The big night II: W's speech

The anticipation is so thick you can cut it with a knife. But then there’s some more music to kill some more time. After all, we’ve got about three minutes to go. There’s a filmed introduction and the man himself comes out. The crowd in the hall goes completely nuts. Screaming "four more years" at the top of their lungs. I can see the back of his head as he accepts the nomination for a second term. He goes on about his job as commander in chief. After the mention of 9/11, he starts talking mush. He loves his wife and daughters and siblings and he rest of the family. I guess that this is part of the usual schtick before he goes into why he should be re-elected. There’s a laundry list of the real and imagined achievements of this administration. So far there isn’t actually very much there. But the crowd loves it. He speaks in revolutionary platitudes. He says that America must be the best place in the world to do business. He gives as a method the standard conservative program. Less taxes and less regulation. He also comes out in favor of energy independence and then moves to ban "frivolous’ lawsuits. He denounces the tax code that was mostly written by Republicans. He’s for job retraining and more aid for community colleges. So how exactly is he going to pay for this? Then he has a plan about potable health insurance. Isn’t that what the Democrats were proposing?

So far he’s been concentrating on domestic issues, and there isn’t all that new here. Everybody’s in favor of affordable housing and decent health care. That he takes credit for a small public school in North Carolina. The Gall!!!

So far he’s focusing solely on education before starting in on Kerry. "We are heading to the future and are not turning back." This is one of the most vacuous speeches I’ve ever heard. He’s saying nothing new at all. Well, that’s conservatism for you….he attacks Kerry for claiming to be a conservative, something I’m certain he never claimed.

He also implies that Kerry won’t defend America…and he will. It’s the same old thing as a protester approaches the podium and gets arrested. It seemed that the crowd was trying to shout the president down. A few more protesters start shouting and are hustled out of the room. The crowd started screaming "Four More Yeasr!!!! Four More Years!!!"

He praises he people of Afghanistan for registering to vote. Elections are scheduled for January in Iraq. "If America gives it’s word, America must keep it’s word." The person next to me says of the protesters: "This is a disaster."

He praise Tony Blair, Burlusconi and John Howard and others. This is going on and on, it’s all very nice, but I don’t think that it’s going to help very much. None of this is new…being conservatives, the crowd loves it…..

It's all the same stuff we've heard before. He finishes with a forgettable flourish and soon Cheney, the wives and kids are out there waving to the crowd as balloons fall from the ceiling as is tradtional at these things.

While the music plays and the dancing on the floor continues, we leave the room and head for the subway. Now the real work begins for Kerry, Bush and company.