The American Spectator

With the Democrats already cavorting in beautiful Denver, it’s not too early to look ahead to the upcoming McCain Fest in Minnesota. Along with the serious business of nominating a presidential ticket, there’ll be plenty of entertainment possibilities.

We just checked out the party and event list compiled by The Hill in Washington, D.C., and there are highlights galore. First up is “A Very Minnesota Celebration” beginning at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Minneapolis Convention Center. Not sure what that means, but a 9 a.m. start time certainly sounds right for a very Minnesota party. If that’s too much excitement, consider the “American Demographics” forum at 11 a.m. Sunday at the Science Museum. Then there’s the “Rebuilding New Orleans Brunch” at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the Hotel Minneapolis. (It’s not clear if it’s a kickoff event for the rebuilding effort.) And what convention would be complete without the Beach Boys? You can catch them at 7:30 p.m. Monday at International Market Square in Minneapolis.

SO LET’S SUM up, shall we?

For the liberals: Going into this election, as has more or less been the case since the Democrats nominated the far-left George McGovern in 1972, we have one party that finds nothing odd or unusual about having a terrorist as a personal friend, has become an active advocate of losing wars in which the United States is involved, has adopted the aborting of children as a high moral value and believes the best energy policy is to sue energy companies and inflate tires. It never blinks (until the camera lights go on) at a pastor who espouses vividly racist politics and honors a president who actively opposed the right of women to vote. They believe all women are pro-choice professionals, and if they are not they are somehow not women. This party believes that it’s OK to purchase personal property through a convicted felon rather than a bank or with investments, celebrates the role of a “community organizer” who created not a single job and has the idea that wholesome entertainment at a political convention is to see how long it takes delegates to put a condom on a banana.

For the conservatives: The other party treasures a friend who won the Congressional Medal of Honor and was tortured repeatedly by a vicious American enemy. They celebrate the creation of life, especially the life of a disabled child, and believe strongly that the United States should win the wars it has committed to fighting. This party believes the way to make the nation energy independent is to drill here and drill now. They don’t see anything odd about having a pastor who believes in marriage between a man and a woman. They believe women can be as intellectually diverse as any other group, and see nothing unusual much less wrong if a woman is pro-life. They understand how jobs should be created and actively do so. They also understand the need for banks and investments to buy personal property and to increase the net worth of a family. The thought of attending a concert by a hit rock band from the 1960’s whose stock in trade is beach music makes them laugh and brings back good memories. It would never occur to spend their time at a political convention putting condoms on bananas.

Let the election begin.

Jeffrey Lord is a former Reagan White House political director and author. He writes from Pennsylvania.