Opening night jitters . . . .

UPDATE -- INSTA-REACTION: Who woulda thunk they'd send Clinton, not Gore, on offense. Not I. But it's smart, I think. ... Yes, yes -- I think it's smart.

There's a bunch of open threads for the convention, but not this one: Here's your opportunity to snark.

I caught parts of Al's opening speech; honestly, not bad. But George Mitchell (on Larry King*) had the most incisive remark yet. Not unexpectedly, he said it unintentionally. From memory:

"[Gore's] gotten pretty good at self-deprecating humor."

Indeed: He's had quite a bit of practice.

Keep it snarky, folks -- against the dems or the repubs or whomevever wears the bullseye for ya.

von

*I know, I know. But King has The Dole, and he also has The Rocca (Mo). WhatamIgonnado?

Comments

[Edward]

Who needs Gore to breathe fire? Did you see Jimmy Carter?

David Brooks was virtually spitting his disapproval.

[wilfred]

Thank goodness Brooks was spitting instead of clawing, he would have ruined his manicure.

[Timmy the Wonder Dog]

Over at Tacitus, Mac (Macallan) makes an excellent observation about Jimmy Carter.

[wilfred]

That would make it a first: an excellent observation on Tacitus.

[Katherine]

It's a funny thing, to cite history and tradition in this argument.

It's not traditional for a former President to criticize a sitting president, so Carter is wrong to criticize the administration for declaring the Geneva Convention, the categorical prohibition against torture, the rejection of preventive war, and Congressional and judicial restraint on executive war powers to be quaint and obsolete.

Well, you pick your tradition and I'll pick mine, I guess.

I think it was very, very smart to have a soft-spoken, southern accented Nobel Peace Prize winner deliver these criticisms instead of Gore or Dean. I wonder how it plays to a less partisan audience that neither already hates Carter, nor already agrees with everything he said.

I thought Gore had the perfect pitch too. But then I'm a sucker for these things, and surely more susceptible to it this year than most. Hell, I'm finding inspirational quotations they play on the screen between speakers to actually be inspirational. (Though I draw the line at the synthesizer music.)

[Moe Lane]

"That would make it a first: an excellent observation on Tacitus."

(murmuring) I think that you're being simply too hard on his critics; surely one of them had an legitimate objection to Tac's site. ;)

Moe

[sidereal]

Picked a bad time to defend t.org, Moe. Mac's content-free Putzing of Carter surely isn't a high point.

[wilfred]

moe, intellectual discourse doesn't happen in a vacuum.

and remember, playing in hell still means you're there.

[von]

Hey, hey: less smark. More snark.

[Katherine]

I just realized I had violate the "thou shalt snark" commandment.

Okay. Why the hell must female politicians wear turquoise, canary, periwinkle and coral at all times? What is wrong with black, blue, and grey?
I suppose it's to look nonthreatening, but it hurts my eyes.

The he-Clinton is on. He really looks much better these days.

[wilfred]

i take it 'smark' is when it swings left and 'snark' is when it swings rightward? luckily i'm ample enough to swing in both directions :)

[Moe Lane]

"He really looks much better these days."

I tell you, I saw an old clip of Clinton when I thought that I was sitting down to watch some speeches* - the contrast between '92 and '99 was shocking. That job is a vampire.

Moe

*But the networks had other ideas. You know, some people don't actually have cable in this country, but do still expect that the networks will provide coverage of political events. Apparently this is an unreasonable expectation. It's reasonable to assume that I give enough of a crap about Cheese-Its to be shown the same commercial four times in an hour, but not that I would actually want to see the speeches. Grrrr...

[wilfred]

great observation moe. it is pathetic that these very networks who reap huge monetary gains serving at the pleasure of the public can't allot 3 hours over 4 days for 2 summer weeks to carry both conventions.

[von]

i take it 'smark' is when it swings left and 'snark' is when it swings rightward?

Nahh, smark is smack disguised as snark.

In serious analysis mode: Clinton is giving an excellent speech. It's the velvet attack. Best line thus far: "Strength and wisdom are not opposing values."

[wilfred]

Elvis is back in the building. This is how it's done folks. How refreshing to remember we so recently had a president not only beloved and re-elected here but loved around the world.

[Katherine]

Well. Shrum and friends, I salute you. I had been expectations-gamed.

Clinton is sounding like a New Yorker who talks fast and pulls no punches, instead of a genial Southerner who feels your pain. And he has made me tear up for the first time ever.

The direct comparison of his own lack of service in Vietnam and Kerry's service, I found very effective.

[Edward]

Strength and wisdom are not opposing values

Yeah, I applauded at home on that line.

Bill was classic Bill. God Bless him.

[Katherine]

He set it up so well. It started out so very gently, and I thought, "okay, so Carter gives the harsh critique and Bill is the optimistic but not as interesting statesman." But then, kablamo: "They need a divided America but we don't."

Yes, I recognize the inherent irony in that line, and that it is not true at all of the Moe Lanes of the world. But God, to someone watching the last few years from where I sit, it is so very true of the people running the country.

And "be not afraid", tossed in almost like it was improv-ed? Not that I think for a second it was.

Now I'm just worried that they can't possibly keep it up.

[von]

For the record (and this is my pseudo-punk-rock youth coming out):

When I saw Moe's "Pledge #1",* my immeidiate thought was of a song from Fugazi's "Repeater" album. In the words of the old punk rock spiritual: "Song number one is not a f*ck you song, we'll save that thought for later on . . . ."

von

*With all apologies to Moe, who is doing something noble and worthwhile. (Unlike me, who's merely remembering old Fugazi songs -- from the way back, when I believed.)

[von]

That job is a vampire.

The difference between Bush '00 and Bush '04 is equally telling. We kill our leaders softly. I'm not convinced it's a bad thing.

[sidereal]

End Hits is a legendary album.

The nice thing about Edwards is that he'll still look alright after 2 terms worth of grizzling.

[von]

End Hits is a legendary album.

The Argument, my friend. Unbelievable: It made me believe again. (But there is no better Fugazi album, IMHO, than Thirteen Songs. "Sugestion," alone, is worth it.

[Catsy]

Wow. Someone besides me remembers Fugazi. Maybe I just drifted into different musical circles, but I was under the impression they'd vanished into obscurity.

Gods know there are plenty of criticisms I could (and did) make about Clinton's presidency, but watching tonight's speech slammed me back into my seat and made me remember what it was like to have a president who could inspire and communicate. Kerry needs to sit down with Big Dog and have a come-to-Jesus talk about charisma. The message: pitch-perfect.

And speaking of message, has anyone else noticed how surprisingly on-message the DP has been, as a whole?

[Gromit]

Obama just finished the keynote. Holy cow!

I could almost see a shaft of light piercing the roof and bathing him in a warm golden glow. Even the pundits had this stunned look, as if they had just seen the man walk on water, heal a leper, and turn water into wine.

And he unquestionably earned that response.

Sorry for the lack of snark. All negativity has been driven out of my feeble mind, probably for at least the remainder of the evening.

[Katherine]

My God. I had a huge political crush on the guy already, and I was expecting great things. But I was not expecting that.

There were so many great moments, but this was the best:

If there's a child on the south side of Chicago who can't read, that matters to me, even if it's not my child.

If there's a senior citizen somewherewho can't pay for her prescription, and has to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it's not my grandmother.

If there's an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It's that fundamental belief – I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper – that makes this country work.

I have never seen a speech like that. And he's a 42 year old state senator. At this stage in his career young Bill Clinton got the biggest applause for "in conclusion."

[Moe Lane]

I suppose that you two would want, like, a transcript and stuff then. Hey, you got what goes clink, clink and I've got what goes link, link...

[wilfred]

Obama, Spitzer, Edwards.
Oh well, they can't all be Quayle, Ryan and Santorum's!

[Moe Lane]

Well, that moment of nonpartisan bliss didn't last long.

[sidereal]

I think the plural is Santora.

The Democrats do indeed have a great farm team. The Republicans are supposed to have one, what with the conservative revolution supposed to foster new, young minds. They're probably around, but it's not really my circle so I haven't noticed.