Weapons of Mass Discussion

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

POTUS Visits Cincinnati

From the TIB Network:

Mark and I arrived at the Cincinnati Gardens at about 2PM and already the crowd was quite large. The doors didn't even open until 3:30, so we had some time to chat.

It was first come/first served seating, so fortunately Mark knew the facility and was able to get us to some pretty good seats about 25' away from the main stage.

The Master of Ceremonies was Mike Allen, the Hamilton County prosecuter and Southwest Ohio Bush/Cheney '04 Campaign Chair. Mike is a great guy. If you locals don't know Mike, you should. He's put together a great team and is running a pretty good campaign. This event was fantastic.

Let's get to the good part, shall we?

Suddenly the house lights go down and lighting for the stage got a bit more intense and a number of well placed video screens came to life showing a remote feed from outside the facility. The crowd erupted into applause when the motorcade came on screen. The President eventually emerges from the bus with a smile and a wave to the camera.

A few minutes later, the President entered the arena. I've not heard a crowd cheer so loudly! Cincinnati LOVES this President.

The speech was quite good. The President's delivery was rather polished. His voice was a bit strained, but I can certainly understand that: he had been speaking for two days straight!

The Iraq section of the speech was right on target: we were right to go and we aren't going anywhere until the job is done. The transfer of sovereignty is going to happen on schedule. I recall the President mentioning Fallujah as a hotspot, but that he wasn't giving up there. The military has done a splendid job. (I don't recall the President mentioning the torture situation, but I've heard him express his disgust and promise that those responsible will be the receipients of due justice.)

The economic section of the speech was rather uplifting. Ohio has been hit pretty hard (although I blame our governor, Bob "Tax" Taft (RINO), not the President for that.) Highlighting the declining unemployment numbers and the increasing number of small businesses, the President made the case that the economy is strong and getting better. The tax cuts are working and do need to be made permenant.

One of the most interesting and personally touching sections of the speech dealt with personal responsibility. Here's the section I'm talking about: " We stand for a culture of responsibility in America. The culture of this country is changing from one that has said, if it feels good, do it, and if you've got a problem, blame somebody else, to a culture in which each of us understands we are responsible for the decisions we make in life. (Applause.) If you're fortunate enough to be a mother or a father, you are responsible for loving your child with all your heart. (Applause.) If you're worried about the quality of the education in the community in which you live, you're responsible for doing something about it. (Applause.) If you're a CEO in corporate America, you are responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders and your employees. (Applause.) And in the new responsibility society, each of us is responsible for loving our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved ourselves. (Applause.) " I couldn't agree more. These are powerful words that bring focus to the clear choice we have in November.

We can go forward with President Bush, or... I know who I'M voting for.