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Direct from the Democratic National Convention, where I’m blogging alongside Hunter S. Thompson

The ether kicked in about a half hour ago.  Then the lights around here got really bright and hot, and I could swear that I saw Dennis Kucinich turn into a giant gecko.  Weird thing was, though, Kucinich turned out to be hanging with the Ohio delegation way across the hall-- the thing I saw really was a giant gecko.  And then I remembered that I’m not even at the Democratic National Convention in the first place-- I just fell asleep in front of the TV.

Clinton’s speech was a terrific bit of rhetorical reframing (that’s a good thing), and I was astonished at the light touch of the self-referential moments.  Republicans were kinda mean to him, indeed.  And he didn’t go to Vietnam either.  Republicans preserving his tax cut (though he’s worked that angle before).  We don’t need a divided country-- they do.  Kerry has an insatiable curiosity about the world and a willingness to listen to people who disagree with him.  Very nice, very nicely done.  Can’t wait for Barack Obama.

So far, Jesse and Ezra seem to be the most energetic reporters on the scene-- I don’t know how that dynamic duo does it.  But count on Tom Burka to get the story behind the story. . . .

Posted by on 07/27 at 04:25 AM

  1. What did you think of Clinton’s “rif” on the “are you better off now” line that Reagan deployed to such great effect in 80? I think it was 80; I was only six at the time. : )

    Posted by Marianne  on  07/27  at  10:06 AM

  2. It was 80, yep, and I thought it was OK.  But that appeal will only go so far, because the GOP will come back with, “never mind that your job is hanging by a thread, go out and buy duct tape and gas masks because the threat level is orange even though we have no details and you shouldn’t panic.” What I really liked was his brief, polemical sketch of “their way” and “our way.” He got a remarkable amount of work done in a very short time, throwing in a bunch of telling statistics that we on the left can recite in our sleep but that haven’t been widely reported to everybody else, and leavening the whole thing with humor.  When he mentioned the US’ precarious fiscal position-- running up huge deficits that ultimately threaten foreign investment-- I thought he was channelling William Grieder for a minute, and that’s a good thing too.

    Posted by  on  07/27  at  11:11 AM

  3. I liked “they chose!” as if to say, “this effed up situation was what they wanted. is it what you wanted?”

    Posted by  on  07/27  at  12:35 PM

  4. Yeah, and tying Bush (quite properly) to the wingnut Congressional GOP leadership (the bug man in the House and the cat burglar in the Senate) was a good move too.

    Posted by  on  07/27  at  12:59 PM

  5. for those that didn’t get to hear it…

    http://www.newsday.com/news/politics/dnc/nyc-bill-speech,0,1269786,print.story?coll=ny-homepage-big-pix

    i thought it was pretty cool too.

    Posted by  on  07/27  at  02:32 PM

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