Democratic National Convention, Day 4
It's the final day of this dog and pony show, and the Top Dog (or pony) will speak at 9, Chicago time. It's also Guns & Ammo night, with Wesley Clark opening prime time at 7, Max Cleland introducing Kerry, and a host of his Vietnam crewmates filling out the bill. Finally, it's Family Night, with the Heinz and Kerry Kids putting in an appearance.
On the advice of some friends, I've switched stations once again, to C-Span. They offer true gavel to gavel coverage (those of a certain age will recall the days when the networks advertised their reporting of the Conventions in this way) without the intrusion of commentators. (I've been using this word all week, but in my heart I feel it's not a real word. It's a 70s word that has gained acceptance through usage (as English words do), but I have a sense it replaced a perfectly useful word. Commentor? Is that a word? Oh, for an OED. I'm reminded of my students who use the word "comfortableness," until I inform them the word they probably want is comfort.) I'll switch back to MSNBC at 8:30 (or rather, my cable box will, since I'll be out at that time), because I'm interested in hearing some jibber-jabber about the speech.
C-Span offers a very different view of the show. Apparently, "Higher and Higher" is the theme song for the entire Convention, not just Edwards' appearance last night, as I hear snatches of it throughout. Well, not the song so much as the backup singers going "Do do do do, do do do do ..." I'm hard pressed to describe my relation with Kerry and Edwards, or their relationship with me, or even their relationship with each other, as Your Love. But the lyric applies to my current political mood and hopes: "Once, I was down hearted / Disappointment was my closest friend / But then you came and he soon departed / And he never showed his face again." In addition to the snatches of the Do-Do girls, there are regular announcements by a disembodied female voice. You may have heard her introduce speakers who are too low on the food chain to be introduced by a human being. But she occasionally makes other announcements, such as "Delegates, please take your seats. We must clear the aisles before we can continue." It's like being on the Democratic National Convention Ride at Universal Studios. At any moment, I expect her to tell the delegates to keep their heads and arms inside the Fleet Center at all times.
Another thing you notice, watching the show in its entirety, is just how boring it all is, at least once you get out of prime time. Everyone has their say and no one has more than 6 or 7 minutes. No one is truly incompetent - most of these folks are elected officials, so they have plenty of public speaking experience - but after a while, everyone starts sounding like the teacher on the Peanuts cartoons. Especially this year, when unity is the theme, there's not even the occasional whack job to start ranting about his or her personal gripe. It's almost a relief when the head of the AFL-CIO shows up with his trio of the nobly unemployed, playing what could be a scene out of SCTV. The guy is not quite Jiminy Glick, but he's awfully close. He's accompanied by a machinist from Iowa who now works in a grocery store, which may explain why he shows up in a pullover shirt with the sleeves rolled up instead of a suit or at least a sports coat. I think the name of the woman with him is Mariacella Garcia, but since Jiminy stumbles over it every time he pronounces it, it's hard to tell. The third stooge is Steven White, who is, of course, black.
Thus, it's a relief when the pre-show finally ends and the main program gets underway at 7. Tonight's featured guests include the Two Joes, Biden and Lieberman, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and in our salute to the military, Wesley Clark and Madeline Albright. Not together, unfortunately. No one gets more than 5 or 10 minutes to speak (except Albright, who's scheduled into a 30 minute block I hope she's not expected to fill), so I'm not expecting much. As we transition out of the pre-show, "We Are Family" plays over the sound system, with all the requisite white funk on the part of the delegates. Having seen The Birdcage, it's hard for me to hear this song without looking for Gene Hackman in drag. Then Mavis Staples, who is described as "one of America's best loved musical artists," opens the evening with "America the Beautiful." This is appropriate, since up until March of 1931, when "The Star-Spangled Banner" got the nod, many Americans considered this song the official national anthem. Staples opens with some verse I've never heard - not "spacious skies" nor "patriot dream." In keeping with the martial theme, she starts with, "O beautiful for heroes proved / In liberating strife." Is this the liberation of Iraq we're referring to here, and if so, isn't that dangerous ground? In any case, the song has at least six verses (Can you sing them all?), so I suppose they could start with a different verse every night of the Convention if they wanted to.
Biden gets the audience worked up with a speech that seems largely cribbed from Bill Maher's book, When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden. In particular, he focuses on the opportunities lost after 9/11, when the American people and much of the international community would have done anything to help. Clark salutes the military, going so far as to announce, "We love our men and women in uniform!" which, true as it may be, plays less well from a 60 year old retired general than he might expect. But he gets big props for announcing that "Anyone who tells you that one political party has a monopoly on the best defense of our nation is committing a fraud on the American people." I've never understood how a "shoot first, ask question later" attitude necessarily makes you strong on defense. Its major proponents seem to be Clancy Wiggum and the Queen of Hearts. Nor do I understand what makes George W. Bush, who has presided over two failed military campaigns, such a genius on defense. Clark seems to be with me as he quotes the FDR line, "Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth." This being national security night, Clark puts Kerry up with what he calls the "pantheon of great wartime Democrats:" Woodrow Wilson (World War I); Roosevelt and Truman (II); and Kennedy (the Cuban Missile Crisis). By the time he gets to his closing - "America, hear this soldier" - the crowd is going nuts.
Joe Lieberman puts an end to that. This is the guy who made Al Gore look dynamic. When he hauls out Edwards' line, "Hope is on the way," too much of the crowd has dozed off to realize they're supposed to join in. Playing "Shout" on his exit wakes them up a bit, but the swirling designs on the jumbotrons threaten to hypnotize them back into stupor. This seems to be the version of the song used for the laundry presoak, which brings on more of the white funk.
Nancy Pelosi follows with what is basically a by-the-book speech outlining Democratic beliefs without making any specific proposals. She stakes one party against the other, with the recurring line, "Democrats have it right." But her crisp, measured delivery, combined with stilted gestures, makes her more like a grade school teacher speaking at assembly than a dynamic leader. She gets one thing right, though, when she reminds the crowd, "Our work will not be complete unless we elect a Democratic Congress." Granted, as House Minority Leader, she has personal reasons for desiring a Democratic House of Representatives. But I'm glad someone has brought up what has been my rallying cry for months: in many ways, the Congressional battles are more important than the Presidential election.
Her speech is followed by the vamp from "Mr. Big Stuff," which is somewhat disconcerting. Then Willie Nelson performs - is he Mr. Big Stuff? - which is even more so. Finally Madeline Albright comes out to the chorus of "To Be Real," and I give up trying to make sense of the song selections.
It's hard to believe it's only an hour into the show. I find myself missing the blather of Chris Matthews. Albright's speech strikes many of the same notes we've already heard, and I'm thinking someone should have gotten these drafts together and parceled out various parts of Kerry's story to various speakers. By the time Maddie gets to her childhood in Czechoslovakia, I'm reaching for the remote.
Next there's a series of average Americans - teachers, farmers, homemakers - explaining, in 50 words or less, why they're voting for Kerry. To quote Repo Man, "ordinary fucking people; I hate 'em." By the time Carole King shows up (singing "You've Got a Friend," surprise, surprise), I'm already on fast forward. This is the problem with taping the event. If I was home, I'd be channel hopping by now, seeing what the pundits had to say. As it is, I'm stuck with the clean-shaven sounds of Hooray for Everything.
Speaking of clean-shaven, Andre Heinz finally shows up. He looks a bit like Bert Convy, and I'm grateful when he doesn't address the Alabama delegation as the Banana Section. Family Night takes off as Chris Heinz puts in a cameo, Alex and Vanessa Kerry come out, and everybody hugs. Then they all go, except for Vanessa, the blonde Kerry daughter. Guess what? She likes her dad! She really, really likes him! He's warm and loving, not stiff and aloof! And he loves America! Stop the presses! Once she's warmed our cockles sufficiently, she brings back her sister, Alex(andra), the dark, brooding Kerry daughter. At 8:30, the tape shifts over to MSNBC, but Alex is still on screen. Chris Matthews is just here for the chicks. Alex's main function, outside of telling another inspirational story about her dad (He's good! And wise!), is to introduce the John Kerry infomercial.
These short films are now required viewing at every political convention. This one is narrated by Morgan Freeman, which makes it serious but reassuring. There's not much here you don't already know if you've been paying attention, which means for many Americans it will be a revelation. What I learn is that even as a kid, Kerry was funny looking. In one clip, he looks like Andrea Martin, which is unfortunate for both of them. His parents are both normal looking folks, as is his brother, so I'm not sure why he looks like one of those carved apples soaked in vinegar and then pressed in a vice. Kerry plays well on film. It's nice to see him out of the suit and kicking back for a change. He comes across as comfortable, relaxed and ... geez, just an ordinary guy. Which for him is a very big deal. Much of the film focuses on his service in Vietnam, 'cause it's Guns & Ammo night, you know. Then, after a brief pause, out come his war buddies, along with Jim Rassmann, the guy whose life he saved during the war. Rassmann speaks for the whole "band of brothers," but his main purpose is to bring out Max Cleland. Who proceeds to hit it out of the ballpark.
Cleland has his own ax to grind, since the Bush-led Republican party defeated his re-election bid for the Senate in 2002 by running ads which featured shots of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and painted him as un-American. Cleland, who lost one arm and both legs in Vietnam and ran the Veterans Administration during the 70s, was understandably perturbed. This is his chance to exact some payback. And he seizes the moment. He starts with the tale of his own struggle back from the war that left him crippled. He tells of recognizing John Kerry as a brother even before he met him. He paints Kerry's vision of the country, building with each line, so that by the time he reaches, "That is the America John Kerry volunteered to fight for. That is the America John Kerry will lead," the crown is ready to carry Kerry, Cleland, and the dozen vets on stage out into the streets on their shoulders.
By the time Kerry actually enters the hall, he could have his way with any of the women and half the men.
Kerry opens by saluting the crowd and saying, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty." They eat it up. I do not. I get it, and by now I'm sick of it. If a Republican candidate began a speech in this way, I would cringe and feel a little afraid. I'm not about to cut Kerry slack just because he's a Democrat. I know it's Guns & Ammo night, but I want fewer guns and more ammo. More meat and less potatoes. The beef up till now has been that Americans don't know who John Kerry is. I know who he is; now I want to hear what he has to say for himself.
As it turns out, it's quite a bit.
The first thing that strikes me about the speech is how unfairly John Kerry has been treated by the press. He's been painted as a Brahmin: intellectual, aloof, cold. He is none of those. He's very smart, and some people find that threatening. I'm pretty smart, and this guy comes across as a lot smarter than I am. He addresses those who mock him for being "nuanced," saying "I know there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities - and I do - because some issues just aren't all that simple." He's not as folksy as an airline pilot. He's not an orator in the style of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan or even John Edwards. But he's clear and straightforward and - to the point - understands what he's saying. One analyst compared him to a college professor. As someone who's studied under some excellent professors, I'd say that's not far from the truth. I doubt that many people who hadn't already been told he was standoffish would find him standoffish.
This audience in all his, of course, and they're with him every step of the way. The speech is long, and he cuts off applause when he must, to keep it moving. And move it does. Although it is close to an hour long, it doesn't seem much longer than Edwards' speech, which was half that. I'm not going to go into details about the content. By now, you've read it or seen it, and if you haven't, you should.
I will say this: it knocked me out. Of course, I wanted to like it, especially after spending all week with these guys. And as it started, with the biography, with Vietnam, with the early challenges and triumphs, it seemed like the same old thing. But slowly, steadily, and almost without warning, I was drawn in. Not by the language, which was effective but not stunning, and not by the delivery, which was strong but not moving. But by the sense that this guy was serious. Not just a serious guy, which he is, but someone who meant what he said. It's easy to call it "integrity" - which it certainly is - and leave it at that. But for me it was more. My heart began to rise. I liked Clinton for what he believed, but never trusted him to carry out those beliefs, especially if it meant people wouldn't like him. [I don't know why he cared, since people obviously didn't like him anyway.] But, for all the complaints about his "waffling," I began to believe that this guy would really do what he said.
And this is what I saw in the hall as well. The night before, John Edwards told us hope was on the way. In these delegates, I saw hope. Not just hope of winning back the White House, but hope of things getting better. For all their claims to the contrary, one of the things which separates me from the Republicans - possibly the main thing - is their cynicism. That's a word they constantly throw at Democrats, which always strikes me as odd, and quite frankly delusional. When I see cynicism in Democrats, it's because their hearts have been broken so often by those across the aisle. Tonight, I saw hope in the faces in Boston, and felt it in my own heart. By the end of the speech, I wanted to hug somebody.
I know. Take two martinis and call me in the morning.
Now this could all be a pile of bullshit. But I don't think so. And even if Kerry is elected, he's likely to be able to carry off very little of what he proposes. But the notion of a president who believes in personal responsibility, and doesn't consider himself exempt, who believes in science, who truly believes in unifying the nation and the parties, that's worth a little hope.
I've seen several stories that dim what hope I have. The first is the news that very few people even saw this, or any speech of the Convention. The major networks only covered the last hour each night, which is why the big speeches were squeezed into that time slot. But ratings dropped dramatically, typically 50%, from the 8 o'clock hour to the 9 o'clock. Cable channels didn't do much better. In Chicago, even when Barack Obama spoke, ratings remained level. In the Tribune, John Kass writes of being in a neighborhood bar in Boston which was showing the rain delay of a Red Sox game. When he why they weren't watching the Convention, the bartender told him, "Honey, nobody cares about politics." Some favorite son. He imagines the story will be the same in New York next month.
As it turns out, there may be little Kerry - or Bush - can do to change his fortunes. Right now, 39 of the 50 states have been called, with only 11 states truly considered in play. The Kerry campaign recently pulled ads from a few states, after it became apparent there was little they could do to sway those voters. We may be in for a repeat of the 2000 election, with Kerry winning the popular vote but losing in the Electoral College.
On top of everything, the Miss America pageant has decided to discontinue the talent competition from their event.
That's it for now. Now it's off to New York at the end of August. The Republican National Convention starts on the same day that classes begin, so I'm not guaranteeing anything. But I'll do my best.
On the advice of some friends, I've switched stations once again, to C-Span. They offer true gavel to gavel coverage (those of a certain age will recall the days when the networks advertised their reporting of the Conventions in this way) without the intrusion of commentators. (I've been using this word all week, but in my heart I feel it's not a real word. It's a 70s word that has gained acceptance through usage (as English words do), but I have a sense it replaced a perfectly useful word. Commentor? Is that a word? Oh, for an OED. I'm reminded of my students who use the word "comfortableness," until I inform them the word they probably want is comfort.) I'll switch back to MSNBC at 8:30 (or rather, my cable box will, since I'll be out at that time), because I'm interested in hearing some jibber-jabber about the speech.
C-Span offers a very different view of the show. Apparently, "Higher and Higher" is the theme song for the entire Convention, not just Edwards' appearance last night, as I hear snatches of it throughout. Well, not the song so much as the backup singers going "Do do do do, do do do do ..." I'm hard pressed to describe my relation with Kerry and Edwards, or their relationship with me, or even their relationship with each other, as Your Love. But the lyric applies to my current political mood and hopes: "Once, I was down hearted / Disappointment was my closest friend / But then you came and he soon departed / And he never showed his face again." In addition to the snatches of the Do-Do girls, there are regular announcements by a disembodied female voice. You may have heard her introduce speakers who are too low on the food chain to be introduced by a human being. But she occasionally makes other announcements, such as "Delegates, please take your seats. We must clear the aisles before we can continue." It's like being on the Democratic National Convention Ride at Universal Studios. At any moment, I expect her to tell the delegates to keep their heads and arms inside the Fleet Center at all times.
Another thing you notice, watching the show in its entirety, is just how boring it all is, at least once you get out of prime time. Everyone has their say and no one has more than 6 or 7 minutes. No one is truly incompetent - most of these folks are elected officials, so they have plenty of public speaking experience - but after a while, everyone starts sounding like the teacher on the Peanuts cartoons. Especially this year, when unity is the theme, there's not even the occasional whack job to start ranting about his or her personal gripe. It's almost a relief when the head of the AFL-CIO shows up with his trio of the nobly unemployed, playing what could be a scene out of SCTV. The guy is not quite Jiminy Glick, but he's awfully close. He's accompanied by a machinist from Iowa who now works in a grocery store, which may explain why he shows up in a pullover shirt with the sleeves rolled up instead of a suit or at least a sports coat. I think the name of the woman with him is Mariacella Garcia, but since Jiminy stumbles over it every time he pronounces it, it's hard to tell. The third stooge is Steven White, who is, of course, black.
Thus, it's a relief when the pre-show finally ends and the main program gets underway at 7. Tonight's featured guests include the Two Joes, Biden and Lieberman, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and in our salute to the military, Wesley Clark and Madeline Albright. Not together, unfortunately. No one gets more than 5 or 10 minutes to speak (except Albright, who's scheduled into a 30 minute block I hope she's not expected to fill), so I'm not expecting much. As we transition out of the pre-show, "We Are Family" plays over the sound system, with all the requisite white funk on the part of the delegates. Having seen The Birdcage, it's hard for me to hear this song without looking for Gene Hackman in drag. Then Mavis Staples, who is described as "one of America's best loved musical artists," opens the evening with "America the Beautiful." This is appropriate, since up until March of 1931, when "The Star-Spangled Banner" got the nod, many Americans considered this song the official national anthem. Staples opens with some verse I've never heard - not "spacious skies" nor "patriot dream." In keeping with the martial theme, she starts with, "O beautiful for heroes proved / In liberating strife." Is this the liberation of Iraq we're referring to here, and if so, isn't that dangerous ground? In any case, the song has at least six verses (Can you sing them all?), so I suppose they could start with a different verse every night of the Convention if they wanted to.
Biden gets the audience worked up with a speech that seems largely cribbed from Bill Maher's book, When You Ride Alone You Ride With Bin Laden. In particular, he focuses on the opportunities lost after 9/11, when the American people and much of the international community would have done anything to help. Clark salutes the military, going so far as to announce, "We love our men and women in uniform!" which, true as it may be, plays less well from a 60 year old retired general than he might expect. But he gets big props for announcing that "Anyone who tells you that one political party has a monopoly on the best defense of our nation is committing a fraud on the American people." I've never understood how a "shoot first, ask question later" attitude necessarily makes you strong on defense. Its major proponents seem to be Clancy Wiggum and the Queen of Hearts. Nor do I understand what makes George W. Bush, who has presided over two failed military campaigns, such a genius on defense. Clark seems to be with me as he quotes the FDR line, "Repetition does not transform a lie into the truth." This being national security night, Clark puts Kerry up with what he calls the "pantheon of great wartime Democrats:" Woodrow Wilson (World War I); Roosevelt and Truman (II); and Kennedy (the Cuban Missile Crisis). By the time he gets to his closing - "America, hear this soldier" - the crowd is going nuts.
Joe Lieberman puts an end to that. This is the guy who made Al Gore look dynamic. When he hauls out Edwards' line, "Hope is on the way," too much of the crowd has dozed off to realize they're supposed to join in. Playing "Shout" on his exit wakes them up a bit, but the swirling designs on the jumbotrons threaten to hypnotize them back into stupor. This seems to be the version of the song used for the laundry presoak, which brings on more of the white funk.
Nancy Pelosi follows with what is basically a by-the-book speech outlining Democratic beliefs without making any specific proposals. She stakes one party against the other, with the recurring line, "Democrats have it right." But her crisp, measured delivery, combined with stilted gestures, makes her more like a grade school teacher speaking at assembly than a dynamic leader. She gets one thing right, though, when she reminds the crowd, "Our work will not be complete unless we elect a Democratic Congress." Granted, as House Minority Leader, she has personal reasons for desiring a Democratic House of Representatives. But I'm glad someone has brought up what has been my rallying cry for months: in many ways, the Congressional battles are more important than the Presidential election.
Her speech is followed by the vamp from "Mr. Big Stuff," which is somewhat disconcerting. Then Willie Nelson performs - is he Mr. Big Stuff? - which is even more so. Finally Madeline Albright comes out to the chorus of "To Be Real," and I give up trying to make sense of the song selections.
It's hard to believe it's only an hour into the show. I find myself missing the blather of Chris Matthews. Albright's speech strikes many of the same notes we've already heard, and I'm thinking someone should have gotten these drafts together and parceled out various parts of Kerry's story to various speakers. By the time Maddie gets to her childhood in Czechoslovakia, I'm reaching for the remote.
Next there's a series of average Americans - teachers, farmers, homemakers - explaining, in 50 words or less, why they're voting for Kerry. To quote Repo Man, "ordinary fucking people; I hate 'em." By the time Carole King shows up (singing "You've Got a Friend," surprise, surprise), I'm already on fast forward. This is the problem with taping the event. If I was home, I'd be channel hopping by now, seeing what the pundits had to say. As it is, I'm stuck with the clean-shaven sounds of Hooray for Everything.
Speaking of clean-shaven, Andre Heinz finally shows up. He looks a bit like Bert Convy, and I'm grateful when he doesn't address the Alabama delegation as the Banana Section. Family Night takes off as Chris Heinz puts in a cameo, Alex and Vanessa Kerry come out, and everybody hugs. Then they all go, except for Vanessa, the blonde Kerry daughter. Guess what? She likes her dad! She really, really likes him! He's warm and loving, not stiff and aloof! And he loves America! Stop the presses! Once she's warmed our cockles sufficiently, she brings back her sister, Alex(andra), the dark, brooding Kerry daughter. At 8:30, the tape shifts over to MSNBC, but Alex is still on screen. Chris Matthews is just here for the chicks. Alex's main function, outside of telling another inspirational story about her dad (He's good! And wise!), is to introduce the John Kerry infomercial.
These short films are now required viewing at every political convention. This one is narrated by Morgan Freeman, which makes it serious but reassuring. There's not much here you don't already know if you've been paying attention, which means for many Americans it will be a revelation. What I learn is that even as a kid, Kerry was funny looking. In one clip, he looks like Andrea Martin, which is unfortunate for both of them. His parents are both normal looking folks, as is his brother, so I'm not sure why he looks like one of those carved apples soaked in vinegar and then pressed in a vice. Kerry plays well on film. It's nice to see him out of the suit and kicking back for a change. He comes across as comfortable, relaxed and ... geez, just an ordinary guy. Which for him is a very big deal. Much of the film focuses on his service in Vietnam, 'cause it's Guns & Ammo night, you know. Then, after a brief pause, out come his war buddies, along with Jim Rassmann, the guy whose life he saved during the war. Rassmann speaks for the whole "band of brothers," but his main purpose is to bring out Max Cleland. Who proceeds to hit it out of the ballpark.
Cleland has his own ax to grind, since the Bush-led Republican party defeated his re-election bid for the Senate in 2002 by running ads which featured shots of Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, and painted him as un-American. Cleland, who lost one arm and both legs in Vietnam and ran the Veterans Administration during the 70s, was understandably perturbed. This is his chance to exact some payback. And he seizes the moment. He starts with the tale of his own struggle back from the war that left him crippled. He tells of recognizing John Kerry as a brother even before he met him. He paints Kerry's vision of the country, building with each line, so that by the time he reaches, "That is the America John Kerry volunteered to fight for. That is the America John Kerry will lead," the crown is ready to carry Kerry, Cleland, and the dozen vets on stage out into the streets on their shoulders.
By the time Kerry actually enters the hall, he could have his way with any of the women and half the men.
Kerry opens by saluting the crowd and saying, "I'm John Kerry and I'm reporting for duty." They eat it up. I do not. I get it, and by now I'm sick of it. If a Republican candidate began a speech in this way, I would cringe and feel a little afraid. I'm not about to cut Kerry slack just because he's a Democrat. I know it's Guns & Ammo night, but I want fewer guns and more ammo. More meat and less potatoes. The beef up till now has been that Americans don't know who John Kerry is. I know who he is; now I want to hear what he has to say for himself.
As it turns out, it's quite a bit.
The first thing that strikes me about the speech is how unfairly John Kerry has been treated by the press. He's been painted as a Brahmin: intellectual, aloof, cold. He is none of those. He's very smart, and some people find that threatening. I'm pretty smart, and this guy comes across as a lot smarter than I am. He addresses those who mock him for being "nuanced," saying "I know there are those who criticize me for seeing complexities - and I do - because some issues just aren't all that simple." He's not as folksy as an airline pilot. He's not an orator in the style of Bill Clinton or Ronald Reagan or even John Edwards. But he's clear and straightforward and - to the point - understands what he's saying. One analyst compared him to a college professor. As someone who's studied under some excellent professors, I'd say that's not far from the truth. I doubt that many people who hadn't already been told he was standoffish would find him standoffish.
This audience in all his, of course, and they're with him every step of the way. The speech is long, and he cuts off applause when he must, to keep it moving. And move it does. Although it is close to an hour long, it doesn't seem much longer than Edwards' speech, which was half that. I'm not going to go into details about the content. By now, you've read it or seen it, and if you haven't, you should.
I will say this: it knocked me out. Of course, I wanted to like it, especially after spending all week with these guys. And as it started, with the biography, with Vietnam, with the early challenges and triumphs, it seemed like the same old thing. But slowly, steadily, and almost without warning, I was drawn in. Not by the language, which was effective but not stunning, and not by the delivery, which was strong but not moving. But by the sense that this guy was serious. Not just a serious guy, which he is, but someone who meant what he said. It's easy to call it "integrity" - which it certainly is - and leave it at that. But for me it was more. My heart began to rise. I liked Clinton for what he believed, but never trusted him to carry out those beliefs, especially if it meant people wouldn't like him. [I don't know why he cared, since people obviously didn't like him anyway.] But, for all the complaints about his "waffling," I began to believe that this guy would really do what he said.
And this is what I saw in the hall as well. The night before, John Edwards told us hope was on the way. In these delegates, I saw hope. Not just hope of winning back the White House, but hope of things getting better. For all their claims to the contrary, one of the things which separates me from the Republicans - possibly the main thing - is their cynicism. That's a word they constantly throw at Democrats, which always strikes me as odd, and quite frankly delusional. When I see cynicism in Democrats, it's because their hearts have been broken so often by those across the aisle. Tonight, I saw hope in the faces in Boston, and felt it in my own heart. By the end of the speech, I wanted to hug somebody.
I know. Take two martinis and call me in the morning.
Now this could all be a pile of bullshit. But I don't think so. And even if Kerry is elected, he's likely to be able to carry off very little of what he proposes. But the notion of a president who believes in personal responsibility, and doesn't consider himself exempt, who believes in science, who truly believes in unifying the nation and the parties, that's worth a little hope.
I've seen several stories that dim what hope I have. The first is the news that very few people even saw this, or any speech of the Convention. The major networks only covered the last hour each night, which is why the big speeches were squeezed into that time slot. But ratings dropped dramatically, typically 50%, from the 8 o'clock hour to the 9 o'clock. Cable channels didn't do much better. In Chicago, even when Barack Obama spoke, ratings remained level. In the Tribune, John Kass writes of being in a neighborhood bar in Boston which was showing the rain delay of a Red Sox game. When he why they weren't watching the Convention, the bartender told him, "Honey, nobody cares about politics." Some favorite son. He imagines the story will be the same in New York next month.
As it turns out, there may be little Kerry - or Bush - can do to change his fortunes. Right now, 39 of the 50 states have been called, with only 11 states truly considered in play. The Kerry campaign recently pulled ads from a few states, after it became apparent there was little they could do to sway those voters. We may be in for a repeat of the 2000 election, with Kerry winning the popular vote but losing in the Electoral College.
On top of everything, the Miss America pageant has decided to discontinue the talent competition from their event.
That's it for now. Now it's off to New York at the end of August. The Republican National Convention starts on the same day that classes begin, so I'm not guaranteeing anything. But I'll do my best.
posted by John Bliss at
10:11 AM
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