Yeah, unscripted like a "reality" show. In fact, the whole convention feels like a 'reality' show.

He also praised former President Bill Clinton, who spoke earlier Wednesday night, as someone who reminds us about "what it's like when you've got a president who actually puts people first. Thank you President Clinton."

Let's fix that quote:

He also praised former President Bill Clinton, who spoke earlier Wednesday night, as someone who reminds us about "what it's like when you've got a Democratic president. Thank you President Clinton."

Here's some questions for anyone (I don't know the answers):

Does Obama ever call himself a Democrat?

Does he ever mention the Democratic party?

Will he utter the word "Democrat" tomorrow night?

Or ever?

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

Obama understands and values are churches and faith-based orgs. Everything else is the work of empowered individuals in his view.

Parties, unions, government... have you ever heard Obama mention the essential role of these orgs for social progress and justice?

Go Global!

But after the Clintons both delivered such pointed defenses of Democrats and landed such heavy blows on the Republicans and their ideas, Obama's refusal to utter the magic word "Democrat" even as he praised the Clintons, seems to me equally pointed.

He and his campaign act like people who want to put a final end to the Democratic party as a vehicle for political change.

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

Given Clyburns comments about Gore from VL's earlier post, is it possible that the Obamas, and Clyburn, don't like the Dems? Seriously, all Obama has to do is wrap himself in the Democratic brand and its hard to lose. But he's not doing that. Does he not like the Dems, is he utterly clueless or does he believe the hype?

No, he's been running a non-partisan, non-issue campaign all along. And both Clintons SHARPLY called him on it - in the nicest way, of course. So nice that hardly anyone seemed to notice it.

But Obama pushed back HARD with his non-partisan praise of Bill. He's a ferocious gatekeeper for corporate America.

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

I'm still not sure whether Obama genuinely hates solid Dems and is trying to purge them, of if he simply pretends to try to purge them to save his own candidacy?

In a year when the Democratic brand is so sellable, I wonder if he recognized (rightly) that he couldn't compete with Hillary to become Mr./Mrs. Democrat, and so tried to damage the brand so he could slip in something newer and flashier (Obamacrats/Obamacans), or if he ideologically wants to purge the party of the real Democrats and replace them with something else and in his view, better?

I still can't read him. I do know that Axlerod said back very early that he knew Obama couldn't run as a traditional Democrat and win, so they weren't even trying to do that, so that makes me lean more towards the theory that he recognized the power and stature of the Clinton's and it was a tactical and not ideological move, but I really don't know.

Has anyone else noticed how everyone at this convention is saying "Barack Obama" will do this or "Barack Obama" will do that?

Not once have I heard someone say "Barack Obama and the Democratic Party will do X" or "With Barack Obama as President, we will do Y". Heck, JOE BIDEN, as far as I could tell, never once said "Barack Obama and I will do Z", instead just saying "Barack Obama" would accomplish certain things.

The cult of Obama is becoming quite frightening indeed. I don't think we've ever seen such a deliberate attempt to create the cult of personality in this country, on such a massive scale.

That would be the generic format of what Axelrod, et.al. are trying to create out of the formerly Democratic party.

Oblique hat tip to Bageant's pal.

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He's doing what the corporate elite are paying him to do - erase the Democratic brand altogether. Since that makes it all EVEN MORE about him, he's happy to oblige.

The process which began under Carter and continued under Clinton is nearly complete.

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

Tee up) I compared "Obamacan" to "iPodacan"

1)iPods have interchangable skins
2) I said Obama's skin doesn't matter and he is interchangable with a white man!!!

Gaaak!!!!

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Around these parts we call cucumber slices circle bites

does seem that Obama wants to erase the word "Democratic" with a capital "D" and "Democrats."

He'll replace it with...what? ObamaNation? What?

However, the art work developed around Obama is so reminiscent of the Soviet Union's style it's scary.

believed what he was saying about Obama's readiness and experience. I actually felt uncomfortable not feeling able to believe what he was saying to us...but it's all politics, right?

Same foreign affairs experience as Bill Clinton, who had spent a a Fulbright year in England? Traveled to Russia when it was not easy to do so? Who had been steeped in politics since he was a kid? Who had been going to international meetings for years as governor?

Yes, Obama held a subcommittee chair on the foreign affairs committee--and he did hold a meeting, finally, in April '08, then was asked by Biden to hold another one in July (prompted by a letter from a Repub member)--but these were to pass on nominations and were not information gathering hearings. Biden said he had covered everything needing attention at his committee's meetings.... Heh.

Administative experience? Getting things implemented and through a legislature experience? Not so much.

Bill Clinton did push the Democratic brand and values last night, as did Hillary--wonder if Obama will use his party's name tonight, other than to link to bipartisaning with Repubs.

BTW, Brian Lehrer of WNYC's public radio station is broadcasting his program from Denver, and has been asking delegate guests to describe in a few words what being a Democrat means or to counter the usual 6 word Repubs' description: One woman said Dems afer "for people," everyone else has either been at a loss or rambled on about particular programs. He did not ask that question of John Lewis, but he did as him he felt any embarrassment at having been a strong Hillary supporter early on!!!

EDT to get his appearance covered by the Broadcast networks!

i watched a few minutes of clinton, bill's speech this morning at a friend's house (mostly i've refused to watch any of the convention silliness live or taped). what struck me was how he didn't seem like himself at all, that "thing," or glow, or whatever you want to call it, just didn't seem there to me.

the two times the camera cut to hillary, she wasn't smiling at all and looked very tense. so too Michelle Obama. it was very weird and my overall sense was that by Bill's usual standards, the speech was a flop.

asserted, a number of times, that Obama was ready to lead, ready to be CIC; he did it in inimitable Big Dog form, but provided no actual evidence or argument for it. (The only "argument" I recall was his reminding us that he himself was said to be too inexperienced in national politics when he ran for president in 1992.)

OK, it was a convention speech. But still.

Contrast that with the lines he managed to keep in about the economy, where his heart seemed to be much more in it. At least, it seemed that way to me.

And I wonder if the idea that Hillary didn't mention Obama often enough in her speech came from the fact that she used the word "Democrat" and variants thereon much more often?

Clinton speeches. The real was their enthusiasm about the party and about the American people they want it to serve. The false (and it HAD to be false) was the assertions that Obama was fit to lead.

The litany of laws passed, policies embraced, and everyday troubles observed was so much more than a trip down Memory Lane or an exercise in self-justification. It was a strong rebuke of Obama's personality theory of government and a VERY strong warning that they will rally the base against him and his power apparatus if he persists on this onanistic course.

Obama's reply, a praise of the Clintons in EXCLUSIVELY personal terms, is best taken as a curt acceptance of that challenge, a subliminal snarl:

"Yes it IS all about me. What the fuck ya gonna do about it?"

"You'd better get this straight. Wise up before it's too late." -- Sister Sledge

it rang false to me too--

he only perked up when he got to issues and the party itself, not with the "Obama is this" and "Obama is that".

There is next to none. I was just observing that Bill's repeated assertions about Obama in that speech rang false, because it's so unlike his usual rhetoric.

I left off my watching yesterday feeling that this had been "humiliate the Clintons" day for the DNC and Obama: first Hillary made to ask for acclamation, then Bill having say Obama a half-hundred times. (I noticed Michelle's tight-lipped smile get a little bigger each time her husband's name was mentioned.)

The two of them (the Clintons) emerged strong as ever, anyway.

I was going to mention just how small of a man Obama showed himself to be last night. I guess that's what passes for "regal" these days. After the pains and the lengths that tens of thousands went through to make his "coronation" as seamless as possible. After all of the pride that his many opponents (and supporters) had to swallow. After all of the precedents that were broken to make him look pretty. Still, he can hardly find it within himself to give them more than a royal back-handed "show the ring" wave, look down his nose, and mumble out some half-hearted "thanks for being here and making my party the success everything I touch always becomes." Look at that video again. Everything is coached in terms of how wonderful his convention went for him.

Nice.

More data to put in the "November Equation".

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What is Lambert's phrase, party invariant or some such? Wow, I could be reading the transcript of a Monica Crowley, or Chris Matthews broadcast. And, as Lambert complained in another post about hearing the same arguments, I got the point, you don't like him. You loath him. He seems to be yet another Democrat who fits the Republican idea of Dems who run for President, snobs, elitist, out of touch. Might as well not forget as McCain said, he didn't even "feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform."

At least give the Clintons their due. She gave a great speech. He gave a pretty good one. They re affirmed things that the Democratic party stands for, in the breach if not completely in the observance. They got the crowds rev'd which is what good party people do.

Someone mentioned, I can't find it right now, about how Obama chose to minimize a tribute to Johnson. Talk about a Democrat who ruined things for himself, the party and the country. He knew the war was going to screw everything up, not the least the War on Poverty but he couldn't back off from it. And the War on Poverty is discredited. Wingers have no problem using misrepresentations of it as proofs of Reagan's doctrine that government is the problem.

I remember that Al Gore chose Joe Lieberman for his running mate. Talk about bad judgment. But he's come a long way since then. I never was for Obama. But I wonder if this guy is card board or he can change. I wonder what a few months of Republican obstruction might do to his post partisan ideas. From what I'm reading here though, he's not even human.

Was anyone literally on the edge of their chairs and nearly gasping when Bill said that Obama's "ready to lead?" I ask, because it almost like he was going to betray Hillary and add "on day one", which is when I was determined to change the channel. Maybe, it's just reading too much into it, but he went right up to the line, but never crossed it, and this was all throughout the speech.

I agree, there were only a few times when Bill became Bill, again. You know, where he switches into his crackly, whisper-like voice. That's the only time I saw him. All the rest was an out-of-body experience for him.