Well, let's start with Music: that's how I decide most important things — from my religion to my politics.
(As Bill Hicks once opined, given the choice between partying with a Fundamentalist Christian family listening to Pat Boone — and a den of devil worshippers bangin' heads to Ozzy, I’d have to go with the devil worshippers, hands down.)
So John Kerry entered to Bruce Springsteen and departed to U-2!? Well, the Dems might be losers, but they've got the best music. No doubt. End of that debate.
BOSTON: Jeez, who knew America had a Revolution 231 years ago, a revolution that began in Boston Harbor and was about Freedom, Democracy, Liberty, Justice, and a deep commitment to a Separation of Church and State? Who knew Boston was home to a daring bunch of Liberal crazies who had the audacity to defy an authoritarian cabal of Conservatives that only wanted to preserve a Monarchy, an Aristocracy, and a few centuries of various religious wars and persecutions waged by violent religious Fundamentalists who thought they had an exclusive on God's Truth? Who knew that people who believed in a government by and for the people were once called liberals, radicals, and unpatriotic traitors? Who knew?
Nice history lesson. Let's hope Americans were paying attention.
STEM-CELL RESEARCH - ahahaha. heh. heh. Ahahahah! Sorry, I can't stop laughing. Ahahah. This is the GOP's "gay marriage" issue.
WHAT?! You're against research that might save millions of lives in the future — based on some medieval concepts that value a little collection of molecules over the happiness and health of people like... RONALD REAGAN, that god among men who also happens to be a future Saint of the party? What?!"
Yeah, Bush can be smart and logical and compassionate and visionary and say "YES" to Stem-Cell Research, but that means saying "NO" to his looney rich fundamentalist hard-right base. Stem-cell research. Little globs of goo, Yes. Lots of dead people who could have been saved, No. Stem-cell. Gay marriage. Stem-Cell. Ahahahahaha. Ahahahaha. Um, Mr. President, Would you like some more paint to go with that shrinking corner? Ahahahah.
Okay, so much for the biggest laugh of the entire convention: Let's move on:
Now, if one compares the 'FAMILIES' of the Democratic and Republican candidates, Bush and Cheney had better be calling an adoption agency this morning. They can't touch the honesty, integrity, beauty, intelligence, and downright squeeky-clean confidence in the Edwards-Kerry households. Both mens' daughters could probably run for office tomorrow, right after they posed for the cover of Vogue.
Article comments
1 - Mark Saleski
i watched the whole thing on c-span.
it's a talking-head-free zone and is the only way to watch such an event.
c-span appears to have a person in charge of scoping out cute women in the crowd. i swear, ever time they switched cameras it was yet another hottie.
2 - Eric Olsen
excellent job Shark, thanks! I believe you are engaging in a bit of Bushian finding evidence for what you wnat to believe, though, regarding such things as:
"He negated their arguments and attacks before they could even get out of the box; jobs, health care, budget, defense: he set 'em up, knocked 'em down, and completely disarmed virtually every area of attack the GOP had in their play book -- BEFORE the whistle blew to start the game. Slam dunk, home run, check and mate."
All of that remains to be seen.
3 - JR
So John Kerry entered to Bruce Springsteen and departed to U-2!? Well, the Dems might be losers, but they've got the best music. No doubt. End of that debate.
I don't know, those acts seem pretty easy to top. I'll wait until the Republican convention before I make that call.
4 - JR
i watched the whole thing on c-span.
it's a talking-head-free zone and is the only way to watch such an event.
I'll say! I flipped back and forth between the networks and c-span during the last inauguration; it's like it wasn't even the same event. I knew people who were there who said it was full of protesters, as you could see on c-span; but the networks made it look like the fucking Rose Parade. Bleah!
5 - Mark Saleski
the other thing that was great about c-span is that they carried everything.
ok, so some of the speakers were dull.
on the other hand, barak obama was perheps the best speaker of the whole event..and wasn't carried on the main networks.
6 - Shark
I mostly watched PBS, but switched around just to see what kind of biased, idiotic shit was going on elsewhere.
The big "Oh no, Al Sharpton went off-script" hand-wringing by virtually every friggin' commentator made we want to pull an Elvis/Bob Goulet moment with my TV. Where's MacDiva when ya need her? That was the most biased, racist shit I've seen on TV in a while. They talked like the raving darkie boy shoulda known his place and stuck to doin' what he'd been told. Feh.
From what little I could stomach, the Big Three Networks were horrible, spending more time with their 'floor jockeys' telling tidbits than actually airing the speeches, but Chris Matthews was the worst. Apparently, the malaria ate his brain and left only a slimey pile of writhing maggots in its place.
7 - Mike Kole
Let's see what the polling shows. I'm doubting that Kerry gets the usual 8-10% bump out of this convention.
Initial polling I'm privy to showed Bush drop 3%, but Kerry rising only 2%, with a significant jump in undecideds. It's preliminary and incomplete, and almost certainly will adjust before it's done.
If this holds, it will be a very strange outcome. I'll be very interested to see why these results emerged, if they hold.
8 - Shark
I think most people were watching "WifeSwappers" on FOX.
Seriously. Americans fiddle while Rome burns.
Not much new in that, except that Rome lasted about 700 years longer than we will.
9 - CW Fisher
Nice job, Shark. I forgot that historical stuff about Boston. I thought you were talking about the band at first.
I missed the whole convention on tv but from what I hear I could have missed it all on the networks by watching, so I feel like I made out.
As an ardent fan of C-span I have become a hater of all commentators, including even such gentle and fun-loving souls as Katie Couric, whom I now disdain as much as Maria Shriver, not for any journalistic shortcomings, but simply because they both got old and ugly. I find that unforgivable in a journalist, unless they came to the party with their ugly in tow, like Larry King, although I hate him too and think they all ought to shut up. The poster boy for a forced larynxectomy is Chris Matthews: looks like Charlie Brown, sounds like Charlie Brown, thinks like Lucy. Wolf Blitzer wins the Peter Principle Award.
Of course, what do you expect from network television but another featurette about their stars featuring their stars?
I guess if you don't want a religious answer, you shouldn't ask a priest.
What that has to do with politics is nothing, but that's what you get sometimes when you ask for comments.
Personally I'm all for hope, and I support it. If it weren't for hope, I would never know disappointment.
Why isn't 'appointment' the opposite of 'disappointment?'
Well, time for bed, so I've got to get to work.
Rock on as they say on the radio.
c
10 - Mike Kole
Shark- Those classical liberals behind Boston Tea Party were protesting over that egregious 1% tax.
Ah, those were the days...
11 - Shark
CW, You didn't miss much. The Dems got a junior high school chant going at one point, "Hope is on the way! Hope is on the way!" -- which, ironically, made me feel hopeless for a moment.
And good point about TV journalists; they'll give an IQ of 10 an "anchor" position if they look like a 10. And converesely -- etc. etc. sigh...
But it's good to know that every four years, for the sum total of four days, American politicians think and talk about a future vision for America.
But as we all know: talk is cheap, ADD is everywhere, and a "Who's The Boss" rerun is on so I gotta run...
12 - Shark
M Kole: "...Those classical liberals behind Boston Tea Party were protesting over that egregious 1% tax..."
Yeah, but the roads weren't paved, healthcare meant bleeding a few pints from the patient -- and our entire national defense budget was meant to buy sling-shots.
(I believe the party invitations said "BYOM" -- ie Bring Your Own Musket)
PS: And according to the Republican marketing machine, the only patriots currently in New England are football players.
13 - Mike Kole
Yeah, the "I'm a patriot!", "No. *I'm* a patriot!" item was worn thin at the first utterance. Oh, for some substance!