Our big party ended last night on a high note with President Bush's acceptance speech, and as I noted elsewhere in another thread (since closed), I think the RNC energized the party faithful and did a good job of kicking the Bush/Cheney campaign into high gear heading into November. There is no question it was, as was the DNC, tightly scripted and planned to deliver the specific messages our party wanted to impart to the American people. I'm no doubt biased, but I think our people did a better job with our convention than the other people did with theirs. Ever since the days of Michael Deaver and Ronald Reagan, the GOP has been really good at doing this sort of thing.

But, I am curious on what my fellow Republicans here in the AD community thought about our party's convention this year.

Did it inspire you? Did it inform you? Did it address the areas that are important to you and that you see as important to America in general? Or, did it miss something?

Did it inspire you? Did it inform you? Did it address the areas that are important to you and that you see as important to America in general? Or, did it miss something?

Insipre, yes. Inform, not really. The only information I got from watching it on MSNBC was how much of an annoying idiot Ron Reagan is. Independent my foot. It did adress areas important to the nation, in the sense that it showed the Dems and Kerry's attitude on foreign policy and how that effects America. Some of the talking heads did mention how they did not touch on stem cell research, gay marriage, and social security. But as Ron Silver said while debating Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog (which was a hilarious bit btw)... no one remembers the domestic issues.

I think the RNC was successful for a few reasons.

- The major speakers...

McCain, Guliani, Schwartzenegger, Miller, Ron Silver, and the nominees all spoke with wit, passion, and agressiveness. They got you riled up and ready to camp out ay the nearest polling place for the next sixty days. They weren't afraid to attack the Dems and Kerry/Edwards.

Another reason - They did what the Dems were afraid to do, go on the offensive, because all the polls told them it would be detrimental.

Well, it worked for Bush...

Bush grabs gain in polls

Now I know the libs would say, and I've said it, was that a bump is always expected out of a convention. Well, first off, can any of you tell me you expected an 11 point jump? And second, if you use the tightness of the race and the small bump Kerry out coming out of the DNC, it should be a susprise. Other numbers from the link...

On who to trust to handle the economy... (seen as a weak point for Bush)

47% Bush/45% Kerry

On providing strong leadership...

56% Bush/37% Kerry

On the handling the war on terror...

57% Bush/ 36% Kerry

Go through all the numbers, you'll see Bush heads most of the polls.

Another reason - Prominent Democrats speaking to support Bush.

Funny how the two most passionate and agressive speakers were Democrats. Ron Silver was not afraid to throw his support whole-heartedly to Bush and even criticized his own industry for it's policy of pointing out whats wrong in the world but not willing to support action against it.

Now I don't know if you saw Zell Miller speak, but this man was irate at his own party. This guy, IMO, ripped Kerry/Edwards a new one. And not once did he (or anyone at the convention for that matter) challenge Kerry's Vietnam record. In fact, a few speakers praised him for his service. But man, when it came to his twenty years in the Senate (which the left want you to focus on anyway), Miller oratorically bombed this guy into the stone age.

So now we have an 11 point bump, which I know I didn't, as well as others expected. So did this convention do the job? You bet.

This is a great point, Titus, the support FOR Bush. If we look back to the DNC, and I really don't want to talk much about that here, I've already ticked off enough liberals in the forum as it is, but what we saw at the DNC was more anti-Bush than pro-Kerry. Contrast that with the speeches from John McCain, Arnold, Rudy, et all... They talked about why they SUPPORTED Bush.

We have heard from the other side about how "united their party is in anger towards President Bush". But, it seems to me, and I've been observing these conventions for a very long time that our party is really united in FAVOR of our candidate. Republicans geniunely want him to win re-election, not just for Kerry to lose. This may explain the "bounce" people are talking about. I honestly haven't seen the kind of excitement FOR a candidate in the GOP since Reagan in 1984 and he cleaned Mondale's clock in that election.

I think from here on out, Bush looks forward. He continues to lay out his agenda and talk about what he IS going to do in the next four years, not what he WANTS to do. It's time we started talking like winners. Let the Kerry campaign whine and moan and cite Kerry's service in Vietnam, we are on a mission for America and have better and more productive things to do.