Tuesday, August 26, 2008

It Woulda Coulda Shoulda Been

Clinton!

Best. Speech. Ever!

13 comments:

Vigilante said...

Yes. Without a doubt. The best speech of her career.

DB Cooper said...

Yellow Dog, is your buyer's remorse directed at Joe Biden or Barack Obama???

Stella by Starlight said...

Clinton was wonderful and deserves a cabinet post. Most importantly, her powerful plea to the Pumas should motivate them to unify with the party. Your candidate didn't win. Get over it. The matter at hand is to beat McCain.

I have no buyer's remorse, db. I voted for Gravel. He never had a chance.

Vigilante said...

I lost a comment I made yesterday in which I asked Stella (and everyone else) which cabinet post would Senator Clinton accept? Which would give her more satisfaction than being a NY Senator?

Vigilante said...

That was yesterday's question.

Today's question comes after hearing Joe Biden Speak. And after hear Hillary speak. Not a question really.

I think Obama made a mistake. After he threw General Clark under the bus, he should have vetted and chosen Hillary as his Veep. That girl has a sassy mouth. I'm beginning to fear that Obama is beginning to show himself to be too much of a control freak.

J McKiernan said...

Hillary Clinton gave, unequivocally, the absolute best speech of the 2008 Democratic National Convention. No one else even comes close. I have tried my best to watch as many speeches as possible, and nearly all of them sounded lame, rehearsed, and redundant--almost like the repetitive crap you get at a telethon. Only a few have actually stood out--Michelle Obama was heartfelt and genuine, John Kerry was beautifully vicious in a way he should have been more consistently four years ago, Bill Clinton was effortless and magnetic, as usual, and Dennis Kucinich was impassioned and direct in a way we've all come to expect.

But Hillary. WOW, Hillary! She went out there and did exactly what she needed to do, but she did it her own brilliant way and also gave so much more than anyone expected or imagined (as a film person, I should also note that her pre-speech "narrative" film was also the best by ten or fifteen miles). Some really evil conservatives on FOX and the like tried in futility to paint it in a negative light, but their lame attempts to undercut the power of Hillary's words fell well short of public consciousness...deservedly so.

I've watched the speech three times now. Each time it makes me feel more and more impassioned and emotional. Hillary has, honestly, been the star of the convention thus far, and will walk away from Denver not only with her political future well intact, but with higher overall approval ratings than she's ever had. If anything was more stirring than her speech, it was the sight of watching her walk through the packed crowd on the Pepsi Center floor and call for an end to the delegate count so Barack Obama would be nominated by acclamation. Obviously that move was discussed and agreed on by both the Clinton and Obama camps...but it felt real. It felt genuine. It felt right. It was moving.

To Vigilante's comment about the choice of Biden being "a mistake"...there are positives and negatives to both Clinton and Biden. They have the same basic constituency and both would be bulldog VP candidates. Clinton comes with her own stigma...a stigma which, quite honestly, she could have only shed with her sharpest critics (like Vig) by NOT being the VP and performing how she did at the DNC. Had she been picked, even an equally brilliant convention speech couldn't have helped a lot of anti-Hillary people heal their prior wounds. This understanding of who "should" have been Obama's veep can really only come with what we know now--that Hillary acquitted herself better than Biden at the convention. It makes sense.

But the selection of Hillary would also have triggered many to believe that Obama was only "in it to win it," and not looking to pick someone to help him govern (I personally think that's bullshit, but that's what some people would've said). So when he picks Biden, the McCain people fire off an ad saying he should've picked her. If he DID pick her, they would've made a commercial saying he only did it for political gain. A quandary at every turn.

For me, Hillary was my first choice during the primary. And after Obama secured the nomination, Hillary was first choice for VP. But Biden was my second choice, and I do think he will be both a great candidate and a great vice president. He has always been a better debater than a speechmaker...that's a given. An Obama-Clinton ticket would have been the best...but Obama-Biden more than works in its stead.

I have gone off on too many tangents in this post...sorry. There are many more to discuss, like Vig's assertion of Obama possibly being "a control freak" (he is and he isn't)...but I've already far too greatly offended the "keep it brief" request. So...let's continue the discussion...

Stella by Starlight said...

Tangentally, J, I think you made a lot of good points. I think HRC would do a wonderful job heading up the HHS. She's been a passionate advocate of health coverage for all Americans and staunchly pro-choice. HUD and the DOL would also be great posts for her.

I'm not sure I agree that Obama erred. I think Biden is a great choice. Hillary's got some issues that bother me. Both did vote for the war. But, politicially, Obama made what I think was a carefully considered decision.

As far as Biden's speech: well, yes, he's never been known as the best Senatorial orator: however, he's extremely intelligent and knows how to pronounce nuclear. Consider the blunderbuss we have now. Neither rhetoric nor sentence construction is Bushit's strength.

J McKiernan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
J McKiernan said...

Oh yeah, just because Hillary would've been my #1 VP pick doesn't mean I think Obama necessarily "erred" either. I was just addressing Vig's comment to that effect. What I tried to communicate is that it's a landmine out there. Obama did take his time and I do believe he chose wisely...but attack dogs of all sorts will find fault in any and every decision he makes. It's the nasty nature of the game.

Another example: the way some conservatives reacted to John Kerry's very strong speech last night. His critique of McCain was as strong as any I've seen at the convention thus far. If he was operating at that level throughout the 2004 campaign, he would have won in an incredible landslide and be running for re-election right now. Yet some Rethugs jumped right on him, calling him "sad and bitter" and on and on. It was ridiculous and despicable, though I guess I shouldn't expect anything otherwise.

Stella by Starlight said...

I'm with you, J...100%. I think this was a hard choice on Obama because of all the great candidates. Even during the primaries, I had trouble honing my vote. I wouldn't have wanted to make that decision. The word "landmine" is a perfect description.

The only way the Rethugs will win this election is by creating the conspiracy (or not) theory October Surprise or fixing the Diebold voting machines with the help of Wally O'Dell (revisiting Ohio in 2004). If McCain wins, it will have to be a fix. Many Republicans are voting for Obama.

That minefield will work to his advantage, J. WHEN Obama gets into the White House, think of all the dynamic Cabinet members and Ambassadors from which he can choose. Clinton (either or both), Richardson, Kerry, Kucinich...Boxer?

No one's mentioned Richardson, but I think he'd be a great choice for a cabinet position. It's good to see your post, J. Say hi to K for me.

Vigilante said...

All good comments here. I like HRC. I like her sassy & brassy mouth. Just what the GOP hates her the most for is what I love her the most for. I think if BHO & HRC could have disciplined themselves to run against GBW's successor instead of each other, we'd be in a much, much better place than now.

I am writing this after hearing the last portion of BHO's Acceptance Speech. Not knowing yet how much I missed, I can say this much: we will need all the talents of all of the people mentioned by Stella and J-Mck - united. Because John McCain is nothing, zero, zed. Barrack Obama, by himself, is over-qualified to be president on day one. But there are dark, devious and largely anonymous forces arrayed in the gloaming which await Barrack, to nibble away at his well-earned lead and to sow doubt in the minds or our unattentive fellow citizens. You and I have to pick up the slack

And may God keep Senator Obama and his family safe.

Vigilante said...

And, Messenger, the hell with brevity.

Boris said...

After all those nice things Hillary said in the primaries about John McCain - about him being more experienced than Barack - she turns on him and kicks his ass? What a two-faced bitch.