DNC Day Two

I'm just going to say it: Could the Democratic Party have more boring speakers? Good lord. The first night was excruciating (Claire McCaskill and her "terrific" kids, anyone?) The second night, with a couple of exceptions, was more of the same. I understand that not everyone can be MLK or Ronald Reagan in the oratory department, but for the love of god, can we do better than Mark Warner as Keynote Speaker? YAAAWN... His theme was Future vs. Past, wherein he discussed his life and how he made money in cell phones, blah blah. All good enough material. But so boringly delivered. Had I been at the convention, that's when I'd have started milling around the room to find minor celebrities for photo ops (You may recall me startling poor Bill Nye, Science Guy in LA with my fandom). Warner even joked that it was hard to follow Barack Obama, the 2004 Keynote Speaker. Oh, Mark. I agree. It's pretty sad when your speech becomes the de facto bathroom break for delegates.

Next up were Montana Governor Schweitzer and Ohio Governor Strickland. Both were funny enough and certainly more interesting than Warner, who I think effectively ended any speculation that he is presidential candidate material.

Next up was, of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton. What can I say? She did it, and did it well. She was funny (thanking her "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits"), combative (No Way. No How. No McCain) and persuasive ("I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?"). As my girl Julie G pointed out, HRC needs to ensure that she is not blamed should Obama lose the election. I think she is doing that. Now if only she could shut up her husband, who seems genetically unable to keep his fat cakehole shut even for one damn day, even for his wife's big night. It kills me to hear him be such a dick. It's just so disappointing for me because I used to support him so strongly. It's also disappointing because it belies an inability on his part to graciously cede the limelight to his wife. On her big day he has to make some stupid gaffe quote minimizing Obama so that--what a shock!--HE becomes the news rather than her. Now that the campaign is over, she needs to take that guy out back and give him a solid whuppin'.

Tonight will be the nomination night, wherein HRC's name will be placed into the nomination and she will then turn over her delegates to Obama. Everyone is making a huge deal out of the fact that she's being "allowed" to be nominated and whether this shows weakness on Obama's part. In fact, this practice has been standard for almost every modern convention (Jerry Brown in '92, Jackson in '88). In fact, it would have been a departure for HRC to NOT be permitted her name in nomination. Yet another example of the media actually creating a story rather than just reporting it. But you already knew that...