The 2012 Democratic National Convention

[firstandten]

It was interesting listening to Bill Clinton speech at the convention. I hadn't heard a political speech from him in so long I forgot how good he is. In some ways he made a better case for Obama having a second term than even Obama has.

Obama and Clinton have two different speaking styles. Clinton goes off script a lot and talks to you almost like person-to-person, whereas Obama while very good has a more conventional speaking style. Clinton is a long speaker [[his speech went almost an hour) and goes against conventional wisdom by giving you lots of data and facts running the risk of boring the audience. However most of the time he pulls it off. What Clinton does and I would like to see Obama do more of is address the Repubs mis-statements more directly as they come up. I think the Repubs as Clintons says go into an alternate universe and Obama is not quick enough to call them out on it. I believe that has led to whatever lack of enthusiasm there is among the Dem base. If you keep telling a lie without calling that lie out eventually that lie is perceived as being a truth.

I will listen to Obama's speech tonight. I know he will make a strong case for his re-election but I'm more interested in how or if he will compare and contrast what he's done vs the Repubs misstatements. I want to see if and how much he can pull the Repubs out of their alternate universe.

[gazhekwe]

First and ten -- What Clinton does and I would like to see Obama do more of is address the Repubs mis-statements more directly as they come up. I think the Repubs as Clintons says go into an alternate universe and Obama is not quick enough to call them out on it. I believe that has led to whatever lack of enthusiasm there is among the Dem base. If you keep telling a lie eventually that lie is perceived as being a truth.


Hey yah!

[oladub]

The whole point of the story is that dirt poor people CAN go to Harvard. Both Obamas had working class families, work that put them on the ladder to the American dream.

Should be, "The whole point of the myth". Barack Obama was raised by his banker vice-president grandmother and her furniture business husband from age eight on. His mother always had the option of falling back on her family's upper middle class wealth. Choosing to live her more hippy lifestyle was a choice. Neither his mother nor grandparents were working class. Barack lived in a high rise apartment blocks from the beach; not in a log cabin. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.

It sounds like Michelle did come from a working class family though. Lucky for her, her pay was raised to over $300,000/year, from $125k, when her husband was elected Senator. That must have paid down some of those pesky student loans. Her job, at a hospital, was to redistribute indigent patients from her hospital to other hospitals. The timing of her promotion reminded me of how Hillary was made a partner at the Rose law firm when Bill became Governor. That's not to suggest either isn't intelligent or talented, but suggests that their careers were enhanced by their husband's position.

-

firstandten, Thanks, I hadn't realized that. I read a couple of follow up articles on Tracy Reese. She is definitely world class. Excellent choice, in more ways than one, by the First lady.

[poobert]

They don't care about their behavior, values or customs, they only care about their votes.

Sandra Fluke? Isn't that the woman who has SO MUCH SEX she can't afford condoms week to week? Rough life when you're having so much sex you need to go begging for birth control.

Condoms are expensive, you know. Perhaps even a luxury.

A GEORGETOWN LAW SCHOOL STUDENT who can't afford condoms.
Give me a break. Have you checked the price of Law School lately?
It's not for the economically challenged....

And if you're having SO MUCH SEX with guys who can't provide the birth control in order to have sex with you, you're not picking your sexual partners very well. What kind of dirtbag guy wouldn't use birth control upon a woman's request?
Evidently the ones she picks, I guess.

I hear all the time from Republicans they're for "smaller government."

Apparently government so small it can hide under your bed, dictate your sexual partners, and denounce your love life.

Try to make birth control as inaccesible as possible, then scream about being pro-life. I know you guys aren't really hip to the whole biology thing, but if one uses birth control to prevent an unplanned pregancy [[do I need to explain how that happens and how a woman's body can't just reject an unwanted pregnancy?) which would preclude the possibility of abortion!

You come accross as really, really creepy. Keep it up. You are the face of the Republican Party in 2012. Let corporations do whatever they want, but bust into bedrooms accross America.

I have read few posts more contrary to personal liberty than your stalker-esque draconian rant.

[gazhekwe]

It is absolutely true that poor folk can go to Harvard. For at least the past 50 years if not longer, Harvard has reached out to able students regardless of ability to pay. Having a Harvard degree is not a blanket proof that one was born with a silver spoon in their mouth.

Here is their current policy statement:
Our goal in admissions and financial aid is clear: We want to bring the best people to Harvard, regardless of their ability to pay — and we do. About 70 percent of our students receive some form of aid, with over 60 percent receiving need–based scholarships.

More here: http://www.admissions.college.harvar...aid/index.html

[oladub]

The same thing happened on a floor vote at the Democratic Convention as happened at the Republican Convention complete with a teleprompter containing pre-determined results. The first is the most important link. Although control is obviously coming from on high instead from the grass roots at either convention, the media pretty much ignores that fact as well as most of both parties' faithful no matter how in your face the evidence is.
http://www.c-spanvideo.org/clip/3872849 [[2min25sec)

teleprompter shot - just like at Republican convention, the results of the vote are already in the script. It made no difference how the floor voted.
http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com/...ation-process/

Summary: Shows the Rep and Dem votes side by side and their respective teleprompters
http://youtu.be/BUG_USh1OFM

[firstandten]

Not a real convention fan but I wanted to see who the Dems have in the pipeline after Obama. We are always hearing of Christie, Rubio etc but we don't hear much of the Dems rising stars. I think Julian Castro was very impressive. Wouldn't it something if Castro and Rubio ran against each other for President around 2020 or so !.

Gov Deval Patrick was very impressive as well. As the sucessor to Romney in Mass he talked about the mess he left him and then went on to say that Romney was more interested in getting the job than doing the job. Rings kinda true.

[Danny]

Obama and the democrats in America have a plan:

1. Lower taxes for the Middle Class and low-income families. increase taxes for the rich, super rich and nouveau riche who has a income more than $100,000 a year.

2. Keep Obamacare a birthright [[as in Universal Health Care) in U.S. government.

3. Regulate corporate lobbies and prevent them for favorable bailouts.

4. Keep Medicare, social security and human social services in U.S. government and prevent those agencies to be privatized.

5. Keep union collectivized bargining a birthright and prevent corporate favors to deregulate it.

6. Make sure the education funding is withing the 'No child should be left behind' requirements. All public and charter schools must compete to increase student enrollments before attendent census days in order to recieve more funding.

Let's keep the Republicans out of power.


YES WE CAN!

OBAMA! 4 MORE YEARS.

[ejames01]

Is the United States better off today than it was four years ago???

[JBMcB]

3. Regulate corporate lobbies and prevent them for favorable bailouts.

Ah HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Obama *LOVES* corporate lobby money. John McCain, of all people, has a stronger stance against corporate influence in the government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toEjMwMdVd4

[ejames01]

Ah HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Obama *LOVES* corporate lobby money. John McCain, of all people, has a stronger stance against corporate influence in the government.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toEjMwMdVd4

That is Danny's plan, not Obama's.

[Papasito]

I do have sympathy for Obama.
If he gets re-elected, just look at the mess he's going to inherit!





Personally I am making $20,000 per year less than I did 4 years ago, and working 10-15 more hours a week than I did 4 years ago doing the same thing I did 4 years ago. And it hasn't been smooth sailing. 7 months of these 4 years was Unemployment for me. I was in the 3rd round of layoffs for the small business I worked for at the time. Unemployment won't pay the bills. I was denied food stamps, and I am the single father of 2. Let me tell you... it wasn't an easy 4 years for me.

Small companies that aren't big enough to make massive contributions to politicians in power [[YES - I am implying that big corporations and unions that heave out massive contributions [[or produce a "politically correct" product or service) get exemptions, tax breaks, and special privelages that we or the small businesses we may own or work for DO NOT enjoy.) have to cut cut cut just to stay in business. Companies are slashing and cutting and still in siege mode due to the new health care laws, massive regulation, high taxes, and general anti-growth anti-business climate.

People I know personally who own concrete companies, trucking companies and construction companies are barely getting by and trying to stay open week to week, and the lucky ones are going month to month.

The Growth never happened.
The Bailed out banks held on to their money and never stimulated the economy with it. The Glass-Steagall Act was never restored to protect the American economy. Most of the contributing factors to the nation's economic collapse are unchanged.
The Government wasted tons of the stimulus.
Things are still terrible, and some numbers on the economy are actually worse than when he took office.
Now we get excuses.
He didn't give us excuses 4 years ago. He gave us unprecedented expectations.

[firstandten]

I think you can make a case that most people are better off now than four years ago. Now granted the employement situation is still dicey but a lot of that is due to continued outsourcing and technology advances that keeps profits high while keeping the employment rate at a minimum.

If you have a portfolio of investments, chances are instead of losing hundreds or thousands of dollars of your portfolio back in 08 you are probably seeing some modest gains. Also while you still may be underwater with your home chances are you are seeing some property value gains. You need to remember the Bush administration propped up the economy with debt which made it seem like people were doing well. Of course public sector employees are having trouble job wise, but the private sector particularly the auto industry is bouncing back with jobs even thought the pay is half of what it was before the crash.

[rb336]

4 years ago the Dow set 8 records for loss in value, and stood at around 8000. It is now 13500 or so. 4 years ago we were shedding 750,000 jobs a month. It was unprecedented expectations, but it was also unprecedented economic collapse. The "failed" stimulus prevented a second Great Depression. The only failure was in compromising with the republicans to scale it back, after which, none of them voted for it anyway.

Your friends who own construction, concrete and trucking companies would have benefited greatly from the highway acts that the Republicans filibustered. [[it kills me that so many in the construction industry which, aside from defense contractors, is the industry most reliant on government spending, continue to support the party that wants to, effectively, put them out of business)

The bailouts of the banks were, btw, engineered primarily by the bushies, and attempts to require more of those companies by Obama were also routinely filibustered by the republicans

[rb336]

by the way, papa, in case you didn't notice, the graph you link to shows that unemployment has decreased​ consistently since Obama's policies were put in place. The second graph conveniently blames Obama for the first half of 2009, during which most of the policies in place were still Dubya's, and the budget in place was all Dubya's.

[Jimaz]

Obama's coming on now. CNN & others.

He has officially accepted the nomination.

[rb336]

He hit it WAY out of the ballpark, right over the center-field wall

[Jimaz]

Obama's coming on now. CNN & others.

He has officially accepted the nomination.

Please excuse me for posting a programming note in "programming note style"—whatever was meant by that bizarre objection. [[You know who you are, ignoredman.)

[oladub]

He hit it WAY out of the ballpark, right over the center-field wall

I think it was left field. I did try to list some positives. His relationship with his family was a big plus. it sounded like a good speech with the proper cadence and good audience rapport. Obama was correct to criticize Romney for his blustery statements directed toward Russia. He quoted a couple of sentences from the Declaration of Independence before twisting it. I agreed with a lot of his cliches.

Otherwise, the content of his speech. using tags, was too often: two faced, disingenuous, had a lot of half truths and revisionism, and a lie or two. His goal seems to be to resurrect Roosevelt era corporatist cartels which failed to get us out of the depression. I think he actually believes much of what he said. President Obama is probably generally well meaning.

An example of the above is that four years ago, he promised that he would reduce the deficit in half by the end of his first term. He didn't. Now he is saying "Independent analysis shows that my plan would cut our deficits by $4 trillion" over the next ten years, I think. I'll bet most of the reductions will be scheduled for the next president[[s) but why would anyone believe this if aware of his broken promise of four years ago? The crowd cheered anyway but that crowd probably would have cheered had he asked them for an enabling act.

“If we are to go forward, we must move as a trained and loyal army willing to sacrifice for the good of a common discipline. We are, I know, ready and willing to submit our lives and property to such discipline, because it makes possible a leadership which aims at a larger good. I assume unhesitatingly the leadership of this great army.…I shall ask the Congress for the one remaining instrument to meet the crisis—broad executive power to wage a war against the emergency, as great as the power that would be given to me if we were in fact invaded by a foreign foe.” - FDR from his first inagural speech.

[firstandten]

Oladub a homerun is a homerun I don't care if he hit it to right field [[LOL!). Actually I thought it was a good speech but not his best. Then again I have listened to Obama a whole lot in the last 4-5 years. What he did however was to cover his bases, expose the Repubs for not mentioning the, war veterans or Made in America [[refering to manufacturing) And crafted a vision forward, rather than focus on the misrepresentations and obstructionism of the Repubs.

I think that the fact check organizations will treat Obama kindly as they did Clinton's speech and Clinton threw out a bunch of data in his speech.

I feel this election will mature Obama even more. Running a campaign to get an office is different than running a campaign to keep an office. Because of Obama's rapid rise in politics he hasn't had to run on his record very often if at all. I think Clinton showed in his speech [[he's an old pro on running on your record) and Obama in his that you have to embrace your record warts and all, defend your record and craft a vision to build upon that record . I think that Clinton and Obama in different ways did just that.

Romney on the other hand has only crafted a vision of what Obama is not doing in his eyes and not a better way forward. I would have a lot more respect for Romney if he had run for a second term in Mass. The cynic in me thinks its because he knew he was going to make a run for President and he didn't want to expose himself politically by having to run on his record.

I think the only hope for Romney at this point is if he can somehow out debate Obama and frankly I don't see that happening.

Obama showed he can run a classic campaign to get an office, and I think he's off to a great start in running a campaign to keep the office.

[Papasito]

What Obama's speech summarized to:

" No Fair! Not my fault! I need a do-over! "

[rb336]

It's not a matter of the fact check groups being kind to Clinton [[ the AP did have a bit of a brain fart rant about Monica), it's a matter of them *gasp* not telling lie after lie.

One news source went so far as to say he was claiming a peace dividend that doesn't exist when, in fact, he was talking about after​ we get out of Afghanistan. [[funny, I forgot the "h" in Afghanistan, so i moused over it and my spell check suggested "satanist")

[rb336]

pretty clear all papa knows about the speech is what right-wing radio tells him

[ghettopalmetto]

What Obama's speech summarized to:

" No Fair! Not my fault! I need a do-over! "

That would be an adorable thought, except Obama didn't ask for "a do-over". He articulated a position that would continue to invest in education, infrastructure, and safety-net programs while raising taxes on the wealthy and reducing the deficit.

If you watched the convention, he's running on his record. A record where he stopped economic freefall, saved the American auto industry, killed Osama bin Laden, ended the war in Iraq, started a program to help our returning veterans find work, is winding down the war in Afghanistan, passed health insurance reform, eliminated waste in the student loan process, started producing manufacturing jobs, expanded oil exploration, enacted higher fuel economy mandates, and reduced dependency on foreign oil.

But don't ever let the truth get in the way of a good story.

[Papasito]

Here's a big difference between me and the Obama zombies [[aka Obama worshippers/Fainters/Cryers/Followers/Idolizers),
and the Republican zombies, too, for that matter.
I'm talking about the people who see a D or R and punch the ballot, regardless of who's on it. I'm talking about the people who ignore reality and vote for who makes them "feel" good or who they would have a drink with at the local bar.

Democrats can't admit when they have a bad President who didn't get the job done that was needed. They won't admit Carter was terrible, and they won't admit statistically that unemployment and various other numbers are actually WORSE then when he took office.

Sometimes a party with good intentions gets a person who stinks at doing their job at the head of it. It happens.


Mitt Romney says he can fix the economy in 4 years. He says he can do "better".

If he gets elected and doesn't live up to the expectations HE HAS SET FOR HIMSELF, I would vote against him at the next election, regardless of party affiliation [[ I am a registered independent).

Obama set our level of expectations for him, and failed to live up to them.
He said himself "If I can't get this done in 3 years, it's going to be a 1 term proposition".

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