Democratic Diva

29 Aug 2008 11:08 am
Posted by: Donna

The closing night was amazing.  Just to check my perspective, I asked Attorney General (and Superdelegate) Terry Goddard how this convention stacked up against the many others (he’s not even sure of the number) he’s attended. He said it was the best.

84000 people packed the Mile High Stadium by the time Obama took the stage for that incredible speech.   He made the case for himself and destroyed McCain’s case against him.  The musical performances and stagecraft were perfectly executed. What I was paying keen attention to was the reaction of the crowd in the stands. Most delegates are political activists who are accustomed to long speeches and convention protocol, but many of the people in the crowd are probably not. And, when it seemed that the stands weren’t filling up commensurate with the demand for tickets, I was worried. A friend of ours who’d flown out just for the Invesco event texted Mark to report that people were waiting in line for hours and were getting irritated. Most likely a bottleneck at security. But the stadium filled to the rafters and the crowd looked to be enthusiatically receptive to the platform of the Democratic party, applauding wildly for things like closing Gitmo. Considering at least half of the people there were locals that’s encouraging.

Bouyed by the last night of my first Convention, I got back to the room and logged on to find that Obama had hit a home run on steroids. The reviews had him being eloquent, strong, and specific. Pat Buchanan of all people said it was one of the best speeches he’d heard. William Kristol (!) agreed.

But this morning the MSM can’t shut up about McSevenhouses picking Harriet Miers Sarah Palin for VP. Andrea Mitchell just remarked that while millions of people watched Obama’s speech last night the Republicans have stepped all over it and taken over the news cycle. She says ‘they’ are very good at this sort of thing. Andrea, ‘they’ can’t do anything without ‘you’ (the MSM). Since 2000, you and your counterparts have aided and abetted Karl Rove every step of the way and you’re still doing it now. The current narrative is that Harriet Miers Sarah Palin did so much better than you’d expect the former mayor of a town of 8000 people and the first term Governor of a state with a population a little over a third the size of Phoenix. Way to manage those expectations. The glimmer of good news for us Democrats is that you’ll have to be forgetting that whole ‘experience’ meme you’ve been pounding for months.

Because we all know there’s a real good chance that Harriet Miers Sarah Palin will have to step in to be Commander in Chief, and maybe fairly soon after the election. It would be nice if the MSM would think carefully about this person who might very well be looking into Vladimir Putin’s eyes and do some due diligence on vetting her. “I’m just another hockey mom from Alaska!” might not quite cut it. But hey, what’s the importance of national security when you’ve got a horse race to keep up? Oh no, keep talking about how ‘charming’ she is and how much you think she’ll appeal to soccer moms and disgruntled Hillary supporters because she’s a woman and a mom.

This pick is vintage McCain and women should be insulted by it, regardless of party affiliation. With choices like Kay Bailey Hutchinson, Condi Rice, and even seasoned executives like Carly Fiorina (I know, blecch) at his disposal, he chooses…what? A hotter, and younger, beauty queen. Blueintheface from Daily Kos nailed it:

Like the pretty brunette at the craps table that McCain once asked to stay by his side and be his good luck charm, Sarah Palin is being asked to blow on his dice as he gambles for the White House.

John McCain is betting that adding Miss Wasilla 1984 to his ticket will be his meal ticket to the Oval Office. And 30 years after dumping his first wife to marry a beauty queen with money, John McCain knows something about meal tickets.

Blueintheface also points out that Palin will essentially abandon her infant with Down’s Syndrome while touting her “family values” credentials to the conservative base. About that baby, a lot is being made of Palin’s decision to carry the child to term even after learning of his condition. I respect her choice to do that but not her intention to impose the same decision on millions of women who do not have a fraction of her resources. And if she does want the government to compel women to continue problematic pregnancies that result in seriously disabled children, it would be nice if she’d explain how she expects their parents to provide for those children’s (often incredibly costly) health care under McCain’s (non) plan.

I also noticed that they had the “Country First” banners at the VP announcement. Either they didn’t get the memo that Obama put the smackdown on them last night for suggesting he didn’t put America first or there wasn’t time for a reprint.

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