Democratic National Convention '08

[Cadaverous Pallor]

I thought the speech was great, of course. He said a lot of things that needed saying.

I love that he set the bar high, ala Kennedy's moon landing challenge, by saying he'd challenge us to get off foreign oil dependency in 10 years. It was so amazing I rewound it and watched that line again.

I truly am proud of our country for getting Hillary Clinton so close and Barack the nomination. It's a different world than it was 4 years ago, no mistake.


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On another note...I have to say that this week of watching Dem speeches with new eyes and ears has hammered home why liberals and conservatives can easily dismiss each other's concepts and ideas. The words mean different things.

If you have never worked in education, you may have trouble understanding why teachers want higher salaries. If you have never relied on low paying, blue collar jobs as my father has his whole life, you may have trouble understanding why he wants to keep every dollar he earns. If you come from a military family you may have trouble understanding how someone can protest a war waged by our own country. If you grew up a vegetarian you may have trouble understanding how anyone would want to hunt for their food, as some families have done for generations.

It may sound obvious, but it's more true than we realize. The words mean different things. The speeches mean nothing to those that don't speak the language. Words like "deserve", "help", and "freedom" mean far different things.

The truth is that you can't have this large a landmass with this many people and not have large disparity in experience. Red and Blue is inevitable. It was the story of the Civil War, it was the story of America's independence.

We have to remember that we are two sides of the same coin. That without the workers, without the teachers, without the intellectuals, without the muscle, we are nothing. We must be able to keep what we earn to some degree and give it to each other to some degree. We need to think of ourselves and also think of our country. We need to disagree and still see that there is truth in what the other is saying.

Seriously, people. The conservatives have a point, the liberals have a point. Right now, I'd say it's pretty easy to see that we need to throw the current rascals out and go for some change. And, God/fate/Discordia willing, we will do a bit of good in this world.






I'm Cadaverous Pallor and I approved this message. Hell, I wrote it!

[innerSpaceman]

I approve Cadaverous Pallor's message, too ... and after that speech (er, post), she's got my vote!

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

I love that he set the bar high, ala Kennedy's moon landing challenge, by saying he'd challenge us to get off foreign oil dependency in 10 years. It was so amazing I rewound it and watched that line again.

I loved that parallel, too. It would mean everything to me coming from Barack the President. It means zip to me coming from Barack the Candidate.

[Gemini Cricket]

I really like your post, CP. I really, really do.



With that being said, I worry that the Obama camp and many of his supporters are being overly optimistic at his chances of winning. McCain has been in Washington DC for as long as he has because he knows what it takes to thrive there. I don't think he'll be bashful at all in his campaign. There will be a late in the game card played by him or some Swift Boat-esque PAC that I feel Obama's camp will be unprepared for. That is what worries me. That is what causes me to watch his speech with a glaze over my eyes. It's a great speech, he's a great speaker but will he be able to overcome what will inevitably be thrown at him? I don't know.

I think what Obama and his supporters should be doing is looking at this whole thing as a huge challenge and not be as assured in themselves that winning is no problem. They need to look at this from the eyes of Karl Rove and think about what someone like him will be throwing at them and hitting back with the same intensity. That is the way to win.

[innerSpaceman]

More than that, I don't think they should be solely concerned with defense (though they had better be prepared for it). They need more than that. Most people don't know squat about Obama, too many people don't trust him because they don't know him or think he's a Muslim or won't vote for a black man.

He needs to get an effective message out there beyond the core Democrats, make people WANT to vote for HIM ... and not just rely on the winds of change to sweep him into office.

[Gemini Cricket]

Boy, I'll give the McCain camp this one: they sure did know how to wipe one of the best speeches ever delivered off of the face of the media planet.
Wow.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

I really like your post, CP. I really, really do.



With that being said, I worry that the Obama camp and many of his supporters are being overly optimistic at his chances of winning. McCain has been in Washington DC for as long as he has because he knows what it takes to thrive there. I don't think he'll be bashful at all in his campaign. There will be a late in the game card played by him or some Swift Boat-esque PAC that I feel Obama's camp will be unprepared for. That is what worries me. That is what causes me to watch his speech with a glaze over my eyes. It's a great speech, he's a great speaker but will he be able to overcome what will inevitably be thrown at him? I don't know.

I think what Obama and his supporters should be doing is looking at this whole thing as a huge challenge and not be as assured in themselves that winning is no problem. They need to look at this from the eyes of Karl Rove and think about what someone like him will be throwing at them and hitting back with the same intensity. That is the way to win.

There were some pretty intense words said about McCain by Obama in his speech.

I don't feel that this is a landslide, which is why I'm trying to raise money.

I know you're concerned, Brad, and so am I. If you're really worried, try to help, in any way you can. Talk to people. Make phone calls or write letters to the editor. Winning takes bravery in the face of adversity. We have to keep our eyes on the goal, not the ground.

Kerry, Dole, Dukakis, Mondale - none of them were confident in themselves and their message. They backed down from attacks. No one believed in them, because they didn't believe in themselves. If the Obama campaign didn't exude confidence to lead, no one would believe that they can lead. Don't mistake the confidence for surety that they will win.

Worrying about something won't change it. If there is hand wringing to be done because Obama doesn't win, I'll do it in November. Part of the power of this campaign is that we have been hopeless for so long - now is our chance to prove that America can right itself. We need to stand strong!

Be positive, Brad. Stop that naysaying this minute. Yes, We Can!

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Cadaverous Pallor

Be positive, Brad. Stop that naysaying this minute. Yes, We Can!

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.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

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.

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.

[Gemini Cricket]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

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.

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.

[innerSpaceman]

Originally Posted by Gemini Cricket

Boy, I'll give the McCain camp this one: they sure did know how to wipe one of the best speeches ever delivered off of the face of the media planet.
Wow.

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.