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Midlanders in St. Paul report 'electrifying' convention
"Obama's ethnicity and Palin's gender and her not coming out of the Washington elite have added new wrinkles," he said.
by Bob Campbell
Midland Reporter-Telegram
- McCain to vault back into tie as presidential race goes 'right down to the wire,' Conaway says
By Bob Campbell
Staff Writer
In St. Paul, Minn., for the Republican National Convention, Congressman Mike Conaway said Thursday that John McCain will rebound into a deadlock with Barack Obama and their rollicking presidential race "will go right down to the wire" on Nov. 4.
Obama got a 5 point "bounce" in polls from the Democrats' Denver convention, but McCain's choice of conservative Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "has electrified" his party and the Arizona senator will vault back into a tie next week, the Midland Republican predicted.
"Obama has celebrity star power and a lot of media bias favoring him, but it's going to be a tough battle among four competitive, ambitious people," he said. "Our job is to get our message out."
As an early supporter of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Conaway isn't a convention insider and has had no contact with McCain. But his conversations with Republicans who heard former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's and Palin's Wednesday night speeches were heartening, he said.
"Obama is saying McCain's would be a third Bush presidency," Conaway said. "But McCain has gone against Bush often and is not the same guy. He's much more centrist and I don't think Obama's strategy rings true with the American public.
"Much more than our other candidates, John appeals to independents and disaffected Democrats."
Midland delegate Brandon Pinson said attacks on Palin by Obama, vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and liberal media will bounce back on them.
"It was electrifying down on the floor last night," said Pinson, an estate planning attorney. "It's a double standard because these points the Democrats bring up were never asked of male candidates. Sarah and her husband made the right decision (about not aborting their Down syndrome baby) and we praise and honor them for that.
"The more the Democrats push her buttons, the more they are going to regret it because they're picking on the wrong lady. They need to get back to the issues and stop looking for negatives about her children and family."
Conaway said his main reservations about Obama, other than his extreme liberalism and paucity of executive experience, pertain to the Illinois U.S. senator's indifference to his desperately impoverished half brother George in Nairobi, Kenya, and his 130 "present" votes as a Chicago state senator from 1997-2004.
"I wonder why he voted 'present' on all those issues of substance in the Illinois Senate. Was he looking down the road two jobs and not wanting to create a record he'd have to defend? Being president is about making tough decisions. If he couldn't pull the trigger, I don't want him being the single most powerful man in the world."
Conaway said the candidacies of Obama, Hillary Clinton and Palin have often made the contest hard to decipher even for experienced observers.
"Obama's ethnicity and Palin's gender and her not coming out of the Washington elite have added new wrinkles," he said.
"The convention got off to a muted start because of concerns about Hurricane Gustav. The mood turned when it was less damaging than anticipated, then yesterday was electrifying. Giuliani set the table and Palin did a great job for her first time in the national spotlight.
"Her speech was spot on and now the race is on. The other side is a lot more concerned today than they started out yesterday."
Bob Campbell can be reached at campbell@mrt.com.
By Bob Campbell
Staff Writer
In St. Paul, Minn., for the Republican National Convention, Congressman Mike Conaway said Thursday that John McCain will rebound into a deadlock with Barack Obama and their rollicking presidential race "will go right down to the wire" on Nov. 4.
Obama got a 5 point "bounce" in polls from the Democrats' Denver convention, but McCain's choice of conservative Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin "has electrified" his party and the Arizona senator will vault back into a tie next week, the Midland Republican predicted.
"Obama has celebrity star power and a lot of media bias favoring him, but it's going to be a tough battle among four competitive, ambitious people," he said. "Our job is to get our message out."
As an early supporter of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, Conaway isn't a convention insider and has had no contact with McCain. But his conversations with Republicans who heard former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's and Palin's Wednesday night speeches were heartening, he said.
"Obama is saying McCain's would be a third Bush presidency," Conaway said. "But McCain has gone against Bush often and is not the same guy. He's much more centrist and I don't think Obama's strategy rings true with the American public.
"Much more than our other candidates, John appeals to independents and disaffected Democrats."
Midland delegate Brandon Pinson said attacks on Palin by Obama, vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and liberal media will bounce back on them.
"It was electrifying down on the floor last night," said Pinson, an estate planning attorney. "It's a double standard because these points the Democrats bring up were never asked of male candidates. Sarah and her husband made the right decision (about not aborting their Down syndrome baby) and we praise and honor them for that.
"The more the Democrats push her buttons, the more they are going to regret it because they're picking on the wrong lady. They need to get back to the issues and stop looking for negatives about her children and family."
Conaway said his main reservations about Obama, other than his extreme liberalism and paucity of executive experience, pertain to the Illinois U.S. senator's indifference to his desperately impoverished half brother George in Nairobi, Kenya, and his 130 "present" votes as a Chicago state senator from 1997-2004.
"I wonder why he voted 'present' on all those issues of substance in the Illinois Senate. Was he looking down the road two jobs and not wanting to create a record he'd have to defend? Being president is about making tough decisions. If he couldn't pull the trigger, I don't want him being the single most powerful man in the world."
Conaway said the candidacies of Obama, Hillary Clinton and Palin have often made the contest hard to decipher even for experienced observers.
"Obama's ethnicity and Palin's gender and her not coming out of the Washington elite have added new wrinkles," he said.
"The convention got off to a muted start because of concerns about Hurricane Gustav. The mood turned when it was less damaging than anticipated, then yesterday was electrifying. Giuliani set the table and Palin did a great job for her first time in the national spotlight.
"Her speech was spot on and now the race is on. The other side is a lot more concerned today than they started out yesterday."
Bob Campbell can be reached at campbell@mrt.com.
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The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of mywesttexas.com.
Voter wrote on Sep 5, 2008 7:37 AM:
" We need a president like John McCain now more than ever.
We need one that can bring respect back to the WhiteHouse and to the United States.
And no better Vice President choice than Sarah Palin.
We Need A President That Loves His Country. And We Need A President That Will Bring Respect Back To The United States By Other Countries.
If McCain were not elected President it would not be because Obama Husain won. It would be because of the damage George W Bush has done to the Republican Party.
PRAY THAT GOD'S MERCY AND GRACE WILL GRANT US JOHN MCCAIN AS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT. "
We need one that can bring respect back to the WhiteHouse and to the United States.
And no better Vice President choice than Sarah Palin.
We Need A President That Loves His Country. And We Need A President That Will Bring Respect Back To The United States By Other Countries.
If McCain were not elected President it would not be because Obama Husain won. It would be because of the damage George W Bush has done to the Republican Party.
PRAY THAT GOD'S MERCY AND GRACE WILL GRANT US JOHN MCCAIN AS OUR NEXT PRESIDENT. "
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bull moose wrote on Sep 5, 2008 5:41 AM:
Do we praise and honor them for travelimg ten hours from Dallas to Anchorage after labor began to have the baby delivered in a hospital that has no record of their child having been born there? "