Liveblogging Bush

I’ll be liveblogging Bush’s speech tonight. I don’t think I’ll be drinking too much during it, although I have a case of delicious Schells Beer with me.

This will be a major moment for the President, and he’s got a tough job. We’ll see how he does.

I’ve been checking out the new stage. I like that Bush has done something to change the typical format for stage layouts. The massive Presidential seal on the podium is a nice touch. It will be interesting to see how they pull this off. The GOP has actually gone out and sought out some of the latest in live special effects and lighting – this should be interesting…

8:50PM: George Pataki is doing a pretty decent job of leading into Bush’s speech. I love the line about the Republicans “winning one for the Gipper” while the Democrats will “lose one with the Flipper.” A clever line.

9:00PM: Fred Thompson is doing the candidate intro. Very, very folksy… these things are always saccharine, but the production values of this are very good. I think this video might end up being more effective than Kerry’s slickly produced video. Bush’s personality is a big asset for him – and the bit with the firefighter at Ground Zero is probably Bush’s greatest moment.

Whoever hired Fred Thompson to do this video deserves a big raise. You couldn’t have asked for a better person for this. His voice is damn near perfect, and the images are excellent. These stories about Bush, running with soldier who lost his leg, keeping the shield of the fallen police officer – all of those things are classic George W. Bush.

Damn, this video is really good. The folksy aspects of it could be cloying, but they didn’t. A very professional showing.

And here he is!

9:08PM: Wow, the lectern rises from the middle of the stage. Reminds me vaguely of something one would see on Star Trek…

9:10PM: Good introduction to what has transpired in the past four years – but the real challenge is showing what will come next.

Very optimistic words from the President.

Looks like Cheney’s staying on the ticket… not that it should be any surprise.

9:15PM: Now we’re into the meat of the speech. Bush is going to try and outline his vision for the future. He needs to make it a compelling one. Kerry offered little vision, Bush can do better, and if he does it will do for him what Kerry’s speech didn’t do for his campaign.

Bush is starting with education – which is interesting. Still, Bush actually has a high rating on education in some polls, so perhaps that’s not so surprising.

Ugh, Medicare prescription drug coverage. Not an issue most conservatives would trumpet.

Bush is hitting on the economy, which has been missing from the convention thus far. He’ll need to give some specifics later.

9:18PM: “This will not happen on my watch” – first big line of the speech.

9:20PM: Bush is noting the dramatic changes in the American economy. This is an important point. Our lives are dramatically different from those of a generation ago. Our government needs to adapt to the America of now. Bush is gradually moving towards his “ownership society” theme, which can work for him, but he has to sell it.

9:21PM: Bush restraining federal spending? About time he started…

9:24PM: Right now Bush is giving a laundry list of proposals. He’s focusing on the economy first, which is something he needs to do. Still, it seems a bit jarring from the rest of the primetime addresses. The speech needs a rhetorical theme through all these proposals to tie them to a larger theme. Right now they’re just proposals all in a row. Then again, I did say that Bush needed to talk about the economy, and I have a feeling that this section of the speech is designed for swing voters who are worried about the economy. Will this strategy work? It could – but it would be better if he brought in the “opportunity society” speech.

9:27PM: This speech is starting to sound like a Democratic speech. I don’t think it’s setting the conservative base on fire – then again, that’s not what it’s intended to do… this is about the swing voters, not necessarily the base.

9:30PM: Now Bush gets to the “ownership society” theme. I would have put this at front and let the policy proposals stem from it. I like that he’s giving specifics about his policies (something Kerry failed to do), but perhaps it’s a bit too much. Then again, I have the feeling that this sort of thing will help him with swing voters nervous about the economy.

9:34PM: And we have the new political cliche, the applause line in Spanish. At least his Spanish was pretty fluent.

9:36PM: New politicial cliche #2 – plugging the web site.

9:37PM: Here come some zingers on Kerry – pretty effective. Bush is painting Kerry as a tax and spend Massachusetts liberal – which is exactly what he is.

“We are on a path to the future, and we are not turning back.” I think there’s a strategy here…

9:40PM: And here’s where Bush shows his social conservative roots. This will play well with the base.

9:41PM: Nice slam on Kerry’s Hollywood ties… Bush is trying to shoot down the idea that Kerry has any claim to conservative values. He’s speaking to a narrow audience here.

9:42PM: Now we get to terrorism and national security.

9:44PM: Was that a protestor? Indeed it was.

Nice job, asshole, you just handed Bush a couple thousand new votes…

These protestors might have just sunk Kerry.

The protestor seems to have distracted Bush, which is understanable. However, I think it gave him some extra energy afterwards.

9:47PM: Now Bush deals with Iraq. I think this can work for him, but he needs to be clear about connecting Iraq and the larger threat of terrorism.

9:48PM: Another protestor? I wonder if they have any idea how much this sort of crap makes them look like petty thugs – then again, many of the are.

9:48PM: OK, we have liberated 50 million people. What we need to hear is specifically why democratization in the Middle East will end terrorism. All the parts are there in this speech, but I think Bush needs to connect the dots more.

9:51PM: Here we go. This is what he needs to do. But he needs to tie it more strongly to defeating terrorism. Yes, we are helping create a new and democratic Middle East – but he needs to show to what end…

9:53PM: Bush is speaking directly to the troops. I think this is important. Yes, nearly a 1,000 brave American soldiers have died – but Bush has to remind us that what they died for was a cause worthy of their lives. I wish he’d hit this harder.

9:54PM: “There’s nothing complicated about supporting our troops in combat.” Kerry’s flip-flop on the $87B has been one of the weakest moments in his campaign, and it’s emblematic of his lack of consistancy.

9:56PM: EXCELLENT! I wanted Bush to call our allies by name and remind the American people we are not alone. He’s calling out Kerry for what he said! This is exactly what I wanted him to do, and it’s a powerful argument. Probably the best moment so far, and this is going to kill the whole “unilateral” argument. This seriously undercuts Kerry’s rhetoric about “restoring alliances” when he’s the one insultingour allies. Simply brilliant.

9:59PM: Now Bush gets to the meat of this war – the way to victory is through freedom. This is an important theme for the President, and one that has been the cornerstone of Bush’s foreign policy.

“The wisest use of American strength is the spread of freedom.” – Very true.

10:00PM: The transformation of the Middle East from autocracy and freedom is key to winning this war on terrorism. Bush is making a good case for it. Is it an ambitious vision? Certainly. But it’s what America does, as the President notes.

10:01PM: Excellent work with the bit from 1946 – and nice slam on The New York Times. I was wondering if he’d do something like that.

10:03PM: Bush outlines his beliefs clearly and succinctly. What does Kerry believe? That’s key to the race. We know what George W. Bush believes in, but Kerry is unsure and hesitant. In a time of war, that’s unacceptable. President Bush will fight for freedom in the Middle East. He is right – human rights are human rights, not just the rights of the few subject to the whims of political expediency.

10:05PM: Now Bush is being self-effacing. It comes off very well. The line about Bush’s grammar being corrected by Arnold was great – as was the line about his supposed “Texas swagger.” This is a very human moment for the President. I think a lot of people see someone who can admit his weaknesses to the nation on worldwide TV and it’s hard for them to see how the left can demonize him so much. Politics is as much about perception as policy, and Bush comes across as honest, sincere, and compassionate.

Bush is clearly getting emotional here, and it’s an honest emotion. I think this moment may be one of the defining moments for the President. Say what you want about him, but can anyone truly doubt he cares for this nation, and especially those who have given their lives for it?

10:09PM: This section of the speech is a brilliant piece of political oratory. It makes up for the lackluster first half. President Bush comes off very well here, and I think it will show in his poll numbers next week. This is someone who is not reading words on a page, this is someone who damn well believes what he says. He’s speaking to the people, looking right at them. There’s something Reaganesque about this.

10:12PM: A little over an hour. The first half was a laundry list of proposals – standard political fare. The last half ended with one of the most heartfelt and sincere speeches I have ever seen a politician give. Bush came off very well. He said much of what he needed to say, and he said it in such a way that there can be little doubt as to his strength of character and belief.

The left wants to make Bush into a demon or a simpleton. Tonight, Bush spoke to the nation and showed that he was a leader. I think he reached out to an audience tonight. He wasn’t giving a canned political speech. He wasn’t saying what he thought would get him elected. He said what he believed. I think the voters will see that. I think Kerry will have a very tough time trying to go on the attack against Bush now.

I was going to give this speech a B- by the end of the first half. By the end, it was an A+. Excellent.

Bush is best when he connects with the people – he connected with the people tonight.