Democratic Convention

So what were peoples thoughts on the first night of the Democratic Convention??

My favorite speakers were Carter and Hillary Clinton. They both are very powerful speakers.

Hey why did the cut off Patty LaBelle at the end, I was bummed!

bill's speech was fatastic, and even that's not a word.

i saw people applauding him on their feet and crying

explained everything this administration is about in a way no one else has so far, really drove the point home

the broadcast networks even dropped their programing to show it live :thumbsup:

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Originally posted by jIgG
bill's speech was fatastic, and even that's not a word.

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I agree, it was SO inspiring! I just wish we could vote for Bill again. There are a million reasons to vote against Bush, but not as many reasons to vote for Kerry.

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bill's speech was fatastic, and even that's not a word.

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I second that, wow, what a speaker. The man is a brilliant politician, I loved the stuff about being Bush's "rich" buddy!
My fear is Kerry is gonna look real bad err boring compared to that.

I volunteered on the Dole/Kemp campaign and actively participated in and voted in Rep state and national primaries. Granted, I more often than not voted Dem or independent in the final elections, but have still been for a long time true to a party that I felt had ideals I most believed in and that were best for the country on the whole, those being:

- Smaller government
- Lack of government interference in the private sector
- Reliance upon the private sector for social welfare and economic wellbeing
- Strong defense
- More strict Constitutional interpretation
- Individual liberties
- Aggressive and proactive foreign policy

I'd long held on to the belief that the Republicans needed moderate, socially liberal voters in their ranks to do what they could to offset the power of the ultra conservative elements of the party and help the party nominate more populist candidates.

But that's a pipe dream now. It's unrealistic to believe that the Republican party will shift anywhere but further right in the near or even distant future.

The party's abandoned it's commitment to individual liberties in favor of oppressive restrictions of freedoms and privacy.

It's abandoned it's core value of leaving the private sector be in favor of forcing social policies upon it and deceptively imposing restrictions on freedom through executive orders and acts.

It's abandoned strong defense policy instead for ill-conceived and misrepresented marches to war.

It's forsaken proactive foreign policy for active alienation of and isolation from allies and friends.

It's abandoned Constitutional integrity for politicizing that document.

Everything from social to economic to foreign policy has been borne from this regression in to archaic and outdated principles and divisive conservativism.

I can't imagine their being a more deceptive, dishonest, corrupt and incompetent administration than the one that's in office now, and the only thing that frustrates and terrifies me more than Bush and Cheney leading this country is the fact that such a significant percentage of this country's population doesn't seem to have a problem with how they do it.

And I'm not your textbook liberal or leftwing idealist we all so often see on a discussion board such as this.

I'm a born, bred and believing conservative on a great many fronts. I think social and civil liberties come as much from Constitutional and legislative principle of small government and lack of interference by the public in the private as much as they do from entitlement and right (which is to say civil rights should exist as much because it's not the government's responsibility to deny them to anyone as they should exist because people have a right to them. That, for example, the Constitution should not involve an amendment banning gay marriage not just because it's unfair to homosexuals but because the federal government has no business legislating that over the states).

I do believe most labor unions are obsolete, corrupt and abusive institutions who hurt their members more than help them.

I do believe that unless and until the 2nd amendment is repealed, the right to bear arms is indeed a right.

I do believe we have to be actively engaged in world affairs and that war is justified by the furtherance of our strategic interests.

I do believe foreign aid and involvement in foreign affairs should come from strategic concerns as much if not moreso than humanitarian.

I do believe the private sector holds the solutions for our healthcare, social welfare, educational and economic woes.

I joined the military after high school because I felt patriotic service to the nation is the responsibility of every citizen and that I had something to contribute to our defense and freedoms.

I felt Gulf War I was the right thing to do. I felt Clinton should have been impeached on principle.

And yet I still can't imagine anything worse for this country than another 4 years of a Bush/Cheney White House. Because they're corrupting the agenda they profess to be promoting and hurt the country and its people in a misguided and selfish attempt to do what they, for some goodness forsaken reason, are convinced is helping it.

I think Clinton said it best tonight - and apparently a great many people in the Fleet Center agreed - (and I paraphrase) that "Wisdom and strength are not competing virtues."

Yet they most certainly do seem to be with this current administration.

About a month ago, I switched my party affiliation to the Democratic party. For sake of my own peace of mind and on principle to myself moreso than any practical purpose. And tonight, while listening to Clinton's speech, I contributed a significant chunk of change to the Kerry campaign.

Let's hope it's part of a movement to make a difference and that this country's given the opportunity to correct itself in November and that Bush and Cheney are sent back to where they came from, their ability to manipulate, corrupt, and harm this nation cut short and the ability to recover presented.

Otherwise... I'm movin' to Canada.

on the firearms thins - bill said it right - cutting police force and allowing assault rifles in a time we fight terrorists is bad. and it is
there's a difference between owning a gun and assault rifle.

I don't know about the rest of you Dems, but I'm sure glad to have BD on our side! That's one smart man... even though I disagree with alot of his views. ;)

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Originally posted by jIgG
on the firearms thins - bill said it right - cutting police force and allowing assault rifles in a time we fight terrorists is bad. and it is
there's a difference between owning a gun and assault rifle.

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Well I think that in and of itself is an oversimplification of the issue.
I doubt an assault weapons ban would stop a terrorist from using assault weapons.
Terrorists themselves would illegally enter the country, illegally exist within or reside in the country, and just about everything they do would be illegal. So law won't stop them.
An assault weapons ban won't stop terrorists from acquiring or importing assault weapons.

But what Clinton was pointing out in that statement, I think - which is indeed a valid point - is that there are inconsistencies in Bush administration policies. That, whereas they scream 'til they're blue in the face their supreme motivation for near every piece of policy that comes from the White House is protecting us from terrorists, the legislation they endorse or actions they take aren't fully consistent with that.

That they're willing and eager to strip civil liberties from us and subject us to unreasonable search and seizure, privacy invasion by law enforcement authorities, denial of due process and legal rights all in the name of protecting us from ourselves and terrorists, yet are unwilling to keep assault weapons off the streets.

That our rights to due process and civil liberty can be shoved aside, yet not our right to bear arms. That they're set to set aside so much in the name of security, yet bow to their own internal special interest voices on something that, you'd think by their own definition, would be a big part of homeland security.

That's not only inconsistent legislative policy but blatant hypocricy.

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Originally posted by Xstr8guy
I don't know about the rest of you Dems, but I'm sure glad to have BD on our side! That's one smart man... even though I disagree with alot of his views. ;)

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I'm gonna miss all those Young Republicans meetings fulla repressed, heterosexual, Mormon boys though :(

Brian,

Well said and to quote...

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- Smaller government
- Lack of government interference in the private sector
- Reliance upon the private sector for social welfare and economic wellbeing
- Strong defense
- More strict Constitutional interpretation
- Individual liberties
- Aggressive and proactive foreign policy

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For a long time, I was a registered Republican as well. When I thought that the party followed these principles. However, over the past years I've seen the same strong turn to the right, and could no longer justify my place. I too dropped from the roles, and when I moved to FL. I registered as an Independent.

I say it often amongst my family and friends, should the Republican party decide to follow it's own stated principles and philosphies (which is not even close to becoming a reality with this administration; and, I strongly believe dissapeared in the past 14 years) I may reconsider my position. But from what I read, see and hear, on a daily basis, it is highly unlikely.

As much as I would love to stand on a soap box and scream BUSH IS A FUCK WAD! I'm happy to see it wasn't totally a bashing session tonight and far more inclined to a tone of "Let's make things right".

My best,
Gary-Alan

BDBionic - you've given me a look at something i was never introduced to. i've never been a republican - until now, all i knew was what i saw. what i have seen republicans in high office involved in activities against every principal most of us are taught as children.

but you've given me more to think about - you and john mccain, who i don't always agree with, but he surely seems to have standards and ideals. i still think that the higher ups in the republican party make it too corrupt to function, but now at least i can believe that some of the people in the republican party have some ideals and beliefs - and integrity.

thanks! it makes me feel a little better, actually.

btw, Gary-Alan - i was around during the nixon administration. it isn't just the last 14 years...

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Originally posted by basschick
btw, Gary-Alan - i was around during the nixon administration. it isn't just the last 14 years...

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You know bass, I was under that impression. But I didn't want to over step my personal understanding. While I know the history of Nixon, I personally wasn't aware at the time. Good to know.

Gary-Alan

A lot of the things that Republicans once stood for have been abandoned. At least, since the Republican Party was hijacked by the Christian Right.

Anyway, are any of the major television networks airing the convention? I don't have cable tv, so I depend on my television's antenna. :D

I just saw the end of the Edwards address and i gotta say if we werent already, we would be voting for Kerry Edwards :thumbsup:

Regards,

Lee

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Originally posted by BDBionic

Otherwise... I'm movin' to Canada.

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I'll prepare the guest room.