Yes, showing very poor sportsmanship. He perhaps should have waited a day, but of course, the calendar threw that day into a 3-day weekend leading up to his own Convention. So perhaps it's just the stupid luck of the draw to have one Convention follow right on the heels of the other.

And, CP, I suppose we could try to raise money (and I applaud you for doing just that) ... but there's no one to talk to in California. The state is LOCKED for him.

There's no point in chatting up our neighbors or grocery clerks or postman. The state has consistently voted for the Democratic presidential candidate since before anyone here was born.


Personally, I'm not good at raising money, and I don't like doing it. So I'm officially out of the fight to elect Obama (though I will make a small donation myself).

So are student loans now considered an government handout for those of us too lazy to work hard and pay our own way?

Certainly not by me, they fall under the category of existing programs that work or at least used to work. Apparently there have been some negative changes since I last delved into the subject in depth.

I hear you, but I'd rather be surprised by good news than have my smile wiped from my face when I wasn't expecting it.

I think it's realistic to think that he doesn't have this election in the bag.

But I admire your positive attitude, J. It's just that I had that same positive attitude for Kerry and Gore and well...we know what happened with those guys.

And please don't think I'm putting you down personally in any way. I admire what you're doing. I want Obama to win.

I just don't see "positive attitude" and "confident he's going to win" as the same thing. We have in Barak Obama one of the most exciting, intelligent, inspirational public figures this country has seen in a long time. I'm THRILLED that he's even been nominated. And whether I think he's going to win or not, the prospect of him winning has me energized.

Is that positivity going to cause him to win? Maybe, maybe not. But it's a sure bet that it will give him better odds than, "Ooooh, I dunno. What if he doesn't win?"

His campaign is different than any I've seen. His positivity hasn't lead to over confidence or complancy. It's lead to momentum and motivation. That's what it's going to take to win.

But again, unless we are going to hire a bus and go to Ohio or Michigan or somewhere 2,000 miles away, our attitudes here in California mean nothing.


And, with all due respect, I think people who find the Obama campaign uniquely inspiring (with respect to others, not themselves) are being a little short-sighted. The Clinton campaign had the same effect on people, and much of the same pie-in-the-sky hopes and promises and, may I say, much better speechifying inspired all that ... just as Obama is doing now.


That's why it seems a re-tread to me. And frankly, though Obama's was the better speech, he still can't deliver one like Clinton. Perhaps it was a poor choice to have Bill speak the night before.



* * * *

That said, I enjoyed Obama's speech and I think he's a fine enough orator. It was fun watching the Convention this year. I didn't realize the Dems had so many heavyweights. I enjoyed the speeches by Bill and Hillary, Al Gore and especially Dennis Kucinich far better than I did Obama's. I heard Bill Richardson gave a good speech, too, and that - of all people - John Kerry wasn't bad, but I missed those.

And they had to sideline Jimmy Carter and John Edwards.




Do the Republicans have anything like a similar line-up of political "Stars?"

AP reports that almost 40 million people watched Obama's speech. That's more people than watched the Olympics opening ceremony, this year's Academy Awards, or the finale of American Idol.

I understand. There is a distinction between "positive attitude" and "confident..." But the optimism was the same when Gore and Kerry were running.

I agree, Obama's is a very exciting campaign. And I'm not saying to throw in the towel or to mope, what I'm saying is that starting a dialogue about "what if it isn't in the bag" or "he could lose" can help as much as wishing for a win.

I heard many people say "I am energized by Gore" and "I've never volunteered for a candidate before until Kerry's nomination".

In my opinion, I do think Obama has to outdo Gore and Kerry in order to win. And it's gotta be more than just positivity that's going to get him there because both of those campaigns had it too.

Can't do anything in CA, eh? Check this out.

I will be in Europe for this first drive, but Oct, hmmmmmmmmm