The differences between the visions for our future by the two parties in 2012 could not be clearer. The choice between Democrats and Republicans hasn’t been more distinct in my lifetime. We’ll stipulate I am a proud liberal and thus have a bias, but this is how I saw the difference as it played out … Continue Reading →
Mayor Cory Booker gave the first big speech and he brought down the house with this line: “Being asked to pay your fair share in taxes is not class warfare. It’s patriotism.” The crowd burst into applause and then repeatedly chanted, “U-S-A! U-S-A!” before Booker could speak again. Mayor Booker was referring to the Democratic … Continue Reading →
Watching the DNC on C-SPAN. I’m clearly biased but wow, what a different vibe at this convention. Joy and enthusiasm instead of anger and fear. And the choice could not be made clearer than it is here tonight. The city of Charlotte produced a promo for the DNC that made an important point: A video … Continue Reading →
As we wait for the DNC to get going, let me post some candid pictures from the RNC I collected from Twitter. Best in show goes to this powerful image from Holly Bailey of Yahoo. [Holly Bailey photo] A stack of “homemade” signs. There are of course no real homemade signs at conventions anymore. People … Continue Reading →
When Republicans tell you they’re going to create jobs, this is what they mean. The company that provides cleaning services for the convention center hired 40 new workers for the Republican National Convention. Let’s review how this “job creator” pays his workers: Carolyn Walker said she has been cleaning the convention center for 13 years. … Continue Reading →
I could sum up day two of the RNC as, long on flair, dangerously short on truth. Unpacking the content of the speeches, and indeed the entire misleading theme of the convention, willl take some time so for now I’ll just give this proud liberal’s general impression of the speeches I listened to last night. … Continue Reading →
Being a proud liberal with hypertension issues, I didn’t watch all the RNC speeches yesterday. Though I followed the reaction to the early ones on Twitter, I only risked my blood pressure with direct contact for Ann Romney and Chris Christie. Contrary to the rave reviews I saw, I don’t think Ann Romney did that … Continue Reading →
Welcome to our RNC delegates who are blogging here this week. Looking forward to their insider accounts of the show in Tampa. And by show I mean, these conventions have long become little more than elaborately staged productions designed to seize free television coverage for the political parties as we enter into the final stretch … Continue Reading →
The real work of the Republican convention happened last week when Mitt Romney’s people oversaw the writing of the Republican Party platform. One of the most important aspects within that process is the establishment of the rules for nominating the next presidential candidate in 2016. Team Romney pushed through revisions to the rules that left … Continue Reading →
Paul Ryan likes to paint himself as the living embodiment of the “come up from nothing” American Dream. On the campaign trail he talks about the couple of low-paying jobs he had as a youth. But here’s what Paul Ryan doesn’t tell you about his path to success: And yet Ryan, 42, was born into … Continue Reading →