Day: September 3, 2004

Is it over yet?

GOP convention…

I’m still bothered by the harsh speech of Senator Zell Miller (D-Ga.). Sort of amused how Slate.com’s “Whopper” notes a delicious example of Miller’s own flip-floppiness (in March 2001, he praised – gasp – John Kerry). On the other hand, I’d note that the quote of praise was a pre-9/11/01 quote, which I’d wonder if that may or may not partly explain Miller’s transformation (9/11/01 changes people – like supposed liberal actor Ron Silver – into being Bush supporters). Or, as this other Slate.com article notes, my thinking that way of Miller maybe likely not be correct (he apparently went more Republican/conservative for awhile).

And, I still can’t keep thinking about Senator Bill Frist’s speech about how trial lawyers are bad for patients and doctors. And, then the President made a mention about those bad trial lawyers again tonight. I mean, jeez, does anyone realize that, as much as it’s easy to hate a litigator (especially for taking a lucrative contingency fee), a litigator isn’t quite the reason why insurance premiums are too high for doctors (I’d blame the insurance industry for that). Corporate lawyers sometimes make good money too, but it’s not like they’re as hated (although, corporate reform’s a big thing these days, it doesn’t bring out cowering doctors like the way medical malpractice does it). And, so I don’t like it that critics seem to hold it against John Edwards just because he was – gasp – a litigator (and a good one, apparently). Fortunately, I can always read this Findlaw.com article by a torts prof of the Alma Mater Law School to be reassured that doctors shouldn’t hold Edward’s being a litigator against him on Election Day.

(no, according to the GOP convention, there are other reasons to not vote for Kerry-Edwards – but I won’t go into that).

Elaine Chao, Secretary of US Dept. of Labor, did not “wow” me with her convention speech the other night. I’ll leave it at that; maybe it had to do with the delivery or tone of it. I don’t know.

Belated news (on my part, anyway; it was in Time magazine when I read it last week, but I found a link and I can note it to coincide with the GOP convention): Hiram Fong, first Asian-American U.S. Senator (Republican to boot) passed away in August, at the age of 97.

NYC still stands – all we need is for the protestors and the Republicans to go shop and pump something into the economy.

Pretty nice weather – sunshine and ok temperatures. TGIF…