CONVENTION OPEN THREAD…. In the past hour, we’ve heard from Pawlenty, Martinez, and Bill Frist (remember him?). In this hour, we’ll hear from Brownback and Lindsey Graham, and in the 10 p.m. (eastern) hour, Ridge will speak, as will, of course, John McCain.
Chris Cillizza reported that McCain will apparently try to, once again, reinvent himself.
While Obama has campaigned on the promise of bringing significant change to Washington, McCain will assert in his speech tonight that he too would be a much-needed change agent who could help put a stop to partisan wrangling, according to excerpts from his speech. “The constant partisan rancor that stops us from solving these problems isn’t a cause, it’s a symptom,” McCain is expected to say. “It’s what happens when people go to Washington to work for themselves and not you.”
McCain, 72, a decorated Vietnam War veteran and long-time member of Congress, will add that he has the “record and scars” to prove his commitment to reaching across the aisle to create solutions that work for average Americans. “Senator Obama does not,” McCain will argue.
McCain’s rise on the national scene was born in large part from his willingness to buck Republican orthodoxy on issues like campaign finance reform, tax cuts, the environment and immigration.
Of course, that’s a difficult, if not impossible, case to make, given that McCain has shamelessly flip-flopped on campaign finance reform, tax cuts, the environment, and immigration.
In any case, I thought I’d open things up for some convention-related discussion. Any compelling moments tonight? How’s the analysis on the cable networks? Is anyone actually watching the convention?
The floor is yours.
Update: By the way, remember how everyone in the political world agreed that it’s offensive and fundamentally wrong to try to exploit 9/11 for partisan gain? Yeah, apparently that’s over now. Just FYI.
