Protestor Dramatizes Convention
Senator Patronizes Veterans,
President Summarizes Term,
and More Politics as Usual

Base10 caught the president last night. A good, but not great, speech. Best line: "You may have noticed I have a few flaws, too. People sometimes have to correct my English. I knew I had a problem when Arnold Schwarzenegger started doing it."

Read it all here.

Base10 had a conversation with another lieutenant today who remarked that RNC security went "mostly okay" referring to the fact that protestors managed to infiltrate the event and make it to the floor to heckle some of the speakers. Base10 pointed out that having the week end without a big explosion pretty much made it a giant success. But the infiltrators are a cause for concern and the recriminations have begun. The Police Department and the Secret Service are blaming the Republican National Committee for issuing ID cards without photographs or other identification technology.

It's clear that protestors will stop at nothing, but Base10 wonders why there is never any such shenanigans perpetrated by the Republicans at the DNC. That type of behavior would be unheard of by GOP'ers and would be roundly condemned immediately by their fellow Republicans. Well, were are the condemnations?

Base10 thinks that there may be a significant shift in the workings of American politics afoot. The stability of our political system has depended in the past upon the fact that we have only a two-party system and each of those parties--more or less--encompass a broad spectrum of political views from right to left. Base10 would argue that this foundation premise, which is not written in law anywhere but is merely a political custom, is crumbling. What we are heading for is a parliamentary type system where entire governments are shifted when the nation's ideological mood changes. Base10 finds this an interesting idea and hopes to explore it in future posts.

James Taranto (wow, two links in one week) had a great column again yesterday. Of particular note is his description (and link to the Washington Times) on Kerry's speech to the American Legion. First of all, Kerry broke an unwritten rule that candidates don't actively campaign during their opponents convention. (Kerry has also significantly upped the rhetoric in other ways today). Apparently, the vets gave him what can only be described as a cool reception. Taranto's comments and links are great:

John Kerry, who by the way served in Vietnam, got what the Washington Times calls a "lukewarm reception" for an unremarkable speech yesterday before the American Legion, which was meeting in Nashville, Tenn. In the second paragraph of the speech, Kerry committed this blunder:

You are the citizen soldiers who know that our service does not end on the battlefield--it begins there. You know that the pledge we took to defend America is also a pledge to protect the promise America offers. And let there be no doubt--when I am president, you will have a fellow veteran in the White House who understands that those who fought for our country abroad should never have to fight for what they were promised at home.

Kerry must've thought he was speaking to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. The American Legion is open to all vets, whether they served overseas or not. Rush Limbaugh notes that in "The New Soldier" (1971) Kerry, then an antiwar agitator, wrote: "We will not quickly join those who march on Veterans' Day, waving small flags, calling to memory those thousands who died for the greater glory of the United States. We will not readily join the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars."

Not unless they think it might help them win an election, anyway.

Finally, the bounce may be sticking. Rasmussen has two consecutive days of Bush ahead nationally but still has Florida as a dead heat. Also, Bush's approval numbers are up to 54%.

Now that the Republicans are leaving New York, Base10 can concentrate on important matters like football. Tonight, the Jets face Philly in the final preseason game. The last preseason game is usually a bust, but Base10 must scout Chad Pennington who is available in his fantasy league.
- posted by Base10 @ 4:36 PM