Dartblog

Begging your pardon for the several days of travel and moving in a hurricane that prevented an official wrap up to my Republican National Convention trip, I would like share some final thoughts. Before commenting on John McCain’s speech and the convention as a whole, I must however take a few moments to bask in the glory of the latest poll from Zogby International, which has the McCain-Palin ticket leading Obama-Biden by four points. Six months ago, no one would have predicted that the election would be so close.

The secret to this success? Sarah Palin. She injected much needed energy into the Republican party ticket and the convention. Her speech and those of Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, and Rudy Guiliani loaded Wednesday night with excitement. The first appearance of John McCain on the convention stage that evening capped off what was a tremendously successful evening for the party. By contrast, most of the speakers on Thursday fell flat. John McCain is not a big Tele Prompter speaker, but even Tom Ridge seemed failed to energize the crowd. Perhaps this can be explained away by noting a very different tone for that evenings events. John and Cindy McCain spoke about serious issues, fitting the tone of the times. Though Democrats have tried to portray McCain as out of touch, his speech demonstrated that he understands the feeling of the American public. He understands the struggles that will face the next president of the United States. Rather than portraying himself as some sort of “chosen one”, he acknowledged his personal struggles as the defining events of his life.

McCain spent three days defining himself as a man who simply wants to serve his country. That was the theme of the convention: country first. This obviously drew a distinct line between McCain, who has lived a life of service, and Obama, who has been accused of making decisions based solely on his political future. Self interest- the jaded political junkie might suggest that every politician is motivated solely by an intense selfishness and desire for power. I hope that I am not quite that jaded yet. Certainly John McCain seems to demonstrate a man who puts honor above all else and, at least I hope, a man who is focused on the good he can do rather than on his personal ambition.

The convention culminated in McCain’s acceptance speech. It focused on policy and reflected his straight talk approach that is less about soaring rhetoric than about realistic changes. This speech had something different though: it was inspirational. With these words, he brought myself, my fellow Dartmouth College Republicans, and the rest of the Xcel Center to our feet:

“I’m going to fight for my cause every day as your President. I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.

Fight for what’s right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children’s future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.”

It was incredible to hear this call and the optimism with which it was made. For the first time I felt excited about John McCain at the top of the Republican ticket. He may be a 72 year old who never uses email and is old enough to be my grandfather, but he is also a man of honor and hope. Now there is a combination that never goes out of style.