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(Community Matters) The Jed Report is saying Gov Palin is taking two weeks for briefings on McCain’s positions. Also hear she’ll only be making speeches, not giving interviews once she reemerges.

(Community Matters) Friday, wow I missed it; hadn’t done that in a while, try not to. Sorry. It was a particularly busy day, though not unproductive or un-fun.

Interviewing new EF program manager candidates, dialing for dollars and other logistics in preparation for Senator Biden’s visit next week, Bryan Jones visit, finally back to the gym with my compadre Kent Mayes, dinner at Julio’s with Leslie Jarmon while reviewing David Plouffe’s campaign presentation and while Steven and Leslie planned their Nov 4, driving New Mexican voters to the polls and, finally, a welcomed very early night in.

(Community Matters)

10:00 There were some really great minutes. John McCain has been an American hero.

9:51 Great statement about trying to avoid war and to promote peace. Change the way we do business in Washington. Claims he has the record and “the scars” that prove it. Promises to ask Democrats and Independents to serve and to set a new standard of transparency. I love these things he’s just said. Regrettably, his turns toward the radical, intolerant right, his embrace of Bush and promises to continue the Bush/Cheney reign, irresponsible economic stewardship and the fact that he can’t help but pull out the POW card at least every 5 minutes, just makes me not believe him. We can’t afford John McCain. Can’t afford his supreme court nominations. Can’t afford his finger on the button given his short and ill temper.

9:42 Education the civil rights issue. Choice – hmm, thought this was a bad word in conservative circles. He is probably as genuine as many of my friends who support choice as market competition to improve the public system. Problem is that many others don’t really believe in public education. Another problem, in Texas 4.6mm students and only 30k charter seats, not to mention that most charter schools have been horrible busts. Very few recent examples of Republican privatizations that haven’t been fiscal and performance boondoggles and busts.

9:39 There’s something strange going on in their audience. People not nearly as enthusiastic about McCain as they were for Gov Palin.

9:34 I was about to say nice things about his speech, though now he’s distorting Obama’s position. He couldn’t help himself.

9:22 Another disturbance in the hall? Gotta give him an atta boy for the surge. And, he’s gotta acknowledge we must pull out of Iraq on a timetable – they want it and we can’t sustain not doing so. I’m interested in hearing how he’s going to fight for those threatened by economic challenges. Hope he’s about to tell us more about his plans for the economy.

9:14 He deserves accolades and applauses for what he’s done and how he’s served. Some say it’s been opportunistic since his return from Vietnam. Let’s see if he rises above partisanship and reaches across the aisle, or if it’ll be more red meat. Someone in the hall just held up a sign saying John McCain votes against vets. He did in fact oppose recent legislation to increase Iraq and Afghanistan vet benefits to those of levels of other wars.

9:04 John McCain video. He has served honorably and beyond most. And, we keep hearing from other POWs that they were all offered the opportunity for early release if they would renounce their country. John deserves credit for not doing so. And, an unexaggerated story wouldn’t omit that most other POWs were similarly courageous. I had so much more respect for John McCain when he was standing up to Bush and against torture, understanding how it places our men and women in even more danger. However, on this issue like so many others (immigration, energy dependence, tax cuts & Bob Jones University), he’s lost his courage, trading these principles for political support, a Faustian trade.

8:35 Nice video on Cindy McCain. Good looking kids. hmm, grounded in human rights and fairness? Yeah, is that why 2/3 of delegates are all men and why so few minorities are represented in the party? She hit a homerun with John McCain. Won’t even go there. She’s invoking Ronald Reagan. That’s risky. If I remember correctly Ronald & Nancy Reagan never forgave John McCain for the horrible way he left his first wife (Carol), the beauty queen & swim wear model disfigured in a car accident, then left by John for Cindy (after their extramarital affair). Ronald & Nancy gave Carol a job. Ross Perot had introduced John & Carol to the Reagan’s, then governor of California. While John McCain was in Vietnam, Perot paid all Carol’s hospital bills – over 20 operations. What does Ross Perot say of John McCain? “McCain is the classic opportunist. He’s always reaching for attention and glory,” he says. “After he came home, Carol walked with a limp. So he threw her over for a poster girl with big money from Arizona.”

8:23 Tom Ridge. No energy but okay speaker. At least he’s mostly talking about McCain. I’ve heard these lines before – there’s no red America, there’s no blue America, only red, white and blue America, even though Tom changed the order of words slightly. Their entire convention has been about cooping the themes and words of the Obama campaign, about change, about rising above traditional politics, above partisanship. Unfortunately for them, America is watching while they talk one way and – before our eyes – walk another.

(Community Matters) John Thornton’s McCain Biopic: The Selection of Sarah Palin. Too funny

(Community Matters) David Plouffe makes a good point

(Community Matters) 538’s Nate Silver on Palin’s speech:

Virtually all of the conservative commentariat, and a greater-than-would-care-to-admit-it share of the liberal commentariat think that Sarah Palin hit a home run tonight. I guess I’m just going to have to stick my neck out (along with Josh Marshall) and disagree.

You can tar-and-feather me with this later if I’m wrong. I will make this disclaimer: I’m not necessarily offering a prediction about how the polls are going to move over the next several days. Almost all conventions produce bounces, and this one probably will too (though whether it comes from Palin’s speech rather than McCain’s, or Fred Thompson’s or Rudy Giuliani’s, we probably won’t be able to tell). But I don’t think the speech will be effective beyond the very near term (the next 3-7 days) at moving votes in McCain’s direction, if it moves them at all. And here’s why: continued here

(Community Matters) All about throwing the audience red meat

(Community Matters) Super meeting of providers, funders, advocates and guests at today’s Advisory Council for Breast Cancer Services.  Two special guest presenters.  Dorothy Gibbons from The Rose in Houston spoke about their collaborative initiatives.  Noted that there were more uninsured people in Houston than in 12 states.  Also noted that the crime in what we are facing is that too many women who work won’t qualify for public health care yet don’t have adequate private coverage.  

(Community Matters) In between meetings today I had an extra 25 minutes and decided to walk around Barton Springs.  What a great idea that was.  I highly recommend.

(Community Matters) Taylor Kitsch, who plays Tim Riggins on Friday Night Lights, was hanging reading a book at Jo’s on 2nd Street this morning.  Not to worry I took the photo quite discretely (without flash).  Though, I couldn’t help myself.  I did interrupt him and asked if he was an Obama fan and if he’d consider attending a fundraiser in honor of Senator Obama.  He was quite nice but shrugged, explaining that he’s Canadian and not involved in our politics.

(Community Matters) Thank gosh!