Rudy Goes Below the Belt
I gotta wonder what Rudy is up to. I mean, his speech at the Republican convention was rife with weird shout-outs to Sarah Palin that were meant to paint Barack Obama as a neophyte diva who can't be trusted with the nuclear football. But too many of his arguments could easily applied to John McCain. So, is he looking to torpedo McCain or his just so dense that he doesn't see these similarities himself?
One: He drummed up Palin's executive experience from her time as mayor of a tiny town and governor of "the largest state in the union.*" In contrast, he mocked Obama's time as a community organizer (as if dedicating time to better your neighborhoods is a laughable folly), and his service as both a state representative and US Senator from Illinois. Nevermind the fact that John McCain's entire public career has been in the US Senate and NOT in an executive role. So, who are they running for president again and do they understand that the Vice Presidency, while being in the Executive branch (contrary to what Dick Cheney might tell you) is not actually an executive position?
One of Rudy's biggest applause lines was in response to his mocking the number of times Obama has voted "present" in his senatorial career. Again, does he not realize that John McCain hasn't even SHOWN UP for a floor vote since April?
He then went on and on about Obama's supposed flip flopping on issues, all the while ignoring the fact that John McCain has reversed course on everything from offshore drilling (BTW, I think Stephen Colbert wrote their "drill baby drill" chant. That can't be real), to stem cell research to the expansion of NATO.
Rudy has shown himself to be a political hack and second-rate put-down artist.
Comments
Have to disagree. Rudy rolled Obama up like a bum in Times Square and smoked him but good.
That should light a fire under Obama.
This was supposedly going to be a listless convention compared to the democrats, but I have to hand it to the GOP. As much as I cringe at every 100th shout out to the troops, they are going for the gusto attacking the dem's choice, and it's going to be quite effective with that 15% undecided unless Obama can dish it back.
Posted by: barabajagal | September 4, 2008 8:29 AM
If executive experience is the sole yardstick by which the R's want to measure a candidate, then perhaps they should run Palin for the Pres. and McCain for VP. By their rhetoric, that would make more sense.
Posted by: Jude | September 4, 2008 8:40 AM
Yeah, I guess rudy's speech did it's job for the base but I can't help but think anyone NOT a RED blooded Republican and watching this show might have been put-off by the level of pettiness in these attacks. Women, especially, might be turned off by the mocking tone.
Posted by: Derek Phillips | September 4, 2008 10:53 AM
I think only if you're already committed to Obama would you be put off by that stuff. Don't forget, Rudy gave the ladies a shout-out last night. Incongruous? Yes? Hypocritical? Mos' def. Absurd to women who follow policy that concerns them? Bien sur. But it worked!
Posted by: barabajagal | September 4, 2008 11:33 AM