6 Responses to “DNC Night 3: Your Thoughts”

1. Jon Cruz
   Posted from: 74.68.137.29
   
   August 28th, 2008 03:58
   1

   I’m not sure I agree with Toobin’s wide-ranging criticism of Biden — though I agree it was the weakest major speech of the evening — but I know I was impressed by Bill Clinton’s talk. (I was also impressed by the length of his standing ovation.)

   Referring to the “too young” argument from ‘92 was also cool.

   The real surprise of the night? John Kerry gave a direct criticism of Senator McCain vs. Candidate McCain that was both forceful and damning. It was also highly charged and rousing. Nice. I wish he had been that powerful a speaker four years ago!

   Kerry’s great line: “Before he ever debates Barack Obama, John McCain should finish the debate with himself.”

   That having been said, I still think Hillary Clinton had the best line of the convention thus year: “We don’t need four more years…of the last eight years.”

2. narayan
   Posted from: 24.6.64.186
   
   August 28th, 2008 06:19
   2

   I agree that Biden should have been given more credit than he got for his speech. I think the best line of the convention was when Bill Clinton said, “People around the world have been more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power” or “The third time’s not the charm this time”. I think the most unifying line Bill said was, “Hillary said last night she’d do whatever it takes to put Barack Obama in the White House. That makes two of us. Actually, that makes 18 million of us!” I wish he could run for president again…

3. Fred Robertson
   Posted from: 205.202.204.148
   
   August 28th, 2008 07:55
   3

   It has been intriguing to watch the speeches and see what has worked and not worked. Biden may have suffered from a crowd that was just plain spent after former President Clinton’s very strong speech, with its specific, detailed attacks of Republican failures, but it appeared that Biden did not have a rhythm or strong theme to his speech for the last half especially, after a strong start.

   Clearly, Hillary Clinton’s address was also a fine one, but I thought the best speaker so far has been Michelle Obama. Her strength, intelligence, and power as a person came through very genuinely and quite effectively.

   She can be a very important part of the campaign over the last few crucial months.

   Obama should also enlist the support of Bill Clinton and former Clinton staffers in his economic policy planning.

   The election will be close, but I think if Obama’s campaign stays smart and utilizes all of its strengths, he will be elected President.

4. David McGinnis
   Posted from: 205.221.1.253
   
   August 28th, 2008 09:12
   4

   Bill Clinton almost got me kicked out of my gym. I was on the elliptical machine, watching his speech on the little TV, and apparently I was cheering a bit too loud for the West Des Moines crowd.

   What a great speech. He hit all the notes he needed to hit. I thought that Hillary’s speech was pitch-perfect, but then the Republicans tried to spin it by pointing out that she hadn’t used the phrase “Barack Obama is ready to lead.” So Bill Clinton not only used the phrase, but went into a detailed explanation of why it is true. Bill Clinton very effectively put to rest the concerns about party unity — if any could be left after the moving acclamation vote — and started Obama on a tidal wave toward the White House.

   I thought that Biden’s speech was very effective. He spent a significant amount of time on themes that are important to the campaign: his blue-collar values and roots, the importance of work to American identity, and then he explained why the Obama campaign embodies those values in ways that the McCain campaign doesn’t. I mean, Republicans rail against “class warfare” whenever this is pointed out, but it seems pretty obvious that the Republican platform is designed to appeal to the very wealthy on economic issues — and rope in working-class social conservatives with divisive arguments about gay rights and abortion. It is a fair argument to say that the Republican economic philosophy is still to promote the welfare of the wealthiest among us (to the exclusion of those Americans who are struggling and need economic assistance in the form of government entitlement programs), and then to hope — against reason and evidence — that this will somehow stimulate the economy so much that everyone will benefit. The economic collapse in the last three years seems pretty clearly to be a result of deregulation and the insistence on spending without taxing, key elements of the neoconservative agenda. Our country needs Democratic leadership, and I think Biden did a good job of laying out the emotional argument for why that is true.

   I think you’re going to see that the Republican convention will pale by comparison. Their focus will be on stoking fears: fear of gays, fear of Russians, and fear of Muslims. And while the cynic in me keeps needling me that stoking fear has been a practical approach to politics for many years, after watching Thursday night’s spectacle, I am convinced that the US is ready to throw the bums out and get on with the business of the country under Obama/Biden. And it’s about time.

5. LLarson
   Posted from: 68.104.15.111
   
   August 28th, 2008 10:17
   5

   Biden:”Freudian slip! Freudian slip!”

6. meera
   Posted from: 24.118.55.215
   
   August 28th, 2008 20:18
   6

   @5:
   that was one of the highlights, in my book, of the convention thus far…

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