An abbreviated first day at the convention
At this morning's Pennsylvania delegation breakfast we were informed that the convention schedule had been officially shortened for today due to the hurricane along the Gulf Coast. Our speakers at breakfast adhered to John McCain's request that partisan rhetoric be toned down and that every one be mindful of the potential for severe problems in Louisiana. Our speakers this morning included former New York Governor George Pataki, former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman, Mr. Tom Moe, a former resident of the Hanoi Hilton and McCain friend, and surprise guest 96 year old Roberta McCain, John McCain's mother.
Governor Pataki focused on service and how John McCain didn't just speak about service, he lived it. Secretary Lehman, a McCain confidant, friend and often the person who introduces him (he did so in Springfield in March) spoke about John McCain's administrative skills as a squadron commander during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Roberta McCain a spry, healthy and energetic woman spoke of her Pa roots (she lived here in the early 1940's) and how her son was counting on the delegates to deliver Pa for her son.
However the most motivational speaker of the morning was Tom Moe, who was housed in the cell next to John McCain. He related how the two men would communicate after their beatings and how they formed a support system for each other that has lasted right up to the present. You can't help but feel deep emotion when you hear about John McCain's experiences in Vietnam. It is an experience that we will hear about over the next two months, not because it happened but because it defined John McCain's character and influenced his entire life since then. It is why he has vocally disagreed with the administration on the interrogation technique known as water boarding and believes it is torture.
The actual convention business was cut short. The decision to cancel the bulk of the program was not made by the insider pols at the RNC but by John McCain. In fact the real story here is the unspoken infighting between traditional party types and John McCain. By all rights, the convention was supposed to be his opportunity to shape the message for the final two months of the campaign, to combat the Democrat attacks last week on his character and accomplishments, and to recover some of the bounce Barrack Obama received in the polls. But all of those elements – key pieces of the overall campaign -- don’t even seem to be on McCain’s radar. Instead, he’s focused largely on the relief efforts and receiving updates from the governors of the impacted states. He put the good of the people ahead of his politics. This is clear proof that a John McCain presidency will not be “politics as usual.”
The convention opened with an abbreviated session around 230pm by Congressman Mike Duncan. The rules and platform were adopted and the delegation was certified. At that point the convention was adjourned for an hour. I had always wondered what happened on the convention floor when the commercials were on and the chattering class was plying their trade. The answer is a big fat NOTHING. It was like halftime at a Birds game but without the Frisbee dogs.
After the convention resumed Laura Bush and Cindy McCain spoke for a few minutes and provided all the delegates with information on aiding the Gulf and the convention was adjourned.
The other big political news of the day was the McCain campaign’s confirmation of media reports that Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter is pregnant. I question how this is even news. How did Governor Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy become my business? What family hasn’t had some similar issue? And again why is it my business? At any rate, most politicians would have stayed away from her given the potential for this news to detract from the overall campaign message. But to McCain’s credit, he stood by his selection because he believed she was the best person for the job. Again, we are not going to get politics as usual from John McCain.
The evening concluded with an ice cream social sponsored by Pa. Senate Majority leader and Delaware County’s own Dominic Pileggi. Who said Republicans aren’t fun?
As of the writing of this entry, the overall schedule for the remainder of the week is still up in the air. I will keep you updated as I learn more.
Governor Pataki focused on service and how John McCain didn't just speak about service, he lived it. Secretary Lehman, a McCain confidant, friend and often the person who introduces him (he did so in Springfield in March) spoke about John McCain's administrative skills as a squadron commander during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. Roberta McCain a spry, healthy and energetic woman spoke of her Pa roots (she lived here in the early 1940's) and how her son was counting on the delegates to deliver Pa for her son.
However the most motivational speaker of the morning was Tom Moe, who was housed in the cell next to John McCain. He related how the two men would communicate after their beatings and how they formed a support system for each other that has lasted right up to the present. You can't help but feel deep emotion when you hear about John McCain's experiences in Vietnam. It is an experience that we will hear about over the next two months, not because it happened but because it defined John McCain's character and influenced his entire life since then. It is why he has vocally disagreed with the administration on the interrogation technique known as water boarding and believes it is torture.
The actual convention business was cut short. The decision to cancel the bulk of the program was not made by the insider pols at the RNC but by John McCain. In fact the real story here is the unspoken infighting between traditional party types and John McCain. By all rights, the convention was supposed to be his opportunity to shape the message for the final two months of the campaign, to combat the Democrat attacks last week on his character and accomplishments, and to recover some of the bounce Barrack Obama received in the polls. But all of those elements – key pieces of the overall campaign -- don’t even seem to be on McCain’s radar. Instead, he’s focused largely on the relief efforts and receiving updates from the governors of the impacted states. He put the good of the people ahead of his politics. This is clear proof that a John McCain presidency will not be “politics as usual.”
The convention opened with an abbreviated session around 230pm by Congressman Mike Duncan. The rules and platform were adopted and the delegation was certified. At that point the convention was adjourned for an hour. I had always wondered what happened on the convention floor when the commercials were on and the chattering class was plying their trade. The answer is a big fat NOTHING. It was like halftime at a Birds game but without the Frisbee dogs.
After the convention resumed Laura Bush and Cindy McCain spoke for a few minutes and provided all the delegates with information on aiding the Gulf and the convention was adjourned.
The other big political news of the day was the McCain campaign’s confirmation of media reports that Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter is pregnant. I question how this is even news. How did Governor Palin’s daughter’s pregnancy become my business? What family hasn’t had some similar issue? And again why is it my business? At any rate, most politicians would have stayed away from her given the potential for this news to detract from the overall campaign message. But to McCain’s credit, he stood by his selection because he believed she was the best person for the job. Again, we are not going to get politics as usual from John McCain.
The evening concluded with an ice cream social sponsored by Pa. Senate Majority leader and Delaware County’s own Dominic Pileggi. Who said Republicans aren’t fun?
As of the writing of this entry, the overall schedule for the remainder of the week is still up in the air. I will keep you updated as I learn more.
posted by Mike Puppio at
9:56 PM
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