Tag: DNC

McCain’s acceptance speech


(word cloud of mccain’s speech)

Didn’t watch McCain’s speech last night. Figured there’d be nothing new he’d say — figured it would be more of the same “I was a POW” stories that I keep hearing over and over and over again — especially from other folks at the GOP convention.

Don’t know if he tells it as much as I hear it — but I hear it a lot. Makes me wonder if he’s done much of anything since then.

Either way (as I expected) there was plenty of coverage from various talking heads this morning.
I tried to skip most of that and tuned into C-SPAN for a while and then listened to coverage on NPR this morning.

Great coverage by both.

Here are some links and stories I found helpful ::

NPR :: the week that launched the mccain-palin ticket
NPR :: mccain challenges obama, GOP To ‘change’
NPR :: mccain eases convention attendees’ skepticism
NPR :: mccain vows to reach across party lines
C-SPAN :: mccain bio video
C-SPAN :: palin’s acceptance speech
word cloud analysis of 2008 rnc
word cloud analysis of 2008 dnc

I haven’t listened to the whole speech yet but I’ve skimmed it. Will read it all a bit later. You can too.

Read it or listen to it.

I think if either candidate lives up to their promises as president we could see some great changes coming to America. The problem is that both candidates would be forced to work within the same system of checks and balances that all presidents face. And in reality, the President doesn’t make the laws – they simply sign of veto them.

What are your thoughts?


(word cloud of obama’s speech)

Lingering Questions

Tripp Fuller shared a great thought today via his blog:

Listening to both parties each night has made me confident that the church really needs to quit outsourcing its vocation.

Makes a world of sense to me. Seems like the less the church does, the more the government feels it needs to step in to care for people. I can agree with much of the Democratic view of things because they see the need to step in and help the helpless. Yet, I still have to question if that’s really the government’s role. If the church really did their job, I think we’d be a lot closer to solving the world’s problems – than depending on the American Government to do so.

Kevin Hendricks and I seem to be asking some of the same questions as well and trying to decide how someone who claims to be a follower of Christ also claim to put country first. Seems backwards to me.

Tripp also shares several questions raised by Warren Carter (who is on the Homebrewed Christianity podcast last week – with part 2 to be posted this week):

Here are Carter’s questions:

What does it mean to be…..

  • rich Christians in an age of hunger?
  • well fed Christians in an age of poverty?
  • vacation-homed Christians in an age of homelessness?
  • overclothed Christians in an age of nakedness?
  • highly entertained Christians in an age of militaristic violence?
  • Sermon-on-the-Mount-shaped Christians in our age of empire?

Finally, thought this was an interesting contradiction in Sara Palin’s speech last night…

First she rips on Obama because “Al Qaeda terrorists still plot to inflict catastrophic harm on America … he’s worried that someone won’t read them their rights?”

Then she applauds John McCain because “To the most powerful office on earth, he would bring the compassion that comes from having once been powerless … the wisdom that comes even to the captives, by the grace of God.”

Got answers? The world is listening.

related ::
tripp fuller :: preaching the sermon on the mount and some more substantive lingering questions
barack obama’s acceptance speech
sara palin’s RNC convention speech
kevin hendricks :: country first
SSL :: question for today

Donald Miller at the DNC Convention

Emergent Village shares the video and text of Donald Miller’s (Blue Like Jazz, Searching for God Knows What) prayer of benediction at the DNC Convention in Denver last night.

Here’s the video:

The full text and background story is at emergent village.

related:
emergent village
SSL :: christian conservatives could bolt from GOP
SSL :: bone of my bone. flesh of my flesh.
SSL :: more on searching for God knows what

At least 370 parties scheduled for party conventions

From the Sunlight Foundation:

At least 370 Parties Scheduled for the Democratic and Republican Parties
Despite New Ethics Law, Lawmakers & Lobbyists Party On

WASHINGTON, DC — As part of its about-to-be-launched Party Time project, the Sunlight Foundation has obtained lists of 370 parties and events scheduled for the Democratic and Republican conventions, sponsored by the likes of Bank of America, the Distilled Spirits Council, Eli Lilly, AT&T, and Anheuser Busch.

Compiled by a top Washington lobbying firm, Quinn Gillespie & Associates, the lists show how partying will continue at the conventions despite the new ethics law, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 (HOGLA), which prohibits lobbyists from throwing parties honoring specific
lawmakers. The DNC list is available at http://tinyurl.com/6pm4lo and the RNC list is online at http://tinyurl.com/6ew8rf.
Continue reading At least 370 parties scheduled for party conventions