On Day Two, Day One

Confident that Hurricane Gustav had cleared both the Gulf Coast and the national headlines, the Republican Party gave itself permission to kick off its 2008 nominating convention late yesterday.



It's interesting to compare the atmospherics of this convention to the one held by Democrats last week. The venue is smaller and simpler -- intimate, even sparse, perhaps an attempt to play against public perception of Republicans as big-money fat cats. The backdrop is a huge video screen which, when it's not showing other images, is occupied by a single U.S. flag waving in the wind against a clear blue sky.

Patriotism is on proud display, and in typical GOP fashion -- which is to say, old-fashioned. It's conventional, "Country First" love of postcard America. Likewise the incorporation of religion -- unapologetically and exclusively Christian.

The assembled crowd is overwhelmingly white, in contrast to the Democrats' more apparent diversity. As expected, the haircuts are better. Funny hats abound, but I didn't see any rainbow flags or gay-pride banners. (Natch.)

And damn, these people are serious. Purposeful, stern, even scowling faces were everywhere.

Among the highlights of last night's program was a patriotic video narrated by actor Robert Duvall. A series of images -- Lincoln, the founding fathers, Mt. Rushmore, anonymous Americans in military service, and latter-day Republican icons -- flashed across the screen. Predictably, the partisans roared over pictures of former Pres. Ronald Reagan and wife Nancy, as they did for former First Lady Barbara Bush, Pres. George W. Bush, and soon-to-be-nominee Sen. John McCain.

Notably, however, when a photo of civil-rights hero Rosa Parks appeared on the big screen, I heard no reaction at all. Not long after that, the presentation showed an image of Martin Luther King, Jr., as he was being booked into jail -- and I heard an audible groan from the crowd.

If a white guy in Ohio, an independent, caught that...I'm just sayin'...

First Lady Laura Bush delivered an uncharacteristically political speech to introduce her husband, who appeared via video from the White House. The program moved quickly (and not accidentally) into another video before former Sen. Fred Thompson stepped to the convention podium.

Welcome back, Fred -- we've missed you.

A year or so ago, I'd had high hopes for Sen. Thompson and fully expected to cast a vote for him. His approach to federalism has my personal endorsement, and despite my fundamental disagreement with him on issues like abortion, his was a candidacy I believed I could get behind. His run fell flat, of course, but it was good seeing him again.

The last speaker to take the stage was once my U.S. Senator, Democrat-turned-independent-turned-McCain-supporter Sen. Joe Lieberman. This was a novelty act staged not so much to inspire Republicans as to piss off Democrats -- and it will, but its real effect, I think, is greatly overrated.

That said, I still want to call attention to a couple of paragraphs from Sen. Lieberman's remarks:

"Our founding fathers foresaw the danger of...senseless partisanship. George Washington himself -- in his Farewell Address to our country -- warned that the 'spirit of party' is 'the worst enemy' of our democracy and 'enfeebles' our government's ability to do its job.

"George Washington was absolutely right. The sad truth is -- today we are living through his worst nightmare, in the capital city that bears his name."

Of all the words spoken at yesterday's session, those may have been the most important.

Tonight the national spotlight will glare on Gov. Sarah Palin. I'll make the popcorn.

Now, a few peripheral observations.

'It's people like you wot cause unrest'
Well, you'll have that. With apologies to John Mellencamp, "Ain't that America?"

'Pas de Dupes' redux
As if to reinforce a point I made yesterday, senior McCain adviser and former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina offered this response to criticism of Gov. Palin's lack of experience:

"Because of Hillary Clinton's historic run for the Presidency and the treatment she received, American women are more highly tuned than ever to recognize and decry sexism in all its forms. They will not tolerate sexist treatment of Governor Palin."

Ok, let's review: Questioning Gov. Palin's experience is sexist, but questioning Sen. Barack Obama's experience isn't racist.

Got it.

And if I'm not sitting there...?
In a repeat performance of the stunningly elitist remarks that forced his resignation in July as a McCain adviser, former Sen. Phil Gramm said this at a Financial Services Roundtable yesterday in Minneapolis:

"If you're sitting here today, you're not economically illiterate and you're not a whiner, so I'm not worried about who you're going to vote for."

Even if this guy already quit once, can Sen. McCain make him resign again?

Suppose they threw a party
Across the river from the Republican National Convention, a reported 15,000 people gathered for another political event -- the Rally for the Republic, organized by supporters of former Republican candidate Rep. Ron Paul. Keynote speakers included Rep. Paul, journalist Tucker Carlson, former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform.

Anyone who followed the Republican primaries is familiar with the libertarian views and peculiar temperament of Rep. Paul and his disciples. And while he's not presidential material -- not by a long shot -- this kind of grassroots energy is a crucial part of fixing our broken government.

Wish I'd been there.