Wylie Aitken, a trial lawyer and the chairman of the Democratic Foundation of OC, is a guest blogger at the Republican Convention.
Long after the dust as settled, the ballons have deflated, the prompters have been turned off and the Karl Rove clone speechwriters have returned to the beltway (which is allegedly despised by the candidate who hired them and authorized their message), the voters will be left to decide what to make of it all.
They will ask themselves how to reconcile bringing people together with the release of attack dogs like a Giuliani or Graham, or how you build coalitions while belittling teachers and other members of the education community, union members, city dwellers, judges, your fellow members of Congress from both parties (while having been part of them for over a quarter of a century) and almost every other group who chooses to disagree with you and of course questioning their patriotism through your surrogates. What was missing from the end of the scripted convention was the simple statement, “My name is John McCain and I approve of this hollow message!”
Forty years ago, John McCain joined with others in exhibiting extraordinary courage. For the last 25 years he has been a willing participant in all that he now purports to criticize. Mr. McCain go back and read John Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage and compare the brave acts of civil servants who gave up their careers for principle. Compare that with an individual who stood by the individual believed by many to be the worst president in American history. Not just once, but twice!! Where was the sacrifice and acts of courage?
What the Republicans and McCain were able to effectively do was energize their base. If the OC delegation is any measure, to a person they are rolling out to back McCain. That was obvious on the floor and as they partyied into the night. I can not single out any certain person because they are truly united. It was surreal to watch them even cheer as McCain in effect condemned their own elected officials as part of that Washington crowd.
A final thought on “Sister Sarah” Palin. In her speech she inferred as did everyone around her that people were raising questions about her in fear of her being an outsider and that she was going to shake up Washington. Nothing could be further from the truth even if this self indulgent assessment of herself were even close to the truth. Legitimate questions were asked and will continue to be asked regarding the depth of her experience and her effectiveness. However I must say that too much time has been spent on this subject already since John McCain is running for president and his opponent is Barack Obama.
Two of the more surprising moments from the convention were Romney strongly attacking the “liberal” Supreme Court. What has he been smoking? Scalia, Thomas, Roberts, Alito, Kennedy?? Is he aware that Earl Warren died? This was followed a night later by Cindy McCain describing Palin as a “pistol packing mama”! Those PTA meeting must have been really exciting! And didn’t you just love those phony handmade signs being handed out “Environmentalists for McCain”? What a hoot.
And whatever happened to the personal appearance of our real President? No not Bush, the other guy, Dick Cheney? Has anyone sent food to that closet he has been kept in?
Well now that the PT Barnums are leaving town and the Big Tent is being pulled. We can now refocus on the real issues and excercise our important right to vote. It is a painful and difficult process but still the greatest process in the world no matter what the outcome.
On a personal note I had a chance to visit with my last surviving uncle who lives in Minneapolis. He is one of the surviving members of the greatest set of heroes who served in World War II. He believes it is not unpatriotic to support Obama and so does his nephew.
My thanks to the California Delegation for their hospitality. I would name you but it would destroy your careers. And no speech would be complete at a Republican Convention with out the obligatory mention of Trial Lawyers. To be included with the teachers and union members and many other fine groups is an honor indeed.
1. When did John McCain stand by Jimmy Carter, “not just once, but twice”?
2. “Legitimate questions were asked and will continue to be asked…” Like, did she really give birth to Trig, and how can she be Vice-President when her daughter is pregnant? I guess you’re right- legitimate questions are being asked.
3. You probably meant “implied” rather than “inferred.” You were the one who inferred from her speech what you thought she implied.
Ever wonder why men in government pick women to save them?
I realized John McCain’s memory failed him, again. He claims to be running because his country saved him.
McCain’s country didn’t save him as much as Navy housewives in San Diego did. San Diego Navy housewives whose husbands were POWs and told by Navy ofificials to “Hush” for years when they questioned the status of their POW husbands.
Yes, government officials repeatedly told them by asking “Are we wives or are we widows” they were harming the POW effort.
Finally, they stopped asking and acted for themwelves. They began holding bake sales and making POW bracelets to pay their own way to the Paris Peace Talks so they could simply ask:
“Are we wives or are we widows?”
And now John’s relying on women to bail him out. Again.
I sometimes think men know we’re more powerful than we do.
And want to see how well Congress has been minding the courts? See http://www.USAjudges.com
“Belittling Teachers” - No… It’s the powerful Teachers’ Union and Government monopoly over education that was belittled. You are a smart man, one of the smartest in the country - How about putting the millions of children first that are caught in a horrible education nightmare called our national public school system. Mr. Aitken, why not chose honor and lead your party into the ‘School Choice’ camp? Be the hero! Liberate the poor, the minority and the oppressed from a life time of mediocrity learned and reinforced in our public school system. Please! Come, be the ‘Party of the People’ and fight for their right to chose the education that will best serve their children - Courage my friend - You wrote much about it in the above article… Please point and lead by example. You won’t be popular. You might even lose your position and standing. Courage - Make a choice, let us make a choice.
Is it not amazing that we Republicans are not even allowed to congregate and celebrate among ourselves without the nastiness that has become the Democrat party? You can vote for whom you wish.
OBAMA / BIDEN:
The least qualified Presidential Ticket in American History.
FACT:
NO COMBINED EXECUTIVE EXPERIENCE
NO COMBINED MILITARY EXPERIENCE
NO COMBINED BUSINESS EXPERIENCE
I spilled some hot coffee on my leg.
Anyone know a lawyer who can get me a million dollars for my clumsiness?
Supreme Court liberal? As a child of the next generation, I fear that when I grow up that Darwinism will be expunged by a Supreme Court like this as being just “hooey.” I am sure Sister Sarah would agree.
Shakespeare was right, and we ought to start with you, trial lawyer. You and your ilk have made reaped the benefits, monitarily, of laws you advocate dispite the adverse effect they have had on this country. There is probably on one in a thousand worth the powder it would take to blow them up. When they come, lawyer, they are going to come to get you.
You and your friends are such well educated IDIOTS!
Wow. As a prosecutor (AKA LAWYER) i am a proud member of an elite profession. So now we hate community organizers (stupid Rotary clubs and church groups), teachers, laborers and lawyers? The list is growing…Everyone hates the lawyers until they need one.
I am perplexed. Why can’t the mentally challenged extreme right understand that the founding fathers of the Constitution never intended it to apply to the children who reside in the safety of their mother’s wombs and have not yet experienced the abrupt introduction into the world that all the rest of us have realized?? Why should the unborn children be given any dignity at all?? At least dolphins and whales can be seen, ensuring them our sympathies and support. How barbaric and blatantly unsophisticated for these “Sarah lemmings” to give any shred of human consideration for what any intelligent modern person knows is just “tissue mass”. McCain and Palin want to take us back to the dark ages, when this tissue was given right to life…..argggg.
“Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor.”
When will republicans learn that ordinary people cannot lead an extraordinary country?! McCain is a good soldier. He is not a leader.
If a patient has serious illness and injury in need of surgery - you don’t pick the doctor because of his/her personality. You don’t pick some moron you want to go have a beer with. You don’t pick a doctor nobody’s ever heard of. You don’t pick the doctor with PTSD and lacking the stamina to be there throughout the surgery. You pick the most educated, talented, intellectual and dynamic doctor there is. But then again, that’s only if you understand the real meaning of country first.
Job well done, Wylie.
RE: McSame Says: (September 5th, 2008 at 9:07 pm)
Would you pick the doctor who has never performed surgery, of any kind, before?
McSame:
You make a good point. When you need a doctor, who do you pick? Someone who actually been a doctor –whether they’ve made the news or not (mine hasn’t anyway) or someone who gives pretty speeches about praciticing medicine, but has never actually done it?
“Jesus Christ was a community organizer”? What Gospels have you been reading? Is that what you get from the life of Jesus, that He was a community organizer? No, the Pharisees, Saducees and other stiff-necked religious “leaders” were the community organizers- the ones who incited the crowd against Jesus and led the demand that Barabbas, an insurrectionist, be released and Jesus crucified. Could’ve been Chicago. Jesus railed against these “community organizers” during His whole ministry, and eventually they got Him.
Wow. Belittling the work of a “community organizer.” Wasn’t this the type of pursuit that was once considered a “thousand points of light?”
Yeah! How dare they talk down about community organizers! Let them TRY to refute the consequence of 20 years of selfless labor amongst the good common people in the South Side of Chicago!!! Uh - you mean he didn’t put in time “on the ground” before running off to work elsewhere…?
Aiken’s a smart guy. he knows that even if Biden gets in power, he, like the rest of them, can and will be bought. Er, I mean - legal contributions to his “campaign” (read: “RETIREMENT”) fund will be made…….