Democratic Convention Day Four: America's Promise
From the wisecracking Julia Louis-Dreyfus to Joe Biden's resounding speech, the last night of the Democratic National Convention was a solid hit, with only one sour spot (but we'll get to Mike Bloomberg in a moment...). National nominating conventions are traditionally supposed to build in pitch and intensity all week long to the "big finish" on the final day. Democrats certainly succeeded in this regard last night, topped off by perhaps the best speech Joe Biden has ever given. All around, the fourth and final day of the Democratic National Convention was a solid winner.
On the previous three nights, the convention was hosted by three actresses who (for the most part) just read their lines and provided the segues from one speaker to the next. Julia Louis-Dreyfus did not follow this model, to put it mildly. She personally interacted with several speakers during their introduction, and dropped zinger after zinger to provide moments of comedy (something that has been mostly lacking in the virtual convention up until now). She ripped Mike Pence for not being able to pronounce Kamala Harris's name, Trump for cheating on golf, Trump for requiring tear gas and federal troops to go to church, and in her funniest line (to me, at any rate), told people the number to text to was pretty easy to remember: "Person, woman, man, camera, TV, 30330. It's easy! Anyone can do it!"
Louis-Dreyfus -- like many of the speakers -- also told a few very personal stories about Joe Biden. The first was amusing, based on the fact that Joe Biden was the only person in America who read the free Arrive Amtrak magazine (Biden called her up to congratulate her for making the cover), but the second was much more serious as Louis-Dreyfus revealed that Biden had called her to offer his support when she had been diagnosed with cancer.
Louis-Dreyfus did tone it down quite a bit in the second hour -- the one the broadcast networks aired -- but she had many wondering afterwards if the Emmys will have to create a new "Best performance at a virtual convention" category for her.
America's Promise
Maybe it's just me getting a wee bit jaded, but this theme didn't seem to fit as well as the first three nights. But like I said, maybe that's just me.
Last night's Democratic National Convention presentation was much more varied than the previous night (where women were the big focus), but then they had a lot of ground to cover leading up to Biden's speech. There were several endearing moments, most of them involving children. The most adorable kid ever read the Pledge of Allegiance to kick things off, a boy overcoming his stuttering reminded us all that Joe Biden has lived with this problem his whole life, and Steph Curry's family appeared at the end in an introductory video for Biden's speech (where his kids absolutely stole the show). All of that is pretty easy to fit into "America's promise," since that's what all our kids are, really.
Biden made several explicit promises during his own speech, which could all accurately be boiled down to: "I am a sane and rational adult who deeply cares about other people and is not a sociopath." Normally that sort of thing wouldn't be all that big a deal in a presidential candidate, but it's actually the most compelling reason to vote for Biden and against Donald Trump. The entire convention was really all just variations on the "Joe's not a sociopath" theme, in fact. Hey, it is what it is.
This campaign has never explicitly used it as a campaign slogan the way that Warren G. Harding did (after World War I had just ended), but the other overarching theme to Biden's campaign has been: "A return to normalcy." A return to a world where you won't cringe when you hear what the president did (or tweeted) in the past 24 hours. A return to dignity in the White House. A return to a time where the rest of the world looks up to American democracy instead of us being a laughingstock (or, worse, being pitied).
Again, this normally isn't all that high a bar for a presidential campaign to shoot for, but after almost four years of Donald Trump, it is precisely what the voters are desperately looking for. A world where the United States president can once again be held up as a role model for the nation's children. A world where citizens can go a week without hearing about politics at all, because the daily crises erupting from the Oval Office have ceased to exist. A world where when the president is asked a question he doesn't viciously insult the reporter asking it. A return to normalcy sounds pretty good to a whole lot of people right now, and might be the most important campaign theme the Democrats have this time around. Maybe that's the American promise Democrats made last night?
The speakers
As mentioned, Julia Louis-Dreyfus provided the hilarious glue which held the final Democratic National Convention together last night. She started off telling Andrew Yang: "Give my regards to the gang!" and kept the pace up all night long.
The presentation opened with a short appearance from California Governor Gavin Newsom leading into a video titled: "This time next year," where lots of people said where they would like the country to be next year (all of which involved Biden being president, of course). See my previous remarks on a return to normalcy, as this video's purpose was to explicitly lay this theme out.
After the adorable Pledge of Allegiance, we got The (no-longer-Dixie) Chicks singing the National Anthem. The Chicks were notably "cancelled" by the right, after 9/11, so it was entirely fitting that they be featured in a Democratic convention.
Several speakers then related the depth and honest of Joe Biden's faith, which was interesting mostly because the Republicans have tried to own religion in politics for so long now. Trump, obviously, can't believably do so, which left this opening for Joe Biden. "Joe Biden is religious, he doesn't just pretend to be to fool his supporters" was the clear and unequivocal message, and while I'm not a big fan of wearing one's religion on one's sleeve in politics, for Joe it seemed a natural fit.
The next segue was where Julia Louis-Dreyfus got in her two cents on Trump's fake religiosity: "Just remember, Joe Biden goes to church so regularly that he doesn't even need tear gas and a bunch of federalized troops to get there."
Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms spoke next, and introduced the theme of civil rights and how important voting has been to Black citizens. This was followed by a video on the same subject, with appearances by Andrew Young, Nancy Pelosi, and Stacey Abrams. A musical interlude followed with John Legend and rapper Common, which I have to say I found pretty refreshing (while not generally knowing much of anything about their musical styles, I fully admit).
Louis-Dreyfus then appeared to rip Trump on cheating at golf and his use of the phrase "American carnage," which, she joked: "I assumed he was against it, not that it was a campaign promise."
We then got a Biden endorsement from presidential historian Jon Meacham, where he spoke of the "soul of the nation" (and how it could visibly improve with Biden in office).
Representative Deb Haaland -- one of the few Native Americans ever to serve in Congress -- then spoke of the importance of the vote for her people. "Voting is sacred," she informed the rest of us, and used her always-a-killer line: "I am a 35th-generation New Mexican." This really smacks the Republican nativism in its face, to state the painfully obvious.
Some postal workers then appeared in a video, warning that the United States Postal Service should never be used for political ends, which is a timely message indeed. This was followed by another comedic interlude, from online sensation Sarah Cooper, who lip-synced some of Donald Trump's more inane recent statements on mail-in voting. We then got the secretaries of state of California and Michigan, who stressed once again the sanctity of voting.
Cory Booker was the next major speaker, and he launched the first serious indictment of Trump of the evening, responding to Trump's recent statement: "The economy is doing good." Booker laid out precisely why it is not, concluding with: "He has failed us."
We then got another round of Joe Biden talking to a circle of screens, this time Union workers all telling their own stories of the current state of the economy. Biden's always been a big Union supporter, so this fit right in with his entire political history.
Next there was an unusual appearance by a former surgeon general; unusual because holders of the office have rarely ever spoken out about politics. But Dr. Vivek Murthy was the perfect person to make the case that Donald Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic has been nothing short of abysmal. We can get through such emergencies as a country, Dr. Murthy pointed out, but this time we haven't been because: "What we're missing is leadership." He then heartily endorsed Biden, saying: "I know that Joe Biden can be that leader."
Tammy Baldwin appeared next, telling her own story of a childhood medical emergency which left her with a pre-existing condition, which (as she pointed out) used to mean she was "uninsurable" (according to the insurance companies). Baldwin made the point that Obamacare has changed all of that for millions of people just like her, and that Trump has been trying to destroy this protection for his entire term in office. "What kind of country do we want to be?" Baldwin pointedly asked.
In a video interlude, we got perhaps the best Trump-voter video of the entire convention. Ed Good, a World War II and Korean War veteran, explained: "I have been a Republican since the 1960s, I am a member of the N.R.A. I voted for Donald Trump and I think he's the worst president we've ever had." He then pledged his support to Joe Biden. This was followed by a video highlighting Dr. Jill Biden's work for military families when Biden was vice president.
Tammy Duckworth then appeared standing on her prosthetic legs, and ripped into Trump for his lack of respect for the military, brutally calling him the "coward-in-chief." Trump's refusal to say a word about Vladimir Putin's bounties on American soldiers has been brought up repeatedly during the convention, but Duckworth made this case better than any of the others. Her indictment of Trump was blistering, in fact. She closed with: "Donald Trump doesn't deserve to call himself commander-in-chief for four more minutes, let alone four more months."
We then got another video tribute to Beau Biden, and a retelling of his tragic story. Julia Louis-Dreyfus struck a serious note afterwards as she told of Joe Biden calling her up (and bringing her to tears) after her own cancer diagnosis. Biden was the perfect person, Louis-Dreyfus stated, for President Obama to put in charge of the "cancer moonshot" program.
Pete Buttigieg then appeared and gave a speech which could be summed up as: "Please give me a cabinet job, as there's just no way I can ever be elected statewide in Indiana." OK, maybe that's too snarky, let me try again. Pete Buttigieg then appeared and spoke on the subject of gay rights and gay marriage and praised Joe Biden for getting out in front of the issue (even in front of Barack Obama, notably).
This is the point where the convention went off the rails a bit, I have to admit. First we had seven of the Democratic presidential also-rans (including Amy Klobuchar, who seemed to be trying to get a speaking slot each and every night of the convention), which was both forced and awkward. Even the format gave rise to Brady Bunch jokes ("It's the story... of a man named Cory..."). The whole thing was pretty cringeworthy, especially the jokes (although Bernie Sanders did get off the best punchline).
This awkwardness led into an absolute trainwreck. Michael Bloomberg, for some reason, appeared on the screen next. "Why?" I thought to myself. Then I thought: "Why, why, WHY?!?"
Sigh. The ugly answer, of course, is that Michael Bloomberg has more money than Croesus, and he's supposed to be spending a billion dollars of it to help out Joe Biden and the Democrats. So far, he hasn't exactly lived up to this pledge, although he did make a last-minute $60 million donation to help Democrats running for House seats a few days ago. But where is the rest of that billion-dollar pledge? When Bloomberg was running for president, you simply could not escape his television ads, in pretty much every state in the Union. Since he was forced to drop out... nothing. So I have to conclude that the Democratic National Committee put Bloomberg on just before Joe Biden's speech -- one of the best speaking slots during the entire convention -- merely on the hopes that he'll whip his checkbook out sometime in the near future (I found myself wishing that Bloomberg would just hand the promised money over to the Lincoln Project, personally).
In other words, Bloomberg speaking when he did was the absolute personification of everything that is wrong with politics today. Money talks, in other words, and the more money you've got, the better the speaking slot you get. This was pathetic all around. Bloomberg tried to make the economic case against Donald Trump, but plenty of others could have made that case far better. Bloomberg's entire appearance was nothing short of an embarrassment, but (thankfully) it was the only such moment during the entire convention.
Afterwards, we moved into the home stretch of the evening. This began with a heartbreaking speech by a stuttering child, telling the story of how Joe Biden had helped him in his battle to overcome the impediment. The entire presentation was excellent, and reminded everyone that Biden still struggles with this today. This was followed by a rabbi who was surprised when Joe Biden ("an Irish Catholic") appeared to sit shiva for a woman who had donated less than $20 to his first-ever political campaign.
We then got four separate introductions for Biden, the first from his granddaughters. This was followed by a video from the family of Steph Curry, which was one of the best celebrity endorsement presentations I've ever seen (except for the annoying background music, which was way too loud and wholly unnecessary). Steph's little "sitting shoulder dance" at the end was pretty funny, too.
We then moved a generation up to hear from Hunter and Ashley Biden, introducing their father and grieving over the loss of their brother Beau. After one final introductory video, we finally got to hear from Joe Biden.
Joe Biden, to put it plainly, proceeded to then absolutely knock it out of the park. He dominated the night. His speech was one for the ages. Nobody could watch that performance and then give the tiniest shred of credibility to Trump's insistence that Biden is some sort of doddering old senile fool. Who are you going to believe, Trump or that masterful speech?
It really was that good. Biden stared straight into the camera's eye the whole time (instead of the annoying side-to-side TelePrompTer reading most politicians do) and there were no disruptive cuts to different camera angles (which, the previous night, was bizarre because it showed Kamala Harris speaking to a largely empty room). Biden's delivery was top-notch as well, with a cadence and flow that was uninterrupted by gratuitous audience applause (his speech clocked in at around 25 minutes -- the shortest acceptance speech since they began televising them).
Biden promised he would "draw on the best of us, not the worst," which reinforced the whole return-to-normalcy theme. He condemned Donald Trump (without ever mentioning his name) for his disastrous pandemic response, calling it "by far, the worst performance of any nation on Earth," which is not too far from the truth (we're certainly worse than at least 200 other countries, by the stats). He recounted his time in office serving President Barack Obama and championing the Obamacare initiative, noting that American children used to look up to the president -- something they "never do with Trump."
"It didn't have to be this bad," Biden accurately stated. If we had had a real leader -- or even someone halfway competent -- we wouldn't be in this mess. Trump does nothing but promise that "a miracle" will make COVID-19 go away, but as Biden brutally pointed out: "No miracle is coming."
Biden then lit into Trump for not having any plan whatsoever to deal with the crisis, and contrasted it with his own plan -- chock full of commonsense ideas that all the experts have been begging for. Biden swore that "we'll take the muzzle off" such experts and allow them to speak the truth to the American people once again. Under President Biden, people would see wearing facemasks as downright patriotic, not partisan and political. "Our current president has failed," Biden concluded.
Biden then showed how a real leader talks to the families of the over 170,000 dead -- with compassion, with understanding, and with authentic grief. Biden has certainly had his own grief to deal with in his life, and it has taught him to help others going through similar tough times. These are traits Donald Trump is absolutely incapable of displaying, obviously. Biden spoke with real emotion, and reiterated the reason why he ran in the first place -- Trump's "very fine people on both sides" moment after Charlottesville. Biden's entire campaign has been built on the idea that we are now in a "battle for the soul of a nation," and he showed last night which side of that battle he was fighting for.
Now, I certainly haven't seen every political speech Joe Biden's ever made (not by a longshot), but this was clearly the best I had ever seen from him in my own limited experience. Biden truly rose to the occasion. Partly it was so impressive due to Trump's idiocy in trying to paint him as senile and doddering -- Trump set the bar so low that Biden merely making it through a speech without any obvious gaffes would have cleared it. But Biden far exceeded any such pedestrian goals.
It was the perfect end to the most unusual and unique national convention in modern times. Biden and his wife then exited the arena and walked out to the parking lot, where a "drive-in viewing party" was going on for the folks in Delaware. Instead of a balloon drop, we got a fireworks display and the genuinely endearing "cars using their emergency blinkers as applause" moment.
This week has shown what Joe Biden and the Democratic Party stand for and want to do for America. It has spotlighted the humanity of both the candidate and the party. In other words, it's going to be a hard act to top. Next week, we will see how the Republicans make the attempt to do so, but I'm not expecting much -- or much more than an orgy of fear and loathing led by the fearmonger-in-chief himself.
The choice is clear. The differences are stark. The voters will see this sharp contrast, one can only hope.
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Democrats certainly succeeded in this regard last night, topped off by perhaps the best speech Joe Biden has ever given.
A lot of people are saying that. Just before they say the bar was so low. What does that mean? Inquiring minds would like to know ...
America's Promise ... Maybe it's just me getting a wee bit jaded, but this theme didn't seem to fit as well as the first three nights. But like I said, maybe that's just me.
Well, when you put it that way - America's promise - it really does fall flat.
But, that's not how Biden has always put it. Biden's phrase, "the promise of America", used in any number of ways in a sentence is THE phrase that interested me in a verbose senator from Delaware in the first place!
To me, as a foreigner who believes in the promise of America, the promise of America has mostly meant the indispensable global leadership role of the United States of America.
After Biden's first term as POTUS, the promise of America won't ever be a phrase that falls anywhere near flat, ever again!
A return to normalcy does not mean a return to the way things have always been done, it's worth pointing out.
Do you remember when Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg and her son spoke and some wondered what that was all about?
Well, I think that is the 'return to normalcy' that the Biden campaign envisions and that is why Caroline and her son were a big part of this convention.
To further make that point,
A return to a world where you won't cringe when you hear what the president did (or tweeted) in the past 24 hours. A return to dignity in the White House. A return to a time where the rest of the world looks up to American democracy instead of us being a laughingstock (or, worse, being pitied).
When was the last time that really happened?
Love, love, love Jon Meacham.
Love, love, love Beau Biden. And, didn't Hunter and Ashley do a great job, too!?
I'll never forget what Beau said at the 2008 Democratic convention ... I'm paraphrasing, 'I won't be here so I want all of you to watch my Dad's back in my place' I believe I cried when I heard that.
"I am a 35th-generation New Mexican."
Love it!!!
Biden's always been a big Union supporter, so this fit right in with his entire political history.
That is so true!
What did surprise a little was that the IAFF didn't play a bigger role in the convention as the fire fighters are so very near and dear to Biden's heart and the reason he is alive today! And, the IAFF is one big collective fan of Biden's, too.
Bloomberg tried to make the economic case against Donald Trump, but plenty of others could have made that case far better.
Tim Geithner could have made that case infinitely better and so could David Fiderer, both of whom have, on many occasions.
Biden's speech was pretty impressive, wasn't it?
One other memorable and emotional Biden speech that everyone should have a listen to is his farewell to the US Senate speech he gave on the floor of the senate just before taking the reins of the vice presidency alongside president Obama.
You can imagine my reaction. :)
Here is the video of that wonderful senate speech,
https://www.c-span.org/video/?283385-2/senator-biden-farewell-address
So, is Charlie Dent the "prominent Republican ex-congressman"? When this first came up, I thought "It can't be David Jolly or Charlie Dent." I'm not convinced that prominent really applies and it's hardly newsworthy. Is it because he's from PA?
And the best political commentary created and delivered in the midst of a (literal) firestorm goes to Chris Weigant of Chrisweigant.com.
one can only hope that the votes will be accurately cast and counted.
Not having watched any of the convention up til then, on Thursday evening I thought I'd give Biden his shot. I tuned in early, I thought, but actually landed somewhere in the middle of his speech.
And I was not entranced, at first. Biden looked almost creepy with tiny squinting eyes, and a face that really looked old. His diction, while clear, was flat, and my spirits fell.
After a while, though, I adjusted, just as one does to going outside in weather one hasn't dressed for.
For one thing, what he was saying was amazingly, endearingly, one hundred percent correct. He was nailing the issues to the wall, one after the other: all revolving around the president's criminal incompetence, venality, and hateful soul -- and his own obvious experience, competence, patriotism, ability to love, and spiritual depth (for a politician).
For another, every now and then his face cracked into his patented winking smile, and there was old Uncle Joe after all, under all that high-minded sententiousness.
And finally, he seemed to actually grasp the desperate importance of the climate crisis for this country and the world. That is the issue not of the year or the decade or the century, but of the geologic eon. We've just wasted four years doing nothing about it, thanks to the Republican Party and its slobbering leadership, and the resulting mitigation efforts to transform our entire economy and prepare for the coming waves of 'natural' disasters will be even harder to implement, but Joe at least talked about the subject like it meant something to him.
I felt better and better as he built his case and reached his conclusion, even though I could not now tell you a single thing he actually said.
Joshua,
one can only hope that the votes will be accurately cast and counted.
Do you know what I hope for? I hope that Democrats actually get it.
That they actually get how to demonstrate that THEY are the competent stewards of the ECONOMY, stupid. Trump can still win on the economy if Biden doesn't fight back on this critically important issue and finally, at long last, obliterate the Republican economic fantasy.
I just heard that Biden didn't even go to Milwaukee this week. HELLO? Do Democrats know how to fight competently on the economy!? Why would he not go to Milwaukee? Have no lessons from 2016 been learned!!??
And, do you know what scares me? The fact that Trump - TRUMP, of ALL people on the planet - can question Biden's cognitive ability and people who should know better start focusing on Biden's cognitive ability.
Trump is not America's biggest problem. Americans are America's biggest problem.
I think casting and accurately counting votes should actually be the least of your worries in this presidential election.
One had better hope for a damn sight more than that!
Watch the Republican convention, Biden and Democrats, and understand how to, ah, win the future!
Here is a must read if ever there was one, originally written by David Fiderer in 2010 and updated in 2017 ...
The Republican Cult of Economic Failure
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-bush-tax-cuts-and-the_b_781419
Here is a reinforcing piece to demonstrate the Republican cult of economic failure,
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-simple-arithmetic-of_b_97655
Trump does nothing but promise that "a miracle" will make COVID-19 go away, but as Biden brutally pointed out: "No miracle is coming."
i know it's more of a last week thing, but this one's definitely apropos:
https://youtu.be/LXvG0SMP7tw
Very nice.
Continuing in my train of though this morning,
Jim Clyburn was asked today why there was no talk at the convention, with millions of voters a captive audience, about the pain and suffering of people who have been economically depressed for such a long time, why Democrats don't focus on that pain and explain why they are the competent economic stewards ...
His answer? Go to the website and read the Democratic economic platform if you want economic policy.
Well, keep those sorts of answers up and Trump will be re-elected without lifting a finger. HELLO!?
Don-
As opposed to what? One Demand: a political front for online gambling scams? How trumpian of you...
RH-16
We do do no agree. Either party can declare disageement and that is the end of the story. You are dumber than a box of rocks. Do we agree?
Don Harris
Of the many things about you that are offensive, do you know what I find the most offensive? The fact that just about every person here tried at one time or another to help give your “movement” some momentum by offering our expertise in areas which you admitted you had absolutely no experience in. Hell, I know that I spent a full afternoon reviewing your entire website - page by page - taking notes throughout.
When we tried to share with you the areas that were concerning to us (oh, I don’t know...maybe like how your whole plan boils down to getting people to willingly share their personal data with anyone who wants it), you responded with insults and telling us that we did not know what we were talking about. When we asked simple questions regarding the logic behind the claims you were insinuating would somehow occur if people signed up, you could not give us direct answers; choosing instead to offer rhetoric and believing that asking us, “But COULD it happen?” was a legitimate reply.
Sure, anything “COULD” happen, but the odds are about the same as you surviving the 747 you are flying in crashing into the ocean, then losing your legs to sharks as you swim to shore, only to be struck and killed by lightning when you reach land! You have no plan for how to get people who do not vote to suddenly choose to not only vote, but to also start giving their own money to politicians...but it will only happen through One Demand.
And tell me, you attack Biden, Pelosi, and Harris as being horrible politicians who act against our best interests, yet they only need to agree to do what you demand and then they will be great politicians who we can trust to always look out for our best interests? It is that simple to earn your support? You do not care about what they stand for as long as they run a campaign that only accepts small money donations? That’s OneDemand based on your own words.
“I never said that!” Sure you did! Every time you’ve attacked a politician as being untrustworthy based SOLELY and ENTIRELY on NOT meeting your single criteria by which all politicians are to be judged. One Damn Man pushing One Dumb Plan.
Nice job, CW!
I caught the first night only so I appreciate the evening by evening review.
I'd agree that the Democrats splendidly pulled off this journey where "no political convention has gone before."
I can't wait to see what the Repugs come up with. I mean, what can they say about the mess Trump got us into. Maybe there's some inspiration to be had from the 1932 Republican convention. You know, Herbert Hoover's Tour de Force.
Now that Death Harris' website has been hijacked and he didn't even know about it until Bashi told him, it looks like he's decided escalate the trolling. Maybe not tending a website that you weren't tending frees up some time. I suspect that he wants CW to make good on that "you are not welcome here" thing. Like his Dear Leader, he could play the martyr.
Liz,
What is wrong with Clyburn’s response? That issue is thoroughly discussed on the website — there is not time to discuss every single issue that our country faces in the time allotted at the convention...we’d be subjected to month-long conventions if not worse!
I cannot tell if you are being sarcastic with this one or what:
Watch the Republican convention, Biden and Democrats, and understand how to, ah, win the future!
[30]
Really. If you head any answers to the numerous issues that many of us brought up I trust you would have shared them with us by now.
The troll formerly known as Michale was a lot more toxic to Weigantia than you'll probably ever be. But at least he had the sense to bug out of here once the writing on the wall became too much to ignore.
One Demand has absolutely struck out in this Comment section. Why don't you have enough sense to give it a rest?
Signed--
Looking forwards to your next Yellow Card. [Note to Chris: in football (what the rest of the galaxy calls "soccer") a second yellow card gets the offenders tossed out of the game. Just sayin'.]
Florida Man in clown make-up and bizarre wig organizes boycott against large Ohio employer, steps on rake.
Pete Buttigieg then appeared and gave a speech which could be summed up as: "Please give me a cabinet job, as there's just no way I can ever be elected statewide in Indiana." OK, maybe that's too snarky, let me try again. Pete Buttigieg then appeared and spoke on the subject of gay rights and gay marriage and praised Joe Biden for getting out in front of the issue (even in front of Barack Obama, notably).
Wow! Sorry to learn that is how you construed the two, honestly. Not sure who would have been a better choice to highlight Biden’s support of the LGBTQ community than the first openly gay man to run for President.
Heya Chris,
Whattup with the fire situation in your neck of the woods? And do you live to the East of Highway 17?
Russ,
What is wrong with Clyburn’s response?
You mean when he told the millions of American voters who were watching the convention to go look at the Democratic platform website?
Well, first off, the Democrats should NEVER, EVER miss an opportunity to take a few minutes out of a busy schedule to talk about the Republican Cult of Economic Failure and why Democrats support the kind of fiscal and tax policy that will narrow the economic inequities that favour the top income earners and that goes especially for all those times when they have a captive audience in the tens of millions. Goes without saying, really.
The progressives and Bernie Sanders wing of the Democratic party have a solid point when they say there should have been more talk of Democratic economic policy and how those policies support the middle class while Republicans continue to wallow in their never-ending cult of economic failure. (They should recruit Tim Geithner and David Fiderer if they can't come up with an explanation by themselves - and don't get Bill Clinton because while he could probably explain this better than anyone, his negative baggage far outweighs any positive explanatory impact).
Just you watch the Republican convention - they'll try to convince people that if the Democrats get elected, say good-bye to another booming economy. And, if the Democrats don't fight back on that, everyday and in a muscular way from now until election day, don't count out another four more years of Trump.
And, by the way, Biden needs to go to Milwaukee and any number of other cities up there where people are ripe for the picking by Team Trump.
Okay, so I'll be watching The Rolling Stones Sweet Summer Sun - Hyde Park 2013 concert tonight but, I'll be checking in here, too, so as to not miss out on any fun! :)
Who's better, the Beatles or the Rolling Stones?
That's just a silly little question. :)
JFC,
I see Mick changed up the lyrics a bit on Brown Sugar. Heh.
Well, that's what I was talkin' about the other night! :)
[39]
Elizabeth wrote,
And, by the way, Biden needs to go to Milwaukee and any number of other cities up there where people are ripe for the picking by Team Trump.
And do what, exactly? He can't campaign due to Covid. Do you really think the people up there "are ripe for the picking" just because Joe doesn't fly in and fly out? Or has Covid and the 2nd Great Depression somehow leave these states unaffected?
Relax, Elizabeth, this is so much still Joe's election to lose!
WOW! I feel like I've just been to the greatest Rolling Stones concert of all time ... Woo Hoo!
I see I haven't missed much fun around here, not surprisingly ...
And do what, exactly?
Just show up.
You weren't on Hillary's campaign team, were you, MtnCaddy 'cause it sounds like you were. Heh.
Do you really think the people up there "are ripe for the picking" just because Joe doesn't fly in and fly out? Or has Covid and the 2nd Great Depression somehow leave these states unaffected?
Sounds like you don't get it.
Relax, Elizabeth, this is so much still Joe's election to lose!
Sounds like you do get it.
Are you always so schizophrenic?
[44],
I saw them in Buffalo, NY on the Tattoo You tour. Did you get your albums?
Yes, they all arrived except The Big Bang which will come next month sometime!
So far, I've just listened to Hot Rocks - almost as good as my Prism compilation. :) Actually, it's just as good!
Can someone here help me understand why Trumps popularity is Rising? By any conceivable reckoning he should be going down not up.
I can!
By any conceivable reckoning he should be going down not up.
I don't think that is true.
@sfbear,
every time rasmussen conducts a poll the average ticks upward. it's a consistent outlier from other polling, so its influence makes the average fluctuate.
Rasmussen has always been a Repug leaning outlier, so don't get bent when they give #CorruptDonnieLittleHands a more favorable picture than EVERY LAST OTHER POLLING ORGANIZATION.
Trump's popularity is NOT any better than it's always been -- 38% to 45%. And that 38-45% would vote "Satan and All His Works" so long as Satan had an "R" in front of his name.
Relax, SF Bear. Any upward blip in Cheetogod's popularity is simply an "upward blip."
Yeah, sure, Trump exceeded expectations in 2016. But he needed (1) Rooskie help, (2) Comey help, and (3) Hillary's lameness to squeek out an Electoral College victory. Ain't gonna happen again, People.
It's still (and always) Joe's election to lose.
[52] Elizabeth Miller wrote:
I can!
You can? Please elaborate.
No, really. How does a dickhead President who never earned a 50% approval rating, botched the coronavirus pandemic which resulted in the 2nd Great Depression, and has managed to piss off everybody who's not a life long Republican...
going to get reelected? Joe showed that he's a way more competent as a potential Commander-in-Chief than "word salad" Donnie and "that's a wrap."
Elizabeth Miller
21
Trump is not America's biggest problem. Americans are America's biggest problem.
Trump and the pandemic have sure brought that fact to the forefront. Have you ever in your life seen a group of people as gullible as the Trump cult zombies? How many grifters and cons being arrested, pleading guilty, or being convicted is it going to take before the rubes figure it out?
Can you imagine being a QAnon sycophant or a right-wingnut conspiracy theorist who buys into the ridiculous bullshit that permeates the "getting crazier every day" utter asinine propaganda that flows freely from the Orange Blowhole and his cult of crazies waiting patiently for the arrest of the Clintons and Obamas and all the while the Trump associates are being arrested, convicted, locked up, etc., while you're still buying into the Trump spew and waiting for a single arrest that never comes? Wake up morons, the arrests are occurring all around you. Have you figured it out yet?
I think casting and accurately counting votes should actually be the least of your worries in this presidential election.
I know you're correct. :)
John From Censornati
36
Florida Man in clown make-up and bizarre wig organizes boycott against large Ohio employer, steps on rake.
Not very bright, is he? Heh.
ListenWhenYouHear
37
Wow! Sorry to learn that is how you construed the two, honestly. Not sure who would have been a better choice to highlight Biden’s support of the LGBTQ community than the first openly gay man to run for President.
Smart as a whip and only 38 years old; Buttigieg is the future of the Democratic Party. :)
[59]
Eastern Ohio (and western PA) should see a tsunami of ads about the boycott. Anything less would be malpractice.
You can? Please elaborate.
Seriously?
It'll come to you on the bus home, as they like to say.
Kick,
Do you think people who have been suffering - I mean actually struggling and suffering - through the income inequality everyone likes to talk about while not actually living through it care about the Trump antics and the criminality of his associates? I mean, really?
The Democrats not only must talk about the economy, own that issue and explain that they are the ones who can be trusted while the Republicans wallow in their cult of economic failure, Democrats must accept their share of the blame for where so many Americans sit today, economically speaking.
President Clinton has his own fair share of that blame acceptance - can we all say, as we do in Canada, FINANCIAL REGULATION! - but, again, other Dems will have to account for that, too much personal baggage in the Clinton closet, to mix metaphors. Ahem.
You can? Please elaborate.
Kamala Harris is Black. This place hasn't changed much.
I've always wondered why Democrats seem resigned to letting Republicans own the economic message without fighting back in a muscular way despite the ever present Republican cult of economic failure.
I may be beginning to understand why as a result of Biden becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
Perhaps the reason why Democrats have conceded the economic issue in presidential elections has something to do with the thinking that their base, in particular and, American voters, in general, wouldn't understand a wonky economic message.
Enter Biden. Of all the people who have run or thought of running for POTUS, Biden may be the one who has sincerely placed the most confidence in the intelligence of the American people, whether that confidence is misplaced or warranted.
In any event, the Republican convention next week should be a real eyeopener for all those who think Democrats can win this election without making a strong case as to why they are the competent stewards of the economy and why their tax and fiscal policies point the way to a more prosperous middle class and to a pathway for more Americans to enter the middle class.
[46]
Elizabeth Miller wrote:
And do what, exactly?
Just show up.
You weren't on Hillary's campaign team, were you, MtnCaddy 'cause it sounds like you were. Heh.
Again, show up and do what? Joe can't do his retail politics as usual for the same reason the Dems had to put on a "virtual convention."
Naw, I wasn't on Hillary's campaign team. In fact, I had to hold my nose just to vote for her. It was political malpractice when Hillary didn't show up in those "blue wall states." But that was then and this is now. No one's going to vote for Trump just because he showed up to their state -- I think more voters than usual are firmly in one camp or the other.
Of course, just showing up would be pointless.
He could have made a short trip during the convention, say on the Monday morning, to give a heartfelt speech about how Democrats own the economy, what Democrats have done wrong in the past and have learned from their mistakes, how Democrats actually care about the economic struggle so many Americans have been suffering, through Democratic and Republican administrations and to harp on the fact that Trump is the new spokesman for the Republican cult of economic failure, etc. etc.
Okay, time for a nice dinner with glass of wine and then, it's on to the CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party ...
I've got something new to share and, as will be the case until the big UNZIPPED event next November, there will be Stones!
Somewhere In America There's A Street Named After My Dad
JFC,
This is what I love about Sunday nights - we get to hear music we would never hear, otherwise!
Was (not Was) - love their sound! I really liked 'Anything Can Happen' and I'll definitely check out more of their stuff!
Here is a string quartet out of Laval, Quebec - StingKatz!
They are an all female string quartet, 2 violinists, 1 cellist, and one keyboardist.
They do classic rock and just classic. I first saw them on Gowan's virtual concert - he likes their version of his incredible Criminal Mind.
Here is a taste of StringKatz,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMmaaC1M9RI&list=PLuUj5-uSdZRWqH01oEltJCSymJNH4OLkg
Kick,
You'll have to listen to StringKatz do Bohemian Rhapsody!
Check out the link above ...
Liz,
Do you think people who have been suffering - I mean actually struggling and suffering - through the income inequality everyone likes to talk about while not actually living through it care about the Trump antics and the criminality of his associates? I mean, really?
Allow me to butt in... Does it matter to someone who cannot pay their bills and is always broke (because life keeps kicking them back down the second that they start to rise up out of the muck) that the rich can break the law and the rules to rig the game in their favor and never have to pay the consequences??? No... and YES!
No - if it doesn’t help put food on the table or keep the lights on then they really do not have the time to waste on focusing on such things.
YES — because they are sick of watching the wealthy get away with crimes so horrible but they screw up one time when they were 17 and they are still paying for their crime! It gives them hope when the powerful aren’t able to buy their way out of trouble.
You got a tune that goes along with that comment?
Cue, Kick!
Elizabeth Miller
63
Do you think people who have been suffering - I mean actually struggling and suffering - through the income inequality everyone likes to talk about while not actually living through it care about the Trump antics and the criminality of his associates?
I know they do.
I mean, really?
Yes, Elizabeth. Americans care if their leaders are grifters and con artists and want them held equally accountable for violating the law. The rule of law in this country applies equally to the "struggling man" all the way up to the President of the United States.
*
We the People hold our leaders accountable in this country via multiple avenues; it is that very foundation that this country was founded on. The day the "struggling man" ceases to care about the "antics" of their President and the criminal company he keeps is the day democracy dies out of ignorance or complacency... or both.
StringKatz do a very nice Criminal Mind.
Gowan came up with this song idea while making the annual Canadians' trek to the Canadian National Exhibition. In one of the buildings there was an exact replica of a prison cell from one of our penitentiaries.
None of the sprawling crowds seemed at all interested. Which, of course, sparked the interest of Larry (Gowan, now the vocalist and keyboardist for STYX) ... he talked to the former guard who was manning the exhibit and actually went inside the cell as the doors closed shut.
He got to talking with the guard about what kind of prisoners he would run into - their personalities and such. He went home and wrote the Criminal Mind lyrics to the music he had been kicking around for a while without any words.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ceiyHuW-JQ
When we were doing the Bond themes a few weeks ago, I neglected to mention the theme from Octopussy so, better late than never ... the Rolling Stones!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O64qzxoSkQk
MtnCaddy
67
No one's going to vote for Trump just because he showed up to their state -- I think more voters than usual are firmly in one camp or the other.
You are correct. As I've said many times throughout the years, I will pack his orange makeup, shoes with lifts, and tiny little gloves and pay for his trip myself because Trump's physical presence in an area definitely does increase turnout... for Democratic candidates. :)
StringKatz's versions of Night in White Satin and Stairway to Heaven are ... beautiful .. it's all in the link above.
[71] Was (not Was) - love their sound!
Don Was was interviewed in Totally Stripped. He produced the album Stripped.
Really. Well, then, I'll have to revisit Totally Stripped.
Elizabeth Miller
66
I've always wondered why Democrats seem resigned to letting Republicans own the economic message without fighting back in a muscular way despite the ever present Republican cult of economic failure.
A presidential election is always a referendum on the incumbent president (or should be). Any amount of time spent explaining anything beyond the economy and how the incumbent screwed it up is therefore a waste of time. Biden needs to relate Trump's shitty COVID-19 response with the current lousy economy because they are inexorably tied together: Trump owns the wrecked economy caused by his failed response to the coronavirus and can't fix it because he isn't capable. Obama/Biden and Democrats have made a career of cleaning up Republican tax cuts for the rich and inevitable recession that follows, and Biden will do it again. We can't get the economy fixed until the pandemic issue is fixed. In the meantime, Trump is trying to end your health care in the Supreme Court. If you like your health care, you'd better elect the guy that helped it birth it because he has no intention whatsoever of doing away with it. Anything beyond that is a waste of time.
Perhaps the reason why Democrats have conceded the economic issue in presidential elections has something to do with the thinking that their base, in particular and, American voters, in general, wouldn't understand a wonky economic message.
They haven't conceded it.
I'm not amused.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hw1SKn5eFM&list=RD9hw1SKn5eFM&start_radio=1&t=3
There's a little something to raise the temperature ... point me in the direction of the dance floor!10
Love Can Be Bad Luck
Papa Was A Rolling Stone
Spy in the House of Love
[86] Trolling the Q-loons?
They haven't conceded it.
Not completely and not always, but too much and too often.
I think it's because of disagreement about who should be helped by economic policy, and who should be harmed. There's a large swath of the US electorate who sees any help for those below them as ipso facto harm to them, and any harm to those below them (so long as it harms them even slightly less) as help to them. The best model for an economy, according to most people in the US, is a ladder with not enough rungs for everyone, hanging over a lake of molten sulfur. Our idea of the afterlife is that the saved in Heaven get to watch the damned suffer in Hell for all eternity, and our idea of a righteous economy is built on that model.
Where's your damn tune!!!
JFC[87],
Your links didn't work for me but I found some that did.
Though, I couldn't find one for Love Can Be Bad Luck that wasn't just the music.
My radio station play only classic HITS from the 70s/80s/90s, not just Classic Rock hits as they corrected me. So, is there any reason why they couldn't play a little Was Not Was?
[88],
Okay, go ahead, embarrass me. I can take it. :)
That was the fun version. :)
Those links all work for me.
Was (Not Was) was from Detroit. That's close to Canada, isn't it? What about Walk The Dinosaur? They played that, right?
You'll be surprised to learn that I am actually quite familiar with 'Walk The Dinosaur'. :)
Those links all work for me.
They wouldn't if you lived in Canada. Heh.
So, did you listen to StringKatz - they are a great quartet!
Well, I can't let my night go by without posting a PRiSM tune and here is one for everyone who just can't, for the life of them, understand why and how Trump holds on to his supporters.
They're caught in a glance by a gossamer trance, woven by his lies ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCNzc32H9Vc
And, to end the night for me, here is STYX w/ GOWAN...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCNzc32H9Vc
Enjoy ... take care and stay safe, everyone!
And, just one more before I go ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc6DumXkzD8
other than the original, there is only one bohemian rhapsody worth listening to.
https://youtu.be/tgbNymZ7vqY
One more for good measure ... I'm having way too much fun!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzyOYQqIXlc
Speaking of Bohemian Rhapsody!!!!!!
Styx was my first real rock concert ... and, guess which Canadian rock band played on that stage before Styx came out? Three guesses and the first two don't count. :)
Good night, all!
Well, time for the bigliest lies to commence.
because really, donald has little else to run on BUT lies. donald's mismanagement of the pandemic and the consequences for the economy are pretty hard to just ignore, so the only recourse is to convince people that everything they have seen happen since february isn't what actually happened.
Shocking. Positively shocking.
[98]
I did. I listened to Hey You.
Was (Not Was) features various lead vocalists on their songs. They have a song called Elvis' Rolls Royce and Leonard Cohen sings it.
Not that they are taking nominations from here, but I'd like to hear StringKatz take on White Bird . First time I remember hearing an electric violin. Who knew?
All's well that ends Falwell.
TheStig
113
All's well that ends Falwell.
Heh! :)
When contacted, Jerry Jr. said he would like to comment, but he's not at Liberty to say. ;)
Mikey Cohen tweets:
*
Hell hath no fury like a fixer scorned. :)
MyVoice,
Not that they are taking nominations from here, but I'd like to hear StringKatz take on White Bird . First time I remember hearing an electric violin. Who knew?
Actually, if you contact them on their facebook page, you'll be surprised at how accommodating StringKatz can be!