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The Republican Convention

Discussion in 'BBS Hangout: Debate & Discussion' started by rimbaud, Aug 1, 2000.

  1. rimbaud

    rimbaud Contributing Member
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    No, I am not just bashing Republicans, I will do this for the Democrats as well.
    Just some observations:

    1. Laura Bush's speech was horrible! I can forgive her for being a really poor public speaker - she has no experience and is not supposed to be. But whoever wrote that speech needs to be hung by their toenails. With lines such as, "I sat with George through many losing baseball seasons, but he always knew where home plate was," I had to refrain from regurgitating. Also, the little story about a small town graduation where one student was not there because he died - that is what "America" is all about. Huh?

    The fake classroom in the back did not help, either. Then she went back and stood with them. Wow, what a powerful message.

    2. I am not saying this is true, but when Bush was on the monitor introducing Colin Powell, it sure did look like he was not really in that classroom. The media does stuff like that all the time - putting people in front of fake backdrops. The lighting was all strange, and he just looked artificial. Again, I do not know, but it still was strange.

    3. Colin Powell said about three things in a decent lenghted speech. A lot of rep[etition. He did have a lot of energy and was a pretty good deliverer. The crowd was much more sedated than befoe. Maybe there were applause signs or drugs passed out before hand, because you know all of those delegates did not agree with him. They did cut to Gingrich and he was not clapping and sitting in the dark - looked scary.

    I loved the cameras during Powell's speech, they kept showing just the black peole in the audience. That woman with the cowboy hat (ugh, why do they always do that?) from Texas got as much screen time as Powell did.

    4. How is Bush, as Powell said, "going to give the strenght (morally and emotionally) for all of our children to say no to drugs," when he did not have that as an adult? No, I am not making a big deal about this because I could not care less. Why not just say that we will try to help our children understand more about drugs, knowing that they will always be there, and try to prevent addicition?

    5. The Republican party sure is trying to be different this year. They really seem to be moving themselves away from the Contract with America congressmen. This is good for general public perception, but what does it do with the more die hards and religious right, etc?

    6. Save the children (tears streaming down my face)!

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    Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit
     
  2. Smokey

    Smokey Contributing Member

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    Daddy Bush is giving President Clinton 30 days to stop personal attacks against his son or he is going public about the way he feels about Clinton as a human being.

    Why wait so long? Let the mudslinging begin. Drop your gloves and come out swinging. Oh yeah!

    "Nearest I can tell, the message of the Bush campaign is just that, 'How bad could I be? I've been governor of Texas, my daddy was president, I own a baseball team. ...' "
    http://www.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/01/bush.wrap/index.html

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    Bernard Sumner & Johnny Marr are Electronic

    [This message has been edited by Smokey (edited August 01, 2000).]
     
  3. Achebe

    Achebe Contributing Member

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    Yeah, that is what the Republicans want to do... keep focusing on Clinton.

    *yawn*

    Nice post, rimmy. I'm amazed at how the Bush campaign has convinced Pat Robertson, et. al. to shut up this whole time period. I think it's obvious that they gave a "you're not helping us" and a "your platform will be heard if you're quiet now" back when the Bob Jones thing blew up.

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    Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? - Dubyah in Florence, SC. 01/11/2000
     
  4. insideout

    insideout Contributing Member

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    i'm so sick of these personal issues.. about the whole "bush got to where he was today because of the elder bush".. well..

    the same people are calling bush an idiot while at the same time bashing him for growing up in a priveleged setting??? does something NOT make sense here? if i had family like the bush with their money and positions.. i would take advantage of it too if i was SMART! you'd be dumb not to take advantage of the opportunities that are present.. look how stupid it would be..

    "no dad, i'm not going to yale because you're paying for it.. i wanna struggle like everyone else... dad.. i wanna buy this baseball team on my own... dad.. i wanna change my name so people won't recognize me during the campaign ". blah blah blah. ridiculous.

    so either call bush stupid or call him a freeloader. not both. or even better.. let's talk about his policies... and maybe we'll have a better informed public when november comes.

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    i need a vacation
     
  5. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    I tried to advocate for that in the other thread too, showing how the people who normally liked Clinton, who is also an idiot, usually hate Bush cause he is an idiot, but to no avail.

    Im not planning on voting for Bush or anything, but I think Gore is just a dumb and twice as boring yet he is getting no negative run.

    I say either

    a)make fun of both equally
    b)make fun of neither
    c)make fun if you want to, but CONCENTRATE on the actual policies at hand here.

    Or, if it makes you feel better, you can just make fun of me [​IMG] I can take it, Im not in the public spotlight.

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    Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women!

    [This message has been edited by JayZ750 (edited August 01, 2000).]
     
  6. Achebe

    Achebe Contributing Member

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    insideout, JayZ:

    I reread rimmy's, smokey's and my own post... what exactly do you take offense at?

    I'm not trying to be adversarial. I'm just curious... rimmy made it clear that he was going to take the same approach towards the Democratic convention.

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    Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? - Dubyah in Florence, SC. 01/11/2000
     
  7. sirhangover

    sirhangover Member

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    you know what jayZ..i agree.. they both suck..and not one of you guys can convince me of anything of substance to prove otherwise...

    these guys plain suck..look at them..they suck....it is sad to have the right to vote and consider not voting...

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    i am rather like a mosquito in a nudist camp..i know what i ought to do but i don't know where to begin...
     
  8. insideout

    insideout Contributing Member

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    rimbaud. achebe.

    it's not directed at your posts.. just what your post says about the whole campaign. the clinton people are mudslinging bush.. i don't see any reason to stop the elder bush from taking a stand for his son.. i would do the same thing.. and the bush people are talking bout gore...

    and it goes back and forth.. american politics/voters are so much more focused on the candidates faults (hell.. now they even focus on whether their WIVES are good public speakers???) and not the issues that it really dissappoints me.

    but i do find bush's personality/intelligence/background questions somewhat aggravating because they are so much more focused on than Gore's. i'm just saying that if you're gonna talk about somebody.. be consistent. just like on the basketball court.. if you're gonna trash talk.. then don't be stupid doing it.

    as for the convention itself... yeah it's a show.. and it's pushing all the REAL issues under the rug.. i mean, is the republican party that is shown to the public really the republican party that will show up if elected to the white house? that's what i'm questioning. or will the far right contigents (a powerful one) in Congress be the representative? and because of how the convention is structured.. without any real debate, i can't really tell.

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    i need a vacation
     
  9. RocketMan Tex

    RocketMan Tex Contributing Member

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    I will now try to settle this for all of you...

    Both Bush and Gore grew up in privileged households. Bush's dad held many political posts, including CIA Director, VP and President, and Gore's dad was a Senator for several terms. Both Bush and Gore grew up in "elite" families with lots of money. And, IMHO, both Bush and Gore are brainless, spineless, and will say anything to get elected.

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    Bring It!!
     
  10. Achebe

    Achebe Contributing Member

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    insideout,

    great points. I was just trying to figure out what was going on at the convention by watching alot of the cable news channels. I really have no idea what any of the republicans stances are... but all of a sudden I feel like a Baptist. [​IMG]

    Unfortunately, the politics of 'personal destruction' will never go away. We make alot of our decisions based on a candidate's demeanor (hell, McCain didn't win the primaries b/c he was considered too 'mean'). Will this ever change? Would Forbes be electable if he were more attractive? Would Gore be doing better if he had pizazz? It seems as if the biggest complaint about Gore is that he's dull, not that he's incompetent.

    It is in this environment that I have to get past the following, admitted biases against Dubyah:

    Because of my mother's 'single parent' status, I have worked since the age of 14 for everything that I have ever wanted. To me, it seems ridiculous to elect someone that had no idea what they wanted to do when they 'grew up' until they were 40... that's a bias, and for that, I apologize.

    Al. Gore had all of the same benefits that George Bush had (perhaps not all), but it is hard to argue that he wasn't a hard worker too. Al Gore went to Vietnam. Al Gore worked his way through both buildings in Congress for 2 decades. Al Gore didn't find himself in a lucky buying position b/c of his father's prestige, and then jump straight into the governor's mansion. It's in that light that Clinton's quote is funny.

    Is this 'mudslinging'? I'm not sure. It seems as if you have to evaluate someone's past to figure out who they are. Also, everyone wants to be able to identify with the candidate in some role (which makes Powell interesting... everyone in NC keeps saying they're going to vote for Harvey but when they get to the polls they vote for the racist Helms, hmmmm...).

    Hypothetical situation: If the best possible candidate had a 'child molestation' charge against them, and they were completely reformed (whatever that means), would it be 'mudslinging' to bring it up? Of course not.

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    Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? - Dubyah in Florence, SC. 01/11/2000
     
  11. mrpaige

    mrpaige Contributing Member

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    I would maintain that VP Gore probably wouldn't have gotten where he is without his father (once a powerful Senator himself). Does that mean that he's not qualified to be president? I don't think so. I guess it is more of an issue because 1) George W. Bush is a newcomer to politics, whereas VP Gore has been in politics a long time (we say we like the outsiders, but then we often don't like to vote for folks who haven't been in government for a while), and 2) more people remember George W's father than even know that Gore's father was a powerful Senator.

    Personally, I just can't believe that these two are the best we could come up with for our candidates for president. I have nothing against either one of them, but I don't think either is the best man for the job of President.

    I haven't watched any of the Repubican Convention so I cannot comment on that, but it has been my understanding that the attacks on Clinton have been toned down significantly over the past few months. While I am sure that a few snide remarks make it in here and there, I haven't seen it at the level that it has been. (Besides, it isn't as if Gore and Clinton and Hillary Rodham Clinton and others aren't attacking Gov. Bush. So, I don't think we can blame one side for all the attack-style campaigning.)

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    www.houstonsportsboard.com
     
  12. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    It certainly would be 'mudslinging' to bring it up if in the same interview/discussion you fail to bringup the fact that they are now reformed and talk about both sides of the subject.

    George Bush didnt know what he wanted to do until he was 40. But he eventually figured it out, and since then he has worked very hard.

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    Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women!

    [This message has been edited by JayZ750 (edited August 01, 2000).]
     
  13. mc mark

    mc mark Contributing Member

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    Okay Insideout, lets look at the some of the issues...

    On abortion…

    Supreme Court is wrong: leave abortion to the states. (Jun 28)
    Supports GOP abortion plank but disagrees on exceptions. (Feb 15)
    No Republican will allow partial-birth abortion. (Feb 15)
    States should decide abortion issue; not Roe v. Wade. (Jan 22)
    No pro-life pledge(Jan 10)
    Would support a pro-life Amendment. (Jun 1999)
    Reduce abortions by means within current law. (Jun 1999)
    Ban partial-birth; ban taxpayer funding. (Mar 1999)
    Encourage fewer abortions via adoption & abstinence. (Jul 1998)

    On Gun Control…

    No child-safety locks on guns; concealed carrying ok. (Jun 1999)
    Government should pay for voluntary trigger locks. (May 13)
    Project Sentry: juvenile gun laws & school accountability. (Apr 20)
    Best gun control is more prosecution & certain jail. (Dec 1999)
    Supports gun ownership for protection and hunting. (Dec 1999)
    No city lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jun 1999)
    Assault weapon OK; waiting period not OK. (Apr 1999)

    On Civil Rights

    No gay adoptions (Apr 24)
    Against gay marriage (Feb 15)
    Ten Commandments OK in schools for "inherent values". (Jan 16)
    No gays in Boy Scouts. (Aug 1999)
    Hate-crime rules don't apply to gays. (Jul 1999)

    Not someone who will get my vote, period.


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  14. Achebe

    Achebe Contributing Member

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    I know this argument is taking the role of 'persuasion' and that I'm not being objective (I guess, if pushed, I could make the argument that someone that wastes 40 years of their life isn't fit to be president)...

    but doesn't it seem silly to respect someone that partied until they were 40? What does this say to the U.S.?

    (damn I'm too old fashioned)

    George W. Bush enforces laws that he routinely broke as an adult, laws that many of his party would want to enforce at the age of 14!

    The Republicans have upped the ante. Two years ago, the quandry was 'mom, why are you voting for someone that lied under oath'; now, the question is 'why are you voting for this lazy cocaine user that would be in jail if he were underpriviledged?'.

    Damn, they won. I'm going back to Tony Hawk on the Sega.

    [​IMG]

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    Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning? - Dubyah in Florence, SC. 01/11/2000
     
  15. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    Hes not getting my vote either, although Im sure you could find analgous facts about both the Gore and the Clinton campaigns. Just wondering who is getting your vote. You dont have to say or you can say what party. I relly dont know who to vote for, but definitely dont want to vote for either Bush or Gore

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    Jackie Treehorn treats objects like women!

    [This message has been edited by JayZ750 (edited August 01, 2000).]
     
  16. insideout

    insideout Contributing Member

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    that's just what i'm getting at.. it just these accusations are thrown out, repeatedly, so that the public buys into it when in fact both candidates are very smart and ambitious men who would not be where they are if they didn't have some guts. why is Bush brainless again?

    you can say that Bush is not prepared.. that he wasn't ready to answer questions about foreing policy.. but brainless?

    why is Gore spineless again?

    i didn't want to focus on a single quote, but you know what i mean. it's the whole spirit of the campaign.. there has always been personal issues since the beginning id American politics.. jefferson attacking adams' character, andrew jackson's background coming into question.. but it doesn't make it any less nauseating.

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    i need a vacation
     
  17. rimbaud

    rimbaud Contributing Member
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    insideout:

    Reread my post.

    You are taking things too far (at least on my points). No where did I attack Bush. Idid not attack him for having a wife who is not a good public speaker. I said that that was to be excused, as she is not supposed to be and is irrelevant. It is still, howvere, an observation I had for last night. The real problem I had was with the speech writer.

    How do you turn that into mudslinging towards Bush?

    Nowhere do you offer up your inmpressions of last night.

    YOU are the one who brought up Bush Sr, Bush as priveledged, Bush as idiot, Bush as freeloader.

    You did say to talk about policies. Fine, bring them up. Have you? This was a thread about the first night (and first night only) of the Republican Convention. Bush has not given his speech yet. I will only comment on him once he has given it.

    Otherwise, it just doesn't make sense.

    Proceed to aisle 5.

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    Play the Piano Drunk Like a Percussion Instrument Until the Fingers Begin to Bleed a Bit
     
  18. Smokey

    Smokey Contributing Member

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    I just posted what Bill "Can I get an Altoid?" Clinton said about George "Light it Up" W. Bush. If you click on the link you can read about it from CNN.COM

    The quote is from President Clinton not me. Maybe I should have made that clear.

    I look forward to seeing former President Bush (sorry if its offensive to call him Daddy Bush) on Larry King tonight.

    Too bad I have to vote for either Bush or Gore. Id rather vote for JOHN MCCAIN. I can't wait to see him tonight. Can't say one bad thing about the guy.

    The mudslinging is tradition in American politics. I may be one of the few who enjoy it.

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    Bernard Sumner & Johnny Marr are Electronic

    [This message has been edited by Smokey (edited August 01, 2000).]
     
  19. Achebe

    Achebe Contributing Member

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    Chris Matthews interviewed Pat Robertson on MSNBC earlier. Pat admitted to feeling isolated and hidden away.

    He was angry over the gay Republican that will speak tonight yet yielded to Bush's attempts to appear inclusive. He essentially said that he would stay quiet for the time being b/c it was in the party's best interest.

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    In related news, the RNC has gathered every politician that Bill Clinton ever defeated to speak on behalf of George W. Bush.
     
  20. Achebe

    Achebe Contributing Member

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    This past spring, I admired the charisma of John McCain. I thought that he was just crazy enough to actually make a change in politics. Regardless of his being a conservative [​IMG], he had my vote. He had challenged the political parties including his party's Christian Conservative backing.

    Unfortunately, John McCain is the politician that George W. Bush accused him of being in Feb. and March. Tonight he took center stage and he did not say a single word about campaign finance reform. The single issue that gave him a voice outside of Az. this year was ignored.

    For what reason? Well, I'm sure that Bush would have looked like a dork being praised for campaign finance reform promises given his war chest. More than likely, McCain knew he would have further distanced himself from the Republican backing that he will need in 2004 (should Gore win).

    But... it was a missed opportunity. General Colin Powell knew what forces he was dealing with last night when he chose to challenge the Republican party to be inclusive, including a dialogue on affirmative action, and he did not back down.

    John McCain pales in comparison to Gen. Powell. It is unfortunate that Colin Powell did not recognize his responsibility to run for the office.

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    In related news, the RNC has gathered every politician that Bill Clinton ever defeated to speak on behalf of George W. Bush.

    [This message has been edited by Achebe (edited August 01, 2000).]
     

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