Republican National Convention: McCain Wraps it Up

After another round of biographic videos and speeches in praise of John McCain, the decorated war hero, POW and Senator, wooed crowds with his non-distancing from the policies of George W. Bush as if the mere act of not mentioning him by name, Bush and his father were referred to as the President of the United States and the 41^st President respectively, would accomplish that task.

Comfortable in his new right-wing conservative blanket, John McCain ironically pitched his maverick self that has been MIA for some time as the agent of change to the very people who forced him to abandon the notion in the first place. Basically, the wrong Republicans are in office and he would be a better Republican. However, it was a gracious speech that had some nice touches and stayed away from the mocking negativity that permeated the arena yesterday. Cindy McCain’s speech and introduction of her husband was too long and, frankly, boring since the emphasis on war and service had been worn out after 3 days.

Once again, we were asked to transcend reality and join in the St. Paul fantasy that the Republicans have not been in power for the last 8 years and by not mentioning President Bush we can actually believe it. Unfortunately, there was not enough to sway this independent, as the specifics of McCain’s platform seemed to champion policies already in place. Other than trusting McCain to return to his maverick self, we are left to believe that the antiquated ideals of the Republican base will be beneficial for all Americans.