Democratic Convention - Day 3

The momentum of this convention continues to build.

Nice speech by President Bill Clinton. He reminds us why to date he is the only Democratic president elected in the last 32 years. Had it not been for term limits, he might very well have been the Clinton running in the primaries this year. He hit all the bases and made the best and most effective attacks on the Repubs to date. His best line was a 1-liner, but perhaps more cerebral than a zinger, "People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than the example of our power." Democrats just love to hear Bill talk and get super spun-up. Bill Clinton's biggest challenge yesterday was getting people to stop cheering so they could hear what he was about to say.

Since he is a nearby politician, I have know a lot about Joe Biden for a long time, but many in the country really just got a chance to know more about who he is and the path he took to get here. A very nice video, narrated by his son Beau (again, the next generation of these political families will be priminent in the next decade or two. How about a Clinton-Biden or Biden-Clinton ticket in 2024?). Other than the mantra "that's not change, that's more of the same" (not very inspired, but be prepared to hear it again), the best and perhaps most effective line that should be repeated was “these times require more than a good soldier — they require a wise leader.”

I think McCain is really in a tough spot to select his VP. He really needs a 55-60 year old with some decent name recognition and no obvious big downside who is a good debater. McCain's best bet would be if he could just run by himself, because it is becoming more apparent that whoever he names as VP will give the Dems more ammunition. No choice is likely to do anything more than perhaps lock down a state that is leaning Red anyway, but there is a lot to lose with his selection. It would be interesting to know how much the selection of Joe Biden and the Democratic Convention is effecting his final selection.

Lost in Prime Time, but making all the news headlines is the historic aspect to Barack Obama becoming the first person of color to be officially nominated to be the presidential candidate for a major political party.

If you want to actually hear the speeches rather than the commentary, change from CNN to PBS. What a nice change. You actually get to hear what is being said rather than what a few people think should be said.