Home > Jay Bookman > Archives > 2008 > June > 03 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.US“That’s not change we can believe in?”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m watching McCain’s speech, and have two reactions:
One, I have never seen or conceived of a major-party candidate divorcing himself so publicly from an incumbent of the same party. He’s running against Bush, it sounds like.
Two: This may be the worst-delivered major speech I think I have ever heard. Seriously.
UPDATE: Hillary’s speech:
Great message, well-delivered, and an enthusiastic audience even though they know this is the end. Obama could learn a lot from her ability to express both the pride that working people feel and the worries that nag them about the future.
She’s making no decisions tonight, or at least announcing none. That’s fine. And the stress she places on the importance of universal health insurance may be a signal to Obama, as the price of her acquiescence.
But in the end, she also does not acknowledge the reality of her situation. The decision has been made for her.
“There’s nothing we can’t do if we start acting like Americans again.”
Amen. But she can’t admit it’s over, and it is … over.
UPDATE II:
Obama’s turn. Accepting what he has earned, the nomination of the Democratic Party. Magnanimous toward Clinton in a way she was not, and she comes off worse by the comparison. It didn’t have to be that way, but it was her choice.
He honors McCain’s military service, as is right and proper. I was on the floor of the GOP convention in 2004 in NYC, when Republicans mocked the service of John Kerry in Vietnam with fake bandages and Purple Hearts. It was shameful.
He is shading back a bit on Iraq, talking about pulling out with a lot more care than we went in. He does need work on his appeal to working Americans, and needs to get more personal about it. Cerebral, not heartfelt.
But as he wraps it up, he calls on what is best about this country, about the ideals it has preached but not always reached. The comparison with McCain’s speech is … well, stark.
Comments
By First
June 3, 2008 9:34 PM | Link to this
First!!!
By eat raw gator
June 3, 2008 9:57 PM | Link to this
Change…it is only a word…O’Bama has for 20 plus years sit in a church, and never realized that there was nothing there…He just attemted to break his addiction to tobacco…Tobacco is more difficult to break than herion…If it was a christ centered church, why did the “pastor” not heal him from his addiction…This is a serious issue…When I first learned of the church months ago, I realize that it was a heavy suitcase of baggage that O’Bama was to carry…and you think that they, those people that attack Bill and Hillary will go light on him…We are a nation of idiots…Fall prey to anything, anyone with sweet words…Will these young people hit the streets as we did in pushing for Robert Kennedy, Mondale back when…No, unfornately they are addicted to their on line games, and videos of whomever, whatever, spending hours text messaging simple words, phrases…a nation of tech idiots…its about JOE BLOW, and sometimes he gets out of his Semi and gets one occassionaly, where ever and from whomever he can…He is paying a high price for to support the breeders, who sat on the curb begging for grits, more grits…please mister, give me grits…and we have those coming across the border with “addictive” problems…watch the video of Brownsville where the bike accident occurred…We have African leaders all around the world, leading their people down paths…its not the race thing…its intelligence, leadership, foresite…they will mow him faster than grass on the bayou edge…as strong as Kerry was, the sneak attacks came, and Kerry was unable to defend himself…Just because he won South Carolina…a state that has went to the Right for the past 20 years…illusions are all about him, Hillary has great intellectual insight…
This is why this country needs a strong independent third party…a place for us malcontents can place our voices…
By John Doxey
June 3, 2008 11:30 PM | Link to this
Hillary as VP. This idea would rank among the top 5 bad ideas of the last 100 years. Anyone who would not vote for Obama because Hillary didn’t win or is not on the ticket, wasn’t going to vote for Obama anyway. Period. End of discussion. Core Democrats are going to vote for a Democrat. Reagan Democrats mostly left the party decades ago(see Georgia, West Virginia, etc.).
The notion that bringing Hillary on the ticket makes Barack stronger is crazy. In fact, the opposite is true. Hillary doesn’t see herself as a VP, and ALL of her actions to date suggest she wouldn’t campaign as one. It’s safe to say there would be one major distraction after another. Besides, does ANYONE really think Obama WANTS Clinton as his VP? To select her would portray him as weak. And that’s how the press (and McCain) would portray it, even if it turned our not to be true. Barack needs to nip these Clinton VP talks in the bud fast.
I’d suggest starting the “public” process now of searching for a VP. Include those that have already been mentioned, along with serious consideration of people from outside politics. Obama needs to shake up the process so that it doesn’t force him to select from the usual suspects (How did Gore wind up with Lieberman?). Even talking about Hillary as VP brings up images of political deal making at its worse.
There’s a lot of work to do between now and November. Hillary can make a positive contribution in so many ways that don’t require her being on the ticket as VP.
By gyn
June 3, 2008 11:35 PM | Link to this
NO WAY….he does not need her to get to the Oval Office. He needs someone he can trust, and she is NOT the one, Hillary would rather burn the house down - she is a bitter person, Obama should keep his distance - NOW & 4EVER
By Bionic Blonde
June 4, 2008 6:27 AM | Link to this
Hillary has earned the right to be offered the VP slot first. As Democrats, we want to have the stongest ticket to win—and this would be it. I also think Obama could use an experienced hand and mind as he begins the very large task of governing.
By Billy
June 4, 2008 6:49 AM | Link to this
Hillary as VP might protect Obama. Any racist fool who decides he’s going to kill the new, Black President has probably spent the past 16 years listening to and believing the right wing narrative of “Hillary=AntiChrist” and change his mind because he won’t help her become President.
By Copyleft
June 4, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Good (and funny) point, Billy! The ignorant right-wing bigots would be completely stuck!
By reebok
June 4, 2008 7:55 AM | Link to this
If you saw both the McCain and the Obama speeches last night, as I did, you saw firsthand why Obama will crush McCain in November. McCain will take the deep South, Texas and Arizona. Obama will roll everywhere else in the country. And oh yeah, Webb for Veep.
By Mike
June 4, 2008 8:08 AM | Link to this
Wait. Let me get this straight.
Bookman thinks that McCain gave a bad speech and that Obama gave a great speech?
Wow! Didn’t see that coming!
Partisans are really, really predictable and tedious. Jay Bookman is quite a partisan.
By Jay Bookman
June 4, 2008 8:25 AM | Link to this
To Mike:
I would guess that you didn’t see McCain’s speech. Because in poking around the blogosphere today, people on the right are giving it the thumbs down as well.
Some things are just objectively bad or good, regardless of your partisan stance.
By AH
June 4, 2008 8:38 AM | Link to this
hope change change hope
change change hope hope
unity
How’s was that speech?
By RDS
June 4, 2008 8:41 AM | Link to this
I can’t wait to see all the crying when Obama shows himself to be Jimmy Carter with a different paint job. Wonder who Comrade Bookman and Tucker will blame our woes on then?
By bubbatech02
June 4, 2008 8:45 AM | Link to this
A liberal is merely a communist without the backbone to admit it.
Get ready, America, to be taxed to death. You think the IRS and all the other government bohemoths are bad. You aint seen nothing yet. Obama’s america will make sure of that.
By DaveD
June 4, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this
Yes Mike, mcLame’s speach showed why he’s NOT a leader. It was a HORRIBLE speach…I can NOT wait until the debates. he’s going to be ready to move into his senior residence retirement community after Obama shows the bumbling idiot that Mclame is. He really DID give a horrible speach…even the morons on FAUX news said so….
By David B.
June 4, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
What would Republicans know about change and hope? The only change they’ve endured is losing their ability to actually be “conservative” in government in the past 30 years.
Hillary has NOT earned the VP spot. It is the nominee’s choice. She has earned a place as the most divisive candidate since the 2000 election.
By Mike
June 4, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
Hi Jay. Thanks for your response.
I never made the argument that some things are not just objectively good, regardless of partisan stance. I’m not certain why you feel the need to tell me otherwise.
My point is that in your columns, the Republican/conservative side is always wrong, far beyond the point of statistical credibility.
Columnists like David Brooks or Nicholas Kristof are just as likely to criticize either side, regardless of their partisan positions. Yesterday’s article by Brooks was a fine example of intellectually honest analysis of Obama’s and McCain’s prospects in the fall. We all know Brooks is conservative, but he is still capable of making a reasoned analysis.
Perhaps more importantly, Brooks and Kristof provide their analysis without demonizing those who don’t share their views. The AJC pundits regularly attack the moral character of those who don’t share their views as “racist”, “nativist”, “uncaring” or “a chickenhawk (the liberal equivalent of questioning ones patriotism over support for the war).”
The difference in styles is striking and makes Brooks and Kristof far more interesting than the predictable rigid partisanship at the AJC. One might even attribute the AJC’s greater than industry average circulation drop in part to the AJC’s tedious partisanship.
P.S. Are you guys ever going to cover the Iraq War again? We had our lowest casualty count since the war started and that news has not made it onto the AJC.com, either in the news or opinion section. It was big news when the all the news was bad and it is suspicious that any promising news is utterly disregarded.
By Fred
June 4, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
I didn’t see any of the speeches but Jay’s take is pretty much what everyone else is saying too. McCain does not have to deliver great speeches. Those who are voting for him are not voting for him as much as voting against Obama. It’s the lesser of 2 evils thing for a lot of us but we will be holding our noses as we do it. Sad.
By Mike
June 4, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
DaveD -
Sorry you didn’t like McCain’s “speech”.
Your name calling and ad hominem attacks are very enlightening though.
By Jay Bookman
June 4, 2008 8:58 AM | Link to this
To Mike: That is incorrect. We ran a long story reporting that fact on Page 3, I believe, in Sunday’s paper. We also carried the story in ajc.com on May 31. Here’s the URL:
www.ajc.com/search/content/shared-gen/ap/MiddleEast/IraqDeaths_Down.html
By Fix-It
June 4, 2008 9:10 AM | Link to this
Jay, you are awesome, you did not even try to deny how partisan you are. I can respect that, not agree with but respect it. But look here for some facts about Obama! AM confused!!!
HIS FATHER WAS A KENYAN, MUSLIM, BLACK - WE HAVE SEEN PICTURES OF HIS ‘AFRICAN FAMILY’
HIS MOTHER IS A KANSAN, ATHEIST, WHITE - WHERE ARE THE PICTURES OF HIS KANSAN, WHITE MOTHER AND HIS WHITE GRANDPARENTS WHO RAISED HIM?
HIS FATHER DESERTED HIS MOTHER AND HIM WHEN HE WAS VERY YOUNG AND WENT BACK TO HIS FAMILY (WHOSE FAMILY ?) IN KENYA ?
HIS MOTHER MARRIED AN INDONESIAN MUSLIM AND TOOK HIM TO JAKARTA WHERE HE WAS SCHOOLED IN A MUSLIM SCHOOL
HIS MOTHER RETURNED TO HAWAII AND HE WAS RAISED BY HIS WHITE KANSAN GRANDPARENTS ?WHEN ?
HE LATER WENT TO THE BEST HIGH DOLLAR SCHOOLS, HOW?
HE LIVES IN A $1.4 MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE THAT HE ACQUIRED THROUGH A DEAL WITH A WEALTHY FUND RAISER…. HOW?
HE ‘WORKED’ AS A CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST IN CHICAGO - HAS NEVER HELD A PRODUCTIVE JOB.
THE PRESIDENCY IS NOT A CIVIL RIGHTS POST, NOR IS IT SUBJECT TO AFFIRMATIVE ACTION SET ASIDES
HE ENTERED POLITICS AT THE STATE LEVEL AND THEN THE NATIONAL LEVEL, WHERE HE HAS MINIMAL EXPERIENCE
HE IS PROUD OF HIS ‘AFRICAN HERITAGE’ BUT IT SEEMS THAT HIS ONLY AFRICAN CONNECTION WAS THAT HIS AFRICAN FATHER GOT A WHITE GIRL PREGNANT AND DESERTED HER.
I DIDN’T KNOW THAT SPERM CARRIED A ‘CULTURAL’ GENE.
WHERE IS THE PRIDE IN HIS WHITE CULTU RE?
HE GOES TO A ‘AFROCENTRIC’ CHURCH THAT HATES WHITES, HATES JEWS, AND BLAMES AMERICA FOR ALL THE WORLD’S PERCEIVED FAULTS AND THEN REPEATEDLY COVERS UP FOR THE PASTOR AND THE CHURCH
HE CLAIMS THAT HE COULD NOT CONFRONT HIS PASTOR BUT HE WANTS US TO BELIEVE THAT HE CAN CONFRONT NORTH KOREA AND IRAN,&nb sp;
YEAH, RIGHT!!!
YEAH, I THINK I SEE HOW HE COULD BE A ‘UNITER’ AND BRING US TOGETHER, I THINK THE HOPE IS THAT HE HOPES NO ONE WILL PUT THE PIECES TOGETHER UNTIL AFTER THE ‘ELECTION’ …
LIKE I SAID AT THE START, ’ I AM CONFUSED !!!! ‘
HOW ABOUT YOU ???
By Mike
June 4, 2008 9:13 AM | Link to this
Hi Jay. I cancelled my subscription to the print version a a year and a half ago, so I didn’t see the print version. That being said, page 3 for the lowest month of casualties seems odd when I remember front page storys that would call out the “largest casualty rate in 3 months”. It’s more than page 3 news.
The AJC.com might have had a link to it somewhere, but never on the front page. I was looking hard, trust me.
The war used to be front page news on the site and in the paper when things were at their worst. There is a clear inverse relationship between the violence level in Iraq and coverage in the AJC. I’m sure you will dismiss me as just some person “seeing their own bias”, but you can review the AJC’s coverage and clearly see the preference for bad news.
By Mike
June 4, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
Jay:
Not to be a wise guy or anything, but the link you provided of evidence of the AJC.s coverage of good news is a broken link.
I guess somone didn’t really care to keep the story up.
Hey, but this story about Larry Craig from the same time period is up:
http://www.ajc.com/search/content/shared-gen/ap/USCongress/CraigBook.html
I guess the AJC staff is priortizing the important stuff.
By hillbilly ragger
June 4, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
Ya know, it’s worth dropping by a site like this just to read something like this from one of Teh Stupids:
“O’Bama has for 20 plus years sit in a church.”
Comedy gold!
Oh, and the all-caps troll @ 9:10, copy/pasting some email that he got from Uncle Jim-Bob on the Com-pyoo-ter?
Comedy platinum!
By Jay Bookman
June 4, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
To Mike:
The link still works. Apparently the system doesn’t let me copy a link that long. The last bit of the link should read Down.html
By Mike
June 4, 2008 10:17 AM | Link to this
Hi Jay.
That’s what I get for trying to be a wise guy ;)
My mistake
By Copyleft
June 4, 2008 10:22 AM | Link to this
Fix-It, you’re not confused. You’re circulating the latest right-wing smear propaganda against Obama, just like a good little Rushannity footsoldier should.
By Move Forward
June 4, 2008 10:42 AM | Link to this
Mike - No paper in the country is covering the Iraq war now on page 1 because we have had 5 years of the worst news. It is painfully obvious to all of us that every soldier that dies or is maimed, it is one more that never should have been. It is over, we never should have gone there, we have to get out, and until we do, even if the deaths to our good soliers are one a month - it is still one a month too many. Get over your need for war, jump on the bandwagon to change the course of this country and get back to our moral compass. We lost it with Bush on both elections, the world now doesn’t care what the USA says or does. If you don’t see the problems we have from Bush and try to help, you are the problem.
By RealityKing
June 4, 2008 10:46 AM | Link to this
“pulling out with a lot more care than we went in”
Is that a flip-flop Jay!!
I mean, what happened to “out within 6 months”??? But it does make sense in light of the obvious Iraqi Freedom progress Bush has made over the last year. How can so-called liberals run out on our new M.E. ally while sitting down with the enemy? Could it possibly be…, just maybe.., that people do desire democracy, and that it is worth fighting to free them from their oppression??
Maybe Obama should go and see for himself, that’s what real leaders do..
By DaveD
June 4, 2008 11:19 AM | Link to this
Time to show pictures of the dead coming home…. so “effin” sad that the media refuses to. Get some balls media…show the dead that died…”for nothing”…(well not REALLY for nothing…as haliburton, kbr, and bechtel are making lots and lots of money)…who’s money? hmmmm… OUR MONEY!!! yet millions have no insurance and people go hungry every day in the USA… worst president ever…the empire is DEAD!
CHINA RULES!!! (so does Russia)…
loving it!!!
sad to be part of a country that elected Bubble Boy…TWICE!
All it did was make us hated around the world and laughed at around the world…
and before you tell ME to LEAVE… (GOP f*)…
ask yourself…maybe YOU should leave…as YOU helped him by casting your votes…thinking you’d end ALL abortions and stop gays…from being GAY!!! Just ask Ted HAggard about it! Why has NOBODY asked for documents from his “private prayer” sessions with Dubya?
love it!
By RDS
June 4, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
“Millions with no insurance and people going hungry every day in the USA” Cool! More for me
By DaveD
June 4, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Awwww.. RDS…don’t forget about the 8 billions dollars “lost” last month in Iraq…bills submitted by hand…scribbled….for 5 million or more at a time..to companies that don’t even exsist…
yet here in the US…people starve and pay $4-5 for gas….
Bubble Boy: best president ever! Voted for by idiots that thought they would make abortions “illegal” (which they are NOT) and that gays would suddenly become straight…praise ALLAH they did not!!!
Ethics? Bubble Boy was the worst!!! That’s what you get for hiring a ruined alcoholic that was brought up in extreme wealth to run our nation…
Hope all that voted lose their jobs, homes, and join the military…go to Iraq…and get wounded…no..I Do NOT want you to die…i want you in a bed…p** on yourself for the rest of your life..
happy happy joy joy!! ;-)
By demwit
June 4, 2008 11:52 AM | Link to this
Didn’t Congress just pass a $300 BILLION farm bill? Who has money problems??
By DaveD
June 4, 2008 12:00 PM | Link to this
demwit….how did almost ALL the repulsicans vote? Including ALL from GA? Though it does not even come CLOSE to the Billions spent in Iraq!!!
How come you’re not over there fighting? Killing muslims in this “just” war?
By RDS
June 4, 2008 12:01 PM | Link to this
Sorry Comrade DaveB, Been over in the sand box twice with not a scratch. Now run along a draw your check so you buy so more Lottery Tickets. “people starve” LOL sucks to be them i guess. I guess they should have been a little more careful about the decisions they made in life, as i said, sucks to be them.
By DaveD
June 4, 2008 1:05 PM | Link to this
Nah RDS…better to hand over bulldozers worth of our Tax dollars to Halliburton, KBR, and others… as they too have made the world a safer place…
By Eli
June 4, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
Not even counting the moral loss that our country has suffered because of this war but stop and think about the massive debt we are passing to our children and grandchildren from the misguided tax cuts of the last eight years and then piling war costs and costs of taking care of a new crop of veterans for many years it is hard for me to understand how any thinking person can defend this administration.
By Copyleft
June 4, 2008 1:22 PM | Link to this
Eli: That’s just it; they don’t. No “thinking” person COULD defend this administration, so what does that tell you about those who do…?
By Hasell Brown
June 4, 2008 3:48 PM | Link to this
If you watched all three speeches….it was no contest: Obama had the best speech - bar none!!
For those who are criticizing Obama’s relationship with his church, please remember McCain’s relationship with Charles Keating and the Keating 5 - where the S&L crisis in Arizona cost the American taxpayer $5B….and Neil BUSH (the President’s cousin) was a co-conspiritor to the debacle. I believe in the separation of church and state…..so that relationship doesn’t bother me as much as defrauding the nation….and McCain was a part of that…..
By Alan Hurtz
June 4, 2008 4:18 PM | Link to this
How can a President get richer while being in office? GW and his “boys” actually doubled there worth with this war…is that LEGAL? There is no possible way that Obama could do worse than this group of keystone cops, lol….
By George Washington
June 4, 2008 4:33 PM | Link to this
Ah guess not….
By PJ
June 4, 2008 6:08 PM | Link to this
None of candiadates were good. McCain sounded weak. He was too gracious to Clinton and Obama. They were due their respect, but he was too complimentary. As for Obama, he too gave due respect as he should, but again he had nothing to say. Nothing that holds to the true values of this country. Socialism is not what this country was about. That is the only direction Obama can steer us towards. That message was clear.
By Joe
June 4, 2008 7:12 PM | Link to this
You wouldn’t be a little biased would you Jay. The crap Hillary and Obama was spewing I’m sure made you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Why even talk abot this in our wonderful bright red state of Georgia. No one really cares who the dem nominee is because they certainly won’t win in a state with people that can actually think for themselves…
By Nikole
June 4, 2008 7:47 PM | Link to this
Obama had a great speech, but that is not why I will be voting for him in the fall. I am a first grade teacher voting for Obama this fall b/c he understands the need to expand the Early Head Start and Head Start programs. That is a foundation to giving ALL kids a world class education.
By jhavard
June 4, 2008 9:46 PM | Link to this
Obama should select his VP from the Black Panther party. He should be much more in touch with representatives of anti white groups, than with main stream working americans. Twenty years of mentoring about the white devils and the evil USA. A green rookie to lead this country at a time like this, how lame. There is one person in this country whose career places him head and shoulders above the choices we presently have for president. Where is
By jhavard
June 4, 2008 9:52 PM | Link to this
WHERE IS COLLIN POWELL WHEN YOU NEED HIM?
By scott
June 4, 2008 11:15 PM | Link to this
McCain is an out of touch old man, heaven help us if he wins the White House. We think things are bad now….