McCain Mumbles

I wish I could have figured out how to embed this video properly, as it happens you will have to click a link.

I realize asking anybody to listen to John McCain speak for nine minutes is a stretch for patriotism and patience. You won’t get this nine minutes back from your life. I can’t give a time refund but I can buy you a drink some time.

I have some thoughts on the speech that I would like to offer and am hoping to get feedback/analysis from you as well. Click the link, you might need toothpicks to keep your eyelids propped open.

John McCain mumbles and makes me hopeful we will have a Dem president. Watch the speech if you aren’t suffering from a stomach virus. My apologies in advance. There is a much more abbreviated version on you tube that simply fails to catch the essence of dullness, lifelessness, lack of conviction, blatant discomfort, and lack of sincerity this one offers.

McCain wouldn’t last three seconds in a parliamentary system where delivery, wit, and tone count as much as content.

He manages a feat I thought impossible, a speech about one of the greatest men who ever graced this country that lacks passion. A boring speech about MLK. How on earth did he accomplish this? That requires conviction.

My take is that the crowd is tolerant at best and vaguely restless.

I am also astounded that McCain manages to stumble and drift through a speech about Dr.King without once ever mentioning the word racism. He dances slowly around it mentioning “unfairness” and “justice”. He never uses the words “black” and “white” just once, pretty impressive. He certainly doesn’t suggest that “black” Americans were purposefully oppressed by “white” Americans. I am not sure he even mentioned that Dr.King was black himself.

He pays lip service to Darfur and Tibet and lumps them in with Iran. Does this mean he wants to invade all of them?

McCain, clothes his words in Christianity and faith, and almost completely avoids placing the civil rights movements in political context. As if it had no political context. None. Not that his faith based argument worked, there isn’t one “praise Jesus” or “hallelujah” from the crowd. You’ve completely missed your mark in the south if you make a personal/political speech your weaving your faith through it and nobody answers you.

He also used his “tribute” to Dr.King to attempt to make a tie in to his own captivity, as if they were somehow similar. He could have sued the opportunity to honor vets past and present but slid on past.

The standard apology for initially opposing an MLK holiday was offered up flatly. He didn’t ask for forgiveness in a Christian sense, after spending so much time flailing around with that theme. A more astute person would have, hoping to actively engage the crowd. He spoke at them, looked stiff, and the crowd knew his apology was forced. If this is his strategy for connecting with any Americans, of any color, it clearly illustrated that he is a traditional politician. Maybe he is just tired and thinks he has earned the presidency through longevity.

How is this man a “maverick”? What about him stirs moderates and independents? If your standard for supporting a politician is that they are breathing, then I suppose, the threshold has been reached. He did not appear to be intubated or on any assisting devices indicative of ongoing life support.

Of course, what you will see on the news is the apology and it will be trotted out as proof that McCain is interested in forming a relationship with black Americans and Republicans will congratulate themselves on being sensitive and adapting to the times. It will become a talking point: he apologized. Those on the extreme right will see that as further proof he isn’t really one of them and grumble about it.

What did you think of the speech?