McCain Accepts Nomination, Vows "Change Is Coming"
In his well crafted acceptance speech last night, John McCain described his perceived mission: to shake up the Washington status quo and redirect its gridlocked “me first” divisiveness toward the “Country first” purpose to which he believes we need to return. In the process, he accepted his and his party’s share of blame, acknowledging “we were given the chance to change Washington but instead let Washington change us.”
I found that admission profound because we all should realize by now that we can’t set about correcting our failures without first accepting our share of responsibility for causing them. Too often candidates simply point at their predecessors, blame them for all our problems, and pledge to lead us to the promised land. You and I know that it isn’t the incumbent President or his administration that put us behind the proverbial eight ball; it’s Congress. So it’s refreshing to see a candidate admit that, as a member of Congress, he’s been part of the problem.
In case you missed the speech last night, I’ve included MSNBC’s video of it for your consideration along with a link to the complete transcript. I especially appreciated the last ten minutes. It’s worth a watch regardless of your ideological or political preferences.
You know, there are certainly issues on which I vehemently disagree with McCain. But I think his record of taking on both parties for the benefit of his country and fellow Americans makes him an overall better choice for President. And I think Sarah Palin, another maverick, is a breath of fresh air sorely needed in Washington. The alternative? Two more Congressional lawyers who, like those before them, promise to sweep away all the problems caused by the previous administration. It’s been done before with little success. It’s time for a decidedly different approach.
Doug
This is interesting.
The Republican nominee beat Democratic challenger Barack Obama’s record-setting convention speech viewership by 500,000 viewers.
McCain’s address at the Democratic National Convention was seen by about 38.9 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. Obama received 38.4 million.
That means McCain’s speech is now the most watched in convention history — 41% higher than George W. Bush’s acceptance speech four years ago, and 1% higher than Obama’s.
19 Comments
View Printer Friendly Version
Email Article to Friend
Reader Comments (19)
How about switching the ticket to Palin- McCain?
Why no equal coverage of the Democratic convention? Biased?
I agree with you, the last 10 minutes were very moving. I haven't voted Republican since Ronald Reagan but this year I will pull the Republican lever!!
Have you seen the campaign buttons for Palin? "Hottest VP from the Coolest State".
I have to say that Cindy McCain seems wonderful. Very Elegant. She would be a great First Lady I think.
A good speech. Not as entertaining as Palin's but still good. I think they make a good team that would shake up the Washington insiders. About time.
After the confusion with the hurricane and McCain saying Country First, I wondered if there would even BE a convention. I am glad there was. I am glad Sara Palin turned in such a great performance. And I am glad McCain took the self depricating stance he took. That made him credivle in my eyes. He wants to unite and he ahs walked the walk so you know he means it. He has a record to stand on. Obama has none.
A rough start for the convention what with the hurricane and all, but the scaled down version turned out well anyway. Palin is a perfect running mate IMO and McCain is the kind of maverick we need. Obama is just another lawyer seeking power. We sure don't need that!
Did he mention he was a POW? Oh yeah, he did. Stop it already! WE KNOW!
What worries me most about the McCain-Palin ticket is their energy policies, especially regarding drilling in the ANWR. Given the state of our environment, it is important for us to support green business.
Honestly, what is it about the word "drill" that makes some people wig out? Really. oil is dirty? Oil is what we make from oil. If we all stopped driving and using gasoline tomorrow, we wouldn't need to drill. Wait, that is their solution isn't it?
The thing that worries you most about our next President is that we might get more oil from Alaska? That's it?
I'm all for a healthy environment, but we need resources too. Besides, we can now drill in a manner that is relatively friendly to the environment. Also, oil derricks and pipelines can be placed intelligently so as not to seriously affect wildlife.
Never trust anyone who s"promises" to do something.
Oh, wait... these are politicians. My bad.
I thought it disgraceful that McCain wasn't shown the respect that Obama was given, being interrupted so often in the first five minutes. This reflects poorly on Obama, his supporters, and his party, particularly given the strong bi-partisan message McCain delivered.
And it totally backfired. It made Obama supporters look bad and it gave McCain one of the best moments of his speech when he asked the crowd "not to pay attention to the ground noise noise". It gave McCain an opportunity to show some spontaneity which has been a weakness in delivering speeches.
First and foremost, John McCain is a true patriot and while you may or may not agree with him on some policy issues, you have to agree that he loves this country and will do everything in his power to keep us safe.
And he probably isn't the greatest speech maker, but what he says comes from his heart. I trust him. That is more than I can say for most politicians.
The speech was good. It started slow but closed with a bang. He is proud and grateful to be where he is today, believes in service before self, more than willing to be bi-partisan, wants solutions that work for all. It was a good speech.
that is only because a lot of democrats wanted to hear what he was saying.
Oh, like no Republicans tuned in to hear Obama's speech? Dude, think before you comment!!
I bet a lot of people who were blown away by Sarah Palin watched to see if McCain would measure up. I know I did.
He isn't the greatest, most eloquent speaker but he does seem to have his heart in this. I may not agree with all his positions, especially on locking down our borders, but I think he and Palin are the best bet in the long run for the country.