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Democrat National Convention – The Grand Spectacle – Day 1 – Tiresome
The DNC is the longest and most expensive infomercial on prime-time television.
The great spectacle is on. The Democrat National Convention, where a select group of delegates, electorates, voters, media representatives and politicians, pretend to come under one huge tent and unite behind a single ticket for Presidency–the Obama-Biden ticket is on till August 29. Can you believe it? Day One is not yet over and I am weary.
So Nancy Pelosi takes center-stage kicking off the primetime proceedings with quite a bore for a speech that told us nothing new besides lies and more lies. She spoke of the Democrat majorities that they achieved two years ago and how it had brought about “sweeping changes.” Really? Last I checked, we were still in Iraq, our troops and innocent civilians are still being killed; college tuition rates are increasing while college access is decreasing to say nothing about every child left behind; comprehensive immigration reform and the DREAM Act remain pipedreams; we still don’t have single-payer universal health-care; a clean-energy oil-independent pathway set to deal with the problem of global warming; campaign finance reform … the list goes on.
Ted Kennedy, who was getting honored tonight, took the stand next. He likened Obama’s message of hope and change to the one delivered by his brother John F Kennedy when he had taken the White House in 1960–young, charismatic, optimistic, inexperienced *cough* assassinated… Again, nothing stood out besides: “Barack Obama will close the book on the old politics of race and gender, and group against group and straight against gay.” Is that why Obama chose a straight, white male as his Vice-Presidential candidate even when he had other worthy ‘minority’ candidates to choose from? We don’t need to close the book on these divisive issues–we need to finally stop running away from the serious discussion that these issues merit.
He concluded with “the hope rises again and the dream lives on.” Yep — it sure will live on, ‘yearning to breath free’ and break out of this nightmare. But that would have little to do with Obama, Biden and the Democrat party, and will depend on the commitment and energy of a few that strive to make a difference, strive for real change.
The less said about the other speakers the better (BTW–How many gaydars was setting off while Senator Harkin’s son, Austin Espito, was on stage)?
Michelle Obama, by far, delivered the best speech of the convention thus far. It saved the opening day from being a complete dampener. A sweet and heartfelt tale complete with simulated tears in the right places, Ms. Obama portrayed her husband as “one of us” despite his unorthodox upbringing. Her daughters, Malia and Sasha, were the icing on the cake–sweet, endearing and ‘picture perfect’ — quite elaborately planned and performed. It is a stage after all and the winner is the best actor of the day.
There was no focus on issues, no set agendas or action plans; just a sickening-sweet-diabetes-inducing ADObama message along with the same-old empty rhetoric of “hope and change” — but thus far, not much has changed, right?
In parting, can we drop the “One Nation Under God with liberty and justice for all” from the speeches? It is so reaching and contrived, evoking cringes from those that believe in separation of church and state, not to mention erroneous and epistemologically flawed.
Some great coverage live from DNC at the following blogs:
When this farce is over, the other farce known as the RNC will begin.