RNC Night # 3 — McCain’s Acceptance Speech

ABC opened McCain’s speech by focusing their camera on one lone protester with a sign protesting McCain’s voting on veterans in the convention hall.

McCain opened his speech complimenting those who ran against him on the Republican campaign primary trail. He then moved on to focusing on and thanking his family. He then moved on to compliment Barack Obama on his campaign but then immediately insisting that he intended to win this election.

McCain was then interrupted by a couple more stray female protesters passing their diversion off with a handsome off the cuff line. Clearly there was a concerted effort by some organization to disturb his speech.

McCain finally pushed on his speech to highlight Palin’s accomplishment. I’m not sure I ever remember a Presidential acceptance speech spending so much time speaking on their Vice Presidential running mate. McCain knows he has a winner in Palin. By focusing on Palin’s reform record he promised Washington fat cats that change was coming. He repeated the idea of change coming more than once, recalling his Maverick nick, thus seeking to steal the thunder from the Obama campaign. McCain continues to offer American’s a different kind of change from that which is offered by Obama. Again, I believe this really cripples Obama’s campaign. Will this be a campaign where the argument is going to be over who’s change is the preferable change?

McCain then tried to sell himself as a lone fighter against special interests groups of varied natures. All I could think of was the Keating five and his work fronting a George Soros organization.

McCain then recited how he fights for Americans. It was interesting that the three families that he mentioned by name all live in battleground states.

McCain then launched into a litany of how both parties in Washington have been corrupted and so have let America down. It was a bit difficult to take McCain seriously at this point. I mean after all, this is the guy who let America down with McCain – Feingold and who let America down in his pursuit of amnesty for illegal aliens. The Mr. pro stem-cell research made a reference to his party being the party that is committed to the culture of life.

Then McCain lied to us about how he will be a small government kind of guy and compared his administration to a possible Obama administration that would be pro big government.

McCain gave his version of compassionate conservatism by promising the governments assistance to help displaced workers in the global economy to find new jobs. He promised government aid to fill in the difference between the wages that people were making before their jobs were shipped overseas and the wages they are making while learning a new job. McCain promised government help in education. He implied that bad teachers need to find new work, (The NEA won’t like that) and he said that he wants to bring in market forces in education. (They’re not really market forces because all of the choices will still be government financed.) McCain promised to pursue energy independence by a implementing a several prong strategy that includes drilling now, building nuclear power plants, clean coal technology, natural energies, and electric automobiles.

McCain then turned to foreign policy issues. He spoke of the dangers of Al-Queda, Iran, and Russia, thus showing his neo-con Empire loving bonafides. If McCain is elected President there is going to be plenty of opportunities for American boys to bleed and die. McCain seemed to advocate being prepared for perpetual war in the interest of perpetual peace. This attitude, historically speaking, as been long on the perpetual war part and short on perpetual peace aspect.

McCain, promised, as Bush promised eight years ago to be bi-partisan. Historically, for McCain that means that he constantly moves to the Democratic side of the aisle. McCain made an implied promise to include Democrats and Independents in a McCain administration, and he promised that who gets the credit for governmental success in a McCain administration is something that he will be willing to distribute all the way around.

McCain ended by telling his POW story, which remains a compelling story. I’d like to believe that McCain is giving me straight talk in this story. His pirouette was to challenge Americans who are disgruntled with America to find a way to serve it and make it better, fighting in every way possible to advance the good of the nation.

The speech really was programmatic in the beginning and wasn’t that good until the end. John McCain isn’t a public speaker. McCain’s ending to the speech however, from the point of telling his POW story onward, was really quite good. McCain’s passion and earnestness came through in this portion of the speech.

The speech was strange because McCain chastised his party for being corrupted by Washington and so failing the America public. A nominee chastising his own party probably hasn’t happened since 1940 when Wendell Wilkie chastised the Republican party upon his nomination. The speech was also strange because McCain clearly communicated his intent to be bipartisan.

Author: jetbrane

I am a Pastor of a small Church in Mid-Michigan who delights in my family, my congregation and my calling. I am postmillennial in my eschatology. Paedo-Calvinist Covenantal in my Christianity Reformed in my Soteriology Presuppositional in my apologetics Familialist in my family theology Agrarian in my regional community social order belief Christianity creates culture and so Christendom in my national social order belief Mythic-Poetic / Grammatical Historical in my Hermeneutic Pre-modern, Medieval, & Feudal before Enlightenment, modernity, & postmodern Reconstructionist / Theonomic in my Worldview One part paleo-conservative / one part micro Libertarian in my politics Systematic and Biblical theology need one another but Systematics has pride of place Some of my favorite authors, Augustine, Turretin, Calvin, Tolkien, Chesterton, Nock, Tozer, Dabney, Bavinck, Wodehouse, Rushdoony, Bahnsen, Schaeffer, C. Van Til, H. Van Til, G. H. Clark, C. Dawson, H. Berman, R. Nash, C. G. Singer, R. Kipling, G. North, J. Edwards, S. Foote, F. Hayek, O. Guiness, J. Witte, M. Rothbard, Clyde Wilson, Mencken, Lasch, Postman, Gatto, T. Boston, Thomas Brooks, Terry Brooks, C. Hodge, J. Calhoun, Llyod-Jones, T. Sowell, A. McClaren, M. Muggeridge, C. F. H. Henry, F. Swarz, M. Henry, G. Marten, P. Schaff, T. S. Elliott, K. Van Hoozer, K. Gentry, etc. My passion is to write in such a way that the Lord Christ might be pleased. It is my hope that people will be challenged to reconsider what are considered the givens of the current culture. Your biggest help to me dear reader will be to often remind me that God is Sovereign and that all that is, is because it pleases him. View all posts by jetbrane