ST. PAUL, Minn., Sept. 5, 2008
McCain's Tough Sell: Change
CBSNews.com Analysis: Successful Convention Sets GOP Nominee Up As Reformer, But Will It Work?
-
Play CBS Video
Video
McCain: Change Is Coming
In his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, John McCain praised President Bush's tenure in office. McCain also said that "change is coming" to Washington.
-
Video
RNC Webcast, 09.04.08
John McCain delivers his acceptance speech at the RNC. And a political team analyzes why the term "community organizer" was used derisively by Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin.
-
Video
Protesters Halt McCain Speech
"CBS News RAW:" John McCain was interrupted by a group of anti-war protestors during his highly anticipated acceptance speech during the final night of the Republican National Convention.
-
Photo
Republican presidential candidate John McCain makes his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. (AP)
-
Photo Essay
John McCain
Some call him a hero, some a maverick. Will Americans call him Mr. President?
-
Photo Essay
Endorser-In-Chief
President Bush backs Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain.
John McCain reclaimed top billing at his nominating convention Thursday night, no easy task following the debut of his running mate, Sarah Palin, on the national stage. But even if McCain had been overshadowed until tonight by the Alaska Governor, his message still had dominated the week. McCain brought the convention to an end by accepting the nomination of his party then promptly distancing himself from its eight years of executive rule with one word: Change.
Appropriating Barack Obama’s own message may seem like a brazen political ploy, but for McCain, it’s less of a stretch than it would be for most other Republicans. As he and the rest of the speakers here in St. Paul emphasized over and over, McCain sees himself as a “maverick” politician whose past political fights have been waged as much within his own party as without. And it’s that reputation - one which has enraged Republicans at times - which now become’s the GOP battle cry.
Knowing he couldn’t really compete with the scene at Mile High Stadium one week ago, where 84,000 people gathered to hear Obama’s acceptance speech, McCain did some remodeling of his stage inside the Xcel center here Thursday, crafting a more intimate setting that brought him closer to the thousands of delegates who came to cheer him on. Taking the stage under a single bright spotlight soon replaced with a gigantic screen filled with a fluttering American flag, McCain may not have resembled a rock star, but he was at least in his element.
The man of the hour won the nomination without the support of those he must now rally to his cause. This is the presidential candidate who, in 2000, called Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell “agents of intolerance,” who stuck it to those agents with a campaign finance reform bill that many believe has crippled their traditional financial advantage, and who bucked conservatives on immigration reform.
How would he get them back? With Sarah Palin. Picking this upstart conservative hero from the hinterlands of Alaska helped solve at least two very large problems for McCain in one fell swoop: It ignited the simmering passions of the GOP base while at the same time reinforcing the now-central message of his candidacy. “If character is the measure in this election,” Palin said in her speech Wednesday night, “and hope the theme, and change the goal we share, then I ask you to join our cause.”
Change, that word which has become the clarion call of this presidential election, is not an easy word to apply to a party which has held the White House for the last eight years and controlled Congress for six years in the same time period. But with his vice presidential selection, the overriding message of the convention and his speech tonight, McCain made clear he is going to try.
“Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big spending, do nothing, me first, country second Washington crowd,” McCain said, “change is coming.” The message was just change but reform, a near-crusade against the traditional power structure. “I've fought corruption,” the candidate sought to remind voters, “and it didn't matter if the culprits were Democrats or Republicans. They violated their public trust, and had to be held accountable. I've fought big spenders in both parties, who waste your money on things you neither need nor want, while you struggle to buy groceries, fill your gas tank and make your mortgage payment.”
Reform wasn’t the only message reinforced in St. Paul during a shortened convention. McCain’s biography, his years spent in a POW camp and his family’s history of military service were around every corner and in every speech. His speech included many other elements as well, a litany of mostly conservative policy positions and a reminder of his experience when it was convenient, such as on foreign policy. He didn’t ignore the war in Iraq, instead touting it as a positive as he has throughout the campaign.
Unlike Obama, McCain did not delve deeply into policy specifics, preferring instead to rely on broad principles. “We believe in low taxes; spending discipline, and open markets,” he said. “We believe in rewarding hard work and risk takers and letting people keep the fruits of their labor. We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don't legislate from the bench. We believe in the values of families, neighborhoods and communities. We believe in a government that unleashes the creativity and initiative of Americans. Government that doesn't make your choices for you, but works to make sure you have more choices to make for yourself.”
And while he sought to draw some contrasts with Obama, he also made a clear attempt to reach out to swayable voters with a nod toward the Democrat and reminders of his occasional habit of reaching across the aisle.
“Despite our differences, much more unites us than divides us,” McCain said. “We are fellow Americans, an association that means more to me than any other. We're dedicated to the proposition that all people are created equal and endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. No country ever had a greater cause than that. And I wouldn't be an American worthy of the name if I didn't honor Senator Obama and his supporters for their achievement.”
And he included the call to service he’s made so many times. “If you're disappointed with the mistakes of government, join its ranks and work to correct them,” he urged. “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.”
Most of all, though, McCain’s speech wrapped what has become his theme - change. “Country First” was how this convention was billed and in his speech, McCain sought to illustrate just what that means. He delivered a solid speech, not a flashy one, as befitting his style. His convention managed to rally his party and produce some unexpected excitement in the form of his surprise vice presidential selection.
The question remains whether he can convince enough voters that it all represents a fundamental “change” in Washington. If he can, this election may prove to be closer than anyone would have predicted even one week ago.
©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Video and Galleries from Politics
-
Video
The Debate Over Healthcare
-
Video
U.S. Global Military Efforts
-
Video
Obama Wishes Happy 4th
- MOST POPULAR
- Viewed
- Commented
Latest News
-
Honduras Braces for Exiled Leader's Return
Seeking to Reclaim Office, Ousted President Urges Supporters to Rally; Country's Membership in OAS Suspended
-
Iran Releases Greek Journalist
Reporter Believed to be only Foreigner Arrested during Post-Election Protests
-
Signal from Yemenia Black Boxes Detected
Submarine Zeroes in on Flight Recorders from Jet that Crashed off Comoros, Killing 152
Featured Blogs
-
Political Hotsheet
Washington Unplugged: Arne Duncan Gets Real On EducationEducation Secretary Gives Bush Administration Credit, But Says The Time Is Now For Reform
Read Blog Post -
Econwatch
Swiss Banks To Yanks: Get LostAs IRS Hunt For Tax Evaders Heats Up, Swiss Institutions Want To Avoid Investigations
Read Blog Post -
World Watch
Tackling the Summit in MoscowAs Obama Travels to Russia, Both Countries Hope for Improved Relations, but There Are Some Sticking Points
Read Blog Post
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 174 CommentsFrom McCain, Mr. Establishment himself?
Mr. 95 percent with G W Bush?
McCain''s election strategy:
If you have no ideas of your own, coopt your opponent''s!
LOL
1. He wouldn''t screw up all the time---for obvious reasons.
2. We wouldn''t have to listen to any B.S. from him.
3. He wouldn''t be wasting money flying all over the world picking fights with foreign leaders!
4. He wouldn''t be cashing any checks and getting paid for *** up---because he wouldn''t be *** up!
Too bad, we can''t make it happen! But, regardless of what he says, don''t expect change from McCain, we''re not going to see it!
SERVICE OF LAWSUIT CHALLENGING SENATOR OBAMA%u2019S RIGHT TO BE A CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT MEET THE QUALIFICATIONS HAS BEEN COMPLETED
( Lafayette Hill , Pennsylvania %u2013 09/04/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, the Attorney who filed suit against Barack H. Obama challenging Senator Obama%u2019s eligibility to serve as President of the United States, has received confirmation from his Process Service Company that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and Senator Barack Obama were served today, September 4, 2008, with the legal documents pertaining to Berg vs. Obama, Civil Action No. 08-cv-4083. The DNC was served at 12:00 p.m. and Senator Obama was served at 1:00 p.m. The U.S. Attorney%u2019s Office accepted service on behalf of the Federal Elections Committee (FEC) on or about August 22, 2008.
# # #
* * For copies of all Court Pleadings, go to
obamacrimes.com
People are stupid, and take a ****, without government help. Lets tax the success, and than tax it some more, and than some more again...
LETS MAKE EVERYONE EQUALLY POOR & MISERABLE%u2026
I think soviets tried that experiment in social engineering last century...
Also, Cindy McCain stole my heart. What a beautiful person!! Loved the video previous to her speech and loved her speech as well.
Loved the combination McCains-Palin. Definitely, my vote goes for them!
I look forward to the debates.
Democrats must be terrified!
It''s still a *** stinkin'' pig. I''m actually sorry for John McCain. I probably would have voted for 8 years ago, but this isn''t the McCain from even a few years ago. He''s sold his soul grasping for a last hurrah. He thinks you can send surogates in to savage the other party and then ''end the rancor''? Change by continueing the same policies of and for the rich that has destroyed us for the last 8 years?
This is a dried husk of the man that really used to BE a maverick. It would be sad if taking the country back from the lobbyists and the right wing extremists wasn''t so critically important.
Sorry, you ain''t gettin'' my vote.
I should note that there''s nothing offensive about a political figure changing his or her mind once in a while. Policy makers come to one conclusion, they gain more information, and then they reach a different conclusion. That is, to be sure, a good thing -- it reflects a politician with an open mind and a healthy intellectual curiosity. Better to have a leader who changes his or her mind based on new information than one who stubbornly sticks to outmoded policy positions, regardless of facts or circumstances. McCain says he''s "grown" and "refined" his positions. At first blush, this sounds completely reasonable.
So why do McCain''s flip-flops matter? Because all available evidence suggests his reversals aren''t sincere, they''re cynically calculated for political gain.
McCain has been in Congress for more than a quarter-century; he''s bound to shift now and then on various controversies. But therein lies the point -- McCain was consistent on most of these issues, right up until he started running for president, at which point he conveniently abandoned literally dozens of positions he used to hold, as part of a drive to pander and become palatable to the far-right Republican base.
man does not have own ideas at all.
drill,baby, drill for own ideas, You could not run on ours.
Republicans like for folks to believe that we can have something for nothing. In case you folks haven''t noticed, we have a federal government already, and it does spend your money. And it''s been doing a really bad job of it lately. If we don''t start putting more revenue in the system now, we''ll be crippling our kids with debt.
Even McCain recognized this in his speech tonight. But unfortunately, he just told us that we should trust him that we wouldn''t leave this burden on the next generation. But his own economic plan doesn''t warrant that trust.
It''s not socialism. It''s reckoning with the giant mess that George Bush has left this country in.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by jumblerumble
You forgot to mention that Palin wants to open Arctic Wildlife refuge for more drilling. And I might also mention that 150 billion is comming out of our pockets over next 10 years...it may be nothing but may amount to a few bucks more a month I am not sure...
As for Barack, he''s just as much of a macro-economic free-trader as Magoo, isn''t he? Only he tried to make it sound like he wasn''t and his policy advisor screwed up and told the Canadians he was lying (shhh! don''t tell!). He said the difference with him would be that he''d get our trade partners to abide by labor and environmental standards - how''s he going to do that? It''s not in their economic best interest, and China owns us and the Canadians give us oil . . . what leverage does he think he has? And that idea to create green collar manufacturing jobs - haven''t the Chinese gotten into that line now, such that it''s not going to be an investment into a creation of a future area of expertise with which we''re going to be able to dominate? And he plans on providing $150billion worth of salaries a year to sustain those jobs.
The only difference I see between the two is their tax cuts - for those making under $67k, a vote for Barack gives people around $700 more in tax cuts; for those making between $67k and $160k it''s basically a push; and for those making over $160k McCain gives people anywhere from $1.7k more to $450k.
If McCain wants to get more votes, maybe he''ll have to do a tax cut ''match'' . . .
---"CBSNews.com Analysis: Successful Convention Sets GOP Nominee Up As Reformer, But Will It Work?"---
This is jmo, but I don''t feel like either Barack or McCain are really deep in their gut confident that they have the ability to turn around our economy, which leaves me not believing in them. Some might call me cynical, and some might argue that just because they feel confident doesn''t mean they objectively have reason to actually be that confident . . . but if even they aren''t confident in their own ability, then how can I be?
What I still am not clear on with McCain is what sort of jobs he imagines people are going to get with their retraining? Isn''t he basically looking at the microeconomic problem of peoples'' jobs being lost and not replaced with comparable positions from more of the macroeconomic theoretical perspective of the 90''s that states that free trade makes everybody (at the national macroeconomic level) better off because everybody (at the national macroeconomic level) focuses on doing what they do best? So like what China does best is provide cheap labor - what in his scenario are we specializing in?
Posted by ethel08
Let it go...it''s just GOP smearing talk points...don''t bother arguing with these neo-cons. They are all about comsumption but none of the conservation. If being a little selfless means socialism then American spirit is lost.
man does not have own ideas at all.
drill,baby, drill for own ideas, You could not run on ours.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by lordmi
Then he is in disadvantage then...He isn''t as talented speaker thus if he copy the talk points it only make him pale in comparison to Obama''s speach.
He is an empty suit just manipulated by Karl Rove
Posted by jumblerumble
Tax cuts are an economic policy that Republicans believe helps stimulate the economy, much like giving people rebate checks are an economic policy.
But I think McCain really hurts himself when he doesn''t address the growing gap between the rich and the poor and uses the Hensley family as the model of how easy it ought to be . . . if the uber-rich GOP bristle at the thought of lending a hand up people like super-hard-working struggling single moms, they ought to just stop for a minute and imagine how they''ll feel when Barack gets elected and the $250k tax cut they had hoped for from McCain becomes a $700k tax increase under Barack!
Posted by elizabethbj
I think the fact that he told Karl Rove to stuff it when it came to selecting a VP pick shows very much his own man. Could you stand up to Karl Rove? The guy''s insane - I''d be terrified!
HOW CAN A MAN WHO VOTED ELEVEN (11) TIMES AGAINST INCREASING THE MINIMUM WAGE, PROMISE AMERICA''S UNEMPLOYED, FUTURE JOBS IN THE OIL-DRILLING, ENERGY-CONSERVING BUSINESSES. HOW CAN A MAN WHO WEARS FOUR-HUNDRED DOLLAR SHOES, AND A WIFE WHO WORE OVER THREE-HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS IN CLOTHES AND JEWELRY IN ONE EVENING AT THE RNC, EVEN BEGIN TO UNDERSTAND THE PLIGHT OF THE MIDDLE-CLASS AND WORKING-POOR? CARL ROVE IS A PUPPETEER, AND HE HAD HIS HAND RIGHT UP IN THE MCDUMMY''S ***! I''M TRULU AMAZED THAT SO MANY AMERICANS ACTUALLY BOUGHT THAT ***!
Because that would be a HUGE source of job creation that couldn''t be outsourced that would give him a distinct advantage over Barack in that it wouldn''t cost us any money and that we wouldn''t basically be subsidizing the industry to remain competitive with the Chinese . . .
GEORGE BUSH. NOW HE WANTS TO TAKE IT BACK...YEAH RIGHT!
When do you think they will let her talk to the press? About never those no good commies... or even worse that that theres intellectual types in there that even belive in science-
Ain''t she got some more youngins she can put through a shot-gun wedding for political spin?
Now when Hillary was all down on sexism in the campaign, Old Sarah tough as a walrus tusk and all painted up said she was whining.
I guess she was born in Sandpoint, Idaho - ha ha that''s like the neo-nazi capitol of the US- National Enquirer better send a crew out there too.
What fun and it''s only September 4!
I will say McCain made it interesting if not a slam dunk for Obama- he would have given him a better run with that Jewish Senator he wanted but the Republicans and Rush Limbaugh wouldn''t let him nominate Joe- after all he''s not really like us is he?
I don''t know . . .
Posted by jsilver2th
I''m more concerned about handing a multi-trillion dollar budget over to a potential VP who after 35 years in the Senate apparently has virtually nothing in the bank . . . how is that possible?!?
Paliin for President (OF INDEPENDENT ALASKA)
The Change of Diapers We Need
Wow- like maybe he''s like not completely bought off like the rest of them? He wasn''t a gold digger and married for love? He paid his kids way through college? You tell me
Posted by jsilver2th
Actually he voted to give credit companies more protection by making it harder for people in debt to declare bankruptcy, and in return his son got a $100k a year retainer (which means that he was earning enough to put him in the top 5% income bracket and didn''t have to work for it).
His son also made something like a million dollars as a lobbyist for earmarks, targeting Senators such as Barack Obama with pet projects tailored to their interests.
Doesn''t sound like his kids needed much help paying off their college debts.
Try again.
Now I was very attentive to your affirmative action hire Governor Palin explain just recently that it wasn''t fair to atttack a candidates family members.
Don''y you wish she had some more youngin''s she could put through another good old fashioned shot-gun wedding live on the TeeVee?
Now should you give Biden''s kids some credit? His son preparing for deployment to Iraq.
Sarah Palin would not be where she is today if it were not for affimative action- see maybe it''s true what Rush Limbaugh has been saying about it for years it causes the promotion of unqalified people.
Obama fans hoping she would fluff her big night were in for a nasty shock."
No, we fully expected her to lie in the perfect Republican style: "I told Congress, ''Thanks but no thanks on that bridge to nowhere.''"
If she lies like that about what we know, imagine how goodshe can lie about what we don''t know.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 174 Comments