About Last Night

I will give in and listen to one convention speech. That of Bill Clinton. I never trusted Bill Clinton, and it had nothing to do with Monica Lewinsky. But I always appreciated his speech-making talent. You don't hear many really good political speeches because politicians aren't typically very good speakers. I don't like the cadence of Obama's speech, so I don't listen to him.  But, of course, he's a far, far level above George Jr. - and George Sr., for that matter - so there's that to be thankful for.  It's painful to listen to a voice that scrapes your every nerve, or a speech pattern that pricks them. (I'm thinking of the not-uncommon Valley-Girl-derived pattern that even radio reporters have these days of ending sentences on an elevated tone as though every sentence is a question.)  Barack Obama's speech seems divorced from what he's saying, and it kind of drones. Even when he's seemingly passionate - the drone just gets louder.  The pauses are awkward.  He can't help it, and it doesn't (of itself) make him a bad person.  I just can't listen to it.

Virtually all - save perhaps a number you could count on one hand, and no, I can't come up with that many - politicians spout BS, but nobody can make it sound like milk and honey from the Promised Land like Bill Clinton can.  It's not so much something you hear as something that envelops you.  My elder son, a Republican (go figger) who gets a little too near Tea Party territory for my comfort some times, says of Clinton: "Even I almost believe him when he speaks." I don't believe any of them at my age, of course, but I do enjoy a masterful performance, so I'll eventually get around to listening to Bill's speech. And I'll enjoy it.  I won't be swayed by it.  But I'll enjoy it.

In the meantime:

The second day began badly, as the convention surrendered to the tyranny of dumb people and put Jerusalem and Jehovah back in the platform.

Charlie Pierce

I wonder if Charlie might want to reword that, considering it has been reported that it was Barack Obama himself who insisted on putting those two things back in the platform.

I wouldn’t change the wording, but Charlie might.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

UPDATE:  Apparently Charlie put those words in there intentionally, and knowing that the change was at the behest of Obama, or as Charlie called him in a previous post:  the Conciliator-in-Chief.  He probably didn't mean to call the Conciliator dumb, though.  Probably.