Ryan avoids truth telling in acceptance speech, Maddow owns Walker in interview
Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan speaks before the Republican National Convention Wednesday night August, 29, 2012. In accepting the Republican nomination for Vice-President, it was his first major national speech. Courtesy: Politico.com
Below is a summary of WSB’s live blog of the RNC convention from Wednesday night, August 29, 2012. We joined the evening speeches when Former National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice addressed the convention. She was followed by New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez who gave way to one of the Tea Party’s kingmakers Mike Huckabee. The final speech was given by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as he accepted the Republican nomination for Vice-President.
Probably the most entertaining part of the evening was seeing Scott Walker get grilled by MSNBC anchors Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz after Ryan’s speech. Walker, who has been hailed as a hero this week probably expected to go on television, spew his prepared talking points to the floor reporter, smile his dopey smile, and move on.
We’ve seen the deer in the headlights look before from the Walker camp. Former staffer Ciara Matthews.
But his own hubris got the best of him and he let Maddow ask him a question after floor reporter Ron Mott finished up the interview. Of course, just like his former campaign spokeswoman Cirara Mathews, once he had used up all the mental notecards in his head; he was no match for Maddow and Schultz.
They called Walker out on the lie Ryan had said earlier in the speech and he repeated to Mott about the GM plant in Janesville closing when Obama was president. This assertion by Ryan and Walker has been discredited repeatedly before and was pointed out to Walker during the interview that the plant closed in December 2008 before Barack Obama took office.
Walker simply kept repeating that the president promised to keep the plant open despite the fact it had been slated to close since 2007 due to sagging SUV sales. It stayed open another six months, with a basically skeleton crew of workers after December 2008 to finish up a production order of light trucks GM was building for Isuzu.
The full video is below:
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LiveBlog wrap:
9:38pm
Scott Walker Gets Owned on MSNBC
It was predictable that Walker would be heralded as a conquering hero. Rachel Maddow is calling Walker out about his assertion that President Obama broke his promise to keep the GM plant in Janesville.
Walker sidesteps the question in a way, instead talking about it being closed in two-stages. When asked about the auto bailout Walker said that it should have been a managed bankruptcy like what Mitt Romney advocated. However Mitt Romney has had about five positions on the auto bailout. His first instinct in 2008 was to oppose it and let the industry fail. But earlier this year he took credit for the success of the bailout saying it was his idea.
In this interview, Walker parrots the fallacy that somehow Mitt Romney’s way was better even after Rachel Maddow asked him if there was enough private capital available in 2008 to fund the bailout. Cornered and way out of his league Walker repeated the line that it should of been a managed bankruptcy, continuing the line that the private sector always does it better.
Ed Schultz got into the act, reminding the governor over and over that the Janesville plant was closed in Decmeber 2008 a month before Barack Obama had any governmental power to intervene. Walker glossed over that fact, repeating that plants in Janesville and Kenosha closed, even though he ignores the fact that those plants were marked for death for at least a year and a business man would be the first to tell you that some plants had to clothes.
To blame the president for what decisions where made in the boardroom goes against the central campaign narrative that business can run government better and that government should stay out of the way. Walker should stop trying to debate people who present him with facts and stick to stuff he can handle as governor; like cutting ribbons and showing up at Packer and Badger games when they are in the playoffs.
9:22pm
Not very impressed
By definition I am not impressed with Paul Ryan, save for his exercise routine. While he gave a solid speech meaning he didn’t stumble or sound nervous; he failed to truly inspire and stuck to dishonest and empty applause lines.
Ryan looks like a young Republican that is great at spewing orthodoxy but is a hypocrite when it comes to his actual record as a 14-year congressman that is deeply ingrained in the Washington legislative two-step.
It may be easy to blame the president for the lack of economic progress; but it rings false coming from a politician that voted for all the policies that created the mess and then refused to participate in the recovery.
Tomorrow I’ll be blogging again when Romney accepts the nomination for President from the Republican Party. It will be interesting to see if Romney can overcome the wattage of Ryan, which has so far overshadowed him at this convention.
9:08pm
Ryan Trashes Constitution
“Our rights come from God and not from government” Ryan intones to rapturous applause. A fundamental refrain from the new hyper-conservatives believe that rights are derived from a deity and not the constitution.
Of course the founding fathers were extremely religious, but the final document they approved was specific in that the Constitution informed all laws and policies, not a Christian god.
It begs the question, will Ryan follow the Constitution or the Pope? At least Kennedy could be believed when he said he would follow the law. Republicans have consistently shown in actions they would love to impose a theocracy, a Christian theocracy while at the same time railing against the non-existent threat of Sharia law.
8:59pm
What is on Ryan’s iPod
Ryan tells the audience that he told Mittens that his music interest starts with Led Zeppelin and ends with AC/DC. The campaign was also chastised by Dee Synder of Twisted Sister for using ‘We’re not gonna take it’ as Ryan’s walk-out music.
8:54pm
Playing the mom card
Ryan sends props to his mom for stepping up after his dad died. A poignant moment no doubt since she started her own business to support the family. However, it was used to pivot into the disingenuous attack on the “You didn’t build that line” where Republicans believe that businesses grow and profit in a vacuum without infrastructure that we all know could only be funded by taxpayer money.
So far we have only heard soaring, fuzzy, shiny-happy rhetoric that works well for applause but as usual is very short on specifics.
8:47pm
“We don’t need more words, we need leadership…”
Biggest applause line of the night so far when Ryan recalled the president saying he needed to communicate more to the American people. Ryan responded, “We don’t need more words, we need leadership!”
8:44pm
“A ship sailing on yesterday’s wind”
Ryan says that the president may have inherited the economic problems but has done nothing to fix them…again conveniently forgetting that the Republican congress refused to help govern America out of the crisis.
8:41pm
Protesters get face time
A few code pink protesters are ushered out of the pavilion. They had a banner but from the camera angle I could not tell what it said. Luckily the crowd didn’t break into annoying and patronizing USA! chants.
8:39pm
Paul Ryan Lie #2
Another distracting myth is that the stimulus failed. The stimulus actually was working, but because it wasn’t big enough it only lasted so long and that is why the recovery has slowed to a crawl.
Republicans want it both ways, opposed the original proposed size of the stimulus, then blame the president when it failed as predicted by economists.
8:36pm
Paul Ryan Lie #1
Ryan ticks off all the economic hardships since 2007 and lays it at the feat of Obama. He started with the GM plant that closed in Janesville. However that closed before the president was elected, so clearly his fault.
8:32pm
Wisconsin on the Big TV
Bracing for all the obligatory shots of the Wisconsin GOP delegation. Already have seen a UW-Wisconsin hat and a Cheese cowboy hat. Also getting the obligatory shots of the perfect Republican family with smiley wife and kids.
8:28pm
Paul Ryan is Speaking…
…soon out of both sides of his mouth.
8:27pm
‘We’re Republicans’
New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez is addressing the convention. GOP is sending down an avalanche of women to “appear” as though they like the fairer sex.
Martinez issues a bald-faced lie using a variation of the “They didn’t build that line”. She said the president in 3 years did not pass balanced budget allowed the budget to grow to Trillion to the national debt.
She conveniently left out the fact that the Republican congress refused to participate in passing a budget over those three years and the majority of the debt was from two wars, tax breaks, TAARP funds, all enacted when Republicans owned the White House AND Congress.
8:11pm
Condi Rice’s First Political Speech?
Condoleeza Rice is addressing the Republican National Convention and it is probably the first time I have heard her make an overtly political speech. It will be interesting to see if her words really matter since she was an ineffectual National Security Advisor and Secretary of State.
A man next to me said, “She hasn’t once attacked Obama”. I think that is instructive, she can’t stray far from her national security experience, which is shaky at best.
