Democratic National Convention Thread (August 25-28, 2008)

Of course it's real. Miley Cyrus says so.

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The green Miley: Popster Miley Cyrus pens ‘eco-anthem’

The Grist Mill | Jul 22, 2008

by Sarah van Schagen

Fifteen-year-old Disney pop starlet Miley Cyrus (aka Hannah Montana) wants America to wake up and deal with global warming … though she’s not quite sure what that means. At least, that’s what she admits in a song — dubbed an “eco-anthem” by some, though I’m curious what qualifies it as an anthem — on her new release Breakout.

http://aftermathnews.wordpress.com/...en-miley-cyrus-sings-“global-warming-anthem”/

 

Awesome.

 

Hey faos, there are idiot teeny boppers who believe in Jesus Christ also, but I don't doubt him. Please try content: exhibit A below. (edit: this comment relates to Miley Cyrus or whomever, but since I was posting content, I could not get this done fast enough before you posted another contentless post of an image you did not generate.)

From last night, I only saw bits, but I listened to the entire show on the radio.

Chet Edwards: very disappointed in his bit. He seemed very stiff and the crowd didn't react to him at all.

Kerry: since I was driving at the time, I almost wondered if I was catching Biden. I've never heard Kerry be that strong, that emphatic, and that clear. I agree with those saying that this Kerry might have won in 2004, instead of the more whimpy version we're accustomed to hearing.

Clinton: was a little bit surprised here also, and I do wish he could have had more prime time real estate. Just a logical, beautifully set argument for the DNC. "America, we can do better. And we will do better." Pretty much a universal feeling. I liked his use of key quantities also.

Biden: no big surprises. a passionate speaker who should be great on the campaign trail, now that he doesn't need to raise money.

Barack's appearance: meh. a good idea, I guess, to explain the move to the stadium.

Overall, I'm now wondering if the best political speeches are usually about someone else. Obama in 2004. Kerry in 2008. Hillary about Barack. Perhaps it's easier, in the modern age, to know you won't be sound-bit to death, repeated and quoted out of context ad nauseum on CNN and Fox, if you're talking about someone else. That freedom really seems to allow people to let their hair down.

If this was a speech making contest (and it definitely is not), the GOP would have to be worried, IMHO.

 

I am both amused and confused.

 

The rules of posting here are confusing, but I get your point.

As far as the convention goes...believe it or not, I'm anticipating seeing just as many phonies next week during the RNC. Most of these speeches make my skin crawl. Obama is who is he is because of The Speech. Again, it'll be more of the same next week.

I'm more anxious to see the debates.

 

Weather forecast calls for clear skies and cool temps in the mile high city tonight!

 

the republicans didn't pray hard enough.

 

Karma is a b****!

Louisiana Governor May Not Attend RNC Convention Due To Gustav

Authorities in Louisiana are warning residents to prepare for Hurricane Gustav. The storm crossed Haiti Tuesday, killing at least one person. Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal says forecasts showing Gustav heading toward the Gulf Coast as a major hurricane are extremely tentative, but he's asking people to stock up on food and water. And he says he will skip the G-O-P convention, if necessary, to help residents prepare for the storm. Jindal is scheduled to speak at the Republican Convention next Wednesday.

http://arklatexhomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=32671

 

I saw Biden's speech live but didn't get to see Bill Clinton's speech until this morning but I'm still impressed how great of a speaker Bill Clinton is. For example I thought Biden's speech was good but then I saw Clinton's and he made Biden sound like a guy just starting at Toastmasters.

There wasn't much difference in substance but Clinton has an innate sense of timing that few others have. For example Biden often seemed to step on the mantra "that isn't change, that's more of the same" with the crowd being slow to take it up. Clinton didn't need a prompt to get the crowd going.

I'm looking forward to see how Obama's speech tonight to see how it measures up to Clinton's in terms of oratorical skill. While Obama is also a great orator his style is different that Clinton so while he captures the lofty rhetoric well, better than Clinton at times, his speeches sometimes don't quite connect as well to people. Given that all politicians use vague rhetoric I think Obama's loftiness has been frequently criticized for coming off as being elitists or professorial. Clinton used some pretty vague rhetoric himself but had a particular touch that made him see more connected to people. I think for Obama to really nail it tonight he's going to have to be able to harness his gift for the soaring oratory with the ability to reach out and connect to most average Americans.

 

I miss these days of an actual floor fight. It seems like the trend in the last few decades has been to make the conventions more of a show and campaign rally than a place where actual business is hashed out. This convention is no exception with the Kabuki theater of Hillary Clinton coming out and committing campaign sepuku for the good of the party.

 

You make it sound like Hillary's political career is finished! Far from it! I think she will be a strong advocate for the state of New York in the Senate for the next 20 years!

 

I think there is some truth to it being easier to talk about someone else than yourself politically as the pressure is much greater on you. In the case of Kerry who was self-conscious of an appearance of elitism I think when he was campaigning he didn't want to come off as too self-aggrandizing where has he doesn't have that problem talking about someone else.

Its going to be interesting to see how the RNC plays out but it definately seems like since GH Bush the Democrats have had better orators a the top of their tickets. In the last two elections though this hasn't helped them and the GW Bush campaign's even figured out how to turn that against them by making GW Bush's inarticulateness (don't know if that is a word) come off as likable while Gore and Kerry were intellectual elites.

 

I'm not saying her political career is finished just her campaign. It was high political theater for her calling for a suspension of the roll call for a vote by acclimation for Obama since it was committing ritual suicide for Hillary '08 for her delegates and supporters.

This doesn't mean she's dead politically, and pardon the death metaphors, if anything it was probably necessary for her to do so so she could resurect her career in the eyes of the Democractic establishment for either a leadership position in the Senate or another run for president down the road.

 

She could get an appointment to SC if Obama is elected.

 

Faos is trying his best to move our collective attentions away from the issues...hopefully america has learned its lesson....In the great GWB's own words
"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."

I hear reps complaining about the backdrop of obama's speech, that great, we thank you for sticking to the issues

 

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dude, in his own words, is not ready to lead.

 

I love these douchebags
they talk about obama's muslim school
They talk about his associations 40 years ago (when he was 7)
They talk about his church
They talk about his fame
They talk about his elitism

BUT THEY NEVER EVEN MENTION THE ****ING ISSUES

THATS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY ARE WRONG, unless your in the top 5% of america.

Wake up america

 

Issues? I'm still waiting on Obama to bring them up.

 

Also, in before falling on deaf ears

What a disingenuous ad. They air incredibly old clips of Chris Dodd calling Barack Obama wrong about his stance on Pakistan and acting to take out al-Qaeda in the region and expect us to believe that? Especially, basso, when your leader George W. Bush and his administration now agree with Obama's plan that they initially instructed you to belittle? I know it's hard to teach a dog new tricks, but you should really listen like the fanboy that you are.

And how clever to air footage of what's happening in Georgia. Let's clear the air one more time: John McCain's chief foreign policy advisor, Mr. Randy Scheunemann, is a paid lobbyist for the nation of Georgia!

Is it not obvious that the whole issue of Georgia as it relates to the John McCain campaign is manufactured? John McCain's stance on Georgia has been paid for by the nation of Georgia! So here he is calling for an incredibly militaristic stance on Russia, who I may remind you, are not a bunch of men sitting in caves. He says it's to defend democracy. But why not take the same stance on democracy in Myanmar, which has arguably been under much more violent siege than that of Georgia?

Make no bones about it; John McCain's idea of "foreign policy" has been shaped that way by the dollar. Whatever benefits John McCain's lobbyist advisors and their clients, such as Georgia and Lockheed Martin, is a result of war. Want to take a militaristic stance against Russia to "defend" Georgia? Sure, so long as you have the weapons provided by Lockheed Martin! John McCain's "foreign policy" would require nothing less than a draft. Perpetual presence in Iraq? Check. Perpetual presence in Afghanistan? Check. Invading and occupying Iran? Check. Picking a potential WWIII with Russia? Check. Chasing Osama bin Laden to the "gates of hell?" Check. Maybe he really did agree with everything that cooky lady had to say in New Mexico because he knows that a draft will be necessary to achieve what he's been paid to carry out.

Look to a former Republican icon, and true American hero, who had it right:

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