National Republicans

This blog is also posted on The Charlotte Observer’s DNC blog site.   There’s one problem with the Clint Eastwood line that Carter likes: This week, the chair will talk back.   Even better, President Bill Clinton probably will talk back. And say something like:   “You’re right, Clint. When somebody doesn’t do the job,…

This blog also posted on The Charlotte Observer’s DNC blog site.   One hundred and eighty years ago, back in 1832, the first Democratic Convention was an enclave of white men – today the Democratic Convention is an enlightened convocation with a Women’s Caucus, a Black Caucus, a Hispanic Caucus, an Ethnic Caucus, a Native…

In the end the Republican Convention came down to two lines: Clint Eastwood saying, “When somebody doesn’t do the job, you gotta let ‘em go.”   And Mitt Romney saying, “Obama wants to save the planet – I want to help your family.”   All the rest – the political rhetoric – was window dressing.…

It’s odd: Rand Paul, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan and Marco Rubio didn’t fret the liberal pundits much at all but in twelve minutes Clint Eastwood sent them into orbit. After Eastwood’s speech Andrea Mitchell at NBC looked so shocked it seemed she was about to have a stroke.   Twitter and the e-world exploded with…

Most of the politicians at the Republican Convention stood up talked about what ails America: Too much government. Too much spending. Too much debt.   Except Chris Christie.   Instead of what’s wrong, Christie talked about why it’s wrong.   He began with a story of his Sicilian mother, who’d been raised by her own…

The first night of the convention the Romney campaign set out to ‘humanize’ Mitt and after living with Mitt Romney for thirty years Ann Romney surely knew his virtues but by the same measure also knew his warts – which created a conundrum for Romney’s campaign staff.   I don’t believe I’ve ever heard of…