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| The Morning After: Mixed Reactions About Hillary Clinton's Speech Posted: 27 Aug 2008 12:47 PM CDT  Hillary Clinton was the last speaker at the Democratic Convention last night and gave a speech aimed at her supporters, specifically the supporters that were not satisfied with Barack Obama. Reactions to Clinton's speech were mixed. Areas of agreement. From the multiple Clinton supporting sites and Obama supporting sites, there are areas of agreement regarding Clinton's speech. Taking the stage in her orange pantsuit, after a touching video tribute to her childhood, her career and her primary campaign, looking perfectly made up, she spoke over the loud applause and began to make the case of why her supporters needed to vote for Barack Obama in the November general election. It is generally agreed Hillary did what needed to be done, she did it eloquently, clearly and concisely while making the case that if she was not the candidate of choice for the democratic party, then Democratic supporters should naturally gravitate toward Obama who stands close to her positions on a variety of issues. It is also generally agreed the primary focus of Hillary's speech was geared toward her supporters, her voters as she reminded people at her speaking engagements throughout yesterday, her 18 million voters. This may be the reason why the reactions from Obama supporters and the reactions from Clinton supporters vary so widely.  Areas of disagreement. The reactions compiled in this section are from liberal bloggers, pundits and Democratic supporters because as Gallup shows, only 7 percent of of conservative voters will vote for the Democratic candidate, so the conservative pundits opinions are moot and they were not the audience Clinton's speech was geared towards. The first reaction I looked for was from Taylor Marsh, who was generally known throughout the primaries and the "hub of anything Hillary". Marsh started backing Barack Obama the day after Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign and has put her full support into helping to get Obama elected, never fearing to criticize some of his decisions, but always making it clear that she was behind him as firmly as she was behind Clinton before she suspended her campaign. Marsh called Hillary's speech a show stopper, via Huffington Post, and firmly believes she brought the party together last night with her heartfelt speech. Then she dares anyone to step forward and criticize anything Hillary did or did not say. So, let every commentator, writer and blogger who finds a crevice in which to slither forth and spew a doubting word on what Hillary said and meant, or should have done, last night finally be called by their proper name: sorcerers. Spiteful vipers who dare to find a toxic blend amidst an open heart and full throated generosity at a time when our country needed just a leader like Hillary to make a new path where the last footsteps have been taken down a road that has ended in the dirt. Marsh has a few takers in the comment section as well as those that agree with her. A quick trip to an Obama supporting site also finds a taker to Marsh's challenge. The Anonymous Liberal describes himself as a liberal as the name indicates, and a litigator at a large national law firm. According to him, Clinton was under no obligation to say more than she did but he points out what he calls "glaring omissions" in what he calls his convention observations. Look, I'm not one of those people who thinks Hillary is under some deep moral obligation to say all the right things or that the fate of the Democratic party depended on her delivering a truly great speech tonight, but it's pretty clear to me that she did neither of those things. Substantively, she gave basically the same speech she gave when she dropped out of the race in June. She made clear that issues matter and that if you believe in what she believes in, you should vote for the Democratic nominee. That's fine. Really. But she clearly could have done a lot more. For starters, the speech was completely and utterly devoid of praise for Barack Obama. At no point during the speech did she compliment him in any way. At no point did she vouch for his character. At no point did she say he was qualified to be president or ready to lead. Those are some pretty glaring omissions, ones that the McCain campaign quickly picked up on. She also could have done a lot more in attacking McCain. Yes, she included a few snarky lines at the end, but she didn't draw much blood nor did she really seem to try. Again, that's fine, but let's not pretend she did everything she could have. A.L. also received criticism for his opinion.  The two examples listed above is representative of what can be found throughout the blogosphere from Obama and Clinton supporters as well as in comment sections. The beat goes on with the tensions between the Obama supporters and Clinton supporters threatening to overwhelm Clinton's attempt to bring forth party unity. The Media. Finally we get to the media reporting on the mixed reactions to Hillary Clinton's speech as well as their own conflicts about the topic. As the Gallup report linked above showed, conservative Democrats are peeling away from Obama, many of which are part of the supporters aligned with Hilary Clinton and to whom Clinton's speech was aimed at. The Washington Post reports mixed reactions and shows examples of Clinton supporters that will vote for Barack Obama, supporters that will not vote for Barack Obama, and those that are indifferent. For example, JoAnn Enos, from Minnesota, took Clinton's endorsement for Barack Obama at face value and says she will move on and get behind Obama, saying, "I'll vote for [Obama] in the roll call, because that's what Hillary wants." Another Clinton supporter, John Burkett from Pennsylvania, joins JoAnn and puts an Obama button on saying he will vote for Obama during the roll call vote tonight. Terie Norelli says Clinton's speech made her want to work to get Obama elected. Those reactions are countered in the same article by Blanche Darley from Texas, who says, ""I'm not going to vote for Obama. I'm not going to vote for McCain, either." Darley wore a button that said "Obamination Scares the Hell Out of Me." Darley was a superdelegate for Bill Clinton in the 1990's and she concludes by saying, "We love her, but it's our vote if we don't trust him or don't like him."  Another example of those Clinton's speech did not change the mind of is Adita Blanco from Oklahoma, a lifelong Democrat that has never voted for a Republican who states, "I hate Obama so much that I'm going to devote as much time to McCain as I did to Hillary. Obama has nothing. He has no experience. The Democratic Party doesn't care about us. You couldn't treat [Clinton] any worse." Then there is Jerry Straughan from California who believes Clinton's speech was a "tactic" and "predictable" and he states, "Who knows what she really thinks? With all the missteps that have taken place, this is the only thing she could do. So, yes, I'm still bitter." Other examples show people that say they are Democrats, first and foremost, but are having a difficult time getting over the bitter primaries, what they perceived as biased news coverage and their anger at the Democratic party. Perhaps the best example of the persistent divide in the Democratic Party came after Clinton's speech Tuesday night. The lights went down in the Pepsi Center, and some influential Democrats left downtown for good. They planned to head for the airport and fly home, long before Obama accepts the nomination in a speech at Invesco Field on Thursday night. These reactions are also representative of what is being seen across the web today, as people detail each facet of Clinton's speech, Clinton supporters pointing to the message of unity whether they are going to accommodate Clinton's wishes or not and Obama supporters insisting that Hillary did not do "enough". Democratic Convention Watch Day Three. The New York Times' Maureen Dowd, describes the mood or "vibe" as she calls it, at the convention and she says there is "High Anxiety In The Mile High City." Dowd says there are "bitter Clinton associates, fund-raisers and supporters wandering the halls, spewing vindictiveness, complaining of slights, scheming about Hillary's roll call and plotting trouble, with some in the Clinton coterie dissing Obama by planning early departures, before the nominee even speaks." She claims that what some supporters came away with after the Clinton speech was the feeling that the speech had only reinforced their feelings that Clinton would have made a better president than Obama would make, some saying Obama had two months to prove himself. At a meeting of the Democratic women's caucus Tuesday, 74-year-old Carol Anderson of Vancouver, Wash., a former Hillary volunteer, stood in the back of the room in a Hillary T-shirt and hat signed by Hillary and "Nobama" button and booed every time any of the women speakers mentioned Obama's name. Bill Clinton. Bill Clinton speaks tonight and stories about his speech, his demeanor and his conflicting public messages, dominate much of the news cycle today. Yesterday many thought he made some inappropriate implications at one public appearance, perhaps suggesting that Obama could not deliver on the promises he has made throughout the campaign season. Today we see, via The Swamp, that he will make the case that this election is not about a "politician" and that Hillary "made the case" as to why Democrats must vote for Obama and he makes his point by saying, "You really don't have any choice. There is not an option here. ... Don't forget -- out there in this country the American people are aching and they are looking to us to shell down the corn and deliver the goods and the only way we can do it is if we do it together." The conflicting public message Bill seems to be sending there comes from another report, by CNN's Political Ticker, which alleges that a source has told them that while Hillary Clinton will be attending Barack Obama's acceptance speech at Invesco field, Bill Clinton plans to leave and not attend, which some are considering a snub. COMMENTARY: Hillary Clinton did what was required of her in last night's speech. To have insisted publicly that Barack Obama was ready, or experienced enough to be the president of the United States, would have angered her supporters since she previously pointed out the legitimate reasons he was not ready. No one can point to this speech and say she did not try to promote party unity, and her supporters also did not get lied by her attempting to claim Obama was something that he is not. She did right by the party and she refused to lie to her supporters and for that she deserves kudos. . |
| Posted: 26 Aug 2008 11:04 PM CDT Confession time: Until this week I had never heard of Biden. 'Tis true, and my only excuse is that this foreigner only started paying very close attention to the American political landscape in the last few years..As the msm pundits do their usual half-arsed jobs of analysis and reporting of the presumptive (presumptuous? lol) annointed one and his VP choice, some Americans have been paying attention. CJ is one such American. I am sure you know that CJ is active duty US Army and, for me, that means when he talks, I listen. Today, CJ sent out a piece he has written about Biden. CJ uses Biden's OWN words to foretell America's future if BO (+ MO) and Biden take over the White House. It should, of course, be required reading for all:
You really should go read the rest on CJ's blog, A Soldier's Perspective, here. *cross-posted in the usual places ;) * |
| Bill Clinton Seen As Undermining Barack Obama In Speech Given Tuesday- UPDATED & BUMPED, Video added Posted: 26 Aug 2008 09:13 PM CDT [Update] Video added of Clinton's words. Bill Clinton in the spotlight and accused of undercutting Barack Obama, as Hillary Clinton prepares to make her speech at the Democratic Convention tonight, where she is expected to promote party unity and help to bring her supporters over to back Obama, Democrats that have expressed, privately and publicly, reservations about what the unpredictable Bill Clinton will say tomorrow night during his address to the Democratic National Convention, will understandably be a little more worried today after hearing about Bill Clinton's comments made in Denver. Former President Bill Clinton posed a hypothetical question on Tuesday, which some see as an attempt to question the Democratic Party's choice of Obama as the nominee for presidency. Clinton asked, "Suppose you're a voter, and you've got candidate X and candidate Y. Candidate X agrees with you on everything, but you don't think that candidate can deliver on anything at all. Candidate Y you agree with on about half the issues, but he can deliver. Which candidate are you going to vote for?" Understanding immediately how his remarks might have been construed by some, he then went on to assure the audience by saying, "This has nothing to do with what's going on now." Bill Clinton went on to speak about the importance of a politician to be able to keep the promises they make during their campaign season, after they win an election an d how voters take into account whether a politician has that ability or not when deciding who to vote for. During the contentious and at times nasty nomination battle between Clinton and Obama, the Clinton campaign repeatedly pushed the question of whether Obama, a freshman senator, had the experience or the ability to deliver on his promises if elected. Clinton, they argued, was more suited to do so. The Hill also reports that Democrats are "very nervous" about the speech Bill Clinton will give tomorrow night because of his propensity to go off "teleprompter" and ad-lib during his speaking engagements. Paul Begala, who is a former Clinton aide and strategist assures The Hill that Bill Clinton is solidly behind Barack Obama by stating, "He's totally for Barack. He's totally for Barack." Some bloggers are having fun with Begala's assertions, with Weekly Standard writer, Dean Barnett, saying, "Phew! Can you imagine how Clinton would behave if he were only "partially" behind Barack?" Was it an innocent hypothetical question the media is making too much of, or a subconscious attempt to point out what both Bill and Hillary tried to imply during the primaries against Barack Obama? Could it even have been a deliberate dig at the DNC for choosing Obama while Bill Clinton believes Obama does not have the ability to keep the promises he has made? Maybe the more important question would be, how many people are more interested in seeing Bill Clinton's speech on Wednesday, waiting for him to go off script, than they are to see Barack Obama's speech on Thursday? . |
| Posted: 26 Aug 2008 10:03 PM CDT Vets for Freedom has a new tv ad out, and it's a goodie - of course..lol As my regular readers know, I ALWAYS set great store by what our troops, boots on the ground, say; unlike *some* politicians who 'know it all' about our War on Terror strategy, even though they declare failure before the surge is even done (no names needed..lol) Watch the ad below, and maybe even make a phone call or two.:) Then, head over to Vets For Freedom here. We can educate people, Yes we can!!!! *cross-posted in all the usual places* |
| Republicans Throw 'Happy Hour for Hillary' With Clinton Supporters Toasting McCain Posted: 26 Aug 2008 07:51 PM CDT The Republican National Committee threw an event in Denver called "Happy Hour for Hillary," where McCain and Clinton supporters gathered together for one specific cause: To oppose Barack Obama. Approximately 100 people gathered at the Café, sipping drinks, eating tacos and cheese spread, discussing politics, sports and the Democratic Convention, while Michelle Obama was giving her speech at the Pepsi Center. Archuleta, a lifelong Democrat, says, "I'm a registered Republican ... for the first time in my voting life. No Obama for me. I'm voting for John McCain," she then adds "He reminds me of what the Jimmy Carter era was like. ... If they think Jimmy Carter had it bad, just wait if Obama gets into the White House. That will be bad news in so many ways." All those gathered at the Happy Hour for Hillary had one thing in common- they all believe that Barack Obama does not have the experience necessary to be the President of the United States, with Marnie Delano, who is a 58 year-old from New York stating, "His lack of experience has been demonstrated so painfully every time he opens his mouth just about. ... You cannot have good judgment without experience; that's how you get it." Clinton supporters-turned-McCain converts at the event were not just angry at Obama's campaign; they're furious with the Democratic Party's nomination process this year. Tom Kise who is the McCain campaign regional communications director, also attended the Happy Hour for Hillary, where he makes the point "Four years ago, if you said we'd be at a Hillary happy hour at the DNC, I would have called you crazy. But today is a great opportunity for people who ... agree that Sen. Barack Obama doesn't have the experience to be president of the United States." In conjunction with the theme those gathered were speaking about, which was the experience factor, John McCain's campaign launched a new ad that will be showing during the Democratic convention, which utilizes portions of the infamous Hillary Clinton "3 a.m." ad, with a couple changes detailing the national security threats which face America. In the original Clinton ad, she asked who was better prepared for a "3 a.m." phone call, to handle a national emergency, as she pointed out that Barack Obama was not the person voters would want answering that call. One of the changes the McCain campaign made to the ad was the very end, where the announcer says, "Hillary's right." . |
| John McCain 'Gallups' Ahead of Barack Obama Posted: 26 Aug 2008 07:06 PM CDT Sorry, I just couldn't resist the play on words, but the news is that according to Gallup, not only did Barack Obama receive no "Biden Bounce" but John McCain has actually taken a two point lead over Barack Obama.  Gallup Poll Daily tracking from Aug. 23-25, the first three-day period falling entirely after Obama's Saturday morning vice presidential announcement, shows 46% of national registered voters backing John McCain and 44% supporting Obama, not appreciably different from the previous week's standing for both candidates. This is the first time since Obama clinched the nomination in early June, though, that McCain has held any kind of advantage over Obama in Gallup Poll Daily tracking. This is the problem with peaking in too early as Barack Obama did, there is only one place to go then and that is down. Obama did not receive the expected "bounce" after Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign. Obama lost the 3 point "bounce" he received after his highly touted overseas trip, and it was lost within days, and now McCain is showing a slight lead as he prepares to announce his vice president on Friday (or so reports say) and heading into the Republican Convention next week. No wonder the Democrats are tense, they see an election that they should have trounced Republicans in, slipping through their incompetent fingers as they have made mistake after mistake, alienating millions of voters and to top it off, Obama angers those same voters further just 3 days before the convention starts. It is almost like they are all trying to hand this election to McCain. Now John McCain just has to pick a running mate that will not divide the party, making sure not to make the same type of mistakes that Obama made and we should see his "bounce" go far higher that Obama's will because the Republican convention should be far less chaotic... you know, the business about the tension between Obama supporters and Hillary supporters, Ted Kennedy stealing the spotlight from Michelle Obama, assassination plots being reported and massive protests, parades and rallies held outside the Convention doors. . |
| Florida Man Reacts Badly To Michelle Obama's Speech, Leads to Standoff With Police Posted: 26 Aug 2008 06:14 PM CDT Is it a full moon or what? After Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic Convention last night, evidently one person in Pasco County Florida was extremely displeased. His negative reaction led to a six-hour standoff with police. When deputies arrived, the man ran into RV where he locked himself in and away from authorities for six-hours, even after SWAT teams arrived and fired riot gas into the home, which did not bring the man out. The Sheriff's Office spokesman Kevin Doll did not release the identity of the man who finally exited his vehicle approximately at 5 am this morning, but Doll did say the cause of the man's "displeasure" was the speech given last night by Michelle Obama. Doll concludes by telling reporters that the man will be undergoing psychological evaluation. The crazies are really coming out now... word also is that moonbat protesters attacked Michelle Malkin yesterday as well. Unacceptable behavior from people that belong in a mental hospital and/or jail. |
| Democratic Convention Watch: Day Two, It Is Still All About The Clintons Posted: 26 Aug 2008 03:18 PM CDT Is anyone else getting the feeling that the DNC and especially the media, might be realizing, too late, that they backed the wrong horse and perhaps lost the election the day they started actively working against Hillary Clinton to hand the nomination to Barack Obama? Day one was not what Democratic officials hoped it would be with protests, assassination plots, Ted Kennedy and Bill and Hillary Clinton dominating the news. Coverage again today shows it is still all about the Clintons Recap. ABC News points out yesterdays coverage was frustrating to the Democrats as story after story focused on the tension at the convention between Clinton supporters and Obama supporters, to the point where accusations have been leveled at Obama delegates, via the Chicago Tribune, claiming one called a black Clinton delegate "Uncle Tom", with reports now showing that some want that Obama supporter to step down from his Senate position. Other accounts show that Clinton supporters chanted "caucus fraud" and referred often to Barack Obama calling a reporter "sweetie," with source after source telling media reporters of tensions, including Bill Clinton being unhappy with the speaking role he was given at the convention for Wednesday night. Protests outside the Pepsi Center where the Democrats are holding their convention grabbed headlines as well. On a night where Michelle Obama was to be the main focus with her speech, which can be found at New York Times, many say went well and where she was clear and concise and spoke eloquently, the headlines show she was upstaged by the news that Ted Kennedy was there and would speak, which he did. Kennedy was recently diagnosed with cancer and is recovering from treatment as the Boston Herald explains. At a convention that Democratic officials hoped would be focused and highlighting Barack Obama, the biggest news that surrounded him was the arrest of two and subsequently two more people, claiming they were planning an assassination plot against the presumptive Democratic nominee. Not exactly the focus the Democrats were hoping would be on Barack Obama. The Republican National Committee and the John McCain campaign played their part in making sure the coverage did not highlight Obama in a way the convention planners had organized it to either, by releasing ad after ad showing Clinton supporters voting to John McCain, Hillary Clinton's previous words, highlighting what she implied was his inexperience. Even that brought news of Hillary as she declared publicly, "I am Hillary Clinton and I did not approve that message". All the coverage, story after story, and Barack Obama barely received a glance on the whole first day of the Democratic Convention which was meant to spotlight him.  Day Two. Which brings us to today's news, which included the ABC News article above, which once again highlights..... yes, Hillary and Bill Clinton. Hillary Clinton is slated to speak at the convention tonight. They spotlight a new Gallup poll which says less than half of Hillary Clinton supporters say they are solidly behind Barack Obama with 23 percent saying they will back him but might change their mind and 30 percent of Clinton supporters saying they will not vote or vote for someone else, including John McCain. Hillary Clinton continues to make it clear that she is backing Barack Obama and calling for party unity, yet even she continues to mention her "18 million votes". One Clinton supporter, Cynthia Ruccia, who formed the group Clinton Supporters Count Too, declares "I'm thoroughly disgusted with the Democratic Party. I believe the magic of Barack Obama was his ability to turn lifelong Democrats like us into McCain supporters overnight," she continues on to add, "My vote is a protest vote. I live in Ohio, I know our votes count in a very special way because whoever wins Ohio is often the person who becomes the president of the United States. And I do not want to reward the Democratic Party with my vote. I am disgusted with them." Clinton supporters also went after MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, chanting "sexist pig, sexist pig" referring to a comment he made in January, to which he later apologized publicly for. ABC news isn't the only coverage out today focusing more on the Clinton's than Barack Obama. SFGate describes how California Hillary Clinton delegates are protesting, saying DNC rules require delegates to vote as they are elected. Pointing out that Clinton received 204 delegates pledged to her from California while Barack Obama only received 166. One well known Clinton delegate, Gloria Allred who is a California women's lawyer, went as far as to take a napkin off the breakfast table to wear as a gag in protest of not being allowed to speak at the breakfast. Allred states, through the gag, "I was not elected to be a potted plant." Clinton delegate Julie Wong of Los Gatos was handing out white wrist bands to rally solidarity at the convention tonight when Clinton speaks. Hillary supporters have a march planned for today, which coincides with the anniversary of the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote. Moving right along to The Politico to a piece titled "Denver drama: Can Clintons' get over it?" That is a three page article focused on.... you got it... the Clintons and how Bill Clinton is still bitterly angry and resentful over how he perceived the Obama campaign and the media as being unfair during the hard fought primary season. Even papers from other countries, such as the Telegraph UK, are focused on , the Clintons, asking if "Barack Obama blown it with Bill and Hillary Clinton?" That article points out how the Obama supporters feel the Clinton supporters just need to "get over it", then goes on to say, "But this kind of thinking is exactly how to lose to McCain. It's the Obama people who need to get over it - and quickly." Doing a Google News search for the word Clinton shows thousands upon thousands of articles and who are they focused on?  Bill and Hillary Clinton. While Hillary Clinton sends emails allowing people a photo spray opportunity while she tours the podium where she will be speaking tonight and Clinton supporters holding a parade and rally in Denver today, the latest controversy to which my email is full of unhappy, angry emails, informing me that after all the hard work and petitions signed to get Hillary Clinton's name placed in nomination, there is an agreement for her to end the state-by-state roll call before it is finished and hand it the official nomination to Barack Obama as MSNBC reports.
According to the LA Times' Top of the Ticket, one DNC member says it is all up to Obama, stating, "Whether or not there will be a roll call -- and. if so, under what conditions -- is entirely up to the Obama campaign. And they have not yet decided what the roll call is going to look like." If anyone is under any illusion that tomorrow's news coverage will be any different or will focus more on Barack Obama regarding a convention being held to spotlight him, let me remind you, Bill Clinton is slated to speak at tomorrow night's event. Face it, the Clinton's are the show, have been the show, and now that the public and the media are tired of the "new kid on the block", they are all suffering buyers remorse. . |
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