Wings For Wheels

My modem died midway through the convention last night, so I couldn’t get this up until now. But other than that, it was a remarkable night. I got home just in time for the start of the roll call. I’m of a dual mind about the whole process, with all the grandstanding. On the one hand, it’s typical political longwindedness. On the other, how often do you get to hear somebody extolling the virtues of American Samoa?

But just as I was thinking how much I missed Ann Richards in the Secretary’s role (and throughout the entire convention, for that matter), up came the New Jersey delegation. They won points for mentioning both the Giants and the Boss as points of local pride, but lost a few for mentioning Bon Jovi (no birthplace of Sinatra or home of Edison and Einstein?) Then they threw all their votes to Obama, and all was forgiven.

What happened after that was a beautiful piece of political theatre. New Mexico yielding to Illinois, who yielded to New York. When Hillary made her way down to the microphone, I thought she would announce that New York was voting unanimously for Obama. But she topped it by moving to suspend the rules and vote by acclamation. As with the night before, it couldn’t have been easy for her, but she pulled through it with class.

Then came Bill, who was just brilliant. At the beginning of the season I said that, if not for Hillary, Bill would be Obama’s biggest champion on the stump, and last night, he showed it, It was a reminder of why we need him in the party, and why he disappoints us when he pulls stunts like he did in the primaries.

He tied up all the threads that Hillary left out, attacking but not angry. I’m beginning to believe that was by design. In 2004, all we heard about was Kerry’s military service and why Bush-Cheney had to go. This way, everybody gets to pick a different angle of why Obama is so needed at this point in time and elaborate rather than have everybody work the same vein.

Speaking of Kerry, nothing could have prepared me for his performance. Frankensenator released more pent-up frustration than A.C. Green on his wedding night. Had he been that dynamic in attacking the Swiftboaters, we’d be talking about his second term right now.

Following all that hysteria, Biden’s speech had no choice but to be an emotional comedown. There’s simply no way that he could have sustained that intensity. But he hit all the right points, in substance if not in tone, and his line about Jill, “She leaves me breathless and speechless,” was very touching. The DNC had to have known that, so they orchestrated Obama’s “surprise” appearance to end on a high note.

What will happen tonight? Will Bruce show up, even though it’s been denied? I’m actually hoping he doesn’t. All reports were that it was to be a solo performance, which doesn’t play to his best political material, and wouldn’t come across well on television. A full E Street Band performance, with a set consisting of “Long Walk Home,” Living In The Future,” “How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times And Live,” and “The Promised Land” would be much more effective in conveying the themes of this election cycle.

Like her concession in June, it was a remarkable speech, delivered with genuine conviction and authenticity that she so often fakes. I had no doubt that it would be. It’s proof that Hillary’s problem isn’t that she’s not exceptionally smart and capable, but that she listens to idiots like Begala, Carville, Wolfson, Penn, etc. If she had Obama’s people working for her, there’s no doubt who would be the Democratic nominee right now. You can argue that it’s the candidate, not the people behind her. I disagree, because those same people would be working in a Clinton White House, whereas with Obama, they’ll be relegated to cable news.

The “Were you there for me” question was just astonishing, absolutely brilliant. To challenge the PUMAs on their motives was a tone you otherwise never hear from a politician, and proof that she understood the consequences if she had failed.

My only complaint was that the “I ran for President because” section went on too long. We didn’t need to hear about the waitress and the soldier again. Instead, we got lost in her laundry list of causes, and by the time she got around to making it about Obama again, we were wondering if she was still campaigning.

If there was anything missing, it’s that she didn’t say that Obama was ready to be the commander-in-chief, which was her main argument in their differences, and is being used in McCain’s commercials. But that’s something that I only noticed when reading the commentaries this morning, so I’ll give her a pass on that. But still, a fantastic performance by Hillary Clinton, and I’m hoping Biden goes batshit-insane tonight.

And let’s also hear it for Brian Schweitzer! Who ever thought a guy with a bolo tie would be so entertaining without a banjo on his knee?

Check back here tonight shortly before 8:00 tonight, where I’ll be liveblogging the Democratic National Convention, including Mark Warner’s and Hillary Clinton’s speeches.

As harsh as I’ve been to Hillary Clinton during the primaries, ever since her eventual concession she has been exemplary and sincere on the campaign trail. Yet in today’s New York Times, we find that, during a stop in Boca Raton, her supporters don’t think she’s doing enough.

“It was good that she said my supporters need to now support Barack Obama,” said Ms. Shaffer, 46, reflecting on Mrs. Clinton’s speech before about 700 people. But, she added, “I wanted her to repeat that one more time.”

Then:

Guy Montes, 63, a retired shift manager for United Airlines and a Clinton supporter in the primary, said later that Mrs. Clinton’s heart did not seem to be in it.

“It was a platonic type of endorsement,” Mr. Montes said. “It wasn’t real love. She’s just doing what she’s supposed to be doing.”

Even Cecilia Payne, 52, an insurance agent in West Palm Beach originally from Barbados, who declared that “the Clintons are the best thing that ever happened to politics,” said Mrs. Clinton must work harder.

“She should have been a little more forceful and more convincing,” Ms. Payne said.

How many times did she say it during the concession speech, and how many more times does she have to say it before they get it? And if her biggest supporters – those who would follow her to the ends of the Earth – are doubting her sincerity (note that there are no articles about Obama supporters not believing her), then what does that say about them?

I didn’t watch the DNC Rules & Bylaws Committee meeting yesterday. I had this week’s podcast with Jeff and Jason to record (watch out for this one) and besides, I’d rather watch whales vomit than hour upon hour of Democrats arguing over the seating of the Florida and Michigan delegations. Thankfully, there was the blogosphere to inform us of all updates.

But even though I was happy with the eventual outcome of the meeting, the behavior of Clinton’s supporters around the Washington Marriott should give every rational Democrat, even those who voted for her, reason to be glad her campaign is all-but over. From HuffPo:

A table of three women did not deal in discretion. A sampling of their punditry:

“[Obama] is a cult. His campaign is an anti-woman cult.”
“I will actively campaign against him.”
“You know who is backing him is George Soros. It’ll be George Soros, not Obama, who is running the country.”
“South Dakota is totally rigged for Obama because of Tom Daschle. Obama’s going to win South Dakota because he’s buying it and rigging it.
“[Obama] is a socialist! You know what the Nazi Party was before it was the Nazi Party? It was the Socialist Party.” 

It was not all that different from the mood outside, where signs read, “At least slaves were counted as 3/5ths a Citizen,” and some pamphlets detailed Obama’s supposed dealings in drugs and gay sex.

Inside the room wasn’t much better. Acording to Marc Ambinder’s liveblog at The Atlantic:

7:16: Some Clinton supporters begin to shout: “McCain, McCain, McCain.”

6:48: Lots of shouting. “This is disunity. You just took way votes.” Huff: “We’re giving some back to you.” Shouting: “Lipstick on a pig.”

6:41: The motion to restore a full delegate slate to Florida will a full vote: two-thirds. Crowd cheers the vote. The vote fails, 12-13. Members of the crowd start to scream “Denver, Denver, Denver.”

Barack Obama should be thankful that he has been treated with skepticism by somebody like Al Sharpton, whose history is filled with scenes like the ones above. Had Sharpton gotten his people to hold court in DC this weekend, it could have gotten considerably worse. And that Obama has not sought out Sharpton’s endorsement is another reason why I am voting for him.

The videos of the angry mob, brought back to memory the Terri Schiavo supporters in early 2005 (funny how these things always happen in Florida, isn’t it?). These weren’t concerned citizens standing up for the rights of others (where were they in 2004 when DC tried the same thing?), these were the irrationally delusional who don’t. I believe the Schiavo issue went a long way towards the Democrats winning back Congress in 2006, as independents and moderate Republicans realized how they had enabled the religious right for far too long. We should consider ourselves lucky that we’re seeing Clinton’s base now, as her campaign comes to an ugly end.

From Firedoglake

“I’m from Manhattan.” No shit?

Bravo, Hillary. By trying to change the rules you agreed to and spending the last three months riling up your base instead of bowing out with honor when everything was all-but lost, and still threatening to take it to the convention over four delegates, you’ve not only hurt the Democratic Party and your own political legacy, but also the next qualified woman who decides to run.

Speaking of qualified women, I love this line:

“There is a new sheriff in town, [House Speaker] Nancy Pelosi,” said Democratic media specialist James Duffy. “In my mind she is driving the bus, and she will drive it right over the Clintons and if they miss the fact they got run over, she will back up and run over them again.”

Clinton will take the Puerto Rico primary tonight, but my guess is that Monday morning, Al Gore will finally come out and endorse Obama, and the celebration for Obama’s nomination, culminating Tuesday with the end of the primaries, will begin.

In my previous post, I referred to Hillary Clinton’s disgraceful reference to RFK’s assasination as being an off-the-cuff remark. But, according to Time’s political blog, she said the same thing back on March 6. Since the quote didn’t receive any publicity at the time, I can only guess that this was after she whined that the media were treating her unfairly, at which point they started to ignore her insane ramblings, and discovered those of Jeremiah Wright.

But as the blog also points out, this puts paid to the line in her “apology” that the Kennedy’s have been on her mind as a result of Ted Kennedy’s illness.

What’s worse is that Clinton has essentially stopped talking about the issues, only that she will do whatever it takes to get the nomination. Perhaps if, instead of invoking RFK’s assassination, she reminded us of his vision of a more perfect union, she wouldn’t have put herself in this position.

The other day Arianna Huffington made the brilliant argument that the Democratic leaders should be pressuring the remaining 210 undeclared superdelegates to come out for Obama. After yesterday’s insult, I can’t see Clinton getting any more support.

Olbermann.

The longer this primary season has gone on, the longer she wears out her welcome. So much for the idea that she has been “vetted” and “we know what to expect from her.” The last few days we have seen her shoot herself in the foot worse than the Allman Brothers.

Now we see her calling for a change in the primary system.

“We’re going to have to change the system by which we pick the nominees, I believe, and we are with the system we have now,” Clinton said, responding to a supporter here who lamented the role of superdelegates in selecting the party’s nominee. “And I’m a big believer in one person one vote, and I believe in as much democracy as possible.”

How many times can she move the goalposts? Let’s go back to February, shall we?

“Clinton…will count on the 796 elected officials and party bigwigs to put her over the top, if necessary, said Clinton’s communications director, Howard Wolfson.

“I want to be clear about the fact that neither campaign is in a position to win this nomination without the support of the votes of the superdelegates,” Wolfson told reporters in a conference call.

“We don’t make distinctions between delegates chosen by million of voters in a primary and those chosen between tens of thousands in caucuses,” Wolfson said. “And we don’t make distinctions when it comes to elected officials” who vote as superdelegates at the convention.

“We are interested in acquiring delegates, period,” he added.

I agree that superdelegates – and the electoral college, for that matter – subvert the true meaning of democracy, but those are the rules, and they have been in place since 1980. And if you want them changed, now is not the time to do it.

Then there’s the “I’m more electable” issue. Um, isn’t that why John Kerry got the nomination?

And of course, there’s the Florida and Michigan debacle. This post at Daily Kos chronicles and documents everything perfectly, including the text of the pledges she signed.

THEREFORE, I (Hillary Clinton), Democratic Candidate for President, pledge I shall not campaign or participate in any state which schedules a presidential election primary or caucus  before Feb. 5, 2008, except for the states of Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina, as “campaigning” is defined by rules and regulations of the DNC.  

At the time, the Clinton strategists felt it would be over by Super Tuesday, so the didn’t feel they needed those extra delegates. But then came Obama’s stunning victory in Iowa, and everything else that followed, and now they’re comparing this to the elections in Zimbabwe.

Sadly, the Democratic Party needs Florida and Michigan in the general election, so some agreement will have to be reached. But Hillary, ever the “fighter,” doesn’t believe in compromise, which is exactly what we have had in the White House for the PAST EIGHT YEARS! 

And then there’s yesterday’s disgraceful reference to Robert F. Kennedy’s assassination. As far as off-the-cuff references go (see above), this is far worse than Obama’s “people are bitter” remark. Forget her reputation as being calculated. Statements like this are the product of someone completely out of control.

And will the media STOP calling her remarks immediately afterward an “apology.” Here’s what she said:

I regret that if my referencing that moment of trauma for our entire nation, and particularly for the Kennedy family was in any way offensive. I certainly had no intention of that, whatsoever.

This is something you see whenever somebody gets caught saying something stupid, not just in politics. The operative words are “if” and “any way.” She’s not saying “I made an offensive remark, and I’m sorry.” She’s saying “I’m sorry you took offense to my remark.” Big difference. The former accepts responsibility, while the other suggests the offendee should not have been so thin-skinned.

The argument for Hillary dropping out is that it can unify the party. But she doesn’t care about the party, only herself and her own power. She should realize that, if she ruins this for the Democrats, she will be as popular as Ralph Nader and Joe Lieberman in the DNC, and you can bet that they’ll put all their money behind some upstart when it comes time for her re-election. She is not behaving like someone who is “ready to lead on Day One.” She is acting like a child. 

* Yes, that wordplay was intended.

He comes up with the ultimate metaphor in today’s Washington Post.

When last we caught up with our heroine, Hillary Clinton’s plight was compared to the Monty Python routine in which a pet-shop owner insists that a dead parrot is still alive. Clinton loyalists disputed the comparison, while some scholars searched the literature and proposed a different Pythonian model: the Black Knight, who valiantly defends his bridge after losing all four of his limbs.
…
King Arthur: “A scratch? Your arm’s off!”

Black Knight: “I’ve had worse . . . Come on, you pansy.” (Arthur chops off the knight’s other arm).

In Oregon on Sunday, Obama packed in more than 70,000 people for a rally. In the gym in Maysville, there are 400.

It’s been three weeks since I’ve done a TML for various reasons. So to try and get back on track with it, here are some links on a few topics that I like to blog about. 

The Rock And Roll Report says good things about WFW friends Jukebox The Ghost. Also, here’s my review of their recent concert at the Black Cat at Blogcritics.

Over at HuffPo, Robert Creamer lists ten reasons why Barack Obama beat Hillary Clinton.  Part of this is due to Hillary’s mistakes, but also because of the superiority of the Obama team (Mark Penn’s California mistake should have gotten him axed as soon as he said it), including the candidate. As Creamer says, “While the Clintons represented the Bridge to the 21st Century, Obama is the 21st century. His own, multi-cultural story is the future of America.”

Blogness On The Edge Of Town has video clips of Springsteen’s historic benefit show at the Count Basie Theatre, in which he played the Darkness On The Edge Of Town and Born To Run albums in sequence.

I haven’t written about Scrubs much this season, mostly because it hasn’t been worth writing about. At Popdose, Scott Malchus takes a look at what has gone wrong with it, and hopes that it can get back to basics next year at ABC. 

Finally, Brian continues looking at the latest arguments in the ongoing Will Leitch-Buzz Bissinger controversy. I’m going to post more on this later tonight.

There’s no way Hillary Clinton can spin last night in her favor. Hell, she barely took Indiana and that’s with the Limbaugh Factor working in her favor, and in North Carolina, she got what the Drive-By Truckers referred to as an Alabama Ass-Whuppin’. Only the most die-hard Clinton spinmeister can suggest that she still has a chance, except that it will be hard to hear Paul Begala and James Carville with their heads lodged so firmly up each other’s asses.

And this morning, we learn that she loaned her campaign another $6.4 million. And we’re supposed to trust her with the federal budget? Wasn’t one of the rationales for the we-need-a-woman-president crew that they’re supposed to be more fiscally prudent? I guess you tend to let that slide when you and your husband make $109 million in seven years and you’re on two government-sponsored healthcare plans (just like John McCain). I’m watching CNN right now and somebody is saying that it’s evidence that she’s a fighter, she won’t give up, and that she’ll take it to the end. Right, because that strategy worked so well for Duk Koo Kim.

I’m sure tonight the Obama campaign will announce how much money they raised today, which will make Clinton look even weaker. I also look for even more superdelegates with Clinton ties turning away from her in the next few days, not-very-subtly giving her the hint that it’s time to give up. I still expect her to take it to the convention, because she’s her, but at least now the spin will be that she’s on her last legs, and maybe they’ll stop treating her like the front-runner that she hasn’t been since January. In one night, her momentum has turned into Joementum.