GOP CONCLUDES CONVENTION WITH LESS THAN 60 DAYS TO ELECTION

For both Democrats and Republicans at the national level, the opening ceremonies are over and the main event is about to begin, as John McCain formally accepted the GOP presidential nomination last night in St. Paul, Minn. And with less than 60 days before Election Day, that race will be a sprint.

McCain’s acceptance speech set the tone for Republicans. It wasn’t about style, it was about substance. It wasn’t about idioms, it was about ideas. And it wasn’t about talking about grandiose change, it was about fighting for real change.

“We’re going to recover the people’s trust by standing up again for the values Americans admire,” McCain said, summing up best why he needs to be the next President of the United States. “The party of Lincoln, Roosevelt and Reagan is going to get back to basics.”

He presented solid plans for energy independence, cutting taxes, reducing wasteful spending, creating open markets, creating jobs, and providing equal access to public education. “We believe in a strong defense, work, faith, service, a culture of life, personal responsibility, the rule of law, and judges who dispense justice impartially and don’t legislate from the bench,” McCain said.

And he was right, right, right.

South Carolina’s Sen. Lindsey Graham preceded McCain and used his travels abroad with the Arizona senator to hammer home McCain’s national security credentials.

“The troops we met - the sergeants, captains, and colonels - had such respect and admiration for Senator McCain they felt comfortable giving him something he knows a lot about — Straight Talk,” Graham said. “They said — Senator McCain, this ain’t working. John heard their message and put their interests ahead of his own. He came back to Washington and told everyone, including Republicans, - we must change course.”

And Graham even took a couple of strong shots at Democrat Barack Obama. “We know the surge has worked. Our men and women in uniform know it has worked. I promise you — above all others — Al Qaeda knows it has worked. The only people who deny it are Barack Obama and his buddies at MoveOn.org,” Graham said.

Graham, like a number of other South Carolinians, is also facing an election on Nov. 4. Fortunately for him, he will easily defeat his opponent and gain a second term in the U.S. Senate.

But not every race in South Carolina will be a blowout.

Numerous state legislative elections promise for some real fireworks over the next 59-and-a-half days. Although it’s unlikely, there may even end up being a Congressional race worth watching. Watch for a list of all the exciting races from The Palmetto Scoop very soon.

For now though, it’s time to get excited about the McCain-Palin ticket and begin the sprint toward Election Day.

(Photo: Getty Images)

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UPDATE: The video of Graham’s complete speech below:

And Cindy McCain:

And John McCain:

This entry was posted on Friday, September 5th, 2008 at 10:37 am and is filed under Legislature, National news, U.S. Congress. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.