I have to go out for a while this evening, although I hope to be back to hear President Obama speak. In the meantime, go ahead and comment.
Update: Just got back — Biden is speaking– this should be the video of Jennifer Granholm –
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Former Congresswoman Gabbie Giffords just led the crowd in “The Pledge of Allegience.”
It was both inspiring, and very, very depressing.
It was shocking how – sorry, but there’s no other word for it – ‘damaged’ she is, both verbally and physically.
I cried.
How she isn’t, like Jim Brady was, some poster-child for gun control, is a symbol for how fucked-up this country has become, with the NRA having a million-fold more influence and power than all of the victims combined.
The NRA is nothing more than an Organized Crime Family, with legal cover via highly paid lobbyists, and cowardly, compliant, complicit, and/or corrupt politicians.
Gabbie Giffords is both a national tragedy, and an inspiration. But much more of a tragedy.
HOLY SH*T!
Former MI Governor Granholm just ROCKED THE HOOOOOOOOUUUUUUSE!!!!!
WOW! WOW!! WOW!!!
MUST SEE TV!!!
And a GREAT line – to paraphrase – ‘Mitts cars get the elevators, it the workers who get THE SHAFT!’
Ok, off to watch the DNC with Mom.
She saw her 2nd son, Bill Clinton, yesterday.
Today, she wants to watch Joe Biden and her first son, Barack Obama, with her third son – me! 
Gulag, whenever I see Gabby Giffords, I think, “There but for the grace of a damned good neurosurgeon.” I know of people who had the same meningioma tumor surgery I had in 1999, who today struggle like Ms. Giffords does, to walk, to speak, to process their emotions. Whenever I see her, I also fight tears.
But she’s also blessed with a super-devoted ex-astronaut husband, so I suppose she’s in a better place than some patients with traumatic brain injuries. (Walter Reed Army Med Center in the mid 2000s, anyone?) Good luck and peace to you, Gabby.
8:10 pm CDT, and oh crud, David Brooks is talking. He just said “cognitive loop we’re stuck in.” Somebody hand the Cabbage a mirror.
John Kerry concluded the last hour, and wow, what fire from a usually cool dude. “Ask Osama bin Laden if he’s better off than he was four years ago.” Romney’s world tour wasn’t a foreign policy trip, “it was a blooper reel.” Dang.
Oop, here comes Dr. Jill. Gotta listen.
I realize I’m just a sucker for appeals to citizenship and the idea that “we the people” have the wonderful and heavy burden of self-government, but I think Barack really came through tonight. Coordinated message, gave the people the credit for doing all the good stuff, elegantly slammed his opponents, and inspired everyone in the crowd to go vote.
After the Tampa convention where the themes seemed to be anger, fear and selfishness, the Democrats were all talking about hope and compassion.
I hope the electorate picks the one I do.
I think it was a smart speech, moving at times, very much rooted in American history and political tradition. He refuses to be a cartoon or an alien.
I am so tired right now it’s hard to focus, but I do feel the speech and the convention overall went as well as they could have gone.
Congratulations on your upcoming reelection, Mr.Obama.
biggerbox ..Yeah, I’m reminded of the ridicule the wingnuts gave Obama for his saying: “You are the ones you have been waitng for”. They couldn’t grasp the idea that the power of change was already in their possession.
Obama gave a speech that reinforced about how all sorts of people feel about him (but hasn’t that been true since Day 1?).
If you like/love him, he was humble, smart, proud, and inspiring – especially his great rhetorical finish at the end.
If you hate him, he was arrogant, smarmy, overly proud, angry, and preachy.
I just erased a long look back at the two conventions. There’ll be another time for all of us to talk about them.
In short, my take-away from the two conventions is that Republican one was one that focused on the worse angels of our nature – and the past; the Democrat’s, the better ones – and the future.
There were two things from the President’s speech that I think people will remember:
Citizenship.
“Made in America.”
I give the speech 5 stars. And so does my 80 year-old Obama-lovin’ Mama!!!
I can hardly wait until tonight, when I can go to bed at my usual early hour. No matter how late I go to bed, I still get up between 5 and 6, and I’m pooped. But a happy pooped!
By the way, I now have a MAJOR crush on Jennifer Granholm!!!
Too bad she was born in Canada, or I’d love to see her run for President in 2016.
Sep 6, 2012 
