US News
Republicans change from truncated elephants to trumpeting politics
By Frank Fuhrig Sep 4, 2008, 4:12 GMT
St Paul, Minnesota - Troy Fuhriman's dark suit fit the conservative image of a Republican, but so did his silly hat.
On his head was a grey elephant - the party's symbol since the 19th century - with red, white and blue ears and the trunk dangling in front of Fuhriman's eyes.
The Republican National Convention's first night was truncated on Monday, with a long night of political speeches and partisan celebration replaced by a brief appeal for donations to support storm relief on the Gulf Coast, where Hurricane Gustav was making landfall. Wednesday saw a more complete programme, with the centre-right party seeming to gain momentum as delegates and other Republicans filed into the Xcel Energy Centre in St Paul, Minnesota.
Fuhriman, an attorney, called it 'a perfect night' for a more festive tone.
'We've got big names here, and we're going to have a lot of fun,' he said. 'I can't think of a better way to show our excitement than to break out the hats.'
'Crazy hats,' his brother, Apollo, chimed in.
Not to be out done, Apollo, a law student, had his own Republican- themed headgear. Troy recounted that as they had passed through the magnetometer security check entering the arena, a security guard remarked that Apollo's blue elephant hat 'looked like a Beanie Baby got split open and stuck on your head.'
The brothers from Washington state, who described themselves as Republican activists, were not alone in adopting a more jubilant attitude.
More than before, delegates from various states and sometimes the entire crowd broke into spontaneous chants, first 'Drill baby, drill' as an energy policy slogan, then hooting at one television network that has drawn the particular ire of conservatives.
Michigan delegates were clustered on the convention floor - near the foot of the stage, as befits a crucial swing state - wearing red and white ice hockey jerseys, replacing their more staid wardrobes from earlier in the week.
Pennsylvania delegates twirled yellow towels, a practice borrowed from the fans of western Pennsylvania's beloved professional football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Florida delegation soon produced orange towels, keeping them dancing above their heads.
On a distant end of the convention floor reserved for reliable Republican states like Oklahoma and Wyoming, delegates from Alaska - where vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin is governor - held high their state flag, a field of dark blue with gold stars representing the Big Dipper and the North Star.
In the course of Wednesday night, Republican delegates took the step of formally voting their nomination - in the traditional roll call - to presidential candidate John McCain and Palin as his running mate.
Palin delivered her first national address on prime-time television to the loudest cheers of the convention's first three days. But that mark was quickly exceeded by the response when McCain unexpectedly joined her on stage.
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Older Talkback
page: 1
Judging from what the candidates say,at least Obama has the intelligence required as well as the understanding of economy,the two most important requirements to be at the helm of a great nation in the future troubled times .Unless you want your own country to be in the tight grip of a few corporate tycoons only concerned with their own personal profit,like in the past eight years,you all know what to do.
The Dem ticket is suddenly palin' in comparison.
'Judging from what the candidates say,'
Obama will say whatever you want to hear in order o get elected. It doesn't matter if it completely contradicts what he said yesterday or will say tomorrow. That isn't 'intelligent' that is lying.
'as well as the understanding of economy,'
Obama wants to socialize entire industries and create gigantic entitlement programs that will push our national debt over our GDP which will effectively bankrupt the country and make our dollar worthless. He wants to toss up trade barriers that would rival Smoot-Hawley. So no, he doesn't understand the economy. Since you are a little trotskyite neither do you.
'Unless you want your own country to be in the tight grip of a few corporate tycoons'
Please, give it a rest you indoctrinated moron.
'only concerned with their own personal profit,like in the past eight years,you all know what to do.'
Well you have had your instructions from your leftist eurpopean superiors America. Now go do as you are told so our society can look like the grim little do nothing retirement home that has no sovereignty of its own and hides behind the USA as it nips at our ankles... We can trash our history and forgo our future so we can be just like Belgium.
If somebody relies soleley on solpypsims and insults to retort,you know he lacks arguments,just like above poster .It is a well established truth that living standards are higher in most countries of Europe than in the USA,so are medical standards,education and security .That has nothing to do with leftist indoctrination but all with simple facts .For those that doubt ,just google aùmerican expats,europe,health care and see for yourselves what your own country folks established here in Europoe have to say .You could also consult statistics concernig health care standards quite easily and compare .see for yourselved the sorry state of health care and comparative costs ,I guess most of you know by now that your health care system is the most expensive in the world by now,probably also the most bureaucratic one too,for those that have to deal with diseases like cancer and otherss the risk of loosng yourhome is a constant risk .Time for some reforms that will bring more advantage for you all .Nothing to do with slogan like trotskyism or whatever.All this is reality here,gain for all but the big insurance companies .From the above post which fails to deliver any argument at all except empty affirmations and insults you can also learn where the brainwashing resides:certainly with those that lack any argument to back up their claims .It is also common knowledge that those that indoctrination and propaganda lead to the use of insults to replace arguments,for obvious reasons.Yet another fine illustration above this post.You all know where your interests lay.
Tell me about the rabbits, GWB. I like to hear about our glamorous history. Like when we had slavery, and johnny reb wanted freedom, and the south wanted to be a free nation. Back when the mean bastards from the north decided to keep us in chains so the sourtherners could be exploited. Then, we just had to kill them natives just like they were jack rabbits because we wanted more room to grow. And tell me more about manifest destiny because I just don't know very much. Except we had to create some turf wars to take lots of land from the hispanics, and make some more plantation colonies around the world. I just don't know why there are so many people in Nam with missing legs and arms, and chemical burned bodies, because I thought we just killed them all protecting ourselves from evil. I really need to know alot more about our history.
Judging from what the candidates say,at least Obama has the intelligence required
sp4 - by what calculus do you arrive at such a declaration? We heard this in the last two elections.
as well as the understanding of economy,
sp4 - euro governments are droppong business tax rates all over Europe and Obama wants to raise them. Understanding???
The two most important requirements to be at the helm of a great nation in the future troubled times .
sp4 - perhaps, but he is and has neither
Unless you want your own country to be in the tight grip of a few corporate tycoons
sp4 - we have someone who's now faced off with those tychoons, i.e. the false enemy and won big.
only concerned with their own personal profit,like in the past eight years,you all know what to do.
sp4 - again the false enemy liberals so badly need to shore up their cultuire of grievence base.
By the way, we've had...16..20? quarters of consecutive GDP growth, averaging 2.2% for the last 7.5 years, higher than the last guy's economy, lower unempoloyment than in the 1990's, and a new record on household wealth. 84.7% of Americans have health insurance, up from 81% by the last president, and anyone can now go to a federally funded emergency room for immediate care in america. The Romney plan will have every citizen in Mass. covered in less than two years. Iraq is a win and we are negotiating a turn-over as we speak. Our relations with our allies are at an all-time high.
...and democrats talk, and talk...
No, Tonny, the boy-king wannabee may win, but he's going to have to ask for a mandate. These pointless statements of intelligence lost you the last two races, once it was revealed to be all talk.
Happy days...
who the hell wants an old f--k like mccain in office .
it's time he lays down and dies
'If somebody relies soleley[sic] on solpypsims[sic] and insults to retort,you know he lacks arguments,just like above poster'
Add 'solipsism' to the long list of words that you should have restraining order put on you to prevent you from mangling.
'It is a well established truth that living standards are higher in most countries of Europe than in the USA,'
I haver lived in europe and I have lived in the USA. As much as you would love to believe your newspeak propaganda that is fed to you by your government and the EU super-state you are wrong, especially with the addition of the eastern european sates.
Additionally, and more importantly, I am freer here then you are there. You have what amounts to an unelected bureaucracy that effectively exists to keep you mediocre. You are protected from the ramifications of making bad choices by someone else deciding what choices you can make. You aren't a man: You are a sheep. Stand or fall, my destiny is my own. Yours is being decided for you because you are too much of a stinking coward to take full responsibility.
'so are medical standards,education and security .'
You can have high medical standards because you do not have to pay a dime for your 'security' which is provided to you by US. Even still, across europe there is a great disparity between medical services. In terms of education we are a magnet for the rest of the world. We have the finest colleges on earth. If your rants, which are complete mental masturbation and display a fundamental ignorance of the USA and our people are indicative of your 'education' I wouldn't be waiving that around as something for 'europeans' to be proud of.
'For those that doubt ,just google aùmerican expats'
Why is it that we have so many blasted 'europeans' here then? Why so many bad tipping, brown toothed, sanctimonious, harry backed, speedo wearing, flab eating, pompous hypocrites here in the land of opportunity? My building is full of British X-pats who wont shut the hell up about soccer and routinely drink themselves to within an inch of their lives while their children swing from the chandeliers and peel bananas with their feet. If europe is so great why are so many europeans fleeing it?
'ee for yourselved the sorry state of health care and comparative costs ,'
Belgium's health care is not 'europes' health care. In the UK there is months wait for things like MRI's or Chemotherapy. In Poland some of those resources are only available by going to Germany. Yes, Belgium has good health care, it is a product of taking from everyone else and not giving back a damn thing. Who would the USA latch on to as a parasite? What kind of EU scheme could we cook up like Belgium? Would Mexico pay for our health care while we obsessed about chocolate? Would Canada pay for our defense while we whined that they weren't doing it the way we want? You have socialized medicine because you leech off capitalist countries. If the Capitalist countries went socialist you might actually have to get off your lazy ass and become capitalists.
'for those that have to deal with diseases like cancer and otherss the risk of loosng yourhome is a constant risk'
You are just wrong. By law you can not be refused medical care here. (Unlike in europe where Americans can be refused medical care)
'From the above post which fails to deliver any argument at all except empty affirmations and insults you can also learn where the brainwashing resides'
I have gone through your post line by line and rebutted it you little crybaby. Just so you know, I see you as a tic, riding on a dogs ass getting fat... yet you have the audacity to demand a say in where the dog sits. No. You have no say. You are not an American so you don't get a vote. Further, you are an idiot and anyone would be a fool to follow your example into irrelevance.
Cindy McCain showed up the other night with an outfit and jewelry worth several hundred THOUSAND dollars - so much for McCain understanding the regular American and the economy.
they turned back into the bible thumping, back stabbing, lying, cheating hypocrites they really are.
it's time for you to die also sp4
get with it. america hates your guts just like it hates bush.
page: 1
“Barack Obama has never led anything,”Sep 4th, 2008 - 05:21:27
By MICHAEL COOPER (Abridged)
ST. PAUL — Rudolph W. Giuliani pushed back tonight on criticism that Senator John McCain’s running mate, Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, is too inexperienced by making the counter-argument that “she has more executive experience than the entire Democratic ticket.”
“Barack Obama has never led anything,” Mr. Giuliani said. “Nothing. Nada. So, our opponents want to reframe the debate. They would have you believe that this election is about ‘change versus more of the same.’ But that’s really a false choice. Because ‘change’ is not a destination ... just as ‘hope’ is not a strategy.”[...]
“Governor Palin represents a new generation,” Mr. Giuliani said.. “She’s already one of the most successful governors in America — and the most popular. And she already has more executive experience than the entire Democratic ticket.”
Mr. Giuliani, the former New York City mayor, began making the argument early Wednesday. “Barack Obama has never governed a city, never governed a state, never governed an agency, never run a military unit, never run anything,” Mr. Giuliani said on the CBS “Early Show” in an interview the McCain campaign sent to reporters.
“This is a time for choosing — and to those Americans who still feel torn in this election, I’d like to suggest one way to think about the choice you have to make in 2008,” he said. “You’re hiring someone to do a job — an important job that involves the safety and security of your family.'
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