DNC 9/5/12

Just my thoughts on some of the speeches at the DNC today. Sometimes I just listed quotes I found interesting and worthy of more thought.

Summary:
~Rep. Cleaver's speech is a must see for Christians, even if you disagree, just to hear some preaching at the DNC.

~Sister Simone Cambell, a nun: it was good to hear a pro-life, person of faith take the stage. She ended her speech with a call to kindness... how Nun-like of her :) It was actually good.

~ Not a fan of Elizabeth Warren's speech. I probably just offended all my Dem. friends, but you probably deserve it :). Too sentimental and way too many cliches. Not polished enough for her time slot and too aggressive and accusative.

~Clinton was simple and really well-done. It is a must see. My Dem. friends watched the RNC, I hope my Rep. friends will at least watch this speech, if only to hear the heart of their neighbors around them who genuinely feel this way.

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver

The speaker’s opener is less like “speeching” and more like preaching.

“This must change, because just as bees cannot sting and make honey at the same time, members of Congress cannot simultaneously make passionate enemies and expect political progress.” -- A great call to civility required of both sides. Lord, let these be not words alone.

“And we have, in many instances, been hit. ‘You know, ‘they are a liberal, they are progressive.’ Look! If being liberal and progressive means that I care for children and whether they go hungry; COLOR ME LIBERAL, COLOR ME DEMOCRAT!”

“Yes, Mr. President, hope on! Continue to hope, Mr. President. No matter what, Mr. President, you keep on hoping. When everything is gone, you continue to hope. As long as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob sits on the throne of grace, Mr. President, hope on! Hope on! Hope on! We are people of hope!... Continue to speak of hope to the American people, because it is impossible for hope to overdraw its account in God's bank.” – I cannot over exaggerate how much I relate to this.

If you are a Christian, I strongly recommend you watch this speech. I am not asking you to agree with everything in it, but the man’s heart and faith are sincere and he has no shame: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRlfBKGC-3Q

Sister Simone Campbell (“One of the Nuns on the Bus”)

“Paul Ryan claims his budget reflects the principles of our shared Catholic faith. But the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops stated that the Ryan budget failed a basic moral test, because it would harm families living in poverty. We agree with our bishops…”

In case you don’t know, Paul Ryan is a practicing Catholic. His own church leaders of claimed that his budget bastardizes their faith claims and goes too far.

“First, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are correct when they say that each individual should be responsible. But their budget goes astray in not acknowledging that we are responsible not only for ourselves and our immediate families. Rather, our faith strongly affirms that we are all responsible for one another. I am my sister's keeper. I am my brother's keeper.”

Good exegesis of Genesis 4.

“We all share responsibility to ensure that this vital health care reform law is properly implemented and that all governors expand Medicaid coverage so no more Margarets die from lack of care. This is part of my pro-life stance and the right thing to do.”

Pro-life speaker at the DNC and the RNC had Condoleezza, a pro-choice Republican. Just an interesting observation. I am more interested in how our words are so divisive on this issue, so polarizing as if “Republican” and “Democrat” were solely identified with pro-life and pro-choice, yet, in actuality, the platform speakers reveal a much different story.

Warren

I was not a fan of this speech. Maybe I have been hearing too many of them lately but it just had too many clichés and too much sentimentality. This was the warm up act for Clinton and I just think it could have been better.

Warren raises some interesting questions about Romney’s hiding money in other countries to avoid paying taxes. Is that right? The first few verses of Romans 13 might have something to say about this. Likewise, she brings up good points about Billionaires with lower tax rates than “their secretaries.” She talks about how the system is “rigged” against the lower class. This is more than true. These are questions we all should be asking ourselves.

Warren also noted her work in the “Methodist” church where she taught Sunday school. She quoted one of her favorite bible verses (Matthew 25) and even gave a few lines of a devotional on how this relates to God, us, and her political stance. There has been a lot of preaching in these speeches and it is definitely different than what I think the normal American would have thought was going to happen at the DNC.

President Clinton

Somewhere President Bush is astonished that ex-Presidents are allowed at these national conventions. In all seriousness, I have never heard one person’s name more obviously avoided than Bush’s was at the RNC. Even Voldemort was like, “I can’t believe how bad they’re treating him.” Bush’s own brother, Jeb, didn’t say George’s name, even when talking about how proud he was of him. 

Maybe hitting on Michelle Obama is not the best way to start your speech, William.

“You see, we believe that `’We're all in this together'’ is a far better philosophy than ‘You're on your own.’”

“Well, since 1961, for 52 years now, the Republicans have held the White House 28 years, the Democrats 24.  In those 52 years, our private economy has produced 66 million private- sector jobs.  So what's the job score? Republicans:  twenty-four million.  Democrats:  forty-two.”

At least one respected political fact-checking site supports this statement: http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2012/sep/06/bill-clinton/bill-clinton-says-democratic-presidents-top-republ/

Bill Clinton talking about working with Reagan and the Bushes. Pointing out that the far right has vitriol for Obama that is unlike any other time. What is this in the far right? This is not like Jesus. Clinton is talking a lot about cooperation and it is a lesson we could all stand to learn.

“President Obama started with a much weaker economy than I did.  Listen to me now.  No president, no president -- not me, not any of my predecessors -- no one could have fully repaired all the damage that he found in just four years. Now -- but he has -- he has laid the foundations for a new, modern, successful economy of shared prosperity.  And if you will renew the president's contract, you will feel it. You will feel it. Folks, whether the American people believe what I just said or not may be the whole election.  I just want you to know that I believe it.  With all my heart, I believe it.”

Honest assessment of the economic times both past and present. Good to hear Clinton’s heart.

“You need to tell every voter where you live about this.  It lowers the cost of federal student loans.  And even more important, it gives students the right to repay those loans as a clear, fixed, low percentage of their income for up to 20 years… Their debt obligation will be determined by their salary.  This will change the future for young Americans.”

You better believe it!!!!!!!!!

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This speech is too long and too good to live tweet through. This post would become more of a long and jumbled mess than it already is. Many of my Democrat friends watched the RNC. I would hope the same of my GoP friends. If you haven’t, watch this speech: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzDhk3BHi6Q

If you would rather read it, here you go: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/05/transcript-bill-clinton-speech-at-dnc/

It is issues based. It isn’t full of clichés and anecdotes. You may not agree with it but you will get a great idea about what Democratic politics are about and some fair rebuttals to Republican claims. If you listen honestly, and not with your guard up, you will hear the hearts of many of your neighbors and friends who honestly believe this.

I think the thing that is most sticking with me are Clinton’s claims about the Romney-Ryan plan. If you are voting for Romney and are complaining about the economy and debt, you HAVE to address these accusations. How does Romney plan to give trillions more in tax cuts to billionaires, increase defense budget spending by trillions, and still reduce the deficit and debt? It would seem to me that he would have to gut vital social services, education, etc. to even get close to the debt he would be ADDING from the tax cuts. It really doesn’t add up and I am afraid the talk about balanced budgets and debt reduction is smoke and mirrors. “Don't you ever forget, when you hear them talking about this, that Republican economic policies quadrupled the national debt before I took office, in the 12 years before I took office and doubled the debt in the eight years after I left, because it defied arithmetic.”

This coming from the only president to balance the budget in the last 30 years. Is he wrong? How so?