Thursday Night Convention Thread

by: Chris Bowers

Thu Aug 28, 2008 at 20:33


(Gotta hand it to the former Republicans, they deliver some zingers - promoted by Adam Bink)

Got home at 8 p.m. from the errands. First reaction was that moving to Invesco was a great idea for the final night. The crowds looks fantastic in the sunlight, and in their massive size. Very good idea.

Mark Udall was boring. I was actually worried the sound system wasn't working while he was speaking, because his words seemed to float into the ether. Tim Kaine was a good speaker and got the crowd going. Still, I personally didn't like what he said very much. Much happier with Biden (although Kaine's Spanish was impressive-not typical candidate Spanish, but the real deal.) Speaking of which, Bill Richardson was actually quite good. Not quite as good as Kerry last night, but still loaded with great attacks. This line was hilarious (going from memory):

John McCain may pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but we are the ones who will pay for his flip-flips.

At the end of Richardson's speech, he said "are we going to win this election?" I actually shouted back to the television "yes!" I'll take that as a good sign that my feelings on the efficacy of the convention have changed.

This is an open thread. I will update after Obama speaks.  

Chris Bowers :: Thursday Night Convention Thread

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Thursday Night Convention Thread | 51 comments
Yeah, Richardson's Shoes/Flip-Flops Line Was Great (4.00 / 2)
Because it combined two Versailles-forbidden topics into a single memorable soundbite.

Both Leno and Letterman must be wondering why their writing teams didn't come up with that first.

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

Again... (0.00 / 0)
I've asked before but can you explain the Versailles reference?
[ Parent ]
Please? (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
One of the French kings moved his (4.00 / 2)
court to a provincial castle (or something) at Versailles, where they grew ever more incestuous and fantastic (in a bad way) and removed from the concerns people living in the actual country. Basically they lived in their own little party world while France burned. Not unlike ...

That's my history-deficient understanding, at least, without resorting to Wikipedia.

[ Parent ]
Much like the anti-DC rhetoric today... (0.00 / 0)
...Versailles was meant to allow for the monarchy to consolidate power apart from the corruptive influence of the city.


[ Parent ]
American Fries vs French Fries (0.00 / 0)
the question you have to ask is, are you with us, or against us?

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
[ Parent ]
? (0.00 / 0)
?
[ Parent ]
Does The Phrase "Let Them Eat Cake" Ring A Bell? (0.00 / 0)
Joel has the basic idea. Louis XVI was the king.

It was a highly insular microcosm, cut off from the country it imagined itself to be the heart and soul of.  

"You know what they say -- those of us who fail history... doomed to repeat it in summer school." -- Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Season 6, Episode 3

[ Parent ]
Mile High (0.00 / 0)
With the convention being held at Mile High Stadium, we know that there wont be a traditional balloon-drop.  Considering the balloon malfunction of 2004, that might be a good thing. If Richardson is any indication, we're in for fireworks.
I thought Mark Udall was great (0.00 / 0)
He seemed to energize - relative to the previous couple of speakers - striding to the podium, made him feel like a man of action.
Gore is doing fantastic. (4.00 / 1)
The recycling line was brilliant.
idiotic scheduling (4.00 / 2)
I wonder who had the brilliant idea to have Gore finish his speech at exactly 9pm Eastern, so anyone switching over to check out the convention after their 8pm show ended got to see him walk off stage.

They sort of deliberately buried him, and I'm not sure why.

[ Parent ]
I was wondering that (0.00 / 0)
Is it because Gore waited so long to endorse Obama? I have no idea.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.
[ Parent ]
Probably (0.00 / 0)
Probably a fuck up... I doubt it was intentional.  
[ Parent ]
Like so much about Al Gore (0.00 / 0)

[ Parent ]
Where was... (4.00 / 1)
Where was THIS Al Gore in 2000 on the stump... where was Kerry from last night in 2004...  If Gore was like this on the stump he would have won in a landslide.
you are recycling tired CW (0.00 / 0)
Every four years, the same refrain is heard about the previous Democratic candidate. "Where was THIS guy?"

I don't buy it. Both Gore and Kerry gave excellent speeches at their respective conventions, and unless you were actually following them on the stump, the only info you received was filtered through the dumbest people in the known universe, the national political media.

[ Parent ]
Disagree on Gore (0.00 / 0)
He is a different person since he lost.  I saw him in person in 2000 and he wasn't anywhere close to this good.  The big difference is Gore is so much more relaxed than in 2000.  My theory is Gore ran as centrist but he is a really progressive and he is now free to be himself.

[ Parent ]
Gore (0.00 / 0)
No, Gore is better in basically every metric today than he was as VP. You can just tell how comfortable he is, in basically any venue. A man on a mission, I suppose.  

"Don't hate the media, become the media" -Jello Biafra
[ Parent ]
Sorry (0.00 / 0)
But you don't know what you are talking about.
[ Parent ]
concern troll at NYTimes will have to come up with new hand wringing tomorrow (4.00 / 1)
this stadium looks fantastic! the dusk lighting looks amazing and this stage looks 500X better than the vegas crap inside the convention hall that the DNC yahoos came up with.

if they're smart they will have handed out candles to everyone during O's speech.

the NYTimes will have to figure out a new reason to explain why being popular isn't cool.  

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare

lol - nice star filter on the cameras (0.00 / 0)
I wish I had a snapshot of this, but it looks to me like they put a filter on some of the video cameras that gives a star effect to every point of light. that is a hilariously awesome detail.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
[ Parent ]
The cable commentators are ruining the evening (4.00 / 3)
with their constant chatter, often through good entertainment and worthy speakers. And just now Keith Olbermann is reading aloud the advance copy of Obama's speech! I don't want to hear the speech from Olbermann, I want to hear it from Obama!

CNN is only somewhat better, but they are dissecting everything to death. This is a great night that needs no comment. It's like trying to have sex with a partner that keeps yakking!

I'm back to watching C-SPAN.

Al Gore was right. This race is close because of the interests of the status quo. He was mostly referring to big oil, but the status quo's message is being delivered thanks to the compliant and complicit media, if only by the distracting noise they create.


Slacking toward the apocalypse

try pbs (0.00 / 0)
they STFU during the speeches. they are doing a fine job.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
[ Parent ]
PBS better (0.00 / 0)
But David Brooks is a twit, Shields is gassy and Lehrer is stuffed, I swear.  

Can it happen here?
[ Parent ]
Great line (4.00 / 2)
by a guy named Barney Smith who used to work for RCA whose job was outsorces overseas :

We need a president who will put Barney Smith before Smith-Barney!

Got a good cheer... too bad it was only on C-SPAN.

"I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that."
-Lawrence Summers

and PBS (0.00 / 0)
Just like above comment.  PBS rocks and Brooks and Shields are easy to ignore.
[ Parent ]
... (4.00 / 2)
Is it becoming more clear now why Obama had to devote the first few days to the passing of the torch from the Clintons to the new, bigger and better Dem party leader?

This whole show has been fantastic and I hope it gets replayed again and again without the talking heads.  The visuals are fabulous and the tech part of it unbelievable.

The Reps have to be watching this with very furrowed brows.

He won't be a perfect Prez, but he certainly is showing he knows what the heck he's doing running this mega campaign.

my kids were distracting me (4.00 / 3)
so I didn't realize that Wes Clark was in the line of retired generals they paraded on stage. I can't believe they didn't let him speak.

Mission accomplished for the right-wing noise machine. They wanted to make Obama afraid to use Clark, and here we are.

I think Gore should have been the very last speaker before Obama. Putting Michael McDonald's try-too-hard version of America the Beautiful, a bunch of retired generals and ordinary folks, and Dick Durbin after Al Gore was wrong.

I don't care for the stagecraft tonight at all.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.

Speaking of music (0.00 / 0)
I wish the Negro National Anthem could ever be sung at one of these events.  Maybe the Inauguration.

QT

Visit the Obama Project


WindOnWater.net



What did Kaine say? (0.00 / 0)

My only worry (0.00 / 0)
is that he will speak too long.  It is already 10:10 and the movie is still running.  If he speaks for an 1:10 he will finish at 11:30.

What an increadible visual in hidef (0.00 / 0)
the crowd may make this speech too long though....
[ Parent ]
I hope there's no balloons this year (0.00 / 0)
Or no other trivial foul up that the media can fixate on rather than examining the nominee's actual speech or something.
Negativity (0.00 / 0)
Halfway through this speech, I think they'll focus on the negativity and attacks. I've never heard this from him. I love it, but I think that's the meme so far.


Me on Facebook
Me on Twitter
[ Parent ]
no ceiling (0.00 / 0)
= no balloons I think :)

The Republicans I've seen during the convention coverage however have been snarking about the "Roman Columns"

vodamusic.com

[ Parent ]
Lest you forget... (0.00 / 0)
There are Greek columns to make a huge fuss over this year.

You owe it to yourself to listen to This American Life's fantastic and common-sense explanation of the economic crisis.
[ Parent ]
ENOUGH! (0.00 / 0)
hehe - nice one. the follow up was soft, but great exasperation in that "enough". this one word is going to be the theme for the final stretch.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
the line about judgement was brilliant (0.00 / 0)
I think Chris has a post about that.  Questioning John McCain's judgement.  Excellent.
"It's time for them to own their failure". (4.00 / 1)
Brilliant. That with the single word "Enough" make for damn good soundbytes.

"I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that."
-Lawrence Summers
that fluttering flag behind him (0.00 / 0)
Is brilliant imagery.  I'm not even American and I find it effective.  I guess when you have Stephen Fucking Spielberg helping out, you can do good stuff like this.
well timed flutter (0.00 / 0)
It started waving again right as he began talking about the vetrans.  

"I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that."
-Lawrence Summers
[ Parent ]
That flag fluttering (0.00 / 0)
in the background is fantastic....
[ Parent ]
well i hate to be back on the love train (0.00 / 0)
but this guy's speech is as usual fantastic, and even if he can't deliver on all the idealistic goals he's talking about, his goals are a giant step toward restoring the idea of america.

Michael Bloomberg, prince of corporate welfare
So far so good (0.00 / 0)
the visuals are just overwhelming...
That was a tough, partisan speech (0.00 / 0)
Just what the occasion warranted.
It kills me that he won't take the insurance... (0.00 / 0)
companies out of the health care loop.
/killjoy
Single Payer (0.00 / 0)
Single Payer isn't going to happen in America.   A hybrid system like the french system would probably be the best answer for our country.
[ Parent ]
WOW (4.00 / 1)
Wow.... That may be the best speech of his career.  And THAT is saying something.  

And the theatrical music... WOW....

Anyone else feel like we are watching a real life movie?

absolutely. (0.00 / 0)
kicking ass and taking names.

vodamusic.com
[ Parent ]
Ha... (0.00 / 0)
About shouting and cheering at the TV--I've been finding myself yelling back at my car radio like a crazy person every night that these speeches have been on.  Today, on the way home from work, as Obama finished up his marvelous speech, I actually screamed, "I WANT YOU TO BE MY PRESIDENT SO BAD!"  And was inches from pumping my fist in the air.

I guess we're entering the latter stages of hope, Chris.

You owe it to yourself to listen to This American Life's fantastic and common-sense explanation of the economic crisis.

Thursday Night Convention Thread | 51 comments
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