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The DNC! (And… Palin?)

So I read transcripts and caught sounds bites of Michelle Obama’s speech, and I thought “OK, someone more informed than me thinks this is needed. Fine.”

Then I watched Hillary on day 2, and I let out a sigh of relief. Besides the odd introductory video… On message, clear, articulate, and a solid endorsement of her primary season rival. Good job, Hill. But I braced myself for Bill.

I missed Bill and only caught the tail end of Biden. But from all accounts, Bill came through, stating in no uncertain terms how Obama is the man to win this election. I wasn’t particularly impressed with Biden’s oratorical skills, but his prime time rivals at the event are the best in the biz, so I let it slide. Biden did deliver on his campaign season cachet: as the voice of experience and able bodied McCain thrasher.

I still bit my tongue, fearful that the last day would bring something unexpected. It didn’t. Obama delivered covering all of his bases in the process. In particular, I was looking for enough “specificity” to silence that particular criticism. He succeeded, insomuch as anyone can go into policy during a nationally televised speech. (McCain himself doesn’t – you talk nitty gritty and you loose the crowd.)

I don’t self-identify as a Democrat and aren’t registered as one, but at this pace I might just be able to put enough faith into the party to switch my affiliation. I never imagined I would agree politically with a major party candidate, but the pandering of the Democratic Leadership Council seems to have gone by the wayside, replaced by someone who means and believes what he says – and has the political platform for me to truly appreciate that quality.

Highlights include Hillary’s “Twin Cities” barb and Biden making the absolutely sublime point that the #1 qualification for the presidency is not experience, but good judgement. The stage last night at the stadium was not over done, contrary to the McCain camp’s exaggerations.

To top it all off, McCain announced his Veep choice today in an attempt to divert the country’s attention. But he made an odd choice, a woefully inexperienced and obscure governor from Alaska currently embroiled in an ethics investigation. Two years ago Palin was mayor of a town of 9,000. Now she’s the GOP VP nominee, solely to pick up a few lost stragglers hellbent on voting for something without a penis. A spokesperson from the McCain camp described this choice as a “maverick picking a maverick.” Apparently, McCain’s maverickness is based around a nonconformity to reality.

This week has gone much better than I could have expected.

Happy Tsunami Tuesday!

I’ve heard a lot of talk about today being a national referendum because of the whopping 24 states with primaries held today. But it’s not. The primary season has been going strong for months, and the field of candidates on both sides of the aisle has narrowed considerably since things started. Today is sort of interesting in that every candidate has had to pick and choose their battles; nobody will be winning all of them today. But just like a national referendum, today reemphasizes the importance of money in the political cycle, as TV ads stand in for candidates campaigning halfway across the country.

A recorded Hillary message keeps calling us. It would be one thing if it was an actual person making the call, but when a Hillbot calls up and talks to our answering machine, it makes you wonder…

If her machine is calling our machine and asking for its vote, then are the voting machines with no paper trails or means of accountability really recording human votes, or are they deciding election results by how many phone calls they’ve received from each candidate?

Get out and vote if you’re eligible given your criminal history and party affiliation. Unless you’re voting for Hillary. In which case… Well.