DNC Day One

Missed the first couple of hours due to being "unavoidably detained". I heard that I missed the Ann Curry/Nancy Pelosi interview -- just how bad of a train wreck was it? Must have been uneventful if the morning shows aren't talking about it.
Caroline Kennedy looked great -- and very shy. I hear she's not a fan of the public spotlight, but remains a pillar of inner strength for her family. I'm sure the party would love to see her get more involved in the movement, but she seems content with her current role and I can't see her selling out for her own self interests. I also expect the O will appoint her an important role in his administration if he becomes POTUS -- probably not cabinet level, but I can see an ambassadorship in her future. I've always felt Caroline to be a kindred spirit -- she was born only a few months after me, and we both share a sense of family tragedy (granted, her tragedy was MUCH worse) at a young and influential age. She's somewhat attractive, but much more importantly, she's seen the world from a wide emotional spectrum, thanks to her famous (or infamous) parents. She did a good job in introducing her uncle last night.
Ted looked well. It was like watching living history. Like him or not, you have to acknowledge that this man has seen many changes in America in his lifetime, and most of us were wondering if this was the last time we will see him in this setting. He must have felt the same -- he was taking it all in at the end of his speech, looking around and around, as if even he knew this could be the last time. As for the speech, well, it wasn't the 1980 convention speech that still ranks up there as one of the best all-time. He's an older, very sick man, and you can see it was taking all that he had to make it through, but he also gave it all he got. His talking points weren't very strong, but given his condition, it was probably a good thing for him to not let his emotions override his physical limitations. One thing about the video tribute that I found weird was that it opened with a scene of water slowly lapping up to a coastline, and the first thing that came to my mind was "Chappaquiddick" -- I would say the video editors either screwed up (unintentionally) or were hoping that viewers would or could not remember or associate that event with this scene. After all, it was almost 40 years ago...Anyway, it was great to see Ted, even if it's one last time. Future DNC's will never be the same, but then again, that's the circle of life. One could say Ted will be replaced by Bill Clinton for future DNC's. It's never a bad thing to have a good and talented orator to make a speech at your convention...
Michelle Obama's speech was also, in my opinion, very lightweight. Is it me or did Teresa Kerry give a better speech four years ago? Maybe the intent all along was to have her come off a bit more human, more motherly, more loving and nurturing (which I'm sure she is all of the above, but the public is divided on that perception) to show her softer side, complete with her daughters ad-libbing at the end, talking to their daddy on the big TV like he's an astronaut in quarantine. The better half thought she gave a good speech, and I think it appealed to her because of the reasons I mentioned -- she drank the kool-aid given. And this is probably a good thing. The Dems have long been criticized for being too soft, too liberal, and here comes the O with his quasi-militant wife, going against the grain, and the 'publicans are lathering at the gums, ready to counter next week and beyond (see New Yorker Magazine cover for example), so Michelle's soft delivery had to be given to counter the counterstrike. I'm sure this campaign will see more of her tough side, but for now, the plan is to set the foundation for change, for the good, and it starts with a working Mom who's just like us, who feels our pain at the pump and in the grocery stores, who struggles daily to set a good example for her children, 'cause that's the first thing she thinks of in the morning, and the last thing she thinks of before she falls asleep, and isn't that what it's all about? Say it with me now: awww...
The O on the big screen. Didn't like it. He looked confused, tired and (again) not in control. Would have been easier to understand if viewers knew where he was and what he was doing prior to his coming on-screen. Or if they did announce this (and I wasn't aware of it), would it have hurt to "remind" us of the announcement details?
The Stage: I see those lit-up door frames and all I can think of is the scene in "Beetlejuice" -- if you remember the movie, you'll know what I'm talking about. You don't have to get so grandiose with these things -- keep it simple so as to not take the attention away from the speakers and (more importantly) their message.
The DNC pundits are trying very hard this morning to spin it and promote that message of theirs, but the speeches last night were nowhere near heavy-lifting. And judging from their comments, the grand design includes a soft opening. Should be interesting to see HRC (tonight) and Bill (tomorrow night) deliver their messages. Word is the Dems threw HRC a bone by letting her be the one to put the O over the top by acclamation -- this will be pivotal, because we all know the party is starting to divide between the camps and the O cannot win without the HRC supporters. Stay tuned...

P.S. the McCain spot on The Tonight Show: very awkward moment when he plays the POW card on a comedy show routine. This is another one of those moments I love to catch: when the candidate stumbles or blows the counter prep given to him by his staff on issues he screwed up earlier. McCain's rebuttal was not funny, not appropriate, and still didn't help to explain what he meant last week...