Ten Things About the RNC in Saint Paul

It's all over. Finally. In case you've been living under a rock for the last week, the Republican National Convention wrapped up last night when John McCain made his acceptance speech. The RNC was held in my hometown of Saint Paul, MN, and I was actually around to experience some of the sideshows of the convention. Here's a list of ten things I'll remember from the convention, in no particular order.

10) Former Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura made a good point on Tuesday night's episode of "Larry King Live." No, seriously. While it may seem hard to believe that the Body made an insightful comment - given his gaffs while governor (my favorite: during an interview with Playboy, Jesse made a comment about men being with several women during their lifetime, drawing an analogy between being a player and test driving a car - something along the lines of putting your key in various ignitions to see if it fits!), this actually caught my attention. Jesse paraphrased a quotation about convincing a nation to go to war; I dug up the quotation, and the portion he spoke about reads "[a]ll you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing their country to danger." Now, I'll concede that this might make me sound like a reactionary lefty, but this quotation reads much like how the Bush White House was (and still is) able to justify keeping US troops in Iraq. This quotation doesn't come from a Repub, a Bush White House staffer, or a CNN talking head - it comes from Luftwaffe commander and ardent Nazi Hermann Goering. It could be that Herr Goering was making a historical observation - I'd imagine that the Greeks, Romans, barbarians, and several European powers (besides Nazi Germany) used a similar approach. But what scared me is how similar this line of thinking appears to our contemporary situation. And the fact that a Nazi articulated this statement is even more frightening.
9) The two candidates on the Repub short list. It was either Tuesday or Wednesday that the local news broadcasts here in the Twin Cities were abuzz with McCain's second choice for VP. According to those broadcasts, the final two contenders for the VP nom were Alaska governor Sarah Palin (who, of course, got the nod) and Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty. Why Palin over Pawlenty? There is, of course, a lot of speculation over why McCain chose Palin, from reaching out to the Repubs' more conservative base to trying to steal disgruntled Hillary supporters away from Obama to trying to make his ticket historical as well (the first female Repub VP versus the first African American presidential nominee). But, when it comes to Pawlenty versus Palin, there hasn't been much discussion. So, when it comes to this question, let me provide an answer; Palin was chosen over Pawlenty because Palin has a personality. This is not to say that Pawlenty doesn't have a personality - he does, but he's about as dry as melba toast. He's a bit of a wet noodle, and really too nice of a guy to make an impact on the national stage. Plus, I think Biden would have ripped him apart in a VP debate.
8) What I've learned about anarchists. Although they're very passionate about their cause - perhaps zealous (and overly zealous) - I don't think they qualify as the brightest bulbs on the string of Christmas lights. Case in point: Wednesday's local newsbroadcasts reported how anarchists planned to block traffic on one of the busiest freeway off ramps in downtown Saint Paul (the 7th street exit off of I-94 in Saint Paul, for those of you familiar with the area). Good idea in principle - cause chaos and fender benders by sitting in the middle of an off ramp (and, possibly being killed. Ouch.). But, when they got there, they realized that they forgot to do their homework - that off ramp had already been blocked off by the city a few days prior. A little reconnaissance might help there.
7) Is Governor Palin's pregnant 17-year-old daughter fair game for a political discussion? Absolutely not. I credit Senator Obama here for making a very definitive statement about that the same day the pregnancy was broadcast by the media - she isn't fair game, and Obama doesn't want anyone in his camp or Dems as a group to make this an issue. Cudos to him - although this could be read as a political tactic (and, more likely than not is), it's also the right thing to do. But, it does raise a question: why would she be a politicial target in the first place? In my opinion, it's due largely to the perception that the Repubs have of themselves, as being morally superior to Dems. This is derived largely from the different stances on abortion (Repubs typically pro-life, Dems typically pro-choice), sex education (Dems for a broad approach, Repubs advocating for abstinence), and appeal to conservative Christian groups (strong for Repubs, not so much for Dems). So, with this said, the pregnant teenage daughter of a conservative Repub VP nominee could be a scandal, as it could alienate a core group of Repub supporters who believe that sex before marriage, especially for people under age, is a big no-no. I remember talking to former female students living in a red state about the rings they wore on their hands - I thought they were married, but they told me that these were promise rings, promising to maintain their virginity until marriage (by the way: they often receive their rings from their fathers. Is it just me, or is there something kind of disturbing about a girl promising this to her father?). The example here is not meant to suggest that this type of situation happened in the Palin family - in fact, I don't know. But, the example is meant to illustrate the perception of premartial sex for some groups of people associated with Repubs. This, of course, could blow up in the Dems' faces if they push the issue, and really isn't appropriate for a political campaign. With that said, though, evidently someone forgot to send the Repubs the memo. The daughter has been paraded around the convention for days. I can see her wanting to be on the stage during her mother's acceptance speech, and during McCain's acceptance speech, but she's literally been seen all around the convention this week. I'm not suggesting that she should be hid off camera somewhere, or that she should feel shame or embarassment over her situation - she shouldn't, as these things happen. But, if the Dems don't want to make this an issue, it does seem like the Repubs very much do want to make this an issue. What I don't understand is why she was there on an airport tarmac welcoming John McCain to the Twin Cities. McCain whispered something to her - the news broadcasts later said that he told her how sorry he was that she was in the spotlight and that was happening to her. But who's continually putting her in the spotlight? Is it the media who's making a big deal out of this, or are the Repubs using her and her situation for their own political gain? While it could be the media, there are some things the Repubs did this week to suggest that it's them doing the spotlighting. In addition to the tarmac thing, the McCain-Palin camp was awfully quick to release a press statement this week that the daughter and her boyfriend would be getting married. Kind of seemed like a way to calm any anxieties from conservative groups, and, for a campaign which is supposedly going to take on the "good old boy" groups, seemed like a good old boy strategy to employ.
6) Things I've learned about Repubs during the convention. A handful of things. First, that they aren't the best spellers - I saw a sign at McCain's acceptance speech last night which supported "The Mavrick." Also, they like more than country music. That to me was shocking - every Repub I know can name at least one Toby Keith song. When Trace Atkins, he of "Honky Tonk Badonkadonk" fame, sang the National Anthem last night, that wasn't a shocker. But, when the speech was over last night, and the usual stirring patriotic music was over, did you hear what was being played? I heard Heart's "Barracuda" - seriously. Now, most politicans bypass the lyrics of a song - Reagan was fond for using Springsteen's "Born in the USA" during the 1984 campaign, for example - if he'd listen to the lyrics a little more closely, he wouldn't have been so quick to latch on to that song. But, "Barracuda"? I can usually make a mountain out of a molehill, but this one leaves me scratching my head. Who knew they liked classic rock? Third, I think they drink more - a LOT more - then the dems. I frequent a bar a few blocks east of the Xcel, and was there Monday night. The theme of Monday night's convention was pretty somber, as people were unsure of what Hurricane Gustav would do. Evidently those concerns were gone when the official business was done, though - at the bar, I met delegates from Maine, Alabama, and Missouri who were pie-eyed and having a great old time. I've seen liberals drink before - and they do drink liberally - but the liberals ain't got nothing on them. Lastly, they're opposed to all forms of pornography - including bird porn. I was of two minds when I first heard that term - first, a curiousity over what bird porn was, and secondly, a little voice in the back of my mind not wanting to know what it is. But, three people carrying signs for banning bird porn came into the bar on Monday night, and enquiring minds wanted to know. Bird porn is nothing sexual - it involves ardent bird watchers going to places where they shouldn't be - private property, public lands used by hunters, etc. - and ogling birds. Bird porn advocates want that type of behavior banned, and a member of the Maine delegation agreed. Shortly after that, though, the delegate engaged the bird porn group in a discussion of the assets of one of the waitresses. Ogling of the species: bad for birds, good for humans, evidently.