Karma for McCain after breaking the Dead Week tradition of silence.
McCain announcing Palin right after the DNC is fair game, but his announcement mid-week that he'd made his veep selection was a little gauche. Apparently the Gulf of Mexico agrees. Gustav, the hurricane that may remove all hope of New Orleans' eventual recovery is making waves all the way in St. Paul. The GOP announced that Monday would be a reduced schedule for the convention--all business, no "rhetoric", according to reports that went in to CNN.
I personally think this is a very good move by the GOP, to try not to touch anything that involves Nawlins after the flap over the response to Katrina. The Worb will keep you updated as the RNC progresses.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Prolonging the Maverick
Why McCain/Palin need to reinvent Republicanism, or put the heat on the donkey.
Here's a statement you don't want to make on the internet: I am a registered Republican. I'm registered in Colorado, where I haven't lived since 2006, but there you have it. I would have cared enough to do this in Utah, but registering Democrat would be hypocritical of me and Republican doesn't quite fit either. Now in Arizona ("McCainland"), I'm voting Obama. I see little hope for McCain getting into the White House much less doing a good job of it, especially given his recent bent toward bushleaguing and GOP kowtowing. He is a Republican and a conservative, but has always (whether deserved or not) had a reputation of a maverick in Washington, which given my lowly month of Arizonan-ness, makes tonnes of sense. The People of the Desert do things their own way, whether you like it or not. That edge was effectively circumsized from his platform, probably due to party pressures. He's been a funny-looking maverick since then, playing right into leftsiders' views of Republicans and not really offering anything interesting to anyone. He doesn't stand a chance as is. There are two options for him, it appears:
1.) Put the heat on the Democratic Party. Having been accused of fearmongering, the Mac Camp might do well to stop pandering to the ignorant ultra-right and play more to those who are painfully straddling the fence, unsure of Obama's Clinton-esque healthcare, or a little less hasty to pull the troops out of Iraq by tonight at dinnertime. This isn't done by impugning Obama's dignity--this is done by pointing out the difference between the parties. If Mac's going to pander to the party, he'd better do some better PR. The war hero card really only pulls soldiers and vets, who are already likely to go red in November. Obama's popular and cool, but the Democratic Party has pushed some fairly unpopular legislation in its day. Most people still oppose gay marriage and other moral/religious hot topics. Bringing out the godless side of the Left would do him well.
or
2.) With the youthful Palin at his side, he could stick it to the GOP again, and shed some of the more ignorant points of the party, and start rebranding. Issues like border control become less "They're criminals and have to go home" and more "We need to secure our borders, but the way we're doing it right now isn't helping. Let's sit down and talk about it." The more deliberate center-right that's up and coming might really appreciate some aisle-crossing even if you can't say that to Republicans outright.
We'll see in Minnesota whether either will take place. Personal opinion: McCain's groupies aren't smart enough to pull either off.
Here's a statement you don't want to make on the internet: I am a registered Republican. I'm registered in Colorado, where I haven't lived since 2006, but there you have it. I would have cared enough to do this in Utah, but registering Democrat would be hypocritical of me and Republican doesn't quite fit either. Now in Arizona ("McCainland"), I'm voting Obama. I see little hope for McCain getting into the White House much less doing a good job of it, especially given his recent bent toward bushleaguing and GOP kowtowing. He is a Republican and a conservative, but has always (whether deserved or not) had a reputation of a maverick in Washington, which given my lowly month of Arizonan-ness, makes tonnes of sense. The People of the Desert do things their own way, whether you like it or not. That edge was effectively circumsized from his platform, probably due to party pressures. He's been a funny-looking maverick since then, playing right into leftsiders' views of Republicans and not really offering anything interesting to anyone. He doesn't stand a chance as is. There are two options for him, it appears:
1.) Put the heat on the Democratic Party. Having been accused of fearmongering, the Mac Camp might do well to stop pandering to the ignorant ultra-right and play more to those who are painfully straddling the fence, unsure of Obama's Clinton-esque healthcare, or a little less hasty to pull the troops out of Iraq by tonight at dinnertime. This isn't done by impugning Obama's dignity--this is done by pointing out the difference between the parties. If Mac's going to pander to the party, he'd better do some better PR. The war hero card really only pulls soldiers and vets, who are already likely to go red in November. Obama's popular and cool, but the Democratic Party has pushed some fairly unpopular legislation in its day. Most people still oppose gay marriage and other moral/religious hot topics. Bringing out the godless side of the Left would do him well.
or
2.) With the youthful Palin at his side, he could stick it to the GOP again, and shed some of the more ignorant points of the party, and start rebranding. Issues like border control become less "They're criminals and have to go home" and more "We need to secure our borders, but the way we're doing it right now isn't helping. Let's sit down and talk about it." The more deliberate center-right that's up and coming might really appreciate some aisle-crossing even if you can't say that to Republicans outright.
We'll see in Minnesota whether either will take place. Personal opinion: McCain's groupies aren't smart enough to pull either off.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Campaign Trivia
Combing through the annals of history.
With the pick of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate, much has been made of the historical nature of the event. Not only is she the first woman to be nominated to the Republican ticket, but only the second woman ever nominated to a major party ticket. She's also the first Alaskan to be nominated to a major party ticket. That got us here at the Worb thinking - what other states have yet to field a presidential or vice presidential nominee?
Since the 1788, fifteen of the fifty states have yet to be represented by a major party candidate. And for those of you with insatiable curiosity, here they are:
One last note: while Barack Obama was born in Hawaii (contrary to some rumors), he is currently representing Illinois, so he is counted as being from Illinois.
Find any states or candidates I forgot? Leave a comment and set me straight!
With the pick of Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate, much has been made of the historical nature of the event. Not only is she the first woman to be nominated to the Republican ticket, but only the second woman ever nominated to a major party ticket. She's also the first Alaskan to be nominated to a major party ticket. That got us here at the Worb thinking - what other states have yet to field a presidential or vice presidential nominee?
Since the 1788, fifteen of the fifty states have yet to be represented by a major party candidate. And for those of you with insatiable curiosity, here they are:
- Colorado
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Mississppi
- Montana
- New Mexico
- Nevada
- North Dakota
- Oklahoma
- Rhode Island
- Utah
- Washington
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
One last note: while Barack Obama was born in Hawaii (contrary to some rumors), he is currently representing Illinois, so he is counted as being from Illinois.
Find any states or candidates I forgot? Leave a comment and set me straight!
Big, big surprise
John McCain ensures that all eyes are on him following Barack Obama's big speech.
John McCain was set to announce his running mate today, and by all accounts, it was going to be a fairly traditional affair. He was likely to pick someone like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney, whose names had been floating around for months. Then, this morning, everything was turned on its head.
Pawlenty announced that he would not be in Dayton this morning, the site of McCain's scheduled rally. When asked if that meant he was not going to be the pick, he told reporters that they could "draw [their] own conclusion." Romney also announced that he would not be in Dayton, leaving pundits without any names to go on.
And then, the bomb dropped - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Who? Palin is actually a very savvy choice. She ousted the old guard in staunchly conservative Alaska. She's young - at age 44, she balances the 72-years old today McCain. And - get this - she's a woman. If there was any doubt before that McCain is doing all that he can to court disaffected Hillary supporters, there isn't now. After all the tough talk about McCain not actually being much of a maverick during the DNC, he pulls off a move out of nowhere that removes all doubt. Very, very impressive move.
John McCain was set to announce his running mate today, and by all accounts, it was going to be a fairly traditional affair. He was likely to pick someone like Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty or Mitt Romney, whose names had been floating around for months. Then, this morning, everything was turned on its head.
Pawlenty announced that he would not be in Dayton this morning, the site of McCain's scheduled rally. When asked if that meant he was not going to be the pick, he told reporters that they could "draw [their] own conclusion." Romney also announced that he would not be in Dayton, leaving pundits without any names to go on.
And then, the bomb dropped - Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Who? Palin is actually a very savvy choice. She ousted the old guard in staunchly conservative Alaska. She's young - at age 44, she balances the 72-years old today McCain. And - get this - she's a woman. If there was any doubt before that McCain is doing all that he can to court disaffected Hillary supporters, there isn't now. After all the tough talk about McCain not actually being much of a maverick during the DNC, he pulls off a move out of nowhere that removes all doubt. Very, very impressive move.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Main Event
The thrilling conclusion to four days of political pageantry.
I'm pretty sure I found the song I want to be playing when Obama takes the stage: "Keep Hope Alive," by the Crystal Method. What could be more fitting than a song whose lyrics are taken from the Jesse Jackson speech of the same name?
Also, one thing I missed from the Gore speech. As expected, he invoked his own failed campaign of 2000, but he made an interesting point. He said that in that election, most people felt that the two were so similar on nearly every point that it didn't particularly matter which of them became president. (In retrospect, it mattered very much.) He warned voters of falling victim to the same line of thought. It's a point well received.
Senior Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is introducing Obama right now by reminding everyone that he did the same thing in 2004. What a difference four years make. I remember after the keynote address having a hard time remembering which of his names was his first name. ("Barack Obama? Obama Barack? Something like that, I forget.") Now he's easily one of the most famous names in American politics. The crowd is all fired up, but it's not for Durbin. I think just about anyone on earth could be speaking right now - Ben Stein, my landlord, the corpse of Grover Cleveland - and the crowd would be yelling and screaming with anticipation. He's got them all chanting "yes we can!", a phrase I haven't heard much of since the primaries. Why is that, anyway? Isn't this the phrase most associated with Obama? Where did it go?
Here comes the introductory video. They're playing up the single mother and hard-knock life aspect of him, which is in keeping with everything else in this convention. Make him a man of the people, a person just like everyone else, and people won't be so scared of him. People fear what they don't understand. By making Obama more approachable, they remove some of that fear. Even if it doesn't work like they hope, they still have the very personable Joe Biden. That said, they're doing all they can to play up this aspect of him.
Side note: while we aren't hearing much from the narrator this time (no Tom Hanks, friends), he really sounds to me like David Strathairn. No Morgan Freeman, who is in my mind, the quintessential narrator, but he's a great choice, if it is him.
I'm starting to wonder what the opening line of the speech will be. Is it going to be like in 2004, when Kerry walked out saying, "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty?" I always thought that was a great line.
And here he is - and if I'm not mistaken, that was a song by Keane that he walked out to. That's an interesting choice of music. Also, it has to be deafening in Denver. 75,000 screaming Obama fans going crazy all at once. Somehow, it's just not the same over the internet.
Ooh - the crowd provided his opening line for him, chanting "yes we can!" at him. They beat him to the punch. His response, "I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States," wasn't nearly as good, but it still generated a cheer that sounded like an atom bomb went off at Mile High Stadium. He gets off right away by praising the candidate who "traveled farther than anyone else," Hillary Clinton (duh).
This was cute - when he mentioned Michelle, everyone jumped up to their feet, but one of his daughters (Sasha?) took a couple of seconds to figure it out. When she did, she looked at Michelle and said, "Hey, that's you!" I love stuff like that.
So far, he hasn't really said anything new. He's reminding people that we face tough times, economically and militarily, and that while the government isn't responsible for the problems, they certainly aren't responding or doing anything about them. His response, "We are a better country than this," is an interesting one, though. It's not just that he can do better than McCain. It's that we as a people can do better. That's a great way to make the argument. It's not about him (though it had better be eventually), but it's about us. We can do better. We must do better. Clever way to take the focus off himself, and therefore the negative image McCain has put on him.
"We love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight." "Eight is enough." That's a slogan that could go on a bumper sticker. In fact, the crowd is chanting it right now. This campaign could do with more simple statements like that. Lofty rhetoric is great and all - it inspires, and it's definitely a strength of Obama's - but simple things like that stick in people's minds more than great speeches do.
Here's another good one - "I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change," a great dig at McCain's 90% voting record with Bush. The word "maverick" is synonymous with McCain by now. Tearing that image apart is an interesting strategy. Actually, it's an awful lot like the GOP destroying Obama's image of hope and replacing it with fear.
Here he goes into taxes and the economy. "John McCain doesn't get it." I keep waiting for him to drop some specifics. I like the idea of fixing the economy, but I want to know how he's going to do it. Now would be a great time to dispense with some of that.
Here he goes again citing the Clinton presidency. Good comparison - after all, Clinton is one of only two Democratic presidents since 1968, and certainly the popular one. Reminding people what life was like during the 1990s is a great way to get them to vote for you. Times were good economically then. Times haven't been so great since them. It's the economy, stupid. Think that phrase is going to come back before November?
He just told the story of his grandmother working her way up through the ranks to middle management and all the while giving any spare money she had toward Obama's future. Boy, did that get a cheer. He then asked the audience (indirectly) if that was the sort of life celebrities lead. Very masterfully done. He doesn't look particularly elitist to me tonight.
Here's a thought - is the reason we think Obama is such a great speaker mostly because of his voice? If John McCain were to deliver the same speech, I don't think it would come off as nearly as powerful. The baritone voice that projects and inspires - that's where the power is.
"I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper." Words taken directly from the 2004 keynote speech. I was waiting for something like that. That's the way to bring back the glory of that earlier speech that launched his career.
Ooh, specifics! He's starting to say exactly what he wants to do to restart the economy - no tax raises for little people (95% of all working families), restoring domestic manufacturing jobs, eliminating the capital gains tax for small businesses, and a clear goal to eliminate our dependance for Middle East oil within 10 years. Wow, is that last one bold. If he can do that, he'd easily be the greatest president in recent history - probably at least since FDR. No idea how he can pull that off, but that's a tremendous promise. Good luck matching up to that. Also, good luck in preventing the GOP from eating that promise for breakfast. Expect to hear a lot about that line over the next two months.
Actually, he's doing a good job of explaining how he plans to get rid of foreign oil, and it sounds like a solid plan. Obama's been criticized for not providing specifics for months, and now he's finally proving everyone wrong. This is a big deal - it makes him more of a heavyweight on the political circuit. No more saying that Obama's just an empty suit with pretty words. This is serious, meaty stuff. Very impressive.
"If you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education." And there's the bit about health care, which has to be the focus of this campaign. He just promised lower premiums and the same coverage Congressmen get. Citing his mother arguing with insurance agents brought a huge cheer. You can't help but wonder what Hillary is thinking, though. This has been her thing since 1992. If it were up to me, I'd appoint her to head up the health care movement as soon as I took office. She clearly knows the most about it. Let her get it done.
He's going to go through the budget "line by line" to find ways to cut spending and make things more efficient. I know it's not what he's talking about, but does this make anyone else think of the movie Dave? You know, the bit where he brings Charles Grodin in to cut the fat out of the budget? "We cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy."
That was a sharp dig at McCain's temper. He's accusing him of having too short a fuse to be an effective commander in chief. That's an argument we haven't heard for a while. I don't know how relevant it is, but it's interesting to hear it again.
More focus on the war in Afghanistan instead of Iraq. I agree that's more important, but I can't help but wonder if Afghanistan will turn into the new Iraq in a couple of years. Isn't that how it went for the Soviet Union? Isn't that how it went for us? We thought we beat them into the ground, but surprise surprise, the Taliban is back in power only a few years later. I don't know that it's going to be as simple as everyone makes it out to be.
Nice shot at the national security issue. "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. Don't tell me the Democrats aren't going to keep this country safe."
This is another good one - he's pledging to restore the image of America as the world's "last, best hope." I kept hoping this was going to come up, and it finally did. I still think this is one of the biggest assets Obama has to offer. Just about the entire world wants to see Obama elected over McCain. Doesn't that affect our decision at all? Don't we want to restore American prestige?
Another chorus of "yes we can!" after he throws out the line about the country not being red states or blue states, but united states. He's talking about unity - lofty rhetoric, too - while offering specific issues for people to think about. Best of both worlds here. Obama supporters get what they want - a beautiful speech, and it's been impressive so far - and the McCain camp gets what they've been clamoring for, specifics. Let them chew on that for a while. You'd better believe we'll hear a lot about them next week.
"If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you run on stale tactics." Accusing the McCain camp of using fear rather than solving America's problems. That's a good point, too. I haven't heard a whole lot of ways McCain plans to solve the economic problems or anything else. Just that Obama will ruin the country if he's elected.
"What the naysayers have never understood is that this election is not about me. It's about you." Brilliant. Take the focus off himself and place it on the people. On the party. Is McCain going to attack the common people? He can attack Obama, but as long as he keeps the focus on the people, he's in good shape, I think.
Obama says he's seen the change coming. There has been a lot of change over the last year or so. He says it may not be easy, but it's on its way. Change again. That was the defining word of the primary season, and I've been waiting for a while for it to come back. Here it is, full force.
He's citing the "I Have a Dream" speech, which you had to know was coming, since it was delivered 45 years ago today. With all the references over the last few minutes, I almost expected him to say that he had a dream, too. It would have been impressive, but you have to believe there would have been plagiarism charges all over the place.
And that's it. Was it the prettiest speech he's ever given? No, I don't think so, but it might be the most important. He went a long way toward throwing out specifics and shaking the image of him as someone without substance. I think the GOP will be hard-pressed to outdo this convention. McCain can't match up to Obama in giving a speech. It's not even close. Look for a lot of demonizing and a lot of fearmongering, if you ask me. I'm not trying to color anyone's judgment of their tactics, but given how the campaign has gone so far, I don't expect anything different, unless they suddenly decide to reinvent the Republican brand.
I'm pretty sure I found the song I want to be playing when Obama takes the stage: "Keep Hope Alive," by the Crystal Method. What could be more fitting than a song whose lyrics are taken from the Jesse Jackson speech of the same name?
Also, one thing I missed from the Gore speech. As expected, he invoked his own failed campaign of 2000, but he made an interesting point. He said that in that election, most people felt that the two were so similar on nearly every point that it didn't particularly matter which of them became president. (In retrospect, it mattered very much.) He warned voters of falling victim to the same line of thought. It's a point well received.
Senior Illinois Senator Dick Durbin is introducing Obama right now by reminding everyone that he did the same thing in 2004. What a difference four years make. I remember after the keynote address having a hard time remembering which of his names was his first name. ("Barack Obama? Obama Barack? Something like that, I forget.") Now he's easily one of the most famous names in American politics. The crowd is all fired up, but it's not for Durbin. I think just about anyone on earth could be speaking right now - Ben Stein, my landlord, the corpse of Grover Cleveland - and the crowd would be yelling and screaming with anticipation. He's got them all chanting "yes we can!", a phrase I haven't heard much of since the primaries. Why is that, anyway? Isn't this the phrase most associated with Obama? Where did it go?
Here comes the introductory video. They're playing up the single mother and hard-knock life aspect of him, which is in keeping with everything else in this convention. Make him a man of the people, a person just like everyone else, and people won't be so scared of him. People fear what they don't understand. By making Obama more approachable, they remove some of that fear. Even if it doesn't work like they hope, they still have the very personable Joe Biden. That said, they're doing all they can to play up this aspect of him.
Side note: while we aren't hearing much from the narrator this time (no Tom Hanks, friends), he really sounds to me like David Strathairn. No Morgan Freeman, who is in my mind, the quintessential narrator, but he's a great choice, if it is him.
I'm starting to wonder what the opening line of the speech will be. Is it going to be like in 2004, when Kerry walked out saying, "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty?" I always thought that was a great line.
And here he is - and if I'm not mistaken, that was a song by Keane that he walked out to. That's an interesting choice of music. Also, it has to be deafening in Denver. 75,000 screaming Obama fans going crazy all at once. Somehow, it's just not the same over the internet.
Ooh - the crowd provided his opening line for him, chanting "yes we can!" at him. They beat him to the punch. His response, "I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States," wasn't nearly as good, but it still generated a cheer that sounded like an atom bomb went off at Mile High Stadium. He gets off right away by praising the candidate who "traveled farther than anyone else," Hillary Clinton (duh).
This was cute - when he mentioned Michelle, everyone jumped up to their feet, but one of his daughters (Sasha?) took a couple of seconds to figure it out. When she did, she looked at Michelle and said, "Hey, that's you!" I love stuff like that.
So far, he hasn't really said anything new. He's reminding people that we face tough times, economically and militarily, and that while the government isn't responsible for the problems, they certainly aren't responding or doing anything about them. His response, "We are a better country than this," is an interesting one, though. It's not just that he can do better than McCain. It's that we as a people can do better. That's a great way to make the argument. It's not about him (though it had better be eventually), but it's about us. We can do better. We must do better. Clever way to take the focus off himself, and therefore the negative image McCain has put on him.
"We love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight." "Eight is enough." That's a slogan that could go on a bumper sticker. In fact, the crowd is chanting it right now. This campaign could do with more simple statements like that. Lofty rhetoric is great and all - it inspires, and it's definitely a strength of Obama's - but simple things like that stick in people's minds more than great speeches do.
Here's another good one - "I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change," a great dig at McCain's 90% voting record with Bush. The word "maverick" is synonymous with McCain by now. Tearing that image apart is an interesting strategy. Actually, it's an awful lot like the GOP destroying Obama's image of hope and replacing it with fear.
Here he goes into taxes and the economy. "John McCain doesn't get it." I keep waiting for him to drop some specifics. I like the idea of fixing the economy, but I want to know how he's going to do it. Now would be a great time to dispense with some of that.
Here he goes again citing the Clinton presidency. Good comparison - after all, Clinton is one of only two Democratic presidents since 1968, and certainly the popular one. Reminding people what life was like during the 1990s is a great way to get them to vote for you. Times were good economically then. Times haven't been so great since them. It's the economy, stupid. Think that phrase is going to come back before November?
He just told the story of his grandmother working her way up through the ranks to middle management and all the while giving any spare money she had toward Obama's future. Boy, did that get a cheer. He then asked the audience (indirectly) if that was the sort of life celebrities lead. Very masterfully done. He doesn't look particularly elitist to me tonight.
Here's a thought - is the reason we think Obama is such a great speaker mostly because of his voice? If John McCain were to deliver the same speech, I don't think it would come off as nearly as powerful. The baritone voice that projects and inspires - that's where the power is.
"I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper." Words taken directly from the 2004 keynote speech. I was waiting for something like that. That's the way to bring back the glory of that earlier speech that launched his career.
Ooh, specifics! He's starting to say exactly what he wants to do to restart the economy - no tax raises for little people (95% of all working families), restoring domestic manufacturing jobs, eliminating the capital gains tax for small businesses, and a clear goal to eliminate our dependance for Middle East oil within 10 years. Wow, is that last one bold. If he can do that, he'd easily be the greatest president in recent history - probably at least since FDR. No idea how he can pull that off, but that's a tremendous promise. Good luck matching up to that. Also, good luck in preventing the GOP from eating that promise for breakfast. Expect to hear a lot about that line over the next two months.
Actually, he's doing a good job of explaining how he plans to get rid of foreign oil, and it sounds like a solid plan. Obama's been criticized for not providing specifics for months, and now he's finally proving everyone wrong. This is a big deal - it makes him more of a heavyweight on the political circuit. No more saying that Obama's just an empty suit with pretty words. This is serious, meaty stuff. Very impressive.
"If you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education." And there's the bit about health care, which has to be the focus of this campaign. He just promised lower premiums and the same coverage Congressmen get. Citing his mother arguing with insurance agents brought a huge cheer. You can't help but wonder what Hillary is thinking, though. This has been her thing since 1992. If it were up to me, I'd appoint her to head up the health care movement as soon as I took office. She clearly knows the most about it. Let her get it done.
He's going to go through the budget "line by line" to find ways to cut spending and make things more efficient. I know it's not what he's talking about, but does this make anyone else think of the movie Dave? You know, the bit where he brings Charles Grodin in to cut the fat out of the budget? "We cannot meet 21st century challenges with a 20th century bureaucracy."
That was a sharp dig at McCain's temper. He's accusing him of having too short a fuse to be an effective commander in chief. That's an argument we haven't heard for a while. I don't know how relevant it is, but it's interesting to hear it again.
More focus on the war in Afghanistan instead of Iraq. I agree that's more important, but I can't help but wonder if Afghanistan will turn into the new Iraq in a couple of years. Isn't that how it went for the Soviet Union? Isn't that how it went for us? We thought we beat them into the ground, but surprise surprise, the Taliban is back in power only a few years later. I don't know that it's going to be as simple as everyone makes it out to be.
Nice shot at the national security issue. "We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. Don't tell me the Democrats aren't going to keep this country safe."
This is another good one - he's pledging to restore the image of America as the world's "last, best hope." I kept hoping this was going to come up, and it finally did. I still think this is one of the biggest assets Obama has to offer. Just about the entire world wants to see Obama elected over McCain. Doesn't that affect our decision at all? Don't we want to restore American prestige?
Another chorus of "yes we can!" after he throws out the line about the country not being red states or blue states, but united states. He's talking about unity - lofty rhetoric, too - while offering specific issues for people to think about. Best of both worlds here. Obama supporters get what they want - a beautiful speech, and it's been impressive so far - and the McCain camp gets what they've been clamoring for, specifics. Let them chew on that for a while. You'd better believe we'll hear a lot about them next week.
"If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you run on stale tactics." Accusing the McCain camp of using fear rather than solving America's problems. That's a good point, too. I haven't heard a whole lot of ways McCain plans to solve the economic problems or anything else. Just that Obama will ruin the country if he's elected.
"What the naysayers have never understood is that this election is not about me. It's about you." Brilliant. Take the focus off himself and place it on the people. On the party. Is McCain going to attack the common people? He can attack Obama, but as long as he keeps the focus on the people, he's in good shape, I think.
Obama says he's seen the change coming. There has been a lot of change over the last year or so. He says it may not be easy, but it's on its way. Change again. That was the defining word of the primary season, and I've been waiting for a while for it to come back. Here it is, full force.
He's citing the "I Have a Dream" speech, which you had to know was coming, since it was delivered 45 years ago today. With all the references over the last few minutes, I almost expected him to say that he had a dream, too. It would have been impressive, but you have to believe there would have been plagiarism charges all over the place.
And that's it. Was it the prettiest speech he's ever given? No, I don't think so, but it might be the most important. He went a long way toward throwing out specifics and shaking the image of him as someone without substance. I think the GOP will be hard-pressed to outdo this convention. McCain can't match up to Obama in giving a speech. It's not even close. Look for a lot of demonizing and a lot of fearmongering, if you ask me. I'm not trying to color anyone's judgment of their tactics, but given how the campaign has gone so far, I don't expect anything different, unless they suddenly decide to reinvent the Republican brand.
Al Gore at the DNC
The man everyone's been waiting to see.
Al Gore was one of the two big people everyone wanted to see tonight. (I don't think any of the party faithful would be all that disappointed if he announced he was actually accepting the nomination tonight. Even Obama would probably be okay with that.) He gets off to a quick start, asking, "Will we accept this opportunity for change?" He also reminded everyone who wasn't already aware (i.e., no one) that he was robbed of the presidency in 2000, and that if he were president today, boy, would things be different. (He's right, but it's pretty much moot right now.)
Sarah Vowell gave a great characterization of Gore in one of her books, calling him the nerd to George W. Bush's jock. He's certainly showing that here - he's laying out the facts and not apologizing for them. He's arguing that if you like the conditions as they are (and he goes into depth saying why they're awful), then John McCain is your man, but if you want a change, then you'd better vote for Barack Obama. He's getting a lot of time in for his pet issue of climate change, which you'd expect. (He even mentions that climate change could affect our national security, which is an interesting connection to make.) It makes sense, too, since the Democrats have been doing all that they can to tie the Republicans to big oil. He even reminds people that Thomas Edison was a big proponent of solar energy, saying that he hoped we didn't wait until coal and oil ran out to start tapping into it.
"Big oil has a 50-year lease on the Republican party, and they're drilling it for all they're worth." I like this metaphor here - by equating the GOP with big oil, that makes the election a fight between the little guy and big business. If you're trying to go after blue collar workers, that's a pretty good way to do it.
I'm really impressed with the very factual way that Gore is going about this speech. It almost sounds like he's delivering a report for his class in school. The crowd loves it, of course, but it's very different from what we heard over the last few days.
He's speaking right to younger voters now, reminding them that they get it. Of course Obama has a commanding lead among younger voters (what 19-year old would vote for McCain?), but he's doing well to emphasize that fact. Tapping into the youth vote could turn this tight election into a blowout.
And now he's comparing Obama to Lincoln, reminding them that Lincoln only had one term in Congress and that he too reached across the aisle and was known mostly as an orator. Nice comparison. The crowd's buying into it, but we'll see if the public does.
Almost 7.00 PM, and here we have the words "inconvenient truth." We all knew it was coming.
Here we are again focusing on Obama's blue-collar roots. Remember how he was raised by a single mother who depended on food stamps? Remember how he had to fight and scrimp and save to get to college? They're trying as hard as they can to get rid of that elitist tag.
Wow, Gore can still really inspire a crowd. They're all really fired up now. One more hour until the main man comes out to accept the nomination. Stay tuned.
Al Gore was one of the two big people everyone wanted to see tonight. (I don't think any of the party faithful would be all that disappointed if he announced he was actually accepting the nomination tonight. Even Obama would probably be okay with that.) He gets off to a quick start, asking, "Will we accept this opportunity for change?" He also reminded everyone who wasn't already aware (i.e., no one) that he was robbed of the presidency in 2000, and that if he were president today, boy, would things be different. (He's right, but it's pretty much moot right now.)
Sarah Vowell gave a great characterization of Gore in one of her books, calling him the nerd to George W. Bush's jock. He's certainly showing that here - he's laying out the facts and not apologizing for them. He's arguing that if you like the conditions as they are (and he goes into depth saying why they're awful), then John McCain is your man, but if you want a change, then you'd better vote for Barack Obama. He's getting a lot of time in for his pet issue of climate change, which you'd expect. (He even mentions that climate change could affect our national security, which is an interesting connection to make.) It makes sense, too, since the Democrats have been doing all that they can to tie the Republicans to big oil. He even reminds people that Thomas Edison was a big proponent of solar energy, saying that he hoped we didn't wait until coal and oil ran out to start tapping into it.
"Big oil has a 50-year lease on the Republican party, and they're drilling it for all they're worth." I like this metaphor here - by equating the GOP with big oil, that makes the election a fight between the little guy and big business. If you're trying to go after blue collar workers, that's a pretty good way to do it.
I'm really impressed with the very factual way that Gore is going about this speech. It almost sounds like he's delivering a report for his class in school. The crowd loves it, of course, but it's very different from what we heard over the last few days.
He's speaking right to younger voters now, reminding them that they get it. Of course Obama has a commanding lead among younger voters (what 19-year old would vote for McCain?), but he's doing well to emphasize that fact. Tapping into the youth vote could turn this tight election into a blowout.
And now he's comparing Obama to Lincoln, reminding them that Lincoln only had one term in Congress and that he too reached across the aisle and was known mostly as an orator. Nice comparison. The crowd's buying into it, but we'll see if the public does.
Almost 7.00 PM, and here we have the words "inconvenient truth." We all knew it was coming.
Here we are again focusing on Obama's blue-collar roots. Remember how he was raised by a single mother who depended on food stamps? Remember how he had to fight and scrimp and save to get to college? They're trying as hard as they can to get rid of that elitist tag.
Wow, Gore can still really inspire a crowd. They're all really fired up now. One more hour until the main man comes out to accept the nomination. Stay tuned.
Warmup to the Barackstar
Passing the time before the main event.
I'm watching New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson speak to the crowd at Mile High Stadium (still can't bring myself to call it Invesco Field) as we wait for Barack Obama to take the stage around 8.00 PM local time. Richardson is a powerful speaker, but I accidentally found out that his speech is about a thousand times more exciting when Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" is playing in the background. I look forward to listening to tonight's speeches with Modest Mouse, Interpol, and Hot Chip in the background.
As a serious side note, the venue is impressive. They've shown some cutaway shots, and it looks almost like an Olympic event. (Yeah, I stole that from NPR's Mara Liasson today. Fine.) There are nearly a hundred thousand people in the stadium, all of whom are waving American flags and yelling like crazy people. It's pretty heady. The Greek columns in the background that the McCain camp kept referring to as the "Temple of Obama" don't look pretentious at all, in my opinion. It almost looks like they're speaking in front of the White House, which I'm sure was the idea.
Last note - as Richardson started speaking in Spanish to excite the Latino crowd (to great effect), the Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" came up on my iTunes, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to shoot someone. It felt like watching a cholo pumping up his gang. Weird, weird juxtaposition.
And now, I leave you at that until the big speeches tonight.
I'm watching New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson speak to the crowd at Mile High Stadium (still can't bring myself to call it Invesco Field) as we wait for Barack Obama to take the stage around 8.00 PM local time. Richardson is a powerful speaker, but I accidentally found out that his speech is about a thousand times more exciting when Franz Ferdinand's "Take Me Out" is playing in the background. I look forward to listening to tonight's speeches with Modest Mouse, Interpol, and Hot Chip in the background.
As a serious side note, the venue is impressive. They've shown some cutaway shots, and it looks almost like an Olympic event. (Yeah, I stole that from NPR's Mara Liasson today. Fine.) There are nearly a hundred thousand people in the stadium, all of whom are waving American flags and yelling like crazy people. It's pretty heady. The Greek columns in the background that the McCain camp kept referring to as the "Temple of Obama" don't look pretentious at all, in my opinion. It almost looks like they're speaking in front of the White House, which I'm sure was the idea.
Last note - as Richardson started speaking in Spanish to excite the Latino crowd (to great effect), the Gorillaz' "Clint Eastwood" came up on my iTunes, and for a brief moment, I thought he was going to shoot someone. It felt like watching a cholo pumping up his gang. Weird, weird juxtaposition.
And now, I leave you at that until the big speeches tonight.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Wednesday at the DNC
Live-blogging night three of the convention.
We're back live at the Democratic National Convention. I came in late and missed Bill Clinton's speech, so I'll just be providing highlights for that.
Many were worried that Clinton would provide a less than total endorsement of Barack Obama, but tonight's speech showed otherwise. During the primary season, he was a frequent critic of Obama's inexperience, but tonight, he declared Obama to be "ready to be president," praise that means more coming from a man who held the office himself than from anyone else. Referencing his wife's comments the night before, he said that there would be two of them backing the Illinois senator - "actually...18 million of us." Sounds like it was a good speech. When I get a chance, I'll watch tape of it and make comments.
Massachussetts senator John Kerry, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, is speaking now, and he's offering a stirring rebuke of John McCain. He gave a comparison between "Senator McCain and Candidate McCain," describing all of the things McCain was against before becoming the Republican nominee. Flip-flop tactics, no doubt, but the crowd ate it up, especially when Kerry said, "Before [he] debates Barack Obama, [he'll] have to end the debate with himself." One poignant moment came when Kerry promised that Obama would end the tactics of swiftboating - poignant because Kerry's 2004 campaign took a well-publicized hit from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. You could tell the crowd caught the reference. Kerry has mostly faded into the background since his defeat in 2004, but he can still give a good speech.
While Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy speaks, let's get back to Bill Clinton's speech. Clinton made it very clear from the start why he was here: "first, to support Barack Obama, and second, to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden." (Both received wild applause.) There was a small dig at Obama when he said he was less than grateful to be speaking in the capacity he was (i.e., not a Hillary victory speech), but he said he'd do "the best [he] can." That was worrisome, but he got back on track quickly, saying he would do everything he could to get Obama elected.
This just in - retired Rear Admiral John Hutson, a "life-long Republican," is speaking and describing the Republican Party as a "failed brand." "Arrogance abroad and incompetence at home." "America can't afford more of the same." "This year a new leader has emerged who offers the change we so desperately need." If you were looking for someone to redefine the election, this guy might be it. He's a committed Republican who isn't convinced that John McCain is the answer. He's convinced that Obama can offer a fresh take on America's situation, and that this is the way we need to go. This speech reminds me of Zell Miller's speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention, where he famously all but defected from the Democratic Party in favor of George W. Bush. Pretty interesting.
Back to Bill, as we break away from a Texas Congressman. He spoke a lot about why McCain and the Republican Party have been destroying America over the last eight years. Predictably, he's focusing on the economy, since economic prosperity was one of the biggest successes of his term. I understand what he's doing, but I've been waiting for someone to speak about why Obama is a great candidate, not about why McCain is lousy. Maybe that's why I liked Hutson's speech so much - he focused on why Obama is a fresh take on America. "The third time is not the charm." Great lines from this speech. "America will have the national security leadership that we need." "Barack Obama is ready to lead." There's a couple of lines we've been waiting for. Maybe it's just me, but Bill's speech wasn't quite as inspiring as I was hoping. Granted, I was just watching highlights, but still, I wasn't as moved as I was by some of the speeches last night. Here's hoping there's better material ahead.
They're showing a video about U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. One of those videos that tug at the heartstrings. Soldiers crying for fallen comrades. Piano and string music. A narrator talking about strength in the face of fear. That sort of thing. The theme of the convention tonight is national security, and it sounds like they're trying to make the case that Obama will make the country safer by ending the wars in the Middle East.
Oh, I forgot to mention. The narrator is Tom Hanks. There's another celebrity endorsement for you, Barack.
Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth is speaking now. She ran for a House seat in Illinois in 2006, narrowly losing. She's notable as a famous soldier who was opposed to the Iraq War, and also famous for the loss of both of her legs. She's a compelling and articulate speaker, and she's not spending all of her speech saying why the war in Iraq was a bad idea. She's speaking out for veterans' care and medical reform, and it means a little more coming from her than from anyone else. Here's someone who had to go through the system (zing! there's another "mission accomplished" reference), and she doesn't want anyone else to have to go through it. She also went out of her way to mention that Obama visited her "and other wounded soldiers" at Walter Reed VA Hospital, a jab at those who accused him of skipping out on visiting wounded soldiers during his time in Europe. They're trying their best to build up Obama's credentials, but boy, they sure don't miss out on a chance to get a shot in at McCain.
As Duckworth left the stage, you had to notice two big things - first, she made a point of saying Obama would be the country's next "commander in chief" rather than president, and second, the cameras zoomed in as much as possible on her prosthetic legs.
Also, wow - John McCain just announced that he has chosen his vice presidential nominee. That's pretty bold, butting in on the opponent's convention like that. It used to be that convention time was sacred. You took a week off, and expected that he would do the same during yours.
One more thing - I've been noticing that all of the writing at the convention has been in the same typeface as the Obama campaign has been using since last year. Very nice way to subtly send the message of unity. I'm impressed.
In what may be the least surprising news of the century, Joe Biden was nominated unanimously as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. (Gosh, really?) They're showing a "salt of the earth" type video about him right now, clearly intended to balance out the image of Obama as an elitist. They're making a big show of mentioning the car accident Biden's family was in just as he was first elected to the Senate in 1972, costing him his first wife and daughter.
Maybe it's just me, but doesn't Biden have a great voice? I know he's famous for talking on and on endlessly, and I'll probably be sick of it in a week, but man, what a voice. It has just the right amount of gravel in it to sound not dominating, not forceful, not annoying, but stately. In an image that's been about image from the beginning, choosing someone who looks stately is inspired. Great job from this campaign.
And here he is, the man of the evening - Beau Biden! Okay, that's not who we were waiting for. Biden's son, the attorney general of Delaware, is here to introduce his dad and tell a bunch of stories about how devoted he is to his family. Apparently one of his earliest memories is of his father at the hospital after the accident refusing to take the oath of office (he was seriously just elected) until he knew that his boys were alright. Now Joe takes the train home to Wilmington every night to be with his family. Again, a great balance to the elitist tag Obama can't seem to get rid of. "Be there for my dad, like he was there for me." The crowd is just eating this up.
For some reason, John Kerry is on the stage, saying something to the two Bidens, who appear to be lost looking for the lectern. Maybe Biden will explain it, but for now, I'm just left scratching my head. What was that all about?
"Thank you, John Kerry!" Seriously, what were they talking about? Did he tell him that his fly was down or something?
He starts off (after saying he loves his family, aw) by praising the Clintons. He says that Bill "brought this country so far, I only hope that we can do it again," and says how honored he is to live in a country with some of the "bravest warriors in the world." Again, the focus is on bridging the gap between Obama and the Clintons. Both sides have done a bang-up job. If the campaign loses some embittered Hillary voters, it certainly won't be for lack of trying on their part.
Again with the family. He just introduced his elderly mother to America, and has spent a surprising amount of his speech talking about his family. They're really going out of their way to portray Biden as a family man. It makes sense, I suppose - America's already pretty familiar with who Barack Obama is, but this is Joe Biden's big chance to introduce himself to America. This does a lot to bring balance to the ticket. Joe just mentioned that his mother told him to "bloody the nose" of anyone who roughed him up so he could walk down the streets with his head held high. The camera cut to a shot of his mother, and she could clearly be seen mouthing the words, "It's true." This is gold for this campaign. And now he's transitioning from this picturesque scene to describing how the American dream is slipping away (thanks to who? those demons, the Republicans). Failed leadership, economic ruin, how are we going to survive?
Wow - Biden just misspoke and almost said the name "George McCain," and the crowd absolutely loved it. "Freudian slip, I guess," he shrugged. How does the campaign not use this every day until the general election?
Back to the American dream - Biden is describing Obama as the personification of that dream. Good call on this one, since that was the theme of Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 DNC. There wasn't a Democrat on earth who didn't like that speech, so anything they can do to bring back memories of that moment is a good thing.
My connection just died for a heartstopping second, but I came back to hear the word "change". That's a theme they ought to be bringing back some more. Obama won the primaries - he redefined the primaries - with that word. Why is he moving away from it now? Doesn't most of America agree that we're on the wrong track? Why promise more of the same if that's not what America wants, and if it's what America specifically voted you not to do? Biden's doing a good job of bringing this back - he has the crowd yelling "that's more of the same" along with him. Any time you can get the crowd talking along with you, it's a good thing. Brian Schweitzer had the crowd doing it last night, and he was a rollicking success. Biden's on that same track.
Whoa, a nice little dig there on the education system. He's talking about making college affordable and making education accessible for everyone. I was talking to my mother today about the election, and she said she'd vote for anyone willing to abolish No Child Left Behind. I don't think either side is quite that dedicated, but that's the closest I've heard anyone come to it for a while.
Also, nice shot at the administration for going after the wrong countries. He says we need to focus on the real threats in the world today - the economic threats, Russia, India, and China, rather than on Iraq. That's an interesting take on the national security issue. Secure the country to protecting us economically. I like it. Don't expect to hear anything like this at the RNC next week. Actually, he's doing a good job of pointing out that McCain's supposed strength - foreign policy - is actually a weakness. Remember when he kept mixing up Sunnis and Shi'ites, and thought that Iraq bordered Pakistan? What ever happened to that talk from the Democrats? I'm surprised they aren't hitting on this issue harder.
Here's another issue I've felt has been unfairly neglected. Joe says that if Obama is elected, America will regain trust on the international scene. I completely agree. That's one of Obama's biggest assets - scores of other countries would love to see him elected president. He improves America's image internationally. McCain wouldn't. How have they not said this every single day on the campaign trail? That's a huge asset that they've completely ignored.
Anyhow, that's it for Biden. He did a pretty good job introducing himself to America. I'm convinced he'd be a capable vice president, and it sounds like the people in the convention hall are, too. Now, we have tomorrow to look forward to - the Barackstar himself will speak at Mile High Stadium. This is a big chance for him to bring the campaign back to a message of hope and change rather than partisan mudslinging. We'll see how he handles it.
Speaking of which, there's the man now, entering the hall to thunderous applause. Not really the surprise they made it out to be, but it's exciting nonetheless. He's paying tribute to the four headline speakers - Michelle, Hillary, Bill, and Joe - and working up the crowd for tomorrow night. Pretty good way to end the night. Here's hoping tomorrow night lives up to it. (Who am I kidding? Of course it will!)
We're back live at the Democratic National Convention. I came in late and missed Bill Clinton's speech, so I'll just be providing highlights for that.
Many were worried that Clinton would provide a less than total endorsement of Barack Obama, but tonight's speech showed otherwise. During the primary season, he was a frequent critic of Obama's inexperience, but tonight, he declared Obama to be "ready to be president," praise that means more coming from a man who held the office himself than from anyone else. Referencing his wife's comments the night before, he said that there would be two of them backing the Illinois senator - "actually...18 million of us." Sounds like it was a good speech. When I get a chance, I'll watch tape of it and make comments.
Massachussetts senator John Kerry, 2004 Democratic presidential candidate, is speaking now, and he's offering a stirring rebuke of John McCain. He gave a comparison between "Senator McCain and Candidate McCain," describing all of the things McCain was against before becoming the Republican nominee. Flip-flop tactics, no doubt, but the crowd ate it up, especially when Kerry said, "Before [he] debates Barack Obama, [he'll] have to end the debate with himself." One poignant moment came when Kerry promised that Obama would end the tactics of swiftboating - poignant because Kerry's 2004 campaign took a well-publicized hit from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. You could tell the crowd caught the reference. Kerry has mostly faded into the background since his defeat in 2004, but he can still give a good speech.
While Lt. Gen. Claudia Kennedy speaks, let's get back to Bill Clinton's speech. Clinton made it very clear from the start why he was here: "first, to support Barack Obama, and second, to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden." (Both received wild applause.) There was a small dig at Obama when he said he was less than grateful to be speaking in the capacity he was (i.e., not a Hillary victory speech), but he said he'd do "the best [he] can." That was worrisome, but he got back on track quickly, saying he would do everything he could to get Obama elected.
This just in - retired Rear Admiral John Hutson, a "life-long Republican," is speaking and describing the Republican Party as a "failed brand." "Arrogance abroad and incompetence at home." "America can't afford more of the same." "This year a new leader has emerged who offers the change we so desperately need." If you were looking for someone to redefine the election, this guy might be it. He's a committed Republican who isn't convinced that John McCain is the answer. He's convinced that Obama can offer a fresh take on America's situation, and that this is the way we need to go. This speech reminds me of Zell Miller's speech at the 2004 Republican National Convention, where he famously all but defected from the Democratic Party in favor of George W. Bush. Pretty interesting.
Back to Bill, as we break away from a Texas Congressman. He spoke a lot about why McCain and the Republican Party have been destroying America over the last eight years. Predictably, he's focusing on the economy, since economic prosperity was one of the biggest successes of his term. I understand what he's doing, but I've been waiting for someone to speak about why Obama is a great candidate, not about why McCain is lousy. Maybe that's why I liked Hutson's speech so much - he focused on why Obama is a fresh take on America. "The third time is not the charm." Great lines from this speech. "America will have the national security leadership that we need." "Barack Obama is ready to lead." There's a couple of lines we've been waiting for. Maybe it's just me, but Bill's speech wasn't quite as inspiring as I was hoping. Granted, I was just watching highlights, but still, I wasn't as moved as I was by some of the speeches last night. Here's hoping there's better material ahead.
They're showing a video about U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan right now. One of those videos that tug at the heartstrings. Soldiers crying for fallen comrades. Piano and string music. A narrator talking about strength in the face of fear. That sort of thing. The theme of the convention tonight is national security, and it sounds like they're trying to make the case that Obama will make the country safer by ending the wars in the Middle East.
Oh, I forgot to mention. The narrator is Tom Hanks. There's another celebrity endorsement for you, Barack.
Iraq War veteran Tammy Duckworth is speaking now. She ran for a House seat in Illinois in 2006, narrowly losing. She's notable as a famous soldier who was opposed to the Iraq War, and also famous for the loss of both of her legs. She's a compelling and articulate speaker, and she's not spending all of her speech saying why the war in Iraq was a bad idea. She's speaking out for veterans' care and medical reform, and it means a little more coming from her than from anyone else. Here's someone who had to go through the system (zing! there's another "mission accomplished" reference), and she doesn't want anyone else to have to go through it. She also went out of her way to mention that Obama visited her "and other wounded soldiers" at Walter Reed VA Hospital, a jab at those who accused him of skipping out on visiting wounded soldiers during his time in Europe. They're trying their best to build up Obama's credentials, but boy, they sure don't miss out on a chance to get a shot in at McCain.
As Duckworth left the stage, you had to notice two big things - first, she made a point of saying Obama would be the country's next "commander in chief" rather than president, and second, the cameras zoomed in as much as possible on her prosthetic legs.
Also, wow - John McCain just announced that he has chosen his vice presidential nominee. That's pretty bold, butting in on the opponent's convention like that. It used to be that convention time was sacred. You took a week off, and expected that he would do the same during yours.
One more thing - I've been noticing that all of the writing at the convention has been in the same typeface as the Obama campaign has been using since last year. Very nice way to subtly send the message of unity. I'm impressed.
In what may be the least surprising news of the century, Joe Biden was nominated unanimously as the Democratic vice presidential candidate. (Gosh, really?) They're showing a "salt of the earth" type video about him right now, clearly intended to balance out the image of Obama as an elitist. They're making a big show of mentioning the car accident Biden's family was in just as he was first elected to the Senate in 1972, costing him his first wife and daughter.
Maybe it's just me, but doesn't Biden have a great voice? I know he's famous for talking on and on endlessly, and I'll probably be sick of it in a week, but man, what a voice. It has just the right amount of gravel in it to sound not dominating, not forceful, not annoying, but stately. In an image that's been about image from the beginning, choosing someone who looks stately is inspired. Great job from this campaign.
And here he is, the man of the evening - Beau Biden! Okay, that's not who we were waiting for. Biden's son, the attorney general of Delaware, is here to introduce his dad and tell a bunch of stories about how devoted he is to his family. Apparently one of his earliest memories is of his father at the hospital after the accident refusing to take the oath of office (he was seriously just elected) until he knew that his boys were alright. Now Joe takes the train home to Wilmington every night to be with his family. Again, a great balance to the elitist tag Obama can't seem to get rid of. "Be there for my dad, like he was there for me." The crowd is just eating this up.
For some reason, John Kerry is on the stage, saying something to the two Bidens, who appear to be lost looking for the lectern. Maybe Biden will explain it, but for now, I'm just left scratching my head. What was that all about?
"Thank you, John Kerry!" Seriously, what were they talking about? Did he tell him that his fly was down or something?
He starts off (after saying he loves his family, aw) by praising the Clintons. He says that Bill "brought this country so far, I only hope that we can do it again," and says how honored he is to live in a country with some of the "bravest warriors in the world." Again, the focus is on bridging the gap between Obama and the Clintons. Both sides have done a bang-up job. If the campaign loses some embittered Hillary voters, it certainly won't be for lack of trying on their part.
Again with the family. He just introduced his elderly mother to America, and has spent a surprising amount of his speech talking about his family. They're really going out of their way to portray Biden as a family man. It makes sense, I suppose - America's already pretty familiar with who Barack Obama is, but this is Joe Biden's big chance to introduce himself to America. This does a lot to bring balance to the ticket. Joe just mentioned that his mother told him to "bloody the nose" of anyone who roughed him up so he could walk down the streets with his head held high. The camera cut to a shot of his mother, and she could clearly be seen mouthing the words, "It's true." This is gold for this campaign. And now he's transitioning from this picturesque scene to describing how the American dream is slipping away (thanks to who? those demons, the Republicans). Failed leadership, economic ruin, how are we going to survive?
Wow - Biden just misspoke and almost said the name "George McCain," and the crowd absolutely loved it. "Freudian slip, I guess," he shrugged. How does the campaign not use this every day until the general election?
Back to the American dream - Biden is describing Obama as the personification of that dream. Good call on this one, since that was the theme of Obama's keynote speech at the 2004 DNC. There wasn't a Democrat on earth who didn't like that speech, so anything they can do to bring back memories of that moment is a good thing.
My connection just died for a heartstopping second, but I came back to hear the word "change". That's a theme they ought to be bringing back some more. Obama won the primaries - he redefined the primaries - with that word. Why is he moving away from it now? Doesn't most of America agree that we're on the wrong track? Why promise more of the same if that's not what America wants, and if it's what America specifically voted you not to do? Biden's doing a good job of bringing this back - he has the crowd yelling "that's more of the same" along with him. Any time you can get the crowd talking along with you, it's a good thing. Brian Schweitzer had the crowd doing it last night, and he was a rollicking success. Biden's on that same track.
Whoa, a nice little dig there on the education system. He's talking about making college affordable and making education accessible for everyone. I was talking to my mother today about the election, and she said she'd vote for anyone willing to abolish No Child Left Behind. I don't think either side is quite that dedicated, but that's the closest I've heard anyone come to it for a while.
Also, nice shot at the administration for going after the wrong countries. He says we need to focus on the real threats in the world today - the economic threats, Russia, India, and China, rather than on Iraq. That's an interesting take on the national security issue. Secure the country to protecting us economically. I like it. Don't expect to hear anything like this at the RNC next week. Actually, he's doing a good job of pointing out that McCain's supposed strength - foreign policy - is actually a weakness. Remember when he kept mixing up Sunnis and Shi'ites, and thought that Iraq bordered Pakistan? What ever happened to that talk from the Democrats? I'm surprised they aren't hitting on this issue harder.
Here's another issue I've felt has been unfairly neglected. Joe says that if Obama is elected, America will regain trust on the international scene. I completely agree. That's one of Obama's biggest assets - scores of other countries would love to see him elected president. He improves America's image internationally. McCain wouldn't. How have they not said this every single day on the campaign trail? That's a huge asset that they've completely ignored.
Anyhow, that's it for Biden. He did a pretty good job introducing himself to America. I'm convinced he'd be a capable vice president, and it sounds like the people in the convention hall are, too. Now, we have tomorrow to look forward to - the Barackstar himself will speak at Mile High Stadium. This is a big chance for him to bring the campaign back to a message of hope and change rather than partisan mudslinging. We'll see how he handles it.
Speaking of which, there's the man now, entering the hall to thunderous applause. Not really the surprise they made it out to be, but it's exciting nonetheless. He's paying tribute to the four headline speakers - Michelle, Hillary, Bill, and Joe - and working up the crowd for tomorrow night. Pretty good way to end the night. Here's hoping tomorrow night lives up to it. (Who am I kidding? Of course it will!)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Live-blogging the DNC
Live coverage of the second night of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.
I doubt many people are reading this anymore, but I'm always happy to write for writing's sake.
The big story here at the Democratic National Convention has been the continuing feud between supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Clinton's supporters are convinced that the Obama campaign has continuously disrespected the New York senator, to the point that more than a third of them have said that they refuse to vote for Obama and will instead either vote for John McCain or stay at home. Perhaps it's just me, but I can't quite figure out what the Obama campaign has done to defame Sen. Clinton other than defeat her in the primaries. It all seems like a lot of sour grapes to me. In fact, I'm surprised that so many Democrats would rather see a Republican in office to assuage a grudge. Of course, it's more than likely that the media has made this a bigger issue than it really is. In fact, my blogging on the subject is only making it worse. Let's move on.
Virginia governor Mark Warner delivered the keynote address tonight, something that has drawn particular attention this year because of Obama's stirring and now-famous keynote address in 2004. Warner was tapped as a likely Democratic nominee until he announced that he would not run in 2007, preferring to see his daughters graduate from high school first. After listening to his speech, I really wish he would reconsider. Warner is a terrific speaker and a centrist to boot. Rather than enshrine Obama and demonize McCain, he talked about reaching across the aisle and accepting good ideas no matter which side they come from. I'd love to see a President Warner someday. He seems like someone a lot of people could get behind. At the very least, he's not someone that people could forward emails about claiming all sorts of atrocities. (Not that we have anyone like that now.)
After Gov. Warner, a parade of lesser-known governors (Ohio's Ted Strickland, Massachussetts' Deval Patrick, and Montana's Brian Schweitzer) came out and did exactly what Warner didn't - demonize John McCain. That's their job, really, but it came as quite a contrast from Warner's speech. I'll summarize their speeches here:
"As you're aware, by electing Barack Obama as the next president of the United States, we will be able to create three billion new jobs - every month! It's absolutely amazing what we could accomplish! By contrast, if John McCain becomes president, we will literally be forced by law to brutally slaughter and consume our own children. Is that what we want to see happen in the future? No! Only Barack Obama can save us from the coming apocalpyse!"
(Actually, I really enjoyed Brian Schweitzer's speech. He played up the fact that he's a simple rancher from Montana, and he really seemed to be having fun. It's a rare thing to laugh out loud during a convention speech. I did several times during Schweitzer's speech. Here's hoping we see more of him in the future.)
While I'm waiting for Sen. Clinton to come on stage, I'll talk about Deval Patrick briefly. I thought it was interesting that they invited him to speak, considering the "just words?" flap earlier in the primary season. He was a good speaker, but I cringed a little bit when he started having the audience chant "yes, we can". It seems a little bold of him to invite plagiarism back into the campaign. The McCain campaign is doing a good enough job of shredding Obama's image without him adding more fuel to the fire.
(Schweitzer is still going, and he's shouting at each state's delegation individually to get up off their feet and shout for energy independence. Man, this guy is an electric speaker!)
Before Sen. Clinton took the stage, they played a montage of her speeches and people talking about her. It was pretty inspiring, and you'd better believe they put that "18 million cracks" line in there a couple of times. Chelsea Clinton narrated the video, and she introduced her mother to the crowd, who gave her a few minutes of a standing ovation and waved a ton of Hillary posters, which seemed to appear out of nowhere. The big question, though: can she convince her supporters to (enthusiastically) back Obama?
It sure looks like she's off to a good start - she mentioned the fact that she was a "proud supporter of Barack Obama" within the first 30 seconds of her speech. Statements like "we are all on the same side, and none of us can afford to stay on the sidelines" seemed like pointed remarks to her supporters to vote for Obama already.
She's doing a very good job of reminding Democrats what the real contest is - not Clinton vs. Obama, but Obama vs. McCain. She mentioned once that Obama was her candidate and was met with grumbles of disdain, but she kept talking and shouted them down. I'm convinced she's sincere. While she's certainly disappointed that she didn't win this round (who wouldn't be?), she really wants to see a Democrat in the White House.
(Personally, I think she'll be a more powerful agent for the Democratic Party as a senator than she could have been as a president. She'd meet with a lot of strong Republican opposition as a president, but in Congress, she can be a strong voice and push things through. This is probably the best situation the party could be in at this point, all things considered.)
It's interesting that all of these speakers have stayed away from personal attacks on John McCain in keeping with Obama's vision of post-partisan politics, but that it seems to be open season on attacking George W. Bush. His name is practically a four-letter word here at the convention, becoming synonymous with "failed leadership," "economic ruin," and "short-sighted."
Wow. Hillary's finishing this speech off with a bang. She's asking her supporters, "Were you in this campaign just for me, or were you in it for [a million stories that tug at the heartstrings]?" For someone whose public image is so much about me-first and selfishness, she's doing a good job of taking the spotlight off herself. I saw a lot of shots of tear-streaked faces of women who are still reluctant to let the dream go, but the message seems to be getting through. This is a really good speech.
Now she's implying that it's our duty as Americans to elect Barack Obama to ensure a brighter future. That's a powerful statement, and it's interesting that she was able to make the point without mentioning either Bush's or McCain's names. Very skillfully done.
That's it for the convention tonight. It looks like Hillary did all that she could to convince her renegade supporters to get behind Obama and the party in November. She wasn't wishy-washy in her support, either. She made it very clear that she doesn't want to sabotage her party's chances at the White House. Sure, you might argue that such was the politically expedient thing for her to do (could she really stand up and tell people to abandon Obama?), but the message really seemed sincere. I was impressed. But boy, would I be excited if Mark Warner were on top of the ticket. Especially if he had Brian Schweitzer as his VP. What a tremendous ticket that would be. Maybe someday in the future.
I doubt many people are reading this anymore, but I'm always happy to write for writing's sake.
The big story here at the Democratic National Convention has been the continuing feud between supporters of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. Clinton's supporters are convinced that the Obama campaign has continuously disrespected the New York senator, to the point that more than a third of them have said that they refuse to vote for Obama and will instead either vote for John McCain or stay at home. Perhaps it's just me, but I can't quite figure out what the Obama campaign has done to defame Sen. Clinton other than defeat her in the primaries. It all seems like a lot of sour grapes to me. In fact, I'm surprised that so many Democrats would rather see a Republican in office to assuage a grudge. Of course, it's more than likely that the media has made this a bigger issue than it really is. In fact, my blogging on the subject is only making it worse. Let's move on.
Virginia governor Mark Warner delivered the keynote address tonight, something that has drawn particular attention this year because of Obama's stirring and now-famous keynote address in 2004. Warner was tapped as a likely Democratic nominee until he announced that he would not run in 2007, preferring to see his daughters graduate from high school first. After listening to his speech, I really wish he would reconsider. Warner is a terrific speaker and a centrist to boot. Rather than enshrine Obama and demonize McCain, he talked about reaching across the aisle and accepting good ideas no matter which side they come from. I'd love to see a President Warner someday. He seems like someone a lot of people could get behind. At the very least, he's not someone that people could forward emails about claiming all sorts of atrocities. (Not that we have anyone like that now.)
After Gov. Warner, a parade of lesser-known governors (Ohio's Ted Strickland, Massachussetts' Deval Patrick, and Montana's Brian Schweitzer) came out and did exactly what Warner didn't - demonize John McCain. That's their job, really, but it came as quite a contrast from Warner's speech. I'll summarize their speeches here:
"As you're aware, by electing Barack Obama as the next president of the United States, we will be able to create three billion new jobs - every month! It's absolutely amazing what we could accomplish! By contrast, if John McCain becomes president, we will literally be forced by law to brutally slaughter and consume our own children. Is that what we want to see happen in the future? No! Only Barack Obama can save us from the coming apocalpyse!"
(Actually, I really enjoyed Brian Schweitzer's speech. He played up the fact that he's a simple rancher from Montana, and he really seemed to be having fun. It's a rare thing to laugh out loud during a convention speech. I did several times during Schweitzer's speech. Here's hoping we see more of him in the future.)
While I'm waiting for Sen. Clinton to come on stage, I'll talk about Deval Patrick briefly. I thought it was interesting that they invited him to speak, considering the "just words?" flap earlier in the primary season. He was a good speaker, but I cringed a little bit when he started having the audience chant "yes, we can". It seems a little bold of him to invite plagiarism back into the campaign. The McCain campaign is doing a good enough job of shredding Obama's image without him adding more fuel to the fire.
(Schweitzer is still going, and he's shouting at each state's delegation individually to get up off their feet and shout for energy independence. Man, this guy is an electric speaker!)
Before Sen. Clinton took the stage, they played a montage of her speeches and people talking about her. It was pretty inspiring, and you'd better believe they put that "18 million cracks" line in there a couple of times. Chelsea Clinton narrated the video, and she introduced her mother to the crowd, who gave her a few minutes of a standing ovation and waved a ton of Hillary posters, which seemed to appear out of nowhere. The big question, though: can she convince her supporters to (enthusiastically) back Obama?
It sure looks like she's off to a good start - she mentioned the fact that she was a "proud supporter of Barack Obama" within the first 30 seconds of her speech. Statements like "we are all on the same side, and none of us can afford to stay on the sidelines" seemed like pointed remarks to her supporters to vote for Obama already.
She's doing a very good job of reminding Democrats what the real contest is - not Clinton vs. Obama, but Obama vs. McCain. She mentioned once that Obama was her candidate and was met with grumbles of disdain, but she kept talking and shouted them down. I'm convinced she's sincere. While she's certainly disappointed that she didn't win this round (who wouldn't be?), she really wants to see a Democrat in the White House.
(Personally, I think she'll be a more powerful agent for the Democratic Party as a senator than she could have been as a president. She'd meet with a lot of strong Republican opposition as a president, but in Congress, she can be a strong voice and push things through. This is probably the best situation the party could be in at this point, all things considered.)
It's interesting that all of these speakers have stayed away from personal attacks on John McCain in keeping with Obama's vision of post-partisan politics, but that it seems to be open season on attacking George W. Bush. His name is practically a four-letter word here at the convention, becoming synonymous with "failed leadership," "economic ruin," and "short-sighted."
Wow. Hillary's finishing this speech off with a bang. She's asking her supporters, "Were you in this campaign just for me, or were you in it for [a million stories that tug at the heartstrings]?" For someone whose public image is so much about me-first and selfishness, she's doing a good job of taking the spotlight off herself. I saw a lot of shots of tear-streaked faces of women who are still reluctant to let the dream go, but the message seems to be getting through. This is a really good speech.
Now she's implying that it's our duty as Americans to elect Barack Obama to ensure a brighter future. That's a powerful statement, and it's interesting that she was able to make the point without mentioning either Bush's or McCain's names. Very skillfully done.
That's it for the convention tonight. It looks like Hillary did all that she could to convince her renegade supporters to get behind Obama and the party in November. She wasn't wishy-washy in her support, either. She made it very clear that she doesn't want to sabotage her party's chances at the White House. Sure, you might argue that such was the politically expedient thing for her to do (could she really stand up and tell people to abandon Obama?), but the message really seemed sincere. I was impressed. But boy, would I be excited if Mark Warner were on top of the ticket. Especially if he had Brian Schweitzer as his VP. What a tremendous ticket that would be. Maybe someday in the future.
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