TMI, Taking It All In
I’ve been away from the blog for a couple of days and in my absence a couple of thinks have happened. So I thought I’d group my opinions of those events all together in one post. As always, I’d like to know what you think.
The Democratic National Convention was a historic event. Michelle Obama did a good job kicking off the convention with her speech. She seemed a little nervous, but did well and got her message across about her husband. I had mixed feelings about Hillary’s speech, but she had to speak to the many volunteers that spent countless hours working to get her elected. I thought she spent too much time on herself, but in all fairness it may have been necessary. I do have to say, I was proud to see them officially endorse Obama and move to the suspend the roll call making him the presidential candidate. It was a special moment.
I thought “Wild” Bill Clinton’s speech was on point! He gave one of the best speeches I’ve seen him give and he did exactly as he was supposed to do. The comparisons between himself and Obama were pretty funny. This was the Bill Clinton black people have come to love. The Republicans are good at standing behind their nominee even when it’s obvious they don’t agree with them. That’s the way politics works. Stand by your man (or woman).
Barack closed out the DNC with his speech at Mile High Stadium in front of more than 75,000 supporters. The Nielsen ratings were ridiculous with his speech being seen by more than 38.4 million viewers. This was a bigger US TV audience than the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony, this year’s American Idol final and Oscars coverage. I like the way he “talked” to the crowd and didn’t try to preach to us. In my opinion he delivered on his speech. Whether or not all he said can be done isn’t a big deal to me. We hear promises from the politicians all the time and I realize that it takes an act of Congress to get things done.
And finally the big story. John McCain’s choice for Vice President. Sarah Palin seems to be an amazing person. As a mom, wife, governor and future grandma she has a lot on her plate. I think the pregnancy of her daughter is a non-issue, but I’m not surprised at the media reaction. This is what they do and I’m sure Palin is not surprised by it. I do question McCain’s choosing her. I think it was a way to pull in the Clinton votes and I also think it might have been done to cause division in the Democratic Party. I’m sure Hillary is a little peeved, but she’ll be well taken care of if Obama wins.
I’ve heard rumors of McCain really wanting Liberman on the ticket, but it was stopped by members in the party. While Palin may be a great governor, I don’t see her as a Vice President. For the longest time we heard so much about Obama’s inexperience, so I’m confused why it’s not a big deal anymore. Palin was a choice to get the female votes (see the Civil Rights Movement was important). I guess they figured women would rise up in support since Hillary was not in the running. Insulting.
There’s more to comment on, but I think I’ll save it for another post. How do you feel about all this stuff?
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:16 am
Hi Theo, I think that your summary is very accurate. Do you think that Palin will last until November 4th as his running mate? As time progresses I am becoming more doubtful of this happening. She seems to be drawing a lot of attention away from the RNC and almost making it into a farce.
The Obama speech was amazing, as you said and what was weird is that although it was 50 minutes..it seemed to be only 15 minutes. When he finished, I was like.., “hey, where are you going? You just got started…”
Now that’s how you end a speech.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 pm
You know Benin, I think the McCain camp is stubborn enough to keep her around til the end. They never want to admit when they’re wrong and a removing her would force people to question his judgment. I’m not saying they couldn’t spin it in their favor, but too many Repubs are speaking up for Palin. The choice has been made.
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Hey, Theo, that was a great synopsis. I really enjoyed Michelle Obama’s speech and also the speeches of Bill Clinton; Jesse jackson, Jr. and beau Biden.
The DNC was way more inclusive than the RNC which is very separatist in tone.
I think Sarah Palin will bow out before November 4. She’s bright but the pressure is going to get to her and her family and eventually her maternal instincts will overpower her ambition.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Ok, so I just finished watching Palin’s speech. She did exactly what I expected: attacked Barack, pumped up McCain, and sold her resume’. I think she did a good job even though I’m sure she was reading what was written for her. I think she did well enough that Repubs will be comfortable enough with her. But she and McCain just look like the Odd Couple–they just don’t match. I just can’t get over it. Plus the choice was transparent and a classic example of pandering. Oh well…
I’m starting to get a little overwhemed. It’s all starting to sound like noise and that’s from both sides. We all want the same things. We all want less government and less taxes. We all want a strong economy. We all want our country to be respected by the rest of the world. And this is what everyone is promising. So what does it really boil down to? I’m an Obama supporter but I won’t let myself get caught up because politics is politics.
I don’t know, maybe it’s time for a media fast until November.
September 4th, 2008 at 1:10 am
Joel, I tend to feel the same way at times. All of this can get overwhelming. I know how I’m voting, but the fighting can get a little ridiculous. Thanks for the comment bro. I just finished my Palin rant for tomorrow and need to get to bed.
September 4th, 2008 at 7:13 am
It goes back to the posting about divisive politics. I’ve accepted now that the general populace doesn’t want to talk about the issues; they want a civil soap opera. There is a significant voting group that draws away from that and Obama saw that when he and Hillary got into the nasty points of their battle. Now that it’s party vs. party we’re back to “the liberals say…” and “McCain voted the same as Bush 90% of the time”. It’s all very discouraging and revives my feelings that there is nothing cerebral, authentic, altruistic, or strategic about American politics anymore.
September 4th, 2008 at 9:22 am
It’s almost enough for me to see what’s going on with the Libertarians and Independents. What’s Ron Paul talking about…I just want to hear more.
September 4th, 2008 at 4:34 pm
Here’s a link to an interesting article refuting much of what Palin said last night. Take it at face value–it’s getting more and more difficult to ascertain what’s true these days.
http://www.samefacts.com/archives/campaign_2008_/2008/09/palin_v_reality.php
September 4th, 2008 at 5:19 pm
One more thing. This is from Jon Stewart’s Daily Show and I found it to be quite hilarious:
September 4th, 2008 at 5:43 pm
Ok, let’s try a link. I tried to embed the video but I guess that ain’t happenin’:
http://www.comedycentral.com/videos/index.jhtml?videoId=184086
September 4th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Thanks! I just made it its own post.