The Convention Day Three
This was semi-military day at the convention, Gen. Shalikashvili, Lt. Brozak, and Gen. Kennedy all served in the military and came out for Kerry. Brozak especially who served in Iraq and came back so disgusted he switched parties and is running as a Democrat for congress.
Then there was Al Sharpton - Given 6 min he took 20, and lit the place up like a fire. He directly connected with the African American delegates in a way only Mr. Obama had, from the looks of their faces. He directly answered the President's question to the Urban League "Have the Democrats taken you (African Americans) for granted?" He answered it well.
The generals were, frankly exceedingly dull, but it was important for the Democrats to show how strong they were. Again, again and again..... Hope America gets the point.
The ramp up to John Edwards' speech was fairly enjoyable. First came their 22 yr old daughter, a spitting image for her mom, there to introduce her mom. I think its important for America to see "normal" people in the mix here. Neither Mrs. Edwards nor her daughter are the perfect looking model material that the Bush or Kerry girls are, a majority of American women are slightly overweight, and that goes now a day's for the 20 to 25 crowd as well. What the daughter said was really immaterial, it was scripted and etc etc. But she looked lovely and introduced her mom well.
Mrs. Edwards speech was nice, but she's no orator. Nor did we probably expect that. L said she sounded like a greeting card company. I thought it was sweet that she shared their little anniversary routine with the world, showing how they remember their roots 27 yrs ago though they are obviously very well off now.
Then came the first John! Let it be known to the readers of this blog I supported Edwards in the Primary, I voted for Edwards, and I'm still not completely convinced that he wasn't the best candidate for the top of the ticket. Edwards' populist non negative message played well in his speech, as did his obligatory laudatory phrases of Kerry's service record. Although it was a bit prepared, the "hope is on the way" message/chant at the end of his speech was a real "rabel rouser".
It gave me chills actually, to think that hope is on the way. Hope that the greedy viscous men who have been running this country for the last four years will be swept into the dustbin of history. Hope that some of the bright ideals of the Clinton/Gore years like better health coverage, tax cuts that help the average American and not the rich corporations, and something near and dear to my heart, hope that the voodoo science of the last four years will be replaced by new initiatives in medical, computer and manufacturing technology.
I don't like living in an America where it is plainly obvious that my generation is on the whole less well off than the previous one. Where it takes two incomes to reach the standard of living that one sufficed before the hyperinflation of the 70's. This is a long term problem we are faced with, and not one that the go go years of the 90's fixed, although it did ameliorate to some extent.
So I think that someone like John Edwards, who in the best Democrat fantasy, becomes the President of the US in 2012 after 8 yrs of a Kerry administration, is a good start down the road of putting Americans back on the track where every generation lives a bit better than the last.
I want that for Alex.
This was semi-military day at the convention, Gen. Shalikashvili, Lt. Brozak, and Gen. Kennedy all served in the military and came out for Kerry. Brozak especially who served in Iraq and came back so disgusted he switched parties and is running as a Democrat for congress.
Then there was Al Sharpton - Given 6 min he took 20, and lit the place up like a fire. He directly connected with the African American delegates in a way only Mr. Obama had, from the looks of their faces. He directly answered the President's question to the Urban League "Have the Democrats taken you (African Americans) for granted?" He answered it well.
The generals were, frankly exceedingly dull, but it was important for the Democrats to show how strong they were. Again, again and again..... Hope America gets the point.
The ramp up to John Edwards' speech was fairly enjoyable. First came their 22 yr old daughter, a spitting image for her mom, there to introduce her mom. I think its important for America to see "normal" people in the mix here. Neither Mrs. Edwards nor her daughter are the perfect looking model material that the Bush or Kerry girls are, a majority of American women are slightly overweight, and that goes now a day's for the 20 to 25 crowd as well. What the daughter said was really immaterial, it was scripted and etc etc. But she looked lovely and introduced her mom well.
Mrs. Edwards speech was nice, but she's no orator. Nor did we probably expect that. L said she sounded like a greeting card company. I thought it was sweet that she shared their little anniversary routine with the world, showing how they remember their roots 27 yrs ago though they are obviously very well off now.
Then came the first John! Let it be known to the readers of this blog I supported Edwards in the Primary, I voted for Edwards, and I'm still not completely convinced that he wasn't the best candidate for the top of the ticket. Edwards' populist non negative message played well in his speech, as did his obligatory laudatory phrases of Kerry's service record. Although it was a bit prepared, the "hope is on the way" message/chant at the end of his speech was a real "rabel rouser".
It gave me chills actually, to think that hope is on the way. Hope that the greedy viscous men who have been running this country for the last four years will be swept into the dustbin of history. Hope that some of the bright ideals of the Clinton/Gore years like better health coverage, tax cuts that help the average American and not the rich corporations, and something near and dear to my heart, hope that the voodoo science of the last four years will be replaced by new initiatives in medical, computer and manufacturing technology.
I don't like living in an America where it is plainly obvious that my generation is on the whole less well off than the previous one. Where it takes two incomes to reach the standard of living that one sufficed before the hyperinflation of the 70's. This is a long term problem we are faced with, and not one that the go go years of the 90's fixed, although it did ameliorate to some extent.
So I think that someone like John Edwards, who in the best Democrat fantasy, becomes the President of the US in 2012 after 8 yrs of a Kerry administration, is a good start down the road of putting Americans back on the track where every generation lives a bit better than the last.
I want that for Alex.
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