Posted on 09/01/2004 12:58:15 AM PDT by conservative in nyc
acing perhaps three times the television audience that saw its sharp-edged speakers on Monday, the Republican National Convention circled back last night to President Bush's winning 2000 campaign theme of "compassionate conservatism," portraying him as not only hardheaded but also bighearted enough to lead "the most historic struggle my generation has ever known," as his wife, Laura, put it in a prime-time speech.
On the first night the major broadcast networks carried live coverage of the proceedings, the party offered up glowing testimonials from Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Terminator turned popular Republican governor of California; prominent black Republicans like Education Secretary Rod Paige and Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele of Maryland; the president's telegenic nephew George P. Bush, who is Hispanic; and a variety of Republican women, chief among them Mrs. Bush herself.
"No American president ever wants to go to war," said Mrs. Bush, who was presented to the delegates via satellite by her husband from the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, after their twin 22-year-old daughters introduced him to the hall in a goofily affectionate tribute that amounted to their national political debut.
"Abraham Lincoln didn't want to go to war,'' Mrs. Bush said, "but he knew that saving the union required it. Franklin Roosevelt didn't want to go to war, but he knew that defeating tyranny demanded it. And my husband didn't want to go to war, but he knew the safety and security of America and the world depended on it."
Mrs. Bush, who told Mr. Bush she would marry him almost 27 years ago so long as she never had to make a political speech, proceeded last night to make a heartfelt and articulate one, describing her husband in terms he seldom if ever applies to himself as "wrestling with these agonizing decisions" about war in Iraq.
She delivered a ringing endorsement of "George's work to protect our country and defeat terror, so that all children can grow up in a more peaceful world."
Mr. Schwarzenegger, whose victory in a recall election last year upended normal partisan politics in the most populous state, offered the delegates a twist on his signature cinematic line, declaring: "Ladies and gentlemen, America is back. Back from the attack on our homeland, back from the attack on our economy and back from the attack on our way of life. We are back because of the perseverance, character and leadership of the 43rd president of the United States, George W. Bush."
And, to deafening applause and cheers, he said: "To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say, Don't be economic girlie men! The U.S. economy remains the envy of the world."
If Monday was a tribute to Mr. Bush's battle against terrorism, the second day of the convention focused more on the domestic issues Mr. Bush campaigned on in 2000. Speaker after speaker testified that he had made great headway in delivering on his promises, and had gone to war only to project the same compassionate American values overseas.
There were repeated appeals to the aspirations and dreams of immigrants and minorities, and repeated assertions that the Republicans remain the party of free enterprise and individual achievement, yet not insensitive to those in need. Lest the upbeat theme be lost on anyone, delegates waved signs proclaiming themselves "people of compassion."
George P. Bush, long one of his uncle's most popular surrogate campaigners, especially among Latinos and immigrant groups, spoke in English and Spanish, telling delegates: "Our party has always represented the interests of all people seeking opportunity. We are the home of entrepreneurs, men and women who want to know the pride of accomplishment, the honor of self-sufficiency."
But the night was not without some more passionate - and confrontational - words. Several speakers defended Mr. Bush's decision to place limits on federal stem-cell research as a sign of the party's stance regarding human life. Senator Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina, one of Mr. Bush's rivals for the nomination in 2000, offered a blunt defense of the party's stance against same-sex marriage, abortion and secularism.
"Two thousand years ago a man said, 'I have come to give life and to give it in full,' " Mrs. Dole said. "In America, I have the freedom to call that man Lord, and I do. In the United States of America, we are free to worship without discrimination, without intervention and even without activist judges trying to strip the name of God from the Pledge of Allegiance, from the money in our pockets and from the walls of our courthouses. The Constitution guarantees freedom of religion, not freedom from religion. The right to worship God isn't something Republicans invented, but it is something Republicans will defend."
Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee described the Democratic nominee, John Kerry, as "the personal injury lawyers' best friend" and promoted the Republicans' effort to expand access to health care, saying, "I'll tell you what Senator Kerry's prescription will be: Take a handful of tax increases and don't call me in the morning."
And Mr. Steele, the first African-American elected to statewide office in Maryland, styled himself as the Republican answer to the Democrats' black keynote speaker, Barack Obama of Illinois, and unleashed some tough words about Mr. Kerry, who he noted "recently said he doesn't want to use the word 'war' to describe our efforts to fight terrorism."
"Well, I don't want to use the words 'commander in chief' to describe John Kerry," Mr. Steele said.
Mr. Paige offered a tribute to Mr. Bush's education policy, declaring: "This election may be multiple choice, but there's only one correct choice. To go forward, not back. To choose compassion, not cynicism. To set high standards, not settle for second best. To elect a true reformer with proven results, not a Johnny-come-lately with more promises."
Just before 7:30 p.m., Pennsylvania, the swing state that Mr. Bush has visited more than 30 times - more often than any other as president - cast all its 75 votes for Mr. Bush, officially putting him over the top of the 1,255 votes needed for nomination.
A couple hours later, Mr. Schwarzenegger recalled his youth in Austria, which was still partly Soviet-occupied, and the fear he felt at a Soviet checkpoint. "I was a little boy; I wasn't an action-hero back then,'' he said. "But I remember how scared I was that the soldiers would pull my father or my uncle out of the car and I'd never see him again."
By contrast, he said, "in this country, it doesn't make any difference where you were born. It doesn't make any difference who your parents were. It doesn't make any difference if, like me, you couldn't even speak English until you were in your 20's. America gave me opportunities, and my immigrant dreams came true. I want other people to get the same chances I did, the same opportunities. And I believe they can. That's why I believe in this party and why I believe in this president."
As a large part of the California delegation donned Terminator sunglasses in tribute, he described the United States as a nation that sends Peace Corps volunteers to "teach village children," that "gives more than any other country to fight AIDS in Africa and the developing world," and that "fights not for imperialism, but for human rights and democracy."
He recalled his recent visits with wounded American troops to rebut the trademark reference of Senator John Edwards, the Democratic vice-presidential contender, to two Americas, one rich and one poor. "I tell you this: Our young men and women in uniform do not believe there are two Americas,'' Mr. Schwarzenegger said. "They believe there's one America, and they're fighting for it."
On the convention floor, Gov. George E. Pataki of New York summed up the crowd's response and his own: "All I can say is, 'Wow.' "
Polls show that Mr. Schwarzenegger and Mrs. Bush are far more popular with voters across the country than the president is, and it was no accident that they were chosen to head the bill on the night the convention first reached a broad national audience in prime time.
Mrs. Bush seemed eager to offer a life partner's loving explanation of a man who always seems to shrink from explaining himself.
"Tonight,'' she said, "I want to try and answer the question that I believe many people would ask me if we sat down for a cup of coffee or ran into each other at the store: You know him better than anyone, you've seen things no one else has, why do you think we should re-elect your husband as president?"
She answered herself by saying, "As you might imagine, I have a lot to say about that."
She went on to describe "some very quiet nights at the dinner table," nighttime phone talks with foreign leaders and "an intense weekend at Camp David" with Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain as Mr. Bush weighed his options for confronting Saddam Hussein. "And I was there when my husband had to decide," she said. "Once again, as in our parents' generation, America had to make the tough choices, the hard decisions, and lead the world toward greater security and freedom."
As a result, she said, "50 million more men, women and children live in freedom thanks to the United States of America and our allies."
The Bush twins lent an energetic, slightly madcap air to a scene that was otherwise often serious, teasing their parents and grandparents for their taste in music, and gently mocking their father's own youthful indiscretions while describing their family's lessons about "unconditional love," as Barbara put it.
Jenna explained their approach to the delegates, saying: "All those times when you're growing up and your parents embarrass you? This is payback time on live TV."
It was a nice article. Sadly the twin bashers will be showing up soon.
I thought they did a good job considering their experience.
Hopefully people will watch their speech a second time and read the text.
They might have a much different impression the second time.
Which is how most non political fanatics, (ie non-freeper, "normal" people) probably saw it.
Here's the link to the text for anyone interested.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/apelection_story.asp?category=1131&slug=CVN%20Bush%20Twins%20Text
When Republicans have nothing else to complain about...
Unfortunately, you're right.
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