What can you say about Barack Obama's speech. Even Pat Buchanan had to be cut off in the middle of effusive praise on MSNBC because he was using too much time to praise the speech!
The only reaction initially out of the McCain camp was this:
"Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama. When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm's way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be President."
This prompted Chuck Todd to say on MSNBC that the speech had left the McCain camp "speechless". How else to you describe a reaction like that to a speech like that?
Liberal bloggers and pundits heaped on the praise and wondered at the response.
My God! Pat Buchanan was saying that this was one of the greatest convention speeches of all time!
Josh Marshall's explanation over at TPM?
My own take was that the tone of the statement from the McCain campaign was like someone who'd had the wind knocked out of them.
That's probably the best take. The McCain camp could have put that release out before the speech it is so knee-jerk. They knew something big might be coming but I think they were taken aback by the scope and breadth of this speech.
Conservative bloggers tried to make light of and discredit the speech:
Powerline:
Obama outlined, in the vaguest terms possible, countless billions or trillions of new federal spending.
Hmm, vague? I think he was pretty specific. Countless billions or trillions? Hmm, I think that was also fairly specific.
Sister Toldjah:
Actually, there were several statements Obama made in his speech tonight that Team McCain should be able to use against him. Their ads to date have been excellent on using Obama’s words, and those of his fellow Democrats, against him. Let’s hope it continues.
Specifically, Sister Toldjah wants McCain to use the, “If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.” line against Barack Obama. Ok. Sure.
Dan Riehl at Riehl World View seems to think that he heard Obama's acceptance speech in 1960 Democratic National Convention. I think there is not an unusual amount of similarity other than the fact that were both given by great speechmakers in similar situations. But is that really a bad thing anyway? (Link to Kennedy audio and transcript here.)
They are grasping at straws. They do so love to criticize Olbermann and Matthews when they have nothing else to say.
I am sure, as every Republic(an) has said this week, that the Republic(an)s will be 'on message' next week. They always are. Problem for them right now is that they might need to change that message for it to work.
Even if they do, can John McCain close out his convention on as much of high note as Barack Obama closed his? I don't know that the John McCain I know is a good enough speech maker even if he did have the message. He can't compete with that delivery.
I asked in an earlier post whether the Democrats were trying to build a crescendo to the finish. I got my answer, big time.
The Republic(an)s have a massive challenge to meet next week. Chuck Todd said last night that normally, you prefer to follow the other party with your convention, but that, after that convention and speech, following the Democrats might be problematic for the Republic(an)s.
We'll see soon enough.
Comments welcome,
Pat McGovern Sphere: Related Content
