Dems Personal Attacks vs GOP's Country First

crossposted from Blog @ MoreWhat.com

It is the GOP's turn now. After the little bounce that Obama received for the DNC, reported by the MSM as the smallest in many years and now shrinking, his attack dogs focusing on Sarah Palin's family has given the news cycles away and off whatever message Obama might have. While Obama and Biden try to distance themselves from the Democratic party's personal attacks on Sarah Palin and family one is reminded of the Clinton precedent to leave children out of it. Something the left, including the MSM has abandoned this time around.

So the RNC is turning the party vs party debate to issues that matter. President Bush point out 'staying on offense', stopping attacks and preventing another as he has since 9/11. The left's central talking point is hope and change and not wanting four more years of the GOP. How much hope can you have that their change would prevent another attack on American soil. For all the opposition criticism of President Bush, we haven't been attacked since 9/11. And the terrorist setup for that attack happened on President Clinton's watch. The 9/11 Commission, often mistakenly cited by Pelosi as a plus for Dems, clearly demonstrates the docudrama 'The Path to 9/11' is true. The Clinton Administration dropped the ball and dropped 9/11 is President Bush's lap. And some want them back in the White House in the form of Barack Obama and their foreign policy guru Joe Biden who was part of the Clinton terrorist debacle?

And as for the left's attacks on Sarah Palin, including the MSM, the real reason they are upset by McCain's VP pick is while they claim Washington is broken and requires something other than Washington insiders, Obama picked politics as usual Biden and McCain opted for someone not beholding to the Beltway. McCain and Palin both share the ability to ignore party politics to get things done. In contrast, Obama began his political career with domestic terrorist Bill Ayers, other Hyde Park lefties and the Chicago political machine of the Daly variety. He has picked politics as usual and reinforced that with Joe Biden regardless of what his campaign claims. That is why they are upset about the defections of Joe Lieberman, the Maverick McCain and his running mate conservative reformer Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

Earlier on this blog it was suggested in another post that the RNC needed substance not rhetoric. While some rhetoric in a political campaign is almost required, as long as it does not dominate the message certain allowances can be made. But as the article below demonstrates, speakers are presenting the fact that national security and defense has been successful during the Bush Administration as evidenced by no attacks since 9/11 and victory in Iraq. The so-called 'maverick' approach that has been a central theme of McCain's history and his choice of running mate Sarah Palin will correct any departure from conservative principles on limited government, fiscal restraint and traditional values.

These are the things that keep Barack Obama up nights. If you view his campaign from the primaries it is clear that all three candidates, Clinton, Edwards and Obama stressed the far left agenda. All three touted the DNC, Reid and Pelosi slogan of a New Direction for America. You got the 2006 midterm Congress you asked for and their approval rating as well as their agenda are in the tank. And some want to continue that into 2009 and beyond. You've got to be kidding.

For all the slick marketing and rock star image making, Barack Obama is more of what the last paragraph described. With the GOP ready to correct the mistakes of the current administration yet continue its successes, trading for the empty hope and change of Obama would be tragic. As a guide, just remember the disgusting display of MoveOn and the fringe left against the troops and General Petraeus while the main three Dems candidates stood by and did nothing. Agreeing by their silence they would have accepted defeat and surrender. Not something anyone should accept. Yet they did. And they will in the future. If you don't want that for your family, the choice is obvious.

For all their faults, the Republican Party has kept this nation safe. Without that all other issues are moot. This blog believes the choice is clear. If you have an opinion, share it.

Stanford Matthews MoreWhat.com

Republicans Attack Democratic Policies at Convention

By Dan Robinson St. Paul, Minnesota

Robinson report - Download (MP3) Robinson report - Listen (MP3)

Republicans put their convention back on track Tuesday in St. Paul, Minnesota, with a televised satellite address from U.S. President George Bush, and speakers who praised the character of Republican nominee-to-be John McCain, while sharply attacking Democrats. At the same time, controversy about McCain's selection of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate continues to grab headlines, as Republicans rallied behind her and prepared to formally nominate their candidates on Wednesday and Thursday. VOA's Dan Robinson reports. President Bush used a 10 minute satellite address from the White House to praise Senator McCain, citing his defense of the military surge in Iraq, and describing him as someone who will protect Americans from further terrorist attacks:

"We live in a dangerous world. And we need a president who understands the lessons of September 11, 2001: that to protect America, we must stay on the offense, stop attacks before they happen, and not wait to be hit again. The man we need is John McCain," he said.

Tuesday's speakers brought a change in atmosphere, as Republicans escalated criticisms of Democrats and McCain's Democratic opponent, Senator Barack Obama.

Senator Joe Lieberman, now an Independent who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee in the 2000 presidential race, said he was appearing in support of McCain because, as he put it, "country matters more than party."

Senator Joe Lieberman at Republican convention

Lieberman has drawn criticism from Democrats in Congress for his strong support of Senator McCain and President Bush's Iraq policies, and had this sharp criticism of Democratic presidential nominee Obama.

"When others were silent about the war in Iraq, John McCain had the guts and the judgment to sound the alarm about the mistakes we were making in Iraq. When others wanted to retreat in defeat from the field of battle, which would have been a disaster for the U.S.A.," said Lieberman. "When colleagues like Barack Obama were voting to cut off funding for our American troops on the battlefield, John McCain had the courage to stand against the tide of public opinion, advocate the surge, support the surge and because of that, today America's troops are coming home, thousands of them, and they're coming home in honor."

John Boehner, Republican minority leader in the House of Representatives, accused House and Senate majority Democratic leaders of doing little to solve American's energy and other problems. Representative Michele Bachmann sounded a traditional Republican theme of less government:

BOEHNER: Washington today is broken and the Democratic Congress is its most visible symbol.

BACHMANN: Government is not a philanthropic organization. Government is not the family. And government certainly is not the church.

Fred Thompson, former senator and television actor who ran an unsuccessful campaign for the presidency, sought to emphasize McCain's credentials as a maverick who does what he thinks is right, regardless of what others say.

"He has been to Iraq eight times since 2003. He went seeking truth, not publicity. When he travels abroad, he prefers quietly speaking to the troops amidst the heat and hardship of their daily lives. And the same character that marked John McCain's military career has also marked his political career. This man, John McCain, is not intimidated by what the polls say or by what is politically safe or popular," he said.

While Republicans want to turn the focus of news headlines back to the main work of their convention, formally nominating McCain as their presidential candidate, he and his advisors are still battling questions about how thoroughly they examined Sarah Palin's background before choosing her as a running mate.

Chosen for her social conservatism and anti-abortion stance among other things, she revealed this week that her unmarried 17-year-old daughter was pregnant, a fact Senator McCain says he knew. She is also the subject of an investigation in Alaska involving firing of a state official.

McCain advisors insist she was thoroughly vetted, and have provided journalists with details of the process. But media organizations quoted unidentified Republican party sources as saying Palin was not seriously considered until a week or so before McCain announced the selection.

McCain was pressed again on the issue during a campaign appearance in Cleveland, Ohio. "My vetting process was completely thorough and I am grateful for the results," he said.

McCain's Democratic rival, Barack Obama, says family matters should remain personal and not be mixed with politics, a view shared by Obama'S running mate, Senator Joe Biden. "I have a simple proposition. Children are off limits. Children are off limits."

Senator McCain has predicted that Palin's appearance at the Republican convention on Wednesday to accept the vice presidential nomination will help excite Americans about her candidacy. Republican delegates and others attending the convention expressed continued support for her and applauded McCain's choice.