As a variation on last week’s DNC program, here is a synopsis for three of the highest-profile speakers who were able to drop some science in the Twin Cities:
Mitt Romney—Right off the bat, Romney’s tirade against liberalism and Big Government caused my brow to furrow when he complained that for decades, “Washington has been looking to the eastern elites” for solutions. Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t Mitt Romney one of those eastern elites? And since when does Big Government taxation become any more intrusive than Big Government saying that certain people cannot marry; that women cannot have control over their bodies; and that religion should be taught alongside science in schools? Cognitive dissonance aside, liberal tyranny was the theme of Romney’s address-who then comically and unilaterally declared the Supreme Court of the past decade to be a liberal one, and condemned government handouts in the form of Medicaid and welfare (as if poor people were rolling in riches at the taxpayer’s expense). Overall, it was an opportunity to rally the base and point out that economic and national security requires a limited government at home, and limited outside influence from despotic regimes.
Operative Quote: “Liberals would replace opportunity with dependency on government largess. They grow government and raise taxes to put more people on Medicaid, to take work requirements out of welfare, and to grow the ranks of those who pay no taxes at all. Dependency is death to initiative, risk-taking and opportunity.”
Eloquence: B+ Effectiveness: B+
Sarah Palin—After laying low for the past week to let the media feverishly criticize her reputation and her family, the governoress came out swinging during primetime. She shied away from outlining specific policy positions, instead choosing to assassinate the pundits and pollsters for doubting her sincerity. Palin touted her down-to-earth “hockey mom” credential yet again, musing that being “a small-town mayor is sort of like a ‘community organizer,’ except that you have actual responsibilities.” This remark certainly did nothing to help the Republican Party overcome its image of wealth and whiteness—it dismissed Obama’s work in helping black and low-income residents in depressed communities to overcome legislative indifference as unimportant. Furthermore, she complained about how the liberal elites would talk “about how bitterly [ordinary Americans] cling to their religion and guns when those people aren’t listening;” in this case, there is some irony in recognizing that Palin, a member of the NRA and a supporter of teaching creationism in schools, fulfills the stereotype. The only issues about which she ventured an opinion were: her desire to drill for more oil while still investing in renewable energy; the continuation of the Iraq conflict; and staunch opposition to higher taxes. All of the above was bracketed by disparaging (though often witty) attacks on Obama’s campaign style and record, which consists solely of “buttons and banners, [or] self-designed presidential seals” bearing his name, rather than substantive laws. Both McCain and Obama have desperately tried to only criticize each other on the basis of policy, but Palin seemed wholly comfortable in condemning Barack Obama’s “messiah” reputation. Her speech may have proved that she was the best thing to happen in Alaska since the Iditarod, but she failed to convey how her “maverick” stance would be applied to the entrenched bureaucracy of Washington, D.C.
Operative Quote: “I’ve learned quickly, these past few days, that if you’re not a member in good standing of the Washington elite, then some in the media consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone. But here’s a little news flash for all those reporters and commentators: I’m not going to Washington to seek their good opinion. I’m going to Washington to serve the people of this country.”
Eloquence: B Effectiveness: B+
John McCain—Throughout the campaign we have been asked to consider the different flavors of McCain: the Maverick, the Partisan, the Seven-Houses-Elitist, the Hothead, the War Hero. But his speech introduced another John McCain that no one quite expected: the Conciliator. Not only did he make very few attacks on Obama despite downplaying (or in some cases, distorting) the efficacy of his policy positions, but he mentioned his willingness to bring Democrats, Republicans, and independents into his administration. McCain relied heavily on his biography as a war hero, but only to prove the point that service in any capacity is a virtue of democracy. He emphasized the need for lower taxes as well as paid homage to the working man by noting that, “We’re going to help workers who’ve lost a job that won’t come back find a new one that won’t go away.” (Unfortunately in saying this, he also claimed that Barack Obama was not interested at all at forming new industrial jobs, even though the Democrat has repeatedly championed renewable energy as a source for job creation.) Also, he championed the need for better schools with accountable teachers; better foreign relations with accountable leadership; and a better (but lesser), accountable federal government. All in all, if one was not knowledgeable about the ultra-conservatives’ grip on the Republican Party and McCain’s prior attempts to satisfy that faction, the bulk of his speech was very centrist, honest, and uncontestable. Only two small incidents at the end diminished its quality: first, McCain roused the crowd by shouting for them to “Fight with me! Fight with me!” Somehow, the image of thousands of white people, some of them in military uniform, cheering a leader who urged them onward to battle was somewhat unnerving. And finally, before the balloons were dropped, a campy new anthem by John Rich called “Raising McCain” was played with these lyrics:
Well he got shot down in a Vietnam town
Fighting for the red, white and blue.
And they locked him up in the Hanoi Hilton
Thinking they could break him in two.
To me, that is crass exploitation of McCain’s war record and had no place in an upbeat country song, especially when he himself portrayed it so seriously.
Operative Quote: “If you find faults with our country, make it a better one. If you’re disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them. Enlist in our armed forces. Become a teacher. Enter the ministry. Run for public office. Feed a hungry child. Teach an illiterate adult to read. Comfort the afflicted. Defend the rights of the oppressed. Our country will be the better, and you will be the happier. Because nothing brings greater happiness in life than to serve a cause greater than yourself. “
Eloquence: B+ Effectiveness: A-
