Pat Dollard | Young Americans

My read of the day….
Jules Crittenden

September 5, 2008

McCain’s unabashed, unflinching call for service, to renew all Americans’ commitment to a better country and America’s role in making this a better world. Boston Herald:

Urging Americans to “fight with me” for the nation’s future, GOP presidential contender John McCain last night brought thousands of cheering convention delegates to their feet as he declared: “Change is coming.”

“Fight for what’s right for our country,” the Arizona senator roared over applause. “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.”

Political conventions in the modern era are supposed to be partisan lovefests, pre-ordained coronations. There isn’t supposed to be anything like real politics going on there. That’s what the media keeps telling us. But the Republicans, not listening, just broke that rule. Barring unforeseen circumstances, unknown shoes that might drop, or the unlikely event of Democratic strategic brilliance, it is now the Republican Party’s election to lose, and we have just witnessed what might be one of the neatest, most explosive, most dastardly genuine political manuevers of presidential politics in our time.

John McCain, in his speech tonight, has reclaimed the vast middle ground of American politics, where people may hold a variety of views, but value directness and character above all. His rejection of partisan politics has been the hallmark of his three-decade career, whether you’ve always liked it or not. He doesn’t just talk about it, he’s lived it, and America knows that. Tonight, in speaking in earnest to all Americans, he severely undercut the Democratic line that he is pandering to the right. He had placated the right with the naming of Sarah Palin, no doubt, but she is also likely to bring in a large part of the center. Because America loves a fighter, and Americans like someone who looks like them. They will respect her, even if they don’t agree on every issue or every aspect of her life.

America has been presented with a team that represents genuine accomplishment, character and independence. And America, I suspect, is smart enough to get that and appreciate that.

The inspired choice of Palin prompted a tsunami of slams, from lefty partisans and the media that has only focused on Obama’s negatives when forced to. There is no way the GOP strategists didn’t know that was coming. We have to assume they knew enough about Palin to know she could handle it, and remain cool, as she did. The GOP strategists were no doubt gratified when, as expected, the left and a large part of the media did their work for them, bringing the audience, lowering expectations, and giving the American people an underdog to cheer on. Palin brought the Louisville slugger.

McCain was then supposed to be the anti-climax, and for a while there in his speech, he obligingly droned on. Then he told his war story, without JFK-wannabe photos or phony Benny Hill salutes or slogans. It was an unadorned tale of a tough guy who got humbled in the fire, and learned how to fight, learned it wasn’t about him at all, as he suffered and endured for all of us.

McCain indulged himself by reminding everyone that he is Washington’s original maverick. Then he did something I’m not sure any politician has done since JFK. Without asking for them to support his platform or his party, without offering any election bribes, he asked them simply to serve, each in his or her own way, and with him, to be the best they can for their country.

I don’t think you have to have been tortured, or even to have shown up in dire, mortal circumstances to get that. I think the librarians and nurses and PTA moms and little league coaches all get that, and understand it is the most basic non-partisan political message of all. Give something, expect nothing.

The Democrats have a problem. They’ve got several. Obama’s rock star status has been seriously challenged. In fact, he peaked some time ago. In fairness, the grueling Democratic primary forced it on him. But you can only fool the American people for so long, and sooner or later the charm was bound to wear thin. Going into the final election season, he is no longer the flavor of the month, and voters will find that desperation has a bitter taste.

Image and charm aside, his Iraq war issue has been severely undercut. He miscalculated when he rejected the surge and the counter-insurgency strategy. He was on the wrong side, and Americans prefer to win. The surge has worked, and now Bush and his generals, reacting to conditions on the ground just as they said they would, are beginning to do the things Obama said he’d do regardless of conditions on the ground. Meanwhile, the economy is sending mixed messages, with factory orders and house sales up, housing prices stabilizing and foreclosures easing. Then there’s change. With Old Hairplugs beside him, the untested neophyte is going to have a hard time reclaiming that from the veteran maverick and the tough-talking woman from Alaska.

The lefties would dispute, disparage, probably use a lot of eff words, maybe laugh at all this, but then again, the lefties thought they could make Palin withdraw.

NYT: Hey, no fair, Obama’s the change guy!

WPost: “I work for you” speech aimed at moderates, light on the red meat. (comments good fun as left gags, projectile vomits)

Instapundit: Full text. Worth the read if you didn’t see it, for details of McCain’s four decades of service and fighting from Vietnam to DC … hey, wait a minute, no fair … it’s not Obama’s fault he never got tortured by the Vietnamese while serving as a community organizer or spent three decades working both sides of the aisle in DC!

TPM: projectile liveblogging!

In other business, Malkin dispenses with more fact-challenged Palin bashing … you’d think they would have learned from the last week the inept pummeling just makes people like her more. How do they think she managed to get ratings like this? 37 million tuned to to see Sarah fight back … only 1 million fewer than the rock star pulled at his coronation between the faux Grecian pillars last week. Thank you, Kos, thank you, MSNBC, thank you Us maggie, etal.

We’ll close with Howie Carr’s meanspirited remarks about the well-intentioned do-gooders who tried to take out the trailer trash and ended up … looking like garbage.