this time to debunk a myth that has permeated the poitical conversation.

We have been led to believe that this election is a contest between the fiscally conservative Republicans and the liberal tax and spend Democrats. This myth was further enhanced by the selection of Paul Ryan as the Republican vice presidential nominee. Mr. Ryan is after all the poster boy for fiscal conservatism.

The problem here is that neither the Republican party nor Mr. Ryan has been very conservative when it comes to spending your tax dollars.

It is a matter of historical fact that the Republican Party over the past decade has approved more unfunded spending than any other time in our history.  George W. Bush authorized two unfunded wars and pushed through a perscription drug plan that was one of the  largest unfunded social policies in our history.  They also authored the infamous and unfunded  Bush Tax cuts and gave billions in subsidies and tax incentives to large corporations.  Their policies turned the Clinton surplus into a economic deficit.

But, you say, today’s Republican Party has learned a lesson from the Bush years.  They will return us to the path of fiscal responsibility. 

Not really!

Today’s Republican Party voted to extend the unfunded Bush tax cuts without paying for them.  They want to continue with the war in Afghanistan; an unfunded $2 billion per week.  Their current budget proposal includes massive increases in defense spending AND large across the board tax cuts.    

Yes, you say, but they want to offset those defense appropriations and tax cuts  by slashing expenses and reforming entitlements.

Not really.

The Republican budget proposal will slash discretionary spending.  But discreationary spending amounts to less than 20% of the budget.  These are the programs that middle class and working poor Americans value and depend upon. As as for entitlements..Republicans don’t want to reform entitlemants...they want to push the burden of entitlements off the federal books and onto the states and local communities.  And their “entitlement  reform”  doesn’t even begin until 2022.

M. Ryan was added to the ticket to give substance to Romney’s statement that he is a “severe conservative.”  But Ryan voted for every single unfunded proposal that Bush brought before congress.  And while Ryan was publically criticizing Obama’s stimulus he was quietly appropriating over $20 million in stimulus money for his constituents. Since accepting the VP nod Ryan has spent his time demonizing Obama for cutting Medicare by $716 million.  This from a guy who says that we need to cut Medicare.   And Ryan’s “bold” deficit reduction proposal doesn’t even sniff a  balanced  budget until 2040.

Republicans can talk about fiscal conservatism all they want.  But as they say in sports...you are what your record says you are.