The next day most, if not all, the print media focused their headlines on the Vice President's speech and how he had
'attacked' Kerry and his record while all but ignoring Senator Miller's rousing, fiery speech. John Edwards was on the television
circuit trying to do damage control by pontificating about all the Republican 'hate' at the convention, but he knew just like
the mainstream press knew, Miller's speech had electrified the 'Reagan Democrats' and it was 1984 all over again.
Media
pundits (reporters) could no longer hide their liberal bias and viciously attacked their once beloved Democrat Senator Miller
and right in front of a national audience turned him into a mean, old, hate mongering, racist. He will forever be the liberal
media poster child for Southern Conservative Republicans.
The meltdown continued as the news came in that the most
hated of all media outlets, that 'right-wing shill for the White House', cable channel Fox News had beaten every network including
the 'Big 3' in the Neilsen ratings on Tuesday night. Their worst possible nightmare had come to life and their whole world
was imploding around them.
By Thursday, thousands of protestors had been arrested, a police officer had been beaten,
the press were openly giving an itenerary for the multiple protests that were being held throughout the city each day, President
Bush was being labeled a rapist, terrorist and the devil, yet they mainstream media was focused on the 'hate filled' convention
that was taking place inside Madison Square Garden.
That night the spirit of President Reagan enveloped the arena as
a tribute to his memory was preceded by a moving speech given by his son, Michael Reagan. It reinvigorated the crowd of Republicans
who were almost emotionally spent from the long week they had already at the convention.
Reporters were doing their
best 'Baghdad Bob' impressions through their unopinionated reviews in which they claimed that up until that moment the convention
'just didn't seem to have the impact' it was touted tt provide. They constantly found 'gay' and pro-abortion Republicans to
interview and badger about how they could possibly be Republican when the platform didn't support their position.
Political
commentators asserted that the President better lay out a domestic agenda for the future, because fighting the war on terror
just wouldn't be enough to have an impact with the electorate. They were once again showing just how little they understand
mainstream America.
President Bush finally took the stage and those political commentators knew after the first few
sentences that their goose was cooked. He laid out an impressive forward looking agenda directed at reforming some programs,
expanding other programs, and created expectations for many others.
Then he set his sights on the war on terror and
poured in concrete a resolute stance against terrorism and without an ounce of equivocation that he'd not give a moments hesitation
to making a decision to defend America and stop terrorists before they have a chance to repeat the devastation of 9-11 no
matter how troubling that decision might be for him.
He showed the world just how powerfully traumatic and how deeply
serious he accepted the consequences of his decision when talked about the families of fallen soldiers. "And I have met with
parents and wives and husbands who have received a folded flag, and said a final goodbye to a soldier they loved. I am awed
that so many have used those meetings to say that I am in their prayers to offer encouragement to me. Where does strength
like that come from? How can people so burdened with sorrow also feel such pride? It is because they know their loved one
was last seen doing good. Because they know that liberty was precious to the one they lost. And in those military families,
I have seen the character of a great nation: decent, and idealistic, and strong."
He was visibly shaken and his burden
of grief was palpable and in that moment all of us who support him and many of those who were on the fence made a connection
with him on a visceral level that left us with an understanding that he is just as human as we are, he's just saddled with
a position of power in which he has to make decisions the rest of are glad we don't have to. But we know he will...without
hesitation.
That was the same connection most of us had with Reagan...we knew he wouldn't stand for anybody messing
with America and never hesitated to do what had to be done even if it wasn't politically expedient.
As the balloons
fell on one of the most successful conventions in history, Kerry was fatuously attacking the President and Vice President
over Vietnam. Media pundits were doing their best to downplay the President's powerful message and looking ahead in hopeful
wonder about the next days release of the
job creation and unemployment numbers, which they all expected to be very disappointing for the President.
To their dismay
jobs were created, unemployment was down, the President's approval rating was up and the news reports were filled with the
tragedy that a terrorist group had taken over a school in Russia and they were holding hundreds hostage including school children.
The
war on terror is still front and center in our modern day world and no matter how many times Democrats try to claim that it's
not as important as domestic issues, they are wrong. Just like they were wrong about the Cold War not being as important to
Americans in the Eighties, but Reagan held fast to his beliefs that brought down the tyranny of communism in a giant pile
of rubble. That was his destiny.
And so it is with President Bush. As Senator Miller said, the President will grab
terrorists by the throat and not let go, which may not destroy the concept of terrorism, but will eventually end it's effectiveness
and bring about a world in which terrorists will no longer be able to succeed in their quest to destroy freedom as most of
us know it.
That is his destiny.
The spirit of President Ronald Reagan will prevail as the mainstream media
clamors to understand how and why it happened.
Lee P Butler
