Live Blogging the McCain Speech

Isn't that based on the Dallas theme?

 Geebus, this is so very old, just like McSame old!

But I can't imagine Chuck is a big McCain fan.

Is this seriously what they're going with?

I'm not appalled yet. Just completely bored. Whereas last night was a combination of both

This is too good.

Pow, father, a son, a husband.

No wonder McCain's effed up--his own dad tried to carpet bomb him when he was prisoner of the Vietnamese.

if there's going to be blowback on the 9/11 video.  That was an outside shot.

* OMG WTF why did that ghost lean into the camera and shout "mama's boy".

* he'd stand for hours gazing at the... wait he carpet bombed his son?

* highlighting the military  background of your family may not be a great idea in an age where people are tired of a pointless war.

* don't use the phrase, "in prison i fell in love..."

Anyway, the "war mongering" meme is getting big play here, and the dastardly music soundtrack is horrid. This whole thing screams "warlike" which doesn't help with the "temperment" meme...

Of how McCain survived Guantanamo.

through Enhanced Interrogation

I love how the vids are always loaded with brown faces - but the audience?  Not so much...

When I started the C-Span live feed on my computer a few minutes ago, the part of the intro video was playing that had the guy reading the book, and for the first minute and a half I thought the video was stuck, and I was about to reload the feed, but it panned back to a McCain photo and I realized it was indeed playing!  Could they have gotten a more boring guy to read that?

Okay, he's seeking to be our next commander in chief.

Lots of war planes. Is this an air show?

I can see his auroa

 is intro voice. Man, he is stiff.

No need for blogging--here it is: POW POW POW POW POW POW POW Iraq POW.

well, "religious symbolism" 

my wife noted that none of cindy's "laugh lines" connected. i think setting her up as the alcohol peddling young lady who seduced a man 20 years her senior away while lying about her age" may not have played well in this "pro Palin" crowd.

I'm curious to see if this *is* his party or not.

Too bad it doesn't mention how Bush at that time heroically defended Houston against Vietcong attacks.

OMG!!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

Green Background!

Back in the 80's, when I was a sprite young thing, I spent New Year's Eve at the Limelight in NYC and Chuck Berry was playing.  When he was about to start Johnny Be Good, he said, "I want 4 boys and 4 girls to come up here and dance with us..."  Uh, huh.  I did.  It was great! Will resist any association of that song with Mr. McMansion.

 A green screen again, he looks really orange.

sign up in the cheap seats - cutting to it several times

"you can't win an occupation" & "McCain votes against vets"

Did you see the sign: You can't win an occupation?!?!?  and McCain votes against vets!?!?!?

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

Did anyone see that banner: "You can't win an occupation."

It flew by, was wondering it I really saw it.

republicans being portested at their own party. vets against the war... occupation isn't victory (?). interesting. I don't think it registered but it gave me hope.

Wow... harassed at your own convention.

And still he goes with the green screen.

I hope they make a fuss!

"McCain Votes Against Vets" Sign that guy was holding! As a veteran myself, I couldn't agree more.

you can't keep your eyes off Sarah's ....?!?!?!?

First Lady Cindy...in your dreams!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

He's fighting for the little guys, a list he's reading from a teleprompter. Wonder if he's really met them?

I can never make out what they're cheering.  Last night, it sounded like Seig Heil!  Now, All about fighting, war, prison, country first, attacks, dark days, "USA! USA!"  "Oh How Lame" or is it "John McCain"?  ZZZZZZzzzzzzzz.  Flashback:  Cindy mentioned MOther Theresa in her speech.  Wasn't Mother Theresa a community organizer?

Okke, I know!

How stupid are they with the green background again!

Oh lord...Cindy, you're the light of my life...sorry about that awful thing I called you.

Okay, people, step it up with the comments. I'm gonna stand down on my comment pace....

Can see Ustream screen on google news news: http://news.google.com/?ned=us&topic=el

These clowns can't even keep their own convention secure?

I knew he would go back to the Hamas green!

Show your true colors, McCain!

Meg Ryan also wants her smirk back.

McCain is *pissed* about the vets there (as he should be).

We are all Americans. (yes, i saw your speech last week).

Guess last night didn't happen, eh?

 now blue screen, too funny.

waves of grain?

He respects Obama...NOW he's an American? Yeah right...

Gag me with a spoon!

Guess he couldn't stand Obama staying above the fray...

You're gonna win?  In your dreams!

Too many community organizers for Obama!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

Were they shouting "Yes we can"?

KD

McCain has made it a habit to not even bother to ask for the rights to use copyrighted materials.

Another protester snuck in ... is this good or bad. Or is she a plant?

He gets to look good; makes the left look like cooks. Have to wonder

Code pinkers it looks like...

and by "he should be pissed" i meant that this entire thing is so run so poorly -- from the green screen to the lack of any organization -- it's insane.

Keep riffin baby. "tough times for many of you".

they stole the headlines. kudos.

If no arrests were made, then we'll know for sure. 

you mean don't get distracted by Obama's ground GAME?!?!?

He can't even control his own crowd!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

No lie, Mamma McCain looks pretty good for 96.

And I know its crass, but someone needs to work with McCain on pretty hand gestures. I understand he can't lift his arms, but it isn't a good visual. And since Davis is like, its all about imagery...

And what the hell is with McCain's security? There have now been, apparently, three interruptions by protesters...

And in the time it took me to type that, a fourth.

Code Pink!  I love it.  This is great!

have you ever even MET a Black person?

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

"She's worked with her hands and nose"?

KD

I thought this was about YOU?

Executive experience?  How much do YOU have, Johnny?

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

Johnny Mac on Palin... "She works with her hands and her nose -- she knows..."

oops. But funny.

By contrast, in making that statement about Palin knowing how to struggle and work with her hands, McCain concedes he doesn't himself have those attributes. Interesting, ... Meaning in a common folk sense.

"She works with her hands and nose...?"  Oh, "knows."

 In the form of Barack Obama!

"do nothing, me first, country second crowd"

Hey I thought he just said he respected us

KD

I'm signing off...still have client work to do for tomorrow!

waterprise2 AKA Pam

Liberal with a Capital L!

Keating Five ... "I've fought corruption ... the big spenders ... and pork barrel ... you will know their names" Charles Keating et al

 Fought them all! Fight! Fight! Fight! McDraft likes to fight, we get it!

Fighting the union bosses.

OK, I'm waiting for the vision part. What's in this for me?

Not great.  Democrats are crazy, don't you know.  And partisan as all get out.  Not good at all.

I'd rather think they were plants.

SARAH PALIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We did well!!!!

 How many fricken times has he said this word? Fight! He loves to fight, is that all he can do? I guess so.

How, how, how do you fight for them?

KD

and dole out the 'getting kicked out" better. I think they were a few inches from tweaking him to the point of losing it. Could have been a game changer if he showed that temper. Maybe it will still happen...

In the meantime, the blue screen stands.

Let's all go get Wonkette (who seems to be in the room) to storm the stage.

McCain's pandering tot he special needs group seems like it's falling flat, as does the rest of his fighting for whomever.

What a freakshow.

90% of the time, I fight for Bush

Either someone put her to sleep or she was playing the POW drinking game and it all got to be too much.

 Safe from who? What a joke!

and just how he is fighting?????

OMG - he wears a braclet in honor of a lost service man too.

I just can't believe they went there.

I think this is the "I Have a Fight" speech. :)

We were elected to change washington, and washington chanegd us.

(I made you a cookie, but I eated it)

So, plz. I can haz 4yrs chance?

Kthxbai

Did he say that the latina daughter of the migrant worker is an American?

Huh? Huh?

Moreover, did they applaud that line? 

And most of all we believe in being in control

Aren't they the ones that put us into this financial mess to begin with.

Geez, bring back Cindy.

I swear.

Upper class tax cut, NAFTA, social welfare/Medicare cuts; voucher health care; and speaking of bureaucrats between me and my doctor, has McCain ever been in an HMO?

to get Obama's donation page to come up the last couple of days.  I wonder if there's more traffic than it can handle. Anyone else having trouble?

Oh, never mind.  It works fine in Firefox.

I firmly believe this comment, if it gets any play, will not play well at ALL with independent voters. My boyfriend, sitting at the other side of the room, who is traditionally a politically-apathetic rather independent sort of voter from Peoria, IL (bellweather anyone??) overheard the scene with the protester and McCain's comment that to ignore the ground noise and static, or something similar to that, and said "so he thinks that anyone who stands up and opposes him is ground noise and static???" My boyfriend is not someone who is sold on Obama, nor even sure he's going to cast a ballot, but if he does, it will definitely not be for McCain.

Where the eff is code Pink!  They only had two plants inside?

Who in the GOP planning committee decided to show pictures for the benefit convention hall rather than figure out out how to McCain look good against a TV background?  Even a little flag behind him would make sense in this context.

When I heard he was going to give a Good Cop speech, I knew it would be a repeat... the sing-songy tone when he is supposed to hit a rhetorical stride.  The inability to hit the strong word of a sentence.  The feigned whiny sympathy.

insurance company beurocrats standing between us and healthcare now.  I would rather have a government  beurocrat looking out for my interests rather than an insurance company beurocrat just looking out for theirs.

Walmart full-employment for Amercia jobs program

About this point the crowd is all thinking, Palin/McCain????

having an entire room of rethugs booling is bad tv and scary. the only interesting part was his condemning his own party -- which includes Palin although no one seems to know it.

my wife says that this entire speech -- evening is like an animated version of 'the book of revelations'. none of it makes any sense, but it's full of fear, ghosts, dragons, surrealism.

Secure, new employment at a decent wage.

yeah, send them to India to be 're-trained'  LOL

Force people into health care????

Shit I thought disease forced that on everyone.

Find a new job that won't go away sounds like the return to slavery.

That's his solution give them a lower paying job.

Choice in education except in sex education????

 Did he say to help teachers find another line of work?

Liveblog is here.

Excerpt:

10:34 - I've seen Sarah Palin's speech. And this, sir, is no Sarah Palin's speech.

You crap me up! 

As for the speech, it's quite possibly the worst I've ever listened to, other than his wife's earlier.

Half the country is afraid McC might croak in office, the other half HOPES he would...

OK, real job training, as he just laid it out, is not a bad program (why the jobs are lost is another matter); but he's now falling back on Choice for schools; that will be pushed in the next news cycle, Nationalized Choice. Old battle, not a new idea, but it's a wedge issue for some.

He looks photoshopped.  I think they thought he would look better if his face is covered with more pancake than IHOP ever dreamt of.

Obama has really bucked the teacher's unions in some important ways. it's controversial in many ways -- but he absolutely is not in the pocket of unions. mostly it comes down to the merit based pay, some limited choice and so on.

is he gonna do the Gore 10year plan?

They won't let him answer.

Waiting for the Drill chant. (I picture these big elephant trunks and elephants bobbing and weaving over the curving surface of the planet)

He delivers it like, reluctantly.

Nice shot on cspan of teenager yawning.

Is it just me, or is McLame really that lame.

Where's code pink!  wtf!

"We'll drill them now!..."

(crowd "USA!  USA!...)

We'll drill them now.

We'll drill them now.

WTF is he really saying?

10:44 - From the comments: "'We believe in communities.' But we can't f($&ing stand anyone who organizes them!" - Derrick Clement

As I was coming home just now: A state Ron Paul delegate at the RNC called in to the local NPR station to report how the RNC was using private and convention security guards to follow them around the hall, the streets, and wherever they went. He said they were not allowed to vote last night. The security was really intimidating. 

He and his fellow Paul delegates were assigned seats, each alone, on the floor in different rows. When they tried, on Tuesday, to sit together (everyone was sitting wherever they wanted to within the delegation), 30 security guards with guns descended upon them, someone called the RNC Chairman, and they were forced back into their seats.

The guy said that by the time of Palin’s speech last night, most of the Ron Paul delegates in the hall had decided to bug off, and they filled the seats with high school students, which they apparently did in general because they couldn’t fill the hall.

He also reported that there are scads of armed guards with high-powered rifles in the hall but hidden from TV view under the various rafters. The guy remarked, “Shotguns?!? Ordinary handguns I can understand. But not these high-powered rifles with vests and helmets.”

-----------------------

Two journalists on NPR said that he first time the term ‘maverick’ was ever used in connection with McCain was in 1998 with a bipartisan tobacco bill. The guy who really had the maverick term was a Republican from Oklahoma or Kansas who was also a John and whose name also started with Mc, I can’t remember it right now.

Move over, Iraq.

Steven:

The Code Pinkers are doing more harm than good. It only makes McCain look better in comparison.

He means I'm ready to start another war with them.  The question of the draft had better come up during the debates.

Name one world leader he's met. I can't think of one.

First time he perked up, talking about his father being gone for 5 years...

But I'm a maverick, so I won't do that.

Alexa, thanks for that re: Paulites. "Freedom" is such a great watchword. "I hate war" (he says just now) but look at the goons with guns in here. In this very place. All in the name of Freedom and our beloved Fatherland.

Pearl Harbor was a attacked? Way to go, old man.

POW POW POW!!

Also, did anyone else catch the part where he said he was going to abolish unemployment insurance?

This is all very very light on specifics. And what was said is, like the Obama campaign says, more of the same. The rest was all patriotic bluster. Did anyone catch the final score on the Giants game? 

Have to say it, the code pinkers were the best part of the evening.

McLame is simply rehashing tired nostrums of the rightwing Republican hack.  Totally boring.

Yeah, Palin outshine's McLame, in a plasticky kind'a way.

He HATES this speech. You can almost hear him curse the writer.

heh heh heh. He just said "information technology revolution" and "we have to catch up with history"

Yeah, you can do that if you do a google, Mac.

MCCAIN: I can write very long lists!

CROWD: First, second, third!

He just said MY FRIENDS.

Was that the first time?

 Wow! This is a diverse group.

with creepy smirks.

transparency and accountability.

His tech policy does not use the word "transparency" at all. Barack Obama has had transparency/accountability in tech policy that's been out there all this year. 

Johnny Mac, he had him some long months of foregone conclusions that he was the Republican Nominee. Did he use that to put together comprehensive policy? I think not.

He chooses a veep and everyone wants to know how it goes and his peeps clamped down on it. Transparent. Uh huh.

And now he wants you to share in it.

what is with this aping obama thing? he's opened the door for the keating 5 thing quite a few times here. what's with this 'obama wants to take credit' insinuation?

his smiles during the torture were spooky.

i think it's time for the media to press him on supporting torture.

'i like to pick a few fights for the fun of it'. there's locker room material.

Now he will just picks fights for America, rather than himself.

Well - I've stopped watching.  But I love Ezra's description of McCain's delivery:

"I'd sort of forgotten what a bad speaker McCain is. I'd call it a collection of one liners, but it's more a string of lonely clauses. There's no overarching theme or message. The speech doesn't build, and thus the applause doesn't carry it along. Instead, it punctuates it, exhausting the force of McCain's words and forcing him to start all over on the next sentence."

KD

rawk on. Dude's a geek.

What? oh......

This is suddenly like watching that Adam West as the batman.  POW!  POW!

If we let him be president, will he PROMISE to never mention the freaking Hanoi Hilton again?  This is torture...

Can't stand to watch to checking out the liveblogging here and at Indecision 2008.  This from the comment section, LOL!

"We believe in communities"

But we can't f($&ing stand anyone who organizes them!

Imagine the repubs have Mccain and this disastrous speech and Palin who is a complete newcomer who took 5 whole days to rehearse and deliver that nasty, ugly, divisive speech. Well, thank God I am a democrat.

Adam Kokesh, member of Iraq Veterans Against the War, 

Do you feel your protest was effective?

Well I wasn’t so much trying to interrupt the speech as make the point that McCain has a horrible voting record on veterans. The Republican Party is doing with their take on the war in Iraq is spinning it in such a way that it’s about victory or defeat. But they can’t face up to the fact that you can’t win an occupation. In an occupation, everybody loses. What we’re calling for is an immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces in Iraq.

Who will you vote for in November?

Bob Barr.

na-NAH na-NAH na-NAH na-NAH na-NAH, my friends, na-NAH na-NAH na-NAH.

So now he's the servant and Palin is the executive?

Ah, the POW story. He has to address it because the CIA released papers about John "Songbird" McCain in May of this year, and a few remaining living POWs in that same camp are talking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MUY9S6iCvk

I have to tell you all, I was at the march on D.C. in 1995 for Biden's legislation for Violence Against Women Act.  I was on the Mall marching.  I am a NOW member and feminist with a big F.  I prosecuted Domestic Abuse as an Intern.  I will not back down.  However, my work tends to limit my ability to speak out.  Tonight, I can speak out.  It's my own words on my own time.

I love music and am a musician.  (Thanks AL) So, I use music to make my point.  Feminists need to unite AGAINST Palin.

This group is my anchor.  Yes, I am the music talker.  ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTPjWoXimc0

in his list of call for service.. to serve a cause greater than yourself.

Nope, guess not. oh well. Woulda rawked, if he did.

Nothing brings bigger happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself.

Isn't that the stuff of community organizing?

unless it's community organizing.

man he's aping obama in a horrid horrid way these last 5 minutes. the 'volunteer' thing. this stand up stand up and fight is... spoooooky.

so, curious.  don't have a tv.  how are the tv pundits reacting?

KD

 Thank the Lord! It's over!

Whew! I did it! I made it through a whole John Sydney McDraft speech!

to do a Schweitzer?

You almost feel sorry for the guy. He really is living in the past; can't let go of that part of his life and wants us all to be there with him. You know, we never did bring all the POWs back; you can still see the flags flying, rarely, but some have them. They were forgotten it seems; he wants to make sure he's not, I guess. Understandable, but really sad. I have a nephew cousin who's name is on the Wall, and I remember looking him up in the telephone book they have there, finding the name, and being overwhelmed by the vastness of the death on that wall. 

That is part of all of us. Just as this war is and will be. John McCain is not alone. But nor is he unique. 

We are all America. This fight is not his ground. This is our ground. And like he said; we have to fight for it in this election.

I think the crowd got all excited all of a sudden because they realized he was wrapping it up.

"fight, fight, fight, fight, fight..." - I believe that's the definition of insanity.

Palin will bring in the Christian voters, and McCain will pull in the sympathy voters.

All just raising cain—exactly what these haves and have mores want to do, pillage and loot drill, drill, drill.

Fight Fight Fight

and why don't you want to just do what we say.

A Legend in their own minds.

defend the rights of the oppressed commentary on NPR.

"I thought he might be talking about defending the rights of the community organizers that were attacked last night"

Awesome!

If you want to start a feminists field hands group on ning, I'm in.

oh, I get it now (music). heh.

What the heck?  They are playing Heart Barracuda.....omg. What an uplifting message.  I hope the Wilson sisters throw a fit.  Unbelievable. 

"MAVRICK"

The people on stage all just look relieved it's over, not energized at all. I feel them on that count.

I'm confused about what the "town hall" part was. I did run down to fix dinner for a few minutes. Did I miss something?

God bless John McCain. I've been trying to get the baby to sleep for hours and she was out like a light 5 minutes into his speech. I'll use the YouTube from now on, then.

I don't care what the squares say--the code pinkers were the best part of the night.

Don't chicken little that they 'hurt' Obama.  "Ohhh--don't criticize the war or talk about maimed Iraqi kids because it hurts Obama".

Effe that viewpoint.  If they could have pied Cindy McLame it would have been the best.

"Make no mistake we will win this election."

Same said in 2004. That's called Diebold.