Sis, my great aunt, passed away early Sunday morning at the age of 90. Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Sis is a testimony to that verse. She lived a full life, influenced so many people, and remained committed to Christ throughout her life. She taught me how to play the piano. Although I was no Mozart, I took lessons from the age of five until I was twelve. I remember my mom driving me to her house for a lesson. (Grant, we drove down Arkansas back when Arkansas was just a one-lane road on each side.) I remember eating goldfish after each lesson - she always treated us to some in her pantry. And I still remember how to play a couple of hymns, including "Victory in Jesus." But Sis was also a godly role model for us all, and has been the matriarch of the family these past few years, as well as a pillar in the church, where she served as the first female deacon. I have been amazed at the number of people who have stopped me this week to tell me what she meant to them - role model, teacher, encourager, friend. And she did it all so humbly.
I remember Pappaw telling me a story about them as kids. Back in the day, they mostly traveled over bumpy, dirt roads. Jostling back and forth in the back seat, Pappaw, Sis, and Uncle Charles couldn't wait to get to the gravel roads, which were a bit smoother. When Sis, as a little girl, would become distressed at all bumps, Pappaw, her older brother, would say to her, "Don't worry Sitter, we'll be on the gravel road soon." This became one of their encouraging mottos throughout life, and one that still comforts me. No matter what they faced in life, they had faith that soon there would be a gravel road - they could make it - and they encouraged others to do the same.
So I can only imagine on Sunday morning, as Sis slipped on to heaven, that she was greeted by her family on the ultimate of gravel roads - those "streets of gold beyond the crystal sea."
Monday, September 22, 2008
Friday, September 05, 2008
RNC - Day 4 - John McCain
The final night of the RNC wrapped up a challenging, but mainly successful week. With Hurricane Gustav canceling night one, squeezing everything into three nights, and even more vital, condensing the schedule down to three one-hour programs for the major networks to cover appeared vexing. So again, I am thankful for PBS, although Jim Lehrer at times is Captain Obvious (“Those fireworks on the large screen in the hall are not real, they’re recorded”).
It’s remarkable how much politics changes in a year. A year ago, John McCain’s candidacy was dead. He was out of money and seemingly had lost his mojo. His problem? He was running as a mainstream Republican, which is not true to who he is. He shook up his staff, carried his own luggage, and began being John McCain again. And it worked. About this time last year he began showing signs of life. Once he got rolling, he went right back to the top and won the nomination. So here he is, in the most unlikely place, accepting the nomination of the Republican Party. In this election year, with Bush unpopular, the economy dragging, and an unpopular war, McCain should be down 20 points in the polls, and yet, somehow he has managed to keep it close. With his pick of Sarah Palin, he made a bold move, securing the conservative base, while also strengthening his desire for reform in Washington. Now, he can be John McCain without having to worry about the base. McCain is not a great speech giver. In fact, he is probably the fourth best among the two tickets this year. So I wasn’t expecting much from his speech tonight in the way of delivery. However, I was expecting him to reach out to independents and Reagan Democrats by being John McCain. Unfortunately, for tonight anyway, I feel like the maverick was corralled for the most part and the mainstream Republican John McCain was on stage. Not that the entire speech was bad, in fact, at times it was stirring, but I am a little disappointed.
First, the highlights: John McCain’s personal story is so moving, no matter how many times I hear it. I cannot imagine losing six years of my life as a POW, enduring the harsh, brutal conditions he endured while maintaining integrity, hope, and strength. That is the kind of character heroes are made of, and that is the kind of character I would want to lead this country. I also appreciated that he mentioned support for those affected by autism. Coupled with Palin’s advocacy of children with special needs, it is nice to have a ticket placing these issues at the forefront of their plans. This isn’t a new issue for McCain, he has discussed this boldly before as well. He also highlighted the responsibility to select competent judges. The next president will replace at least two Justices on the Supreme Court, greatly affecting the direction of the divided court for years to come.
While discussing national security, McCain made a point that many who oppose him often miss: “I hate war.” As a man who has served and suffered, he knows war. Since many view the war in Iraq as a mistake, I think it is important for McCain to emphasize his desire to only send troops when absolutely necessary, but to send in enough to do the job when he must. This led to is strongest portion of the speech, where he echoed JFK by encouraging us all to serve a cause greater than ourselves, such as: joining the military, becoming a teacher, serving in office, tutoring a student, etc. Finally, he swore to fight for what is best for all Americans, regardless of which party has the best idea.
His strongest and riskiest move though was when he called out fellow Republicans in Congress as part of the problem. Lamenting the fact that the Republicans in Congress had become what they had set out to change, McCain promised to fight for what is best for all Americans, regardless of which party has the best ideas. McCain has a clear record of bipartisanship – his promise here is credible. And it demonstrated his maverick streak, since he was calling out some of the lawmakers in the room.
Unfortunately, that real John McCain was too rare in his speech tonight. McCain cares deeply about the environment and global warming – yet he didn’t mention it at all. McCain has a reasonable approach to immigration – yet he didn’t mention it at all. McCain has the ability to speak about the economy in a way that can relate to the middle class, but he failed to do so. I know he cares about these issues, yet I feel he was muzzled by his advisors not to rock the delegates too much. I think that’s a mistake. He played it too safe when he should have just been himself. Independents will not be attracted to mainstream Republicanism this year; however, they would be and have been attracted to the true John McCain. His campaign faltered last year when he tried to run against his true identity. Now is not the time to slip back into that again. In a speech that should have rejected the accusation that he is “more of the same,” I’m afraid he failed to do so. Perhaps he’s banking on the American public to eventually see through the thin facade of the Obama campaign. Nevertheless, tonight McCain could have sealed the deal, but he didn’t.
Overall, the Republican Party is more united now than it was a week ago, and Palin is a star. In a year when the Republican Party should lose badly, McCain/Palin just might win. The fight for Independents to vote for McCain/Palin this November is still ongoing. John McCain needs to be unleashed and set free to be who he is. Otherwise, he’ll end up the second coming of Bob Dole.
It’s remarkable how much politics changes in a year. A year ago, John McCain’s candidacy was dead. He was out of money and seemingly had lost his mojo. His problem? He was running as a mainstream Republican, which is not true to who he is. He shook up his staff, carried his own luggage, and began being John McCain again. And it worked. About this time last year he began showing signs of life. Once he got rolling, he went right back to the top and won the nomination. So here he is, in the most unlikely place, accepting the nomination of the Republican Party. In this election year, with Bush unpopular, the economy dragging, and an unpopular war, McCain should be down 20 points in the polls, and yet, somehow he has managed to keep it close. With his pick of Sarah Palin, he made a bold move, securing the conservative base, while also strengthening his desire for reform in Washington. Now, he can be John McCain without having to worry about the base. McCain is not a great speech giver. In fact, he is probably the fourth best among the two tickets this year. So I wasn’t expecting much from his speech tonight in the way of delivery. However, I was expecting him to reach out to independents and Reagan Democrats by being John McCain. Unfortunately, for tonight anyway, I feel like the maverick was corralled for the most part and the mainstream Republican John McCain was on stage. Not that the entire speech was bad, in fact, at times it was stirring, but I am a little disappointed.
First, the highlights: John McCain’s personal story is so moving, no matter how many times I hear it. I cannot imagine losing six years of my life as a POW, enduring the harsh, brutal conditions he endured while maintaining integrity, hope, and strength. That is the kind of character heroes are made of, and that is the kind of character I would want to lead this country. I also appreciated that he mentioned support for those affected by autism. Coupled with Palin’s advocacy of children with special needs, it is nice to have a ticket placing these issues at the forefront of their plans. This isn’t a new issue for McCain, he has discussed this boldly before as well. He also highlighted the responsibility to select competent judges. The next president will replace at least two Justices on the Supreme Court, greatly affecting the direction of the divided court for years to come.
While discussing national security, McCain made a point that many who oppose him often miss: “I hate war.” As a man who has served and suffered, he knows war. Since many view the war in Iraq as a mistake, I think it is important for McCain to emphasize his desire to only send troops when absolutely necessary, but to send in enough to do the job when he must. This led to is strongest portion of the speech, where he echoed JFK by encouraging us all to serve a cause greater than ourselves, such as: joining the military, becoming a teacher, serving in office, tutoring a student, etc. Finally, he swore to fight for what is best for all Americans, regardless of which party has the best idea.
His strongest and riskiest move though was when he called out fellow Republicans in Congress as part of the problem. Lamenting the fact that the Republicans in Congress had become what they had set out to change, McCain promised to fight for what is best for all Americans, regardless of which party has the best ideas. McCain has a clear record of bipartisanship – his promise here is credible. And it demonstrated his maverick streak, since he was calling out some of the lawmakers in the room.
Unfortunately, that real John McCain was too rare in his speech tonight. McCain cares deeply about the environment and global warming – yet he didn’t mention it at all. McCain has a reasonable approach to immigration – yet he didn’t mention it at all. McCain has the ability to speak about the economy in a way that can relate to the middle class, but he failed to do so. I know he cares about these issues, yet I feel he was muzzled by his advisors not to rock the delegates too much. I think that’s a mistake. He played it too safe when he should have just been himself. Independents will not be attracted to mainstream Republicanism this year; however, they would be and have been attracted to the true John McCain. His campaign faltered last year when he tried to run against his true identity. Now is not the time to slip back into that again. In a speech that should have rejected the accusation that he is “more of the same,” I’m afraid he failed to do so. Perhaps he’s banking on the American public to eventually see through the thin facade of the Obama campaign. Nevertheless, tonight McCain could have sealed the deal, but he didn’t.
Overall, the Republican Party is more united now than it was a week ago, and Palin is a star. In a year when the Republican Party should lose badly, McCain/Palin just might win. The fight for Independents to vote for McCain/Palin this November is still ongoing. John McCain needs to be unleashed and set free to be who he is. Otherwise, he’ll end up the second coming of Bob Dole.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
RNC - Day 3 - Gov. Sarah Palin
I thought she was great. She was strong, confident, poised, humorous, warm, and tough all rolled into one. She exceeded expectations plus some, and she showed the viewers what kind of character she has. Of course, I’m talking about Gov. Sarah Palin. McCain should be thankful that the nomination vote has already been taken, or there might be some on the floor this evening trying to flip the order and make it a Palin/McCain ticket. But before I go too in depth on Palin, let me review the other speeches of the evening.
Mitt Romney – Simply a speech to position himself for 2012 should McCain lose. I know many pundits focused on whether or not Hillary would endorse Obama. But what they failed to look at is what Mitt did tonight – offer an endorsement of McCain, but secretly hope he loses so that Mitt can run in 2012. His endorsement of McCain was less enthusiastic than Hillary’s was on Obama. Maybe Hillary is just better at it, or maybe Mitt is mad he didn’t get the VP slot too. Whatever the case, Romney seems to have everything a successful politician needs – strong image, money, successful career, conservative positions (although these are all new positions and are getting more conservative by the sentence). But he lacks authenticity. He seems robotic. And he won’t ever be the nominee of the Republican Party. Forgettable speech.
Mike Huckabee – What a great storyteller and communicator. He is the anti-Romney. Huckabee exudes authenticity. He gave a great speech. Some of the highlights:
- “I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich. I’m a Republican because I didn’t want to remain poor, waiting for the government to rescue me.” The Republican Party needs more of Huckabee’s connection with middle class voters that he so naturally possesses. This is where Palin will be helpful.
-“Palin received more votes in Wasilla than Biden did for President.”
- On the media feeding frenzy on Palin’s family: “The elite media is tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert.”
Huckabee delivered a good speech. I hope his message can continue to permeate the Republican Party.
Gov. Linda Lingle of Hawaii – I have never heard of her, but she did a nice job talking about Palin’s success as Alaska’s Governor. Some of her best points included how Alaska and Delaware (Biden’s home state) have the same number of electoral votes; however, 250 Delawares would fit inside Alaska.
Rudy Giuliani – One of the goals of the campaign tonight was to attack the media. Rudy was the third speaker I heard begin his speech in this way. He quickly moved into his attack on Obama, using Biden’s and Hillary’s words concerning Obama’s inexperience as his support. Much of the speech centered on national security. He even went after Obama on the Iraq war, which is gutsy, since the war still remains unpopular. But the success of the surge is a defining moment for the McCain candidacy. I just wonder if people listen anymore when a sentence includes “Iraq.” The point Giuliani drove home was that McCain’s plan led to victory, Obama’s would have produced defeat. He took it to Obama in his own Rudy type way. I’m curious how it played out among Undecideds.
Gov. Sarah Palin – I decided not to take any notes during her speech, because I wanted to concentrate on each moment. She was brilliant tonight. I think she handled her family issues with grace, she supported John McCain’s candidacy, and she showed her mettle on energy issues, while defending her record as a mayor and governor. Forcefully going after Obama, Palin did so in a congenial way, not mean-spirited. She never yelled, she just coolly and calmly, but deliberately and firmly, laid out why people should vote for McCain/Palin.
She has authenticity. One gets the sense that who she is on the stage is who she is off it. When she describes herself as a Hockey Mom, she’s believable. (“What’s the difference between a Hockey Mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”) As long as she stays true to who she is, I think she will connect very well with voters, especially the blue collar, small town voter (you know, those “bitter” people who “cling to their guns and religion,” according to Obama.) One can see why the Democrats have spent the last four days trying to bring her down. She’s competent, more experienced than Obama on making tough decisions, engaging to listen to, knowledgeable and reasonable on energy independence, a true reformer, even of her own party, and a great example of what women and men in politics can be. I’m sure she will face even more scrutiny now, as her opponents will really seek to bring her down. However, if the trooper issue remains a non-issue, I think Palin is where the Republican Party is headed.
That being said, she now needs to be interacting with the media and public. She needs to frame the debate on who she is. The McCain campaign has been slow in defending Palin against the recent attacks. With this successful speech at the convention, I look forward to hearing more from her on the campaign trail and in interviews with the media.
This is a tough year to be a Republican in politics. However, this was a good night for the McCain campaign. Palin’s speech will be the highlight of the convention – I don’t think what McCain says tomorrow will make much of a difference among voters. Not that McCain’s speech is not important, but Palin’s speech tonight was the most anticipated, and it will be the most discussed post convention.
Mitt Romney – Simply a speech to position himself for 2012 should McCain lose. I know many pundits focused on whether or not Hillary would endorse Obama. But what they failed to look at is what Mitt did tonight – offer an endorsement of McCain, but secretly hope he loses so that Mitt can run in 2012. His endorsement of McCain was less enthusiastic than Hillary’s was on Obama. Maybe Hillary is just better at it, or maybe Mitt is mad he didn’t get the VP slot too. Whatever the case, Romney seems to have everything a successful politician needs – strong image, money, successful career, conservative positions (although these are all new positions and are getting more conservative by the sentence). But he lacks authenticity. He seems robotic. And he won’t ever be the nominee of the Republican Party. Forgettable speech.
Mike Huckabee – What a great storyteller and communicator. He is the anti-Romney. Huckabee exudes authenticity. He gave a great speech. Some of the highlights:
- “I’m not a Republican because I grew up rich. I’m a Republican because I didn’t want to remain poor, waiting for the government to rescue me.” The Republican Party needs more of Huckabee’s connection with middle class voters that he so naturally possesses. This is where Palin will be helpful.
-“Palin received more votes in Wasilla than Biden did for President.”
- On the media feeding frenzy on Palin’s family: “The elite media is tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert.”
Huckabee delivered a good speech. I hope his message can continue to permeate the Republican Party.
Gov. Linda Lingle of Hawaii – I have never heard of her, but she did a nice job talking about Palin’s success as Alaska’s Governor. Some of her best points included how Alaska and Delaware (Biden’s home state) have the same number of electoral votes; however, 250 Delawares would fit inside Alaska.
Rudy Giuliani – One of the goals of the campaign tonight was to attack the media. Rudy was the third speaker I heard begin his speech in this way. He quickly moved into his attack on Obama, using Biden’s and Hillary’s words concerning Obama’s inexperience as his support. Much of the speech centered on national security. He even went after Obama on the Iraq war, which is gutsy, since the war still remains unpopular. But the success of the surge is a defining moment for the McCain candidacy. I just wonder if people listen anymore when a sentence includes “Iraq.” The point Giuliani drove home was that McCain’s plan led to victory, Obama’s would have produced defeat. He took it to Obama in his own Rudy type way. I’m curious how it played out among Undecideds.
Gov. Sarah Palin – I decided not to take any notes during her speech, because I wanted to concentrate on each moment. She was brilliant tonight. I think she handled her family issues with grace, she supported John McCain’s candidacy, and she showed her mettle on energy issues, while defending her record as a mayor and governor. Forcefully going after Obama, Palin did so in a congenial way, not mean-spirited. She never yelled, she just coolly and calmly, but deliberately and firmly, laid out why people should vote for McCain/Palin.
She has authenticity. One gets the sense that who she is on the stage is who she is off it. When she describes herself as a Hockey Mom, she’s believable. (“What’s the difference between a Hockey Mom and a pit bull? Lipstick.”) As long as she stays true to who she is, I think she will connect very well with voters, especially the blue collar, small town voter (you know, those “bitter” people who “cling to their guns and religion,” according to Obama.) One can see why the Democrats have spent the last four days trying to bring her down. She’s competent, more experienced than Obama on making tough decisions, engaging to listen to, knowledgeable and reasonable on energy independence, a true reformer, even of her own party, and a great example of what women and men in politics can be. I’m sure she will face even more scrutiny now, as her opponents will really seek to bring her down. However, if the trooper issue remains a non-issue, I think Palin is where the Republican Party is headed.
That being said, she now needs to be interacting with the media and public. She needs to frame the debate on who she is. The McCain campaign has been slow in defending Palin against the recent attacks. With this successful speech at the convention, I look forward to hearing more from her on the campaign trail and in interviews with the media.
This is a tough year to be a Republican in politics. However, this was a good night for the McCain campaign. Palin’s speech will be the highlight of the convention – I don’t think what McCain says tomorrow will make much of a difference among voters. Not that McCain’s speech is not important, but Palin’s speech tonight was the most anticipated, and it will be the most discussed post convention.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
RNC - Day 2* (Thanks to Gustav)
Although this is technically Day 2 of the Republican National Convention, it’s really Day 1, thanks to Hurricane Gustav. After a hectic weekend of hurricanes and introducing Palin, only to have her family maligned by the media, I am sure the Republicans in St. Paul are happy to be back on track, hopefully regaining the attention and framing the message for the fall campaign.
Missing Monday is not a bad thing entirely. It kept Cheney from attending, and Bush only spoke via a taped message from the White House; so for a campaign trying to distance itself from a highly unpopular president, it could turn out to be a plus. Even so, the shortened convention makes every moment from here to Thursday crucial for the McCain campaign. I began watching tonight as Laura Bush, in St. Paul, was introducing W’s speech from Washington. I didn’t envy her position. How do you bring out the positives in a president hovering at 30 percent approval without seeming desperate? Laura mentioned education reform (mild applause), Justices Alito and Roberts (wild applause), and Faith Based Initiatives (very mild applause – another post entirely). She also mentioned the massive increase in funding for caring for those with HIV, freedom in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the fact that the US has been kept safe since 9/11. Bush, to his credit, gave a humble speech, realizing that this was not the place for bravado. He praised McCain while also mentioning how many times McCain has gone against him – another humble moment. This maverick theme is extremely important for the McCain campaign to convey to the public, but it also creates the most confusion in the hall of Republican delegates. The fact is, McCain has gone against the Republican Party plenty of times. It is pretty ludicrous for the Obama campaign to claim that McCain will carry on the Bush presidency. But, to have to prove that at a Republican Convention creates some awkward scenes.
After Bush, Fred Thompson spoke. Is there something wrong with him? Is he healthy? (I can’t believe a year ago he was going to be the Republican Party savior. As I’ve mentioned before, he was a quite disappointing candidate.) Anyway, he looked older than McCain. The content of the speech was good, delivery a little shaky. He spent the first third of his speech defending and praising Palin, then turned his attention to the character of John McCain. Thompson recounted McCain’s time as a POW – McCain is an amazing man. I don’t know how he withstood all he did. But as Fred Thompson said, being a POW doesn’t qualify you to be president, but it does reveal the type of leader you will be. Thompson also spoke of McCain’s maverick tendencies. Again, a bit of awkwardness because it’s obvious that Thompson thinks McCain worked across the aisle too much, but a necessary point he has to make for McCain. David Brooks, a PBS pundit, mentioned that there was no re-definition of the Republican Party, and I agree, but I don’t think this is the election to do that. McCain is running as McCain – he’s basically having to run against his party in many ways. He’s not going to reshape the party in three days, but over four years. If he wins, then 2012 will be the year to do any necessary reshaping or renewing of the party. There is not time to do that fully now. Thompson also went after Obama, but not by name. In any respects, it was a good speech for the convention hall, but nothing transformative.
Then, in comes Joe Lieberman. You know, the 2000 Democratic VP nominee, still a Democrat, but supporting John McCain. If people tuned in to Lieberman’s speech, I think they will see how bipartisan, or post-partisan, McCain really is. What a moment too. Joe Lieberman decries senseless partisanship, declaring that he is supporting John McCain because “country matters more than party,” describing McCain as the only one who has actually worked across party lines to bring the country together. I highly respect Lieberman. I have since he stood up in 1998 to Clinton and I liked him in 2000 as well. Always seems congenial and humble. He was again tonight. He has placed his political career on the line for McCain. The Democratic leadership could strip him of his committee power, etc. Even so, Lieberman is willing to risk it to support McCain.
Some of his highlights:
- On the Maverick McCain: “God only made John McCain, and he is his own man.”
- On Obama’s thin resume: “Eloquence is no substitute for a record.”
- He said if McCain is more of the same, then he, Lieberman, is Michael Moore’s favorite Democrat.
- He appealed to Bill Clinton Democrats, mentioning how Clinton had worked with a Republican congress to balance the budget and reform welfare. He contrasted this with how extreme Obama is on the issues and how he has not ever worked across the party lines or challenged the Democratic leadership in the Senate.
- Lieberman called for national unity, not party unity.
- He then led Democrats and Independents in an invitation to support McCain. I swear he was about to ask people to come down to the altar.
Anyway, a very tense speech in the hall. Republican delegates weren’t sure how to clap for Clinton’s accomplishments, or McCain’s bipartisan record on immigration, environmentalism, and corruption. But I believe that independents and Democrats who aren’t sure about Obama could be swayed by Lieberman’s appeal. It was authentic and heartfelt. He even praised the choice of Palin, saying the two mavericks would bring needed change and a proven record to Washington. A good night for the McCain campaign – Bush graciously took a low profile, and Lieberman made the case for the post-partisan McCain. I’m not sure if anyone was watching, but if they were, I think the McCain campaign can be pleased by the events on night one, or two.
Tomorrow, Palin’s coming out party. Her speech tomorrow and her debate with Biden will ultimately decide her political fate. All the personal family drama will matter little when compared to how she fares in these two big moments.
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