Posted on 09/04/2008 10:50:20 PM PDT by Chet 99
Pointlets on McCain’s Speech [Jay Nordlinger]
1. I’ll start by repeating what I said earlier, in my “instant react”: He was himself and he said what he believes. And that’s probably the most you can ask for in a candidate.
2. The introductory video was effective in its use of humor — “Some called him a hothead. Some called him things that can’t be repeated.” (I paraphrase.) Nicely done.
3. Seeing pictures of McCain’s dad reminded me that WFB knew him — stayed with him out in Hawaii.
4. “John McCain’s life was spared — perhaps he had more to do.” (Again, I’m paraphrasing.) How many would have found that at least slightly obscene?
5. Very important that the Vietnam record was gone over, in this video. But everyone knows about it, right? No. Many citizens would have found out about this for the first time. (And many others would have needed reminding.)
6. “The stars are aligned,” said the video. (I think I heard that right.) Oh, come on.
7. The video became too cheap, too hokey, too propagandistic, frankly — the sun across the ocean, the picturesque farm, all that stuff. And asinine music toward the end — really asinine.
8. I was glad to hear more from the candidate’s mother. All I knew her for, really, was the anti-Mormon zinger she delivered in the primaries, when her son was competing against Romney.
9. As he greeted the applause, and the applause greeted him, I thought, “I can’t believe he’s the Republican nominee. Wasn’t he flirting with leaving the Republican party, not too long ago?” Politics is a strange business (and so, natch, is human life).
10. The bright-green background was sucky, sucky, sucky. So was the physical setup generally. Say what you will about the O-cropolis and so on — at least the Dems were professional and competent, in their conventioneering.
11. A protester unfurled a banner saying that McCain was anti-veteran — because, as we all know, McCain hates, just hates, veterans!
12. The gratitude that McCain expressed for Bush — superb. Honorable. Right. Filled me with a warmth about McCain. Nice going, senator.
13. He said, “I won’t let you down” three times — well done. Effective.
14. Could he have handled the protesters a little better, a little more creatively? Yeah, probably, but he did all right. Funny how Republicans aren’t allowed to give their addresses, without such disruptions; the Democrats sail through theirs. And if right-wing protesters tried to disrupt their conventions — wouldn’t most conservatives be appalled and embarrassed?
15. The video images of waving flags and so on, behind the speaker, were gross.
16. McCain has an unfortunate oratorical habit: He is sober, or normal, while speaking, and then, when his sentence is finished, he smiles — very, very unnaturally. (At least that’s the appearance of it.)
17. Has there been too much focus on Bridget McCain, as some have said? Too much camera time for her? Too much of the telling of the story of her adoption? Yeah, maybe — but it’s hard to get these matters exactly right. To administer exactly the right dosage.
18. McCain’s little shot at trial lawyers — very nice. Made me think of the late John Edwards, who snowed juries — and much of the public — for years. (By “late,” I don’t mean dead, of course; I just mean done, probably.)
19. I like McCain’s word “dependence” — as in “dangerous dependence on foreign oil” — rather than “dependency.” Can’t say why with absolute certainty.
20. A “culture of life” — I wish they’d say “abortion,” these politicians, but okay.
21. “The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan is going to get back to basics” — a very good line because a very good message and a very good idea. After the 2006 election (debacle), many Repubs said, “Back to basics!” And McCain is right to lead that charge.
22. We heard classic, bona fide, and ringing Republicanism in, “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.”
23. “I will keep taxes low and cut them where I can” — liked very much the realism of that line.
24. More broadly, this was an unusually honest speech, I must say. McCain partisans would say, “That’s because he’s an unusually honest politician” — and I think they’d be right.
25. The appeal for education reform was marvelous — almost Connerlyesque, or Thernstromesque, which is highest praise. “Senator Obama wants our schools to answer to unions and entrenched bureaucracies. I want schools to answer to parents and students.” Yes, yes. Sing it.
26. A friend e-mailed me, mid-speech, “Not exactly Palinesque.” Funny how that has become a recognizable adjective in a day — that she has become the standard in a day.
27. But what a good line, this: “We face many threats in this dangerous world, but I’m not afraid of them. I’m prepared for them.” And why such a good line? Mainly because true.
28. “I hate war” — reminiscent of FDR. But a (much) different accent!
29. Pretty damn ambitious: “We need to change the way government does almost everything.”
30. Listen to this (and I’m most interested in the last line of this passage): “I was in solitary confinement when my captors offered to release me. I knew why. If I went home, they would use it as propaganda to demoralize my fellow prisoners. Our code said we could only go home in the order of our capture, and there were men who had been shot down before me. I thought about it, though. I wasn’t in great shape, and I missed everything about America. But I turned it down.”
When I heard that line — “But I turned it down” — I thought of something Barack Obama said: “And I said yes.” (This is his acceptance of some low-paying — or relatively low-paying — job.) The contrast was amazing. Obviously, Obama has had the smaller life, so far.
31. Advance text in hand, I read the following line before it was delivered: “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.” I didn’t know that was a shot at Obama until I heard the tone with which McCain said it.
32. “If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them.” When McCain said this, virtually everyone in the NR workroom chorused, “No!”
33. McCain further said, “Run for public office.” It might have been nice if he had added, in a humorous aside, “But not against me.”
34. I loved that McCain fought through the applause in the hall and read through his final lines, about fighting and standing up. He was plenty audible, at least on television, and the applause served as a nice background, or accompaniment — almost as if the words were borne on the applause (not to get too poetic, or, in fact, flighty).
35. Some of the speech was Platitude City. Some of the speech was moving. But I will repeat: All I ask for, in a candidate, is that he be himself, that he be honest, that he say what he believes — with no funny business. And let the chips fall where they may. Let the voters decide.
McCain fills the bill. Like you, perhaps, I’m grateful for his straightforwardness. And I will vote for him (and Sarah!) with gusto.
36. One more thing: We are electing a president rather than an orator. (Never let it be said that I keep the obvious to myself.) Oratorical skills are important in a president, of course — but they are not the be-all, end-all. McCain is good enough . If you want to elect an orator — go with Obama. But that’s not the criterion, is it?
Besides which, if a boffo speech is called for: The Alaskan with the glasses can deliver it.
37. No, just one more thing: McCain needs to watch implying that he should be rewarded with the presidency, somehow, after a lifetime of service. The presidency as gold watch. I know he doesn’t mean that — but that impression can slip out. He must make the case that he’s the best man for the job — or at least the better man — right now. For these circumstances, in this period. And he will.
“Say what you will about the O-cropolis and so on — at least the Dems were professional and competent, in their conventioneering.”
I think the word he’s looking for is “tacky”...
In 1951 the Democrats and the Republicans were both trying to recruit Eisenhower to run for POTUS. Both parties believed, correctly, that Eisenhower would be practically a lock, on whichever ticket he selected.They were both trying to recruit him because he was not declared as either Democrat or Republican, which was the traditional stance of the military officer. And a good tradition, at that.
I mention all the above by way of saying that in his speech it struck me that McCain was positioning himself as the second coming of Eisenhower.
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