A Good Night

by: Chris Bowers

Wed Aug 27, 2008 at 23:09


This might shock you, but I actually enjoyed tonight. Bill Clinton helped get things going with a typically strong speech, and then John Kerry actually, really, and completely kicked ass. He ripped into McCain, and was very clear in his attacks. Either he was a lot better as a speaker tonight than he was during the campaign four years ago, or we are not giving him credit for being a strong candidate. (The latter is actually quite possible, given that Kerry outperformed the national Democratic House vote in 2004.)

Beau Biden did a good job introducing his father, although I wasn't quite as blown away by it as the pundits and the people I was watching with. Joe Biden lacked poetry, but he really, really hammered McCain. Given that is what I have hoped to hear from Democrats for so long during this campaign, it was great to hear. He seems to be every bit of the attack dog that we had hoped for when the short list became clear.

Pretty good stuff. I'm still not feeling a big bounce awaits, but if all goes well tomorrow, then it should be a decent one. For once, on Friday morning, I won't be afraid to see the tracking poll updates. Remember--tomorrow's tracking polls will not reflect tonight, but rather last night.

Chris Bowers :: A Good Night

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A Good Night | 87 comments
Kerry's speech (4.00 / 9)
Needs to go viral, once TPM or someone else gets it on Youtube. That was awesome. Shows that maybe Kerry could have been a pretty good VP attack dog. But Biden was also quite good despite a few flubs early on.

I do wish Biden had provided about 5-6 more examples of McCain being wrong and Obama being right. That was really the highlight of the speech.

When Obama came out, I think Joe apologized to him for flubbing his lines. And the mic picked up Obama saying "don't worry about it, it was a great speech, don't worry".  You can tell that Biden really wanted to do good for Obama, which was maybe why he was more excited than usual.

especially (4.00 / 1)
since MSNBC cut away. One of the other commenters I think said CNN may have showed it.

Tweety was kinda criticizing Biden's delivery, I agree to an extent but I think some of the lines were good enough for soundbytes. And they'll be repeated in print and force McCain to respond, which is what you really want.

Between Bill, Kerry and Biden I think there are enough soundbytes for the next few days, though a few more jabs on the houses couldn't have hurt.

"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 ]
I got the same feeling (4.00 / 2)
I hope we don't start wringing our hands about Biden. His message is near perfect and aimed at people like me. My dad hung drywall and I did too for years, until I went back to school. I grew up VERY modestly in the burbs of New Orleans. So when I hear Biden's story, I feel a connection to him.

Biden's message and life story resonates with me. His delivery, warts, emotion and simplicity, is exactly what I want to hear and delivered in a way that connects. I suspect the line workers in detroit, the wal mart cashiers in little rock and the field workers in the central valley are connecting too. Obama made the perfect choice in Biden to offset his own lofty oratory and tailored optics. Biden is meat and potatoes and middle class working people like me just eat it up.

I would argue that Biden will help solidify the base more than he'll convert right leaning swing voters. And in this election, more solid Dems who show up and vote D will translate into a landslide electoral college win.

I couldn't be happier with the last couple days and very optimistic about this fall.

Obama/Biden '08!

Laugh hard. Its a long ways to the bank.  

[ Parent ]
Someone reported about the line from his mother (0.00 / 0)
the line about his mother's advice "Joey, go out and bloody their nose so that you can walk down the street" rated off the charts with working class guys in PA.

Biden is great improvising on the stump.  He is going to be great, and so is Kerry.  Watch that speech at TPM by all means.  

Obama REALLY boxed McCain in on the VP choice.  Lieberman?  Really?  Romney, Mr phoney even more houses?  A lesser known like Pawlenty?  Portman?  Ridge?  They are reportedly talking up Kay Bailey Hutchinson, who hasn't even been vetted.  This is how McGovern made the mistake of picking Sen. Eagleton.  Personally, I want either Lieberman or Romney, who are definite minuses.  The others are just not pluses.  Those two are minuses.  And it really matters who is a heartbeat away with McCain.

John McCain--He's not who you think he is.

[ Parent ]
Pawlenty would be interesting (0.00 / 0)
He's a low-key campaigner, very stereotypical Minnesotan.  Makes him easy to underestimate.

I'd like to see how his style plays on the national stage. He'll either get wasted by Biden in the debate, or show surprising toughness that makes folks take notice. Could go either way, but I'd give the advantage to Biden.



"It sounds wrong...
     ...but its right."

[ Parent ]
That's True (0.00 / 0)
When Biden made that line, the feed on Dish had it's camera on his mom and she leaned to the person next to her and you could read her lips as she said, "That's true," and nodded.

Biden is a rare mix of WA insider and authentic guy from the neighborhood.  

Laugh hard. Its a long ways to the bank.  

[ Parent ]
No- if this Kerry had shown up he would have won (4.00 / 6)

That Kerry was there in 2004 (0.00 / 0)
But his organization was for shit. He was consistently late in responding and never really went on offense, but for the most part he was just as fired up and spot on back then as he was last night.

Not kind to say, but his physical appearance was easy to mock and somehow allowed for the juvenile slander the righties slung to stick. Shouldn't be that way, but if he wasn't so "striking" in his unique way, perhaps some of the shite they threw wouldn't have stuck. My take on it anyway.  

Laugh hard. Its a long ways to the bank.  

[ Parent ]
See, not all of you white dudes are boring ;) n/t (4.00 / 8)

Kerry was like that in the 1st debate (4.00 / 10)
I'm surprised everyone has forgotten.  But I guess the rest wiped it out.


New Jersey politics at Blue Jersey.
I never felt like Kerry got much help, frankly. (4.00 / 10)
Seemed like he was always out there flailing away alone, while the rest of the party leaders were covering their asses.

I could be wrong, but that was my impression: Nobody had his back.

[ Parent ]
That's still the case (4.00 / 8)
Not enough Dems are out there on the TV circuit, punching back on McCain's smear attacks. I'd like to see Kerry, Webb, Hillary, go on TV and say "shame on you, John McCain".  But instead it's up to Obama to defend himself or to release response ads.

I actually think the Obama response team has been pretty good this year (look at how Corsi got knocked out in the first round), but that's all on Obama. The rest of the party needs to step up their game.

[ Parent ]
Seriously... (4.00 / 1)
We have an amazing bench this cycle - let's use it! I want to see them all, especially the Clintons, out there tearing down McCain for the next two months.  

"Don't hate the media, become the media" -Jello Biafra
[ Parent ]
The most effective are the Senators (0.00 / 0)
"I've known John McCain for x nuymber of years, and this isn't the John McCain I knew and liked."  Kerry was very effective with his "Senator McCain" vs "Candidate McCain" contrasts.  They should even try a "I knew John McCain.  John McCain was a friend of mine.  And you, sir, are not John McCain" refrain.  

Plus it resonates with the press, who are getting a little testy.

John McCain--He's not who you think he is.

[ Parent ]
I doubt very much if they will (4.00 / 1)
The problem is that they work in the same exclusive club The Senate. I haven't heard Republican Senators attack Obama much either.
[ Parent ]
that's the impression I got too (4.00 / 2)
People were cautiously trying to figure out if they wanted to stand up to Bush, just in case they might hurt their own legacy. We never had our candidate's back fully. Maybe the progressive netroots wasn't strong enough back then, and the consultant/pundit class was still too powerful.
[ Parent ]
Kerry's convention speech in 2004 (4.00 / 8)
was really awesome as well. Everyone mocks him for "Reporting for duty", but the speech was actually a full-throated attack on Bush and the Republicans.
[ Parent ]
But (4.00 / 1)
He wind-surfed and owned two houses!
[ Parent ]
Kerry wasn't as bad as he was made out to be (4.00 / 6)
The Republicans just made him pay over and over again for his worst messaging.

Join the Iowa progressive community at Bleeding Heartland.
one major flub (4.00 / 2)
His biggest flub was the "for it before I was against it" gaffe, which directly played into Rove's narrative and defined Kerry's character.

Here's hoping Obama/Biden avoid that one mistake.  

"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 ]
No... (4.00 / 3)
That flub was in the public mind before summer started.  Kerry had the lead at points after that.

Not responding to the Swifties cost Kerry the election.   That was the single biggest screw up by kerry.  Had he come out and just said this is bullshit... he would have won.

[ Parent ]
I don't think so (4.00 / 1)
He said that in mid-August. And then the wind-surfing scene came out in September.

It was a combination of things. He almost pulled it out. The anemic Democratic ground game didn't help either.

[ Parent ]
Ugh! (4.00 / 3)
His ground operation in Ohio was appallingly bad...

Remember, that Rove had his secret evangelical ground game going... that won't really be there this time... there won't be the same enthusiasm on their end, and many evangelicals actually respect Obama enough not to "fear" him like the talk radio crowd does...

REID: Voting against us was never part of our arrangement!
SPECTER: I am altering the deal! Pray I don't alter it any further!
REID: This deal keeps getting worse all the time!

[ Parent ]
Yes, but . . . (4.00 / 3)
the whole government in Ohio has flipped since '04.  The Senate, Governor, many local officials are there helping.  We didn't have the infrastructure for a Democratic win that we have now.  
[ Parent ]
I was just going to mention the wind surfing. (4.00 / 2)
It wasn't the spandex, although that didn't help.  It was that he was all alone.  That made him aloof.  Kennedy at least took people along on the sailboat.
[ Parent ]
Kerry would have been a great President (4.00 / 3)

  Unfortunately, he listened to too much bad advice in his campaign.  

"We judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their actions. It is a great convenience." -- Howard Zinn
[ Parent ]
Yeah, good night... (0.00 / 0)
Clinton not only laid out the case for Obama, but actually forwarded a very Pro-Democratic, Pro-Progressive message.

Biden's speech I thought was pretty decent... was about B+/A- speech to me.  I think Clinton's speech was probably a bit better.

Catching up (0.00 / 0)

Missed tonight's festivities due to a prior commitment. :(

But I'm gratified to hear that the night went well. Hey, if Chris approved... :) :)  
 

"We judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their actions. It is a great convenience." -- Howard Zinn

Man... (0.00 / 0)
I really want to just yell at that idiot from Wisconsin.  That McCain ad just pisses me off.  
Did you hear... (4.00 / 4)
that she was asked in an interview something along the lines of, "How can you support Sen. McCain when his policies on reproductive rights are so antithetical to what you and Sen. Clinton believe?"

her response: "As far as I know, Sen. McCain is pro-choice."

Real smart lady, that one.

[ Parent ]
Yeah, not really... (4.00 / 1)
..however, can you blame her for losing track of McCain's latest position on the issue, reagrding his regular flipflops?
:D
[ Parent ]
He had only one flip-flop-flip (0.00 / 0)
He was always anti-choice, very much so.  He switched a bit in 2000 when he ran for Pres, said he thought Roe v. Wade should stand, then flipped back shortly after he lost.  In some ways, he is more anti-choice than Bush, who I don't think really cared about it any more than he cared about gays--just a way to win votes.  I think McCain is genuinely anti-choice and anti-gay, though not as bad as someone like Dobson.

John McCain--He's not who you think he is.
[ Parent ]
Al Gore Tomorrow (4.00 / 2)
I have not been nearly as critical as other of the first 2 nights but after tonight I feel very good.

And tomorrow night we get Gore introducing Obama which is brilliant.  Remind people of the mistake of the last eight years followed by what the future could be.

If we succeed in the McCain=Bush, we win this election.  I think we are well on the way.

I hope Gore rips McSame (4.00 / 4)
instead of worrying about hurting the feelings of Republicans who support his "nonpartisan" global warming initiatives.
[ Parent ]
I Bet He Will But (0.00 / 0)
I am not sure he has to.  His presence alone reminds everyone that we could have had a very different 8 years.  If the 2000 election were replayed in hindsight Gore would win easily.  He reminds America of their buyers remorse which is why he is the absolutely right person to introduce Obama.
[ Parent ]
presence schmesance (4.00 / 2)
Gore needs to hammer away at Bush and McCain for the eight years we've  suffered under their treasonous policies.
[ Parent ]
Exactly never force your audience to connect the dots (3.00 / 4)
the speaker should do it for them.
[ Parent ]
Being An Attack Dog (0.00 / 0)
has never been Gore's problem.  They just talked about it on MSNBC.

The other thing you have to remember is that the talking heads will discuss the 2000 election ad nausium tomorrow night b/f Gore speaks which is great for us.  That's what I was trying to say that his presence will stir all the regret people have about having had Bush as President for 8 yrs.

It is a double win.  

[ Parent ]
I doubt that Gore will attack (4.00 / 1)
He'll want to work with the next president on Global Warming. McCain is the best Republican on that issue.
[ Parent ]
How about Gore (4.00 / 1)
just give his people versus the powerful speech again?
[ Parent ]
Kerry's speech was awesome (4.00 / 4)
best one of the night.  
Agreed (4.00 / 8)
Tonight was a lot better.  Not just the individual speeches, but how they reinforced each other.

Even the obligatory "John McCain is my friend" routine was actually done in a way that didn't undermine the criticism that followed.

"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

Plus (4.00 / 7)
Joe Biden's mom!
[ Parent ]
his son's intro (4.00 / 3)
was probably worth even more.
[ Parent ]
I Dunno (4.00 / 4)
The thing about the story of Biden's mom telling him to go bloody the neighborhood bully's nose and her reaction of nodding and telling everyone in her box, "That's true" is that moment was an unscripted character vouch by his mother. You can't buy that kind of raw authenticity.  
[ Parent ]
Who will the GOP present (4.00 / 1)
that will equal any one of Teddy, Michelle, Hillary, Bill or Barack?  
No one (0.00 / 0)
But they don't have to...

All that is needed is a green screen behind the speakers and Stephen Colbert will take care of the details.

[ Parent ]
Mr. "Noun, Verb, and 9/11" (4.00 / 1)
This time, he will cut to the chase and simply repeat "9/11" over and over and over again for about fifteen minutes.
[ Parent ]
I hope for a bounce (0.00 / 0)
I'd like to see Obama break 50% by the weekend.  
lots of retroactive Kerry bashing here tonight (4.00 / 9)
I disagree with the notion Kerry was weak in 2004. I thought Kerry was strong for the most part back then. He is suffering in 2007-08 what Gore suffered in 2004...the notion that he lost because he was weak.

Obama is underperforming current public sentiment regarding party preference. Kerry performed much closer to it. Obama can still change it and I think he will.

On the off chance Obama loses, we will hear no end of "that loser Obama campaign" in 2012.

one word I hope to see retired is bash (4.00 / 1)
it no longer has meaning.  telling it like it is isn't bashing. no more than branding mccain as more of the same as bush is smearing.
[ Parent ]
It's more than an "off" chance at this point isn't it? (4.00 / 2)
And if he does in fact blow this election, I think the cries of "that loser Obama campaign" will be entirely warranted.
[ Parent ]
really? (4.00 / 2)
not "that first black presidential candidate really got screwed?"  he's running a pretty good campaign without serious errors so far, except maybe in his inability to finish the primary process through elections (which again may not be his fault).
[ Parent ]
McCain has been defining the narrative (0.00 / 0)
People have been wondering when McCain would start responding to Obama rather than vice versa.

The "houses" kerfuffle was a start, but it was a gift, and we have yet to see if this will be sustained.

Obama clearly wants to rise above the fray.  If he stays there, and loses, after the experience with Kerry in 04, you bet there'll be criticism.

I think Marshall's "bitch-slap" theory of presidential campaigns is right-on, all the way back to Muskie crying.

[ Parent ]
entirely unlikely (4.00 / 1)


--

The government has a defect: it's potentially democratic. Corporations have no defect: they're pure tyrannies. -Chomsky
[ Parent ]
And if he wins? (4.00 / 1)
What will be your reaction? Or is this just your version of an 'off chance'?
[ Parent ]
Put these people on the campaign trail and keep 'em there. (4.00 / 2)
Kerry, the Clintons, all the Bidens - let not a single one of them be anywhere but a swing state till the last poll closes.

John McCain thinks we haven't spent enough time in Iraq
... (4.00 / 2)
For the most part yes, but Bill gets into trouble intermingling with the press gaggles that follow him around.  Tonight he was saving his own bacon as much as endorsing the Dem candidate so he was on target.  That's not always the case when he gets on the trail, especially by himself.

I would use HRC as much as she will do it.  She seems far more disciplined.

[ Parent ]
Convention Bounce (4.00 / 7)
The MSM has been telling us for weeks how important this convention was to Obama and the Democratic party.  Yet so little coverage of the convention was actually provided by the MSM.  The convention has been little more than a backdrop to the 24-hour news culture, as they have devoted much more time to their own spin and talking-heads.

Surely in a fews days the talking-heads will begin to spin the numbers and claim that the Democratic convention was a failure and that Obama failed to close the deal, because there wasn't a significant bump from the convention.  But how can anyone expect there to be a convention bump when the media fails to provide coverage of the convention?


... (4.00 / 2)
It's up to us to blog the ADD cable media into submission...they are very influenced by what the blogs say.  It's also a really good tactic to organize massive phone ins to correct what we think is an incorrect story.  These folks are out to make money and if enough of us tell them they're wrong they will listen.

It worked for the hard right, why can't it work for us?

[ Parent ]
Partisanship (4.00 / 13)
On the two great questions of this election - how to rebuild the American dream and how to restore America's leadership in the world - [John McCain] still embraces the extreme philosophy that has defined his party for more than 25 years.

And it is, to be fair to all the Americans who aren't as hard-core Democrats as we, it's a philosophy the American people never actually had a chance to see in action fully until 2001, when the Republicans finally gained control of both the White House and the Congress.

Then we saw what would happen to America if the policies they had talked about for decades actually were implemented. And look what happened.


I thought that was his best line of the night (4.00 / 2)
And it echoes what he talked about when he ran for president in 1992.

Americans forget their history very easily. Bill was always great at reminding them of it and then showing what the consequences of republican rule are for the country.

[ Parent ]
Theme: "Obama: Already Leading" (4.00 / 8)
Biden's refrain on national security that "John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama was right" needs to be applified and spun to rebut/push back on the 'Not ready to lead' charge. The very simple, truthful retort is "Obama is already leading." With bonus followup that even George Bush can see it and is following. Only John McCain remains stubbornly wrong.

Self-refuting Christine O'Donnell is proof monkeys are still evolving into humans
Kerry hit this theme directly (4.00 / 2)
Just want to add that John Kerry hit on this theme more directly than Biden -- explicitly noting that Obama is leading and Administration policy is following.

Note also in my comment below that Biden's questioning of McCain's judgment really got under the Fox News/GOP skin. The bullies really don't like being punched in the mouth...

Self-refuting Christine O'Donnell is proof monkeys are still evolving into humans

[ Parent ]
Biden (4.00 / 5)
was pretty good, but are we ever going to stop talking about how John McCain is my great friend and I honor his courage and service to our country?

I don't wanna be John McCain's friend. And he sure as hell isn't mine.

This kinda talk makes you look weak, but worse than that it feeds the idea that everyone in Washington is best buddies. Not what you want to say when you're campaigning on change.

McCain has well-known anger management issues, he's also just a jerk. He can't possibly be friends with this many Democrats, not when members of his own party like to talk about how terrifying it would be if he had his finger on the button. If someone made a joke about my daughter being ugly because "her father is Janet Reno", he'd be made to regret it.

When someone is attacking your guy the way McCain is attacking Obama, calling him The One and comparing him to Paris Hilton, you don't take the high road and say that even though he's your friend, you disagree with him on "the issues." You tear down the one thing he has to campaign on, this "I'm a war hero" sense of entitlement, and how he thinks being tortured entitles you to become president, and how standing with Bush 100% somehow makes for good policy experience.  

... (4.00 / 3)
This kinda talk makes you look weak, but worse than that it feeds the idea that everyone in Washington is best buddies. Not what you want to say when you're campaigning on change.

I disagree.  I think for most Americans it's more important to be believable than just outright angry.  There's video all over the place with all these old timers singing each other's praises and it's disingenuous to try to now say the guy is a rotten bastard.

Also, it allows these old guys to amplify how many issues McCain has flipped on and how apparent it is he's done it only to get elected.  The McCain I thought I knew wouldn't vote for the McCain of today stuff.

You young pups spoilin' for a fight need to think about these moves and comments in the context of the rest of the 300 million of us. ;)

[ Parent ]
Remember the 1992 GOP convention (0.00 / 0)
It was a hatefest.  Pat Buchanan's culture war speech, the one that made Rachel Maddow feel so excluded.  The whole thing really scared middle America.  

They have no ideas this time.  What, someone is going to say we don't need no universal health care, we already have emergency rooms, like that McCain clown today?

Schwarzenegger won't be there because of the CA budget mess.  Bush and Cheney are the Day 1 speakers.  Who else have they got?  Lieberman, Huckleberry, their token wooden women, a few blow-dried anchor types and a bunch of scary fundamentalists and supply-side predators.

John McCain--He's not who you think he is.

[ Parent ]
it's not the high road or the low road (4.00 / 1)
it's which one will help you win at the least expense to your dignity :)  Frankly, having a bunch of prominent Democrats at the convention screaming that McCain is overinflating his POW credentials (which is the opposite extreme in terms of messaging) would be political suicide.  I also thought Biden's argument "I really am his friend, but this is why he sucks" was REALLY good in terms of messaging.
[ Parent ]
p.s. (0.00 / 0)
i state this with the proviso that i, like most people who talk about "messaging" actually have no idea what i'm talking about.

:)

[ Parent ]
I agree. (4.00 / 2)
If Biden is "your friend" and you only disagree on issues, then it really doesn't matter how people vote, does it?

The Democrats need to go after his character, hard. It's the only thing that matters, and it is what regular people use to decide how to vote. As long as McCain is "just a swell guy who happens to be on the other team" we aren't going to see any movement in the numbers.

Montani semper liberi

[ Parent ]
Kerry (4.00 / 2)
Kerry was good, but I doubt many people watched it. Neither MSNBC or Fox showed the speech, and it wasn't carried on any of the nwtworks of course. So even though it was effective, I don't know if enough people watched it to make any impact.
It was on CNN (4.00 / 1)

[ Parent ]
Just saw it -- great speech (4.00 / 4)

[ Parent ]
Great Line (4.00 / 4)
"Before he ever debates Barack Obama, John McCain should the finish the debate with himself"

I cheered like it was the Super Bowl upon hearing that.  

[ Parent ]
i think this is (4.00 / 1)
probably right.  
[ Parent ]
Obama's keynote wasn't widely seen either (4.00 / 1)
A surprisingly small number of people saw Obama's keynote live in 2004, but it turned out to be a pretty big thing.

Kerry didn't get enough credit for his speaking skills in 2004. Other than the cheesy "reporting for duty" line, his 2004 acceptance speech was outstanding. And he kicked massive ass in the debates, particularly the first one (though Bush stinking up the place really helped). In fact, he got a huge bounce out of the first debate.

He could get wooden and long-winded at times, but it sure wasn't his speechifying that lost him the election.

All that aside though, last night's speech was the best I've ever heard from him, and far and away the best of the convention so far. The tone was dead-perfect, and it was artfully constructed. The parallel structure, the way he involved the audience, just all really good stuff.

Conduct your own interview of Sarah Palin!

[ Parent ]
Bounce, Schmounce (4.00 / 2)
Those are ephemeral anyway.  Slow and steady.


John McCain doesn't care about Vets.


A good night overall (4.00 / 1)
This was the best night so far. I loved Kerry and Clinton. Joe demonstrated he can deliver punches. Tammy Duckworth sounds a lot more polished than the last time I heard her. Jack Reed's speech was well written, but a little weak on the delivery. They all ripped the Republicans a new one and made the case for Obama.

It was a  relief to hear the word "Republicans." Until tonight I thought we were running against the Bush party. Let's hope this gets out through the media filter.

the reason people remember Kerry as a weak flip-flopper (4.00 / 12)
is because the media told them so. That's the only reason.

Kerry was an excellent speaker. He won all the debates, but really annihilated Bush in the first debate. Bush sounded like a petulant child, whining about how he knew the war was hard because he "got the reports on his desk" and how he "saw it on TV". When asked what the biggest national security threat was, Kerry crisply said, "Nuclear proliferation," then proceeded to outline what he'd do about it. Bush could only lamely echo Kerry.

Democrats (especially the ones in the blogosphere) have a disturbing tendency to buy into the very media memes they claim to decry. The worry about the "PUMAs" who are supposedly trying to undermine Obama on Clinton's behalf is only the most recent example.

Nothing could be more transparently a media creation than that, more transparently a product of the media's sixteen year hate affair with the Clintons. CNN goes around for hours, interviewing dozens of people, searching for that one idiot who claims to be so mad about Clinton's loss that she's going to vote McCain, and people promptly freak out about it.

Please, let's ignore the stupidity of the media and stay on the important task: winning in November.

Fred Barnes Sputtering Mad; McCain to follow suit? (4.00 / 5)
Just watching the Biden rerun on Faux and afterward Fred Barnes was fuming, pissed mad that Biden actually questioned McCain's judgment. Not just disagreed on policy, but his judgment. The sputtering disbelief was priceless. Maybe if we keep hitting on this we can provoke a similar response from hothead McCain.

...Adding, Bill Kristol then chimed in that it means the Obama people have decided that they must "disqualify" McCain himself and not simply rely on tying him to Bush/More of the same. Words I very rarely use -- I hope Kristol is right.

Self-refuting Christine O'Donnell is proof monkeys are still evolving into humans

Wes Clark's statement on the Convention (4.00 / 2)
Posted at Digby's blog (I did correct the format, though):

From Wes Clark:

Dear Friend,

I'm in Munich right now, but I can't tell you how ready I am to head to Denver and join my fellow Democrats.

The Democratic Party is ready to lead and address the many challenges ahead, and Barack Obama is the leader we need for our country and to help humanity meet today's global challenges.

We're a party loaded with talent. Like many of you, I've been thrilled by the speeches at the Democratic National Convention so far. Hillary Clinton was great last night. Her strength, her character, her call for unity. Her speech just proves once again that she is a great American and has many years of distinguished public service ahead of her.

And what an inspiration Ted Kennedy was, as was Nancy Pelosi, our Speaker of the House. Brian Schweitzer, the history-making Governor of Montana and Mark Warner, a business executive, distinguished former Governor and soon-to-be a remarkable U.S. Senator.

Tonight, I'm looking forward to catching the speeches of our honored former President Bill Clinton and our vice-presidential nominee Joe Biden. We are so fortunate that these two outstanding men are Democrats.

And then there's tomorrow. Our Party is so fortunate at this time in history to be nominating Barack Obama. After Michelle's incredibly warm and personal speech on Monday, any American can see the strength of character in their family. It's clear that when the Obamas become first family, they'll definitely bring change to America.

I can't wait to hear Senator Obama's words in person. He's warned us not to expect that he can duplicate the electricity from his memorable speech in 2004, but I think he's just being wise to play down expectations. He has proven to be a remarkable human being with incredible judgment, an outstanding sense of direction, and unmatched communication skills. I fully expect to be inspired, as I was in 2004.

I'm proud to be a Democrat, and I'm proud to ask you to pull together with me. It's time to help elect our candidates to every office. From mayors to governors, from state legislators to Congress. And especially to come together behind Barack Obama.

Barack is going to be the leader of a great team of Democrats in this election campaign. And he's going to become a great American President.

I believe he has the skills and resolve to strengthen America's security, rebuild America's economy, and restore Americans' faith in the future.

Our challenge is clear. We must win in November.

Well, this shows that Clark is really a great Democrat. Despite the less than polite treatment by Obama staffers, he's supporting Obama with this classy message to his supporters. Really, a great guy that should be seriously considered for DoD.

Noun Verb Pow.com (4.00 / 1)
Someone bought www.nounverbpow.com and it redirects to the official McCain site now. Brilliant.

No Way, No How, No McCain

sorry for bad html... (4.00 / 1)
[ Parent ]
What I wish Biden had said: (4.00 / 2)
"and if elected your vice president, I promise not to shoot any old men in the face."

Montani semper liberi
Not that I wear a tin-foil hat (at least outdoors).... (0.00 / 0)
[ Parent ]
That's a weird story. (0.00 / 0)
Personally I always figured it was a sexual thing. I mean these are Republicans we are talking about, after all.

And it would explain two things:

1) Why Whittington refused to press charges

2) Why they waited so long to call the authorities -- they had to get the man out of the latex suit first

Montani semper liberi

[ Parent ]
Just got up to date via YouTube... (0.00 / 0)
...because I was out last night. To me, the one thing that was super-encouraging about the evening's big speeches (Kerry, Clinton, Biden) is that everyone kinda got around to saying that Barack Obama was either right all along or struck the appropriate measured, diplomatic tone on a number of foreign policy/national security-related things, which is the perfect reason why one of the youngest and newest faces in the Senate should be president instead of all the old hands he's surrounded by. I was reminded again that Biden, Kerry and Hillary all authorized the war.  

"This ain't for the underground. This here is for the sun." -Saul Williams
A Good Night | 87 comments
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