This pretty much says it all...
http://www.jedreport.com/2008/08/john-mccains-wandering-eyes-ne.html
Sorry didn't write yesterday, travel day. Working today. Back to the real world. Siiigghhhh...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
I Can Dissect That Nomination in Just Three Words!
Dan.
Quayle.
Lite.
Except that her qualifications make Dan Quayle look like the love child of Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.
My god, she even says "nuke-you-ler" weapons.
Ok, so here is how cynical this nomination is: Racial warfare may not be enough, so let's re-ignite the gender wars. It's also another example of Republican Affirmative Action, a la Clarence Thomas. Let's put an intellectually not-particularly-gifted black guy on the Supreme Court. The Democrats, led by Joe Biden on the judiciary committee, caved in the face of being accused of performing a "high-tech lynching", once Anita Hill made her allegations of sexual misconduct. Joe Biden, in the eyes of many of the women of that era, did not acquit himself well on the Judiciary Committee.
So what happens if Joe Biden, in attack dog mode, goes after Sarah Palin in the VP debates? He looks like a cad and a bully. The thinking goes that the working women of Pennsylavania and Ohio and Virginia will see her as one of their own, a "Red-Neck Woman" in the song by Gretchen Wilson, and will turn on the Democrats.
And, in true Karl Rove fashion, it's a 2-fer. When Rove attacks, he attacks the strong point, and whenever possible, gets a side benefit. The forged Air National Guard documents revealed on CBS news in 2004 not only discredited the idea of W as a deserter, it cost Dan Rather his job. A Rovian 2-fer.
So, at some point, the Democrats are going to bring up the inconvenient truth that Gov. Palin is under investigation for getting a state police officer fired for personal reasons. The officer in question was the Governor's brother-in-law, married to her sister. There was a nasty custody battle. The Governor intervened in ways that seem to ignore a sentence or two in the Alaskan Legal System. ( Never mind any general ethical standard.)
When this gets out, you can be certain that her defense will be: " Listen, buster, I was just trying to protect my sister and her kids from a large, powerful man with a badge and a gun." The women referenced above in the swing states will rise up in sisterhood and turn out by the pickup truck load.
Faux News repeatedly describes her as having "impeccable ethics". This is part of the setup. Damn those nasty Democrats, attacking her ethics!
It is so breathtakingly cynical. It's Clarence Thomas Redux, except in this case it's not an unqualified black man they are putting forth as The Best Possible Person For The Job, it is a former beauty queen, who spent a brief stint as the ceremonial mayor of a village of 9,000 people, before spending a whopping 18 months as Governor of Alaska, and its 638,954 citizens.
And it's on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Heckuva job, McCain. You sure nailed the whole judgement thing.
But you know, it's so crazy, it just might work.
On the other hand, the 12,563,498 next-most-qualified Republican women might just get so cranky at being passed over by McCain's vetting team, that they will decide to vote for someone else...or not at all.
In fact, I would recommend that every Republican female officeholder who thinks she is more qualified than Sarah Palin write a letter to the editor: Why Not Me? Better yet, a series of You Tube videos: Republican women with stronger qualifications than Sarah Palin.
I am going to have to watch the Republican convention to see them praising her skills and qualifications. Oughta be a hoot. I can't wait to hear the comparisons between Joe Biden's speech and hers.
Maybe the few Republicans who actually attend the convention will revolt, declare a do-over, and draft Kay Bailey Hutchinson as the candidate. And as the next VP nominee?
I hear Quayle is tanned, rested, and ready.
Quayle.
Lite.
Except that her qualifications make Dan Quayle look like the love child of Winston Churchill and Abraham Lincoln.
My god, she even says "nuke-you-ler" weapons.
Ok, so here is how cynical this nomination is: Racial warfare may not be enough, so let's re-ignite the gender wars. It's also another example of Republican Affirmative Action, a la Clarence Thomas. Let's put an intellectually not-particularly-gifted black guy on the Supreme Court. The Democrats, led by Joe Biden on the judiciary committee, caved in the face of being accused of performing a "high-tech lynching", once Anita Hill made her allegations of sexual misconduct. Joe Biden, in the eyes of many of the women of that era, did not acquit himself well on the Judiciary Committee.
So what happens if Joe Biden, in attack dog mode, goes after Sarah Palin in the VP debates? He looks like a cad and a bully. The thinking goes that the working women of Pennsylavania and Ohio and Virginia will see her as one of their own, a "Red-Neck Woman" in the song by Gretchen Wilson, and will turn on the Democrats.
And, in true Karl Rove fashion, it's a 2-fer. When Rove attacks, he attacks the strong point, and whenever possible, gets a side benefit. The forged Air National Guard documents revealed on CBS news in 2004 not only discredited the idea of W as a deserter, it cost Dan Rather his job. A Rovian 2-fer.
So, at some point, the Democrats are going to bring up the inconvenient truth that Gov. Palin is under investigation for getting a state police officer fired for personal reasons. The officer in question was the Governor's brother-in-law, married to her sister. There was a nasty custody battle. The Governor intervened in ways that seem to ignore a sentence or two in the Alaskan Legal System. ( Never mind any general ethical standard.)
When this gets out, you can be certain that her defense will be: " Listen, buster, I was just trying to protect my sister and her kids from a large, powerful man with a badge and a gun." The women referenced above in the swing states will rise up in sisterhood and turn out by the pickup truck load.
Faux News repeatedly describes her as having "impeccable ethics". This is part of the setup. Damn those nasty Democrats, attacking her ethics!
It is so breathtakingly cynical. It's Clarence Thomas Redux, except in this case it's not an unqualified black man they are putting forth as The Best Possible Person For The Job, it is a former beauty queen, who spent a brief stint as the ceremonial mayor of a village of 9,000 people, before spending a whopping 18 months as Governor of Alaska, and its 638,954 citizens.
And it's on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Heckuva job, McCain. You sure nailed the whole judgement thing.
But you know, it's so crazy, it just might work.
On the other hand, the 12,563,498 next-most-qualified Republican women might just get so cranky at being passed over by McCain's vetting team, that they will decide to vote for someone else...or not at all.
In fact, I would recommend that every Republican female officeholder who thinks she is more qualified than Sarah Palin write a letter to the editor: Why Not Me? Better yet, a series of You Tube videos: Republican women with stronger qualifications than Sarah Palin.
I am going to have to watch the Republican convention to see them praising her skills and qualifications. Oughta be a hoot. I can't wait to hear the comparisons between Joe Biden's speech and hers.
Maybe the few Republicans who actually attend the convention will revolt, declare a do-over, and draft Kay Bailey Hutchinson as the candidate. And as the next VP nominee?
I hear Quayle is tanned, rested, and ready.
This Just In:
RedState.com is reporting that McCain has chosen Tim Pawlenty as his running mate. Quick, who was Bob Dole's running mate in '96? That's where Pawlenty is going to end up.
Debate between Biden and Pawlenty? Pawlenty would be better off getting waterboarded. It won't be as uncomfortable for him. Watch for the McMinions to set the bar so low for Pawlenty's performance that it will be considered a victory if he doesn't soil himself on national television.
This Just In Part 2: Since I started writing this, Karl Rove has leaked the name of Sarah Palin, beleaguered governor of Alaska, as the VP choice. Keep the pundits talking about the VP choice, not Obama's speech. Won't work well.
Obama's speech last night was not what I had expected. I noticed myself thinking part way through it " Why am I strangely unmoved by this?"
But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to the naysayers, the curious tuning in for the first time, the undecideds who had heard this guy was all rhetoric, and no substance.
Well, the boy had substance in spades.
So, did you gasp when you saw that? or guffaw? Why? All I said was "the boy had substance in spades." What's wrong with that? Men often call each other "boy", and having something "in spades" just means there is a lot of it. Right? Wait, you're telling me I am using racist language? There you go, dealing out the race card again.
And that, children, is what it will be like in the next two months. All the coded language will be brought out. And everytime they get called on it, we will be the ones called out for playing the race card. Just a little hint. Look for a running glossary of Dog-Whistle terms to show up here soon.
Anyway, back to the speech. Imagine you're John McCain watching this thing. Obama looks right into the camera and calls you out on questioning his patriotism. To paraphrase: "Don't mess with me, suckah. I'm coming for you."
Now, if you're John McCain, you've just been challenged to a fight, mano a mano. Obama is all up in your grill, and the veins in your neck are starting to throb, and steam is starting to come out of your ears. Your cage has been thoroughly rattled. McCain in fight mode doesn't engage the brain so thoroughly, and the remark about "I have the temperament, and judgement, to be President" just stokes the boiler.
And rest assured, we will hear a lot about temperament, and McCain voting with Bush 90% of the time. Expect to see photos of McCain and Bush in a man-hug in just about every ad you see.
Things You Probably Didn't See on TV:
There were celebrities of every description in the hall. We constantly had people coming by and getting mobbed by people who wanted pictures of themselves with What's-His-Name, which is who most of them were to me. I did have fun meeting Mike Dukakis, though. I introduced myself: "Governor, I'm Chris O'Brien, from Duxbury. I have always been a huge fan. Great to see you!"
( For the non-O'Briens reading, my brother Chris has the same deep and abiding affection for Dukakis that I have for Dick Cheney.)
Anyway, I was constantly taking pictures of other delegates with famous politicos, media types, TV actors and actresses, most of whom I didn't recognize.
Case in point: Wandering around behind the media booths, getting a look behind the scenes, I found myself standing next to this nattily dressed young African-American man. He was sporting a fedora, a long jacket resembling a nehru coat, and blue jeans. We nodded to each other, and I moved on. I saw him a little later, on the stage, singing with John Legend. Yeah, I was hangin' with Will.I.Am, who did the "Yes We Can" video, and didn't have a clue. ( So what else is new?)
The california delegation was in front of us, and one of the actresses from one of the CSI shows was there, apparently a delegate. Damned if I can remember her name. She's one of the lab types, I think, the one with the short brown hair and radiant smile. She was a good sport about getting pictures taken with her, and seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself like a regular person.
The Absolute Best Moment I Wish I Had on Video:
Between speeches, they often play music so the crowd can get up and dance. They played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", and of course I was up and dancing. Turned around, and saw that everybody, and I mean everybody, in the CBS booth was up and dancing. The makeup person, camera operators, director, CBS news executive types, didn't matter the pay grade, they were ALL up and shakin' it. And I am not talking about just tapping their feet and bobbing their heads, they were all WORKING it, baby. Looked over to NBC, CNN, FOX, ABC...sitting there, stonefaced, watching the proceedings. Meanwhile the CBS crew was interacting with the delegates, waving and winking and looking like they wanted to come down and dance with us. After the song was over, they cheered wildly, we cheered wildly, and chants erupted from 4 delegations: "CBS! CBS! CBS!"
I know which network *I'm* watching from now on.
Here is how smart the Obama people are: One of the organizers from Colorado got onstage and urged everyone to text "DNC" and their first name to 62262 (OBAMA) and add a little message about why they got involved. 84,000 people in the hall. Subtract from that maybe 30,000 delegates, media, family members, etc. Now you have 54,000 people. If half of them actually text to Obama, that's 24,000 cell phone numbers Obama's campaign has captured, most from the swing state of Colorado. Those are numbers that they can text to get out news, requests for volunteers, and get-out-the-vote information.
Brilliant.
ok, off to read some reactions to the speech. I wanted to write before I was tainted by talking heads.
Debate between Biden and Pawlenty? Pawlenty would be better off getting waterboarded. It won't be as uncomfortable for him. Watch for the McMinions to set the bar so low for Pawlenty's performance that it will be considered a victory if he doesn't soil himself on national television.
This Just In Part 2: Since I started writing this, Karl Rove has leaked the name of Sarah Palin, beleaguered governor of Alaska, as the VP choice. Keep the pundits talking about the VP choice, not Obama's speech. Won't work well.
Obama's speech last night was not what I had expected. I noticed myself thinking part way through it " Why am I strangely unmoved by this?"
But he wasn't talking to me. He was talking to the naysayers, the curious tuning in for the first time, the undecideds who had heard this guy was all rhetoric, and no substance.
Well, the boy had substance in spades.
So, did you gasp when you saw that? or guffaw? Why? All I said was "the boy had substance in spades." What's wrong with that? Men often call each other "boy", and having something "in spades" just means there is a lot of it. Right? Wait, you're telling me I am using racist language? There you go, dealing out the race card again.
And that, children, is what it will be like in the next two months. All the coded language will be brought out. And everytime they get called on it, we will be the ones called out for playing the race card. Just a little hint. Look for a running glossary of Dog-Whistle terms to show up here soon.
Anyway, back to the speech. Imagine you're John McCain watching this thing. Obama looks right into the camera and calls you out on questioning his patriotism. To paraphrase: "Don't mess with me, suckah. I'm coming for you."
Now, if you're John McCain, you've just been challenged to a fight, mano a mano. Obama is all up in your grill, and the veins in your neck are starting to throb, and steam is starting to come out of your ears. Your cage has been thoroughly rattled. McCain in fight mode doesn't engage the brain so thoroughly, and the remark about "I have the temperament, and judgement, to be President" just stokes the boiler.
And rest assured, we will hear a lot about temperament, and McCain voting with Bush 90% of the time. Expect to see photos of McCain and Bush in a man-hug in just about every ad you see.
Things You Probably Didn't See on TV:
There were celebrities of every description in the hall. We constantly had people coming by and getting mobbed by people who wanted pictures of themselves with What's-His-Name, which is who most of them were to me. I did have fun meeting Mike Dukakis, though. I introduced myself: "Governor, I'm Chris O'Brien, from Duxbury. I have always been a huge fan. Great to see you!"
( For the non-O'Briens reading, my brother Chris has the same deep and abiding affection for Dukakis that I have for Dick Cheney.)
Anyway, I was constantly taking pictures of other delegates with famous politicos, media types, TV actors and actresses, most of whom I didn't recognize.
Case in point: Wandering around behind the media booths, getting a look behind the scenes, I found myself standing next to this nattily dressed young African-American man. He was sporting a fedora, a long jacket resembling a nehru coat, and blue jeans. We nodded to each other, and I moved on. I saw him a little later, on the stage, singing with John Legend. Yeah, I was hangin' with Will.I.Am, who did the "Yes We Can" video, and didn't have a clue. ( So what else is new?)
The california delegation was in front of us, and one of the actresses from one of the CSI shows was there, apparently a delegate. Damned if I can remember her name. She's one of the lab types, I think, the one with the short brown hair and radiant smile. She was a good sport about getting pictures taken with her, and seemed to be genuinely enjoying herself like a regular person.
The Absolute Best Moment I Wish I Had on Video:
Between speeches, they often play music so the crowd can get up and dance. They played "Signed, Sealed, Delivered", and of course I was up and dancing. Turned around, and saw that everybody, and I mean everybody, in the CBS booth was up and dancing. The makeup person, camera operators, director, CBS news executive types, didn't matter the pay grade, they were ALL up and shakin' it. And I am not talking about just tapping their feet and bobbing their heads, they were all WORKING it, baby. Looked over to NBC, CNN, FOX, ABC...sitting there, stonefaced, watching the proceedings. Meanwhile the CBS crew was interacting with the delegates, waving and winking and looking like they wanted to come down and dance with us. After the song was over, they cheered wildly, we cheered wildly, and chants erupted from 4 delegations: "CBS! CBS! CBS!"
I know which network *I'm* watching from now on.
Here is how smart the Obama people are: One of the organizers from Colorado got onstage and urged everyone to text "DNC" and their first name to 62262 (OBAMA) and add a little message about why they got involved. 84,000 people in the hall. Subtract from that maybe 30,000 delegates, media, family members, etc. Now you have 54,000 people. If half of them actually text to Obama, that's 24,000 cell phone numbers Obama's campaign has captured, most from the swing state of Colorado. Those are numbers that they can text to get out news, requests for volunteers, and get-out-the-vote information.
Brilliant.
ok, off to read some reactions to the speech. I wanted to write before I was tainted by talking heads.
The Speech
Without going into too much detail right now, because I am exhausted, here is what you need to know if you didn't see or hear The Speech:
Patrick Buchanan, speechwriter for Richard Milhouse Nixon, erstwhile Presidential candidate, ultra conservative talking head for MSNBC, spent so much time praising the speech that he had to be cut off because he was taking up too much time.
Patrick Bleeping Buchanan, raving about how great the speech was...amazing.
These guys are so damned smart.
Patrick Buchanan, speechwriter for Richard Milhouse Nixon, erstwhile Presidential candidate, ultra conservative talking head for MSNBC, spent so much time praising the speech that he had to be cut off because he was taking up too much time.
Patrick Bleeping Buchanan, raving about how great the speech was...amazing.
These guys are so damned smart.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
After last night's speech, is Bill Clinton "Black" again?
Umm...no.
But at least he is no longer a scumbag.
Off to INVESCO. I'll have the Downeast Beverage martini-in-a-lobster-claw hat on, a green shirt with a red tie...and a kilt. Shouldn't be too hard to spot, but we're off in the bulrushes somewhere between Arkansas and Oklahoma, so might be hard to find.
Can't wait!
But at least he is no longer a scumbag.
Off to INVESCO. I'll have the Downeast Beverage martini-in-a-lobster-claw hat on, a green shirt with a red tie...and a kilt. Shouldn't be too hard to spot, but we're off in the bulrushes somewhere between Arkansas and Oklahoma, so might be hard to find.
Can't wait!
God Must Be a Democrat and other random ruminations
Focus on the Family's Stuart Shepherd has been asking Christian folks to pray for rain on Obama's speech tonight. They even made a video, which has since been pulled from their website.
The National Weather Service precipitation prediction for today in Denver: 0% chance of rain. That's zero, folks. Maybe they should have prayed a *little* bit harder. Or maybe they don't really have enough faith. Or maybe, just maybe, God don't truck with no nonsense like this.
( Understand, I have been living this week with Craig Hickman, a poet/performance artist/Bed and Breakfast owner. Black, gay, dreadlocked and outspoken, he has been just the perfect roommate for this week. I have been blessed, as he would say. Classic Craig-ism of the week, upon seeing Michelle Obama, beaming in the audience, when Barack came out onstage last night: " That Michelle, she luuuvvv her some BarACK!" He's blogging for the Kennebec Journal. Check him out.)
For many of the speeches, there are little musical introductions, snippets of musical cues. It has been heavy on Motown and 80's pop, leading to some peculiar, if downright thoughtless juxtapositions.
For instance, just before Clinton's speech, the musical number for people to get up and groove to was Aretha's " Chain of Fools". Hmm. Is there a message there? But more bizarre was following Bill Clinton's speech with "Addicted to Love". I wanted to dope slap the musical director and shout "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??!?!"
To all the people I said I would call from INVESCO Field today: Ain't gonna happen. I will text message people to the extent that I can, but if 80,000 cell phones called friends and family at once, it would shut down cell service all over Denver, which we can agree would be a bad thing. People can try calling in, but it might not work. So, be not offended if I don't get through to you.
Almost Immortal Alert: There is a great picture of a woman on the front page of the NY Times today. I was standing 2 feet behind her at that very moment. Another foot closer and I woulda been immortalized!
There are still lots of events going on. Panels, forums ( forae?), demonstrations, fairs...and I just don't have the energy to get out there. In 2012, I am going into quarantine 2 weeks before the convention so I don't have to worry about getting sick again.
I will shop for a hat to wear. We will be out there with no shade. I am buying a 5 gallon jug of SPF 9,000 sun block so I don't come home as Democrat jerky ( yeah, I know, already a jerky Democrat...)
Looking forward to some good music at the event. Rumored performers include Sheryl Crowe, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Wonder. Wicked cool.
So, everybody get together with friends, and people who don't know about Obama, or aren't sure. Watch. Listen. And get ready for some history to be made.
And can I just say, to all the folks who helped me to get here, I am so very honored to be in this place. Thank you.
The National Weather Service precipitation prediction for today in Denver: 0% chance of rain. That's zero, folks. Maybe they should have prayed a *little* bit harder. Or maybe they don't really have enough faith. Or maybe, just maybe, God don't truck with no nonsense like this.
( Understand, I have been living this week with Craig Hickman, a poet/performance artist/Bed and Breakfast owner. Black, gay, dreadlocked and outspoken, he has been just the perfect roommate for this week. I have been blessed, as he would say. Classic Craig-ism of the week, upon seeing Michelle Obama, beaming in the audience, when Barack came out onstage last night: " That Michelle, she luuuvvv her some BarACK!" He's blogging for the Kennebec Journal. Check him out.)
For many of the speeches, there are little musical introductions, snippets of musical cues. It has been heavy on Motown and 80's pop, leading to some peculiar, if downright thoughtless juxtapositions.
For instance, just before Clinton's speech, the musical number for people to get up and groove to was Aretha's " Chain of Fools". Hmm. Is there a message there? But more bizarre was following Bill Clinton's speech with "Addicted to Love". I wanted to dope slap the musical director and shout "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING??!?!"
To all the people I said I would call from INVESCO Field today: Ain't gonna happen. I will text message people to the extent that I can, but if 80,000 cell phones called friends and family at once, it would shut down cell service all over Denver, which we can agree would be a bad thing. People can try calling in, but it might not work. So, be not offended if I don't get through to you.
Almost Immortal Alert: There is a great picture of a woman on the front page of the NY Times today. I was standing 2 feet behind her at that very moment. Another foot closer and I woulda been immortalized!
There are still lots of events going on. Panels, forums ( forae?), demonstrations, fairs...and I just don't have the energy to get out there. In 2012, I am going into quarantine 2 weeks before the convention so I don't have to worry about getting sick again.
I will shop for a hat to wear. We will be out there with no shade. I am buying a 5 gallon jug of SPF 9,000 sun block so I don't come home as Democrat jerky ( yeah, I know, already a jerky Democrat...)
Looking forward to some good music at the event. Rumored performers include Sheryl Crowe, Bruce Springsteen, and Stevie Wonder. Wicked cool.
So, everybody get together with friends, and people who don't know about Obama, or aren't sure. Watch. Listen. And get ready for some history to be made.
And can I just say, to all the folks who helped me to get here, I am so very honored to be in this place. Thank you.
Here It Comes
Yesterday our joy at the proceedings here in Denver was tempered by news that a threatening email was sent to one of the members of our delegation, saying that all the black people of Maine were going to be killed. The perpetrator also sent the message to Gov. Baldacci's office. State police and Secret Service jumped on it, and a suspect was arrested last night.
Folks, it will get ugly. Be prepared. Go forth and work in hope and strength, but be ready. It's coming, and we will have to be strong, and better than them.
And on that note...Obama has to win. Must. If he doesn't win, he loses Secret Service protection. If he wins, he and his family get that for the rest of their lives.
Now for some fun inside baseball: While the roll call votes were being taken, I stood close to the CNN stage. James Carville, one of Hillary Clinotn's biggest supporters and advocates, was standing there surveying the crowd. I leaned over and said " Mr. Carville!" and extended my hand. He smiled, expecting a fan. As I shook his hand, I asked "Did you ever think it would come to this?" He lost his smile, looked away, and sat down.
Contrast that with Donna Brazile's response. Donna Brazile was an Al Gore campaign manager, and is currently a pundit for CNN. I first came across her in the 1984 Jesse Jackson campaign, and she was tough as nails then.
When Obama went over the top, she was on the edge of the CNN stage, pumping her fists, cheering loudly, whooping it up. She started leading cheers of "Yes We Can!" pointing back into the crowd, and generally carrying on. We locked eyes for a moment, and it was clear she was enjoying every bit of this. Then she had to scurry back into her chair so she could be the reserved pundit again.
If anybody was watching the roll call, they saw the usual bloviation of the delegation spokespeople as they rumble " The great stae of *****, home of the 1958 Junior Tiddlywink Champion Armadillos, proudly casts its votes for Candidate X!" This is a tradition, and people try to make the most of it.
Maine, however, took it to a whole new level. Our chair, John Knutsen, rambled on and on, losing track at one point and saying " Whatever.."...and rambled some more. It was somewhat embarrassing...unless you knew what was behind that performance. Originally the plan was for Illinois to pass on casting its votes, all the other states were to be skipped, and Hillary Clinton would announce from her delegation that all of NY's votes were to be cast for Obama, and would urge the convention to nominate Obama by acclaim.
But Hillary was late. So they went on to include other states. Just as Knutsen was about to go on, the phone rang, and the Obama campaign asked him "Can you talk for an extra couple of minutes?" So he had to fill in off the top of his head. Makes sense now, but at the time I thought " Great. We'll forever be known as the 'Whatever' state.
Folks, it will get ugly. Be prepared. Go forth and work in hope and strength, but be ready. It's coming, and we will have to be strong, and better than them.
And on that note...Obama has to win. Must. If he doesn't win, he loses Secret Service protection. If he wins, he and his family get that for the rest of their lives.
Now for some fun inside baseball: While the roll call votes were being taken, I stood close to the CNN stage. James Carville, one of Hillary Clinotn's biggest supporters and advocates, was standing there surveying the crowd. I leaned over and said " Mr. Carville!" and extended my hand. He smiled, expecting a fan. As I shook his hand, I asked "Did you ever think it would come to this?" He lost his smile, looked away, and sat down.
Contrast that with Donna Brazile's response. Donna Brazile was an Al Gore campaign manager, and is currently a pundit for CNN. I first came across her in the 1984 Jesse Jackson campaign, and she was tough as nails then.
When Obama went over the top, she was on the edge of the CNN stage, pumping her fists, cheering loudly, whooping it up. She started leading cheers of "Yes We Can!" pointing back into the crowd, and generally carrying on. We locked eyes for a moment, and it was clear she was enjoying every bit of this. Then she had to scurry back into her chair so she could be the reserved pundit again.
If anybody was watching the roll call, they saw the usual bloviation of the delegation spokespeople as they rumble " The great stae of *****, home of the 1958 Junior Tiddlywink Champion Armadillos, proudly casts its votes for Candidate X!" This is a tradition, and people try to make the most of it.
Maine, however, took it to a whole new level. Our chair, John Knutsen, rambled on and on, losing track at one point and saying " Whatever.."...and rambled some more. It was somewhat embarrassing...unless you knew what was behind that performance. Originally the plan was for Illinois to pass on casting its votes, all the other states were to be skipped, and Hillary Clinton would announce from her delegation that all of NY's votes were to be cast for Obama, and would urge the convention to nominate Obama by acclaim.
But Hillary was late. So they went on to include other states. Just as Knutsen was about to go on, the phone rang, and the Obama campaign asked him "Can you talk for an extra couple of minutes?" So he had to fill in off the top of his head. Makes sense now, but at the time I thought " Great. We'll forever be known as the 'Whatever' state.
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