Wright HotReport

SO MUCH, SO QUICK....a few thoughts:

BOY, JOHN KERRY CAME OUT SWINGING at his midnight bash post RNC didn't he? MEMO to John Kerry: Dick Cheney's military deferrment 40 years ago is not exactly at the top of the list of voter concerns. Reminder: Mr. Kerry...you TRIED to get deferrments but couldn't..

(I wonder if part of the GOP strategy isn't to bait Kerry into a street brawl, figuring that he, like all insufferably pompous people, will implode.)

MEMO TO JENENE GERAFALO (on MSNBC last night opposite Ron Silver:) uh, no, Mizz Gerafalo, you do NOT sound like a pundit...not even a bad one on CNN...

Side Note: Ron Silver...wow...what a Damascus Road experienece 911 was for him! Ah, this stuff is just too good....too funny.

SPEAKING OF FUNNY, a quick recap of the two conventions proved one thing....Republicans laugh a lot more than Democrats .I mean Zell's speech wasn't exactly SNL...but Rudy and Arnold were muscular yet funny, even Cheney had a few zingers and the President needled himself for a few laughs but sunk more than a few deep ones into the Kerry Edwards ticket.

WORST INTERVIEW IN HISTORY: had to be Ron Reagan interveiwng Terry McAwful on his thoughts on the President's speech. Oh no...I didn't watch it...I'm just sure it HAD TO BE the worst interview ever.

BEST EVER: haven't heard much about it so far, but I thought the lead in video to the Prez was the best I've seen...Fred Thompson was a great choice for the voice over...and the closing was magical. It was the PERFECT WAY to re-introduce the nation to W's best moment...standing on the rubble with the retired fireman and the bullhorn...followed by the perfect strike at the World Series game.

STREET PROTESTORS on Hillsborough Street last night looked a lot like the NYC version we've been treated to on TV this week. Where do all of these 60's throwbacks come from? I gotta think they are falling a bit short of reaching the high and mighty all caring hyper sensitive non-judgemental 19 undecided voters in the country..but maybe that's just me. You gotta love em though....it must be hard to hand make 45 thousand placcards and not form the first coherent thought on any of them.....you would think that randomly a cogent syllable would somehow form just on the law of averages...

WHAT I WANT TO KNOW IS...if John Kerry and the Dems will be so doggone good for the economy, why has Wall Street skyrocketed this week on the news of Bush's impending bump in the polls? Obviously investors know that a lot of new taxes, regulations and lawsuits will not help any job market...except that of Trial Lawyers limo drivers. MEMO to Bush Campaign: sieze this point and hammer it home!! Didn't you notice, the trial lawyers references got the biggest applause lines last night?

AND IS IT JUST ME, or is the Bush Campaign weak on tying the economy to security? If I'm not mistaken, the worst thing to happen to our economy since the Depression WAS 9-11....and that the BEST THING to happen to our economy would be PREVENTING ANOTHER ONE. Why the GOP has let the media and the other campaign separate the two issues is just mind boggling. THEY ARE NOT SEPARATE!

TO SAY THE NIGHT BELONGED TO ZELL MILLER would be an understatement. So much has been said about it...not only the Miller speech but the now famous tete a tete with Chris Matthews. What a hoot. (more later).

Predictably, the media has started the "angry white male" jazz again and brought up the 1992 Pat Buchanan "culture war" speech. C'mon folks...what is Howard Dean if not an angry white man.....or Al Gore (geez)...or Ted Kennedy...these guys have been apoplectic during the campaign.

But it won't work...I think Zell will play well to more than he will turn off. That was even born out in that worst of all polls...the FRANK LUNTZ focus group...where Frank manages to dig up 18 of the least informed least articulate folks in America to talk about the speeches as they go. Even in this crew...11 said Zell made them lean to Bush, 6 said no...and one was an obvious Democratic plant. Gee Frank...aren't you smart enough to pick those out?

But back to Zell v Matthews: Zell still had his speech game face on, then was forced to suffer Judy Woodruff and Bill Schneider with CNN....so he was still in fighting form when he tangled with Matthews.It was loud and confusing from the start...and Zell jumped ugly on Matthews early and often.

TO MATTHEWS' credit, a phrase rarely turned on wrighthot.com, he did admit that the noise and slight delay caused confusion and caused Zell to misinterpret some of what Matthews said. Well gee Chris...you think that knowing about the tough logistics, you might have actually let a conservative guest ANSWER A QUESTION? Shortly after that he was challenged to a dual. Tune in tonight!

TO MATTHEWS SHAME, he finally decided to admit that sometimes the liberals demagogue conservatives by lying about their stands on education, health care, social security, etc. Of course, he's been silent on this issue SINCE 1995 and only brought it up to try and get Zell to admit that's what is happening to Kerry now on some of his anti-military votes. This is somewhat of a conveniently timed epiphany to say the least.

And some people wonder why Fox News has more audience than all other cable networks combined.

Oh, and by the way, Dick Cheney spoke. On paper, I am sure it was reasoned and logical and strong. Coming out via Cheney's mic, it was nothing special. He certainly did his part not to upstage W.

OH MY GOODNESS...more fake left, go right by the suddenly shrewd and "stategerized" Republicans. On a night named "People of Compassion," a title that sent all kinds of new tone shivers down the spine of true conservatives, the "Governator" delivered a speech that included not one single moderate syllable....and it rocked the house, the media, and no doubt the Kerry camp.MSG was never this loud for the Knicks or the Rangers.

AND YOU HAVE to love way we were set up....I may have to rethink my very low opinion of Bush's stategerists. Really now, which was the great new tone moderate moment? Was it

-the "Nixon" moment. (Had the Dems drinking Jim Jones koolaid).

-the "Humphrey sounded like a socialist" moment.

-the "terminate terrorists" moment.

-all of the George W. Bush as a persevering leader moments.

...or, as the "JeffFoxenator"...the litany of "you are a Republican if..." moments.

It was terrific...not just a great moment for GW Bush...but likely a launching pad for who knows what for the "Constitutionator"...since there already is a move afoot from Orin Hatch to remove the constitutional impediments to a Hail to the Cheifinator.

The most important word uttered by Conan the Republican? SOCIALISM. The GOP has been scared to use that word...but with Arnold coming from such a system, he had the "street cred" to use it. And it worked.

I've always said that we need to use that word.....you know...because it is TRUE. Just look at the left of the Democrat party, exemplified by Kerry and Edwards..and it is TEXTBOOK socialism. Like the term "evil empire," you have to say it, weather the storm of outrage, then say it and say it and say it again. Reagan did, moblized free world opinion, and brought down that empire. Now perhaps conservatives will feel free to use the S word.

AND THEN, after ARNOLD...it was the Bush women. Yawn. What a waste of time. But then again. only the Gipper could have followed Arnold...and he wouldn't have wanted to steal the moment.

Oh now those mean Republicans are throwing the media a big bait and switch with their "moderate" convention. I know I know, Rudy G. and McCain (phoney) are definitely moderate on many issues...but none of those issues darkened the microphones Monday night. America's mayor was fabulous as he stuck to his very UNmoderate views on the War on Terror, Iraq and the current Commander in Chief. His double headed zinger on the 2 America's, nailing both John Kerry and John Edwards in the turn of one phrase, was the highlight of the evening. So short...so funny...so revealing...so true. THAT's entertainment. The crowd loved it. MSG was never that alive for the Knicks or the Rangers in 2004.

JOHN MCCAIN continues to be a relatively good boy lately...for a few weeks putting aside his number one cause (John McCain) to stump for W's re-election. The little episode with Michael Moore was bizarre and any chance to paint the Dems as close to Moore can only help. McCain was good, but not great...and not totally into it because, well, he is NOT totally into it. He is only totally into shoring up his image among the main stream media as their Republican darling...which usually means throwing other party members under the bus.

The author of wrighthot.com has been sounding the alarm about this man since 1992...and it's finally catching on a little bit. Mark my words...he'll go left at some point before the convention is over by slamming one of his own and the reporters will eat it up. Remember, the two most dangerous places in the country are standing between McCain and a camera or standing between John Edwards and the back door of an ambulance.