Zell Miller and Our Reactions
Good ole Zell Miller…
His name was on my first drivers license! I have never been a political person and being a native Georgian with native parents I was raised a republican. I have to say at this moment I am proud of this heritage.
The dreaded AJC has a section on Zell and his speech located here (registration required). I went through Zells speech and enjoyed it. I can see where he may have entangled his opinion in with truth (or in place of), but hey no one is perfect.
The AJC also has a nice little article on how “Fellow Georgians React” here (registration required).
Have a look. I just thought it was pretty cool that a Democratic Senator, X-Governor from Georgia was “opening” for the Vice President at the Republican convention…
I’ve never really been a Zell Miller fan. While I liked the HOPE scholarship (I was too old to benefit but it’s a good idea), using the lottery to fund it was a problem in my opinion–it’s a form of regressive taxation. I don’t consider myself a Democrat, so I don’t feel betrayed or anything by Miller’s crossing party lines. In short, I’ve always felt conflicted about Miller’s contributions to Georgia.
I had the exact opposite reaction to the speech. While it might have been effective rhetorically, I felt it was misleading in several places, especially in his implications about Kerry’s record on defense. Dick Cheney, in fact, voted against many of the same defense spending bills that Kerry rejected. I’m also uncomfortable with using FEAR so intensely as a campaign tactic. Creating the sense that we’re under siege is misleading at best. In closing, I will say that I have been fascinated by the responses to Miller’s speech. I think it will be interesting to see how his performance is spun (apparently Chris Matthews tore him apart in a post-speech interview).
Wolf over at CNN had a field day picking Zig Zag apart.
http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0409/01/se.03.html
Under Siege…Casey Ryback (Steven Seagal)
No I think it’s more a point that if we let up now (i.e. letting Kerry give the United Nations the power of control) we will be under siege. Just as we were on 9/11. That is till Bush went on the offensive.
CNN…William Stranix (Tommy Lee Jones)
Fox News – 5.5 million viewers
CNN – 1.5 million viewers
per http://www.drudgereport.com/
I didn’t watch the speech (I have a Kantian policy of avoiding convention coverage), but have read some of the reaction to it (and have had friends from both sides tell me what they thought of it). As a Georgian, I am, of course, proud that a fellow Georgian was given a prime time spot (in a positive way).
The consensus that I’ve heard is that it was a good Southern rhetorical speech (I hate quoting Instapundit, but it was “Jacksonian” in nature) – which are always a treat to watch even if you don’t agree with the substance. I heard it was a little vitriolic, but these are political conventions and you get a lot of that at political conventions (both GOP and Dem). Fear is, typically, used as a tactic on both sides of the aisle (and has been at both conventions this year).
Chuck is right in pointing out what actually matters – it’s the spin, stupid. Though with Bush’s speech tonight I think it will probably get drowned out.
Interesting that the Republicans have begun distancing themselves a little from Miller’s speech. In a sense, I think it may very well become the most memorable speech of the convention. I tuned in and out of Bush’s speech simply because it seemed rather bland (plus I got a phone call halfway through). It wasn’t a bad speech. In fact, it was one of his better performances, but Miller’s speech seemed to be the “loudest.”
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