Obama hits the mark
Obama clinched the critical delegate count today, and our friends at The Uptake are there, covering live. Watch the speech live or archived in the embedded player below at a slightly different angle than the televised speech, from their live cam at the event. Read the full text of the speech on TPM Election Central.
Meanwhile, our friends at TPM watched McCain's "prerebuttal" to Obama's speech, and say it's a "frighteningly sad" performance. As Josh Marshall writes:
...I'm curious to hear what other people think, but I really feel like he would have served himself much better by just going to ground for the evening.
McCain is often very good when he speaks extemporaneously. Even better in 2000. But still good. He's also good in debates. But giving set piece speeches, let's face it, he's simply awful. He finds it impossible to pretend he's actually thinking what he's saying.
Stay tuned for more thoughts and recaps from Veracifier's partners, and for full video of Obama's and Hillary's speeches from tonight. McCain's prebuttal speech is embedded below.
Obama, barack obama, nomination, john mccain, montana, south dakota
1) Warning –McCain is trying this week to bait the Obama campaign with some negative-lite ads in order to get tacit permission to go at Obama harshly and even more negatively. We know what this means: racialized ads, Wright visuals and speculation about his wife’s comments. So, Barack might want to really examine what the best way is to respond here –it may not be with more negative ads.
2) Suggestion –If Obama decides to go negative at McCain, he should answer with an ad highlighting all of McCain’s disturbing (and continuing) gaffes: war-zone dynamics and economics in particular. McCain outright lies and we only get a blip of it in the media. What about his comments last year that it was safe to walk the streets of Iraq w/o armor (as he walks the streets with a private fleet of military escorts).
3) THE MEDIA REALLY NEEDS TO EXPLORE MCCAIN’S 8 TAXPAYER FUNDED CAMPAIGN TRIPS TO IRAQ. How many times has Bush or any other congressional figure been to Iraq? How many times did he go to Kuwait during Desert Storm? More than adding highly choreographed photo ops for his campaign, what did these trips accomplish for the American people that could not have been accomplished by talks with ground commanders and McCain showing up in the senate to do his job here at home. How much did these trips cost? What have McCain’s accomplishments been in the senate over his 20 years there? How many times has McCain voted against women’s rights? Civil Rights? Minimum wage increases?
I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE PHIL GRAMM RELATIONSHIP EXPLORED. Gramm has crafted McCain’s economic policy and it is significant for the American people to know that this is the philosophy that will shape economics in a McCain administration. The American people deserve to know and explore the implications of a republican administration that wants to let them ride the economic crisis out with no relief for non-corporate entities. Why not do a month-long loop of Gramm’s comments accompanied by visuals of Gramm and McCain, McCain’s repeated endorsements of Gramm along with McCain’s debate comments that he would rely on advice from Gramm et al.
How about hour long specials about republican economics and how a McCain-Gramm economic policy would leave the struggling middle class. The mental picture: rewind to March-April and replace Wright with Gramm. Which topic is more politically relevant? Someone’s pastor or the person you have named to shape America’s economic policy in a time of crisis. Isn’t it troubling that McCain doesn’t understand the economy after almost 30 years in Congress, Gramm and Kemp weren’t there that long and they understand it. What kind of curve does McCain need?
Is McCain willing to pursue the Iraq war indefinitely -even if conditions there are bad -if it sinks the US economy and causes us to lose by default in Afghanistan? Is this a good strategy? Is this good judgment? Since we waged the war under false premises and had/have no clear objective, isn't "winning" an empty term? Can't success constantly be redefined to keep us at war and republicans in power?
What about McCain’s flip-flops on overturning Roe, his own immigration bill etc. Given his comments on economics, birth control and geographical “strategery,” McCain clearly is not in the prime of his career and he’ll admittedly be relying on advisors to do the thinking for him –shouldn’t the media be exploring this and his ability to pick credible people to handle America’s concerns? Why not put McCain on the defensive while Barack gets to quietly communicate his message to the American people. TO BE SURE, THE MEDIA HAS NOT FULLY VETTED MCCAIN AND IT NEEDS TO DO SO. Let’s get the net roots going and demand attention to McCain by the media! Thanks for the cue, Senator McCain.