A Dismal Convention Thus Far
As a political junkie, the Democrats’ convention has been B-O-R-I-N-G thus far. I can’t even watch it. That’s why I’m glad I read this article by The Hill’s Bob Cusack. Here’s his list negatives thus far:
The lingering tension between Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and the Clintons has hung in the air throughout the early part of the Denver gathering. But that hasn’t been the only thing getting in the way of the Democrats’ message and quest for unity.
Some Democratic operatives, such as James Carville and Paul Begala, have said the convention speakers have been going soft on Republicans, warning that unless that changes, Obama will not enjoy a significant post-convention bounce in the polls.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who chairs the convention, has engaged in a back-and-forth this week with the archbishop of Washington about the Catholic Church’s position on abortion.
Sen. James Webb (D-Va.) triggered headlines when he publicly criticized Democratic congressional leaders for the way they handled calls for more drilling amid high gas prices.
Speaking at a Virginia delegation breakfast in Denver on Tuesday, Webb said, “One of the great mistakes that we made in terms of political strategy before we broke for this latest recess was not taking on the Republican Party when they started talking about offshore drilling.” He added, “I believe that our leadership made a very bad mistake. I don’t think we should run from that issue.”
Union leaders this week have complained that some of their members have privately said they won’t vote for Obama because he is black. And a Democratic poll released Tuesday stated that Obama “has yet to close the deal with many white, working-class voters who normally vote Democratic.”
Other independent polls this week show that McCain has gained on Obama, with some showing the Arizona senator has the lead. Polls also indicate that Obama has not enjoyed a bounce from picking Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) as his running mate.
Let’s see. Cusack thinks that:
- Obama hasn’t closed the deal;
- Sen. Webb thinks the Democratic leadership made a major mistake on energy;
- Ms. Pelosi has gotten tangled up in a battle with the Catholic church; and
- the Clintons and Obamas still have their long knives drawn.
Gee, sounds like paradise to me. Here’s what GOP strategist Alex Castellanos thought about Hillary’s speech:
Hillary Clinton gave a workmanlike speech tonight. She checked the boxes. However, the message many will hear is that her sisterhood of the traveling pants didn’t make it this time and was wronged. But keep going, Senator Clinton told her coalition of supporters, and we will make it someday.
At least one Democratic delegate interviewed by CNN after Senator Clinton spoke said Clinton’s remarks proved she was denied the nomination because of her gender. That’s the speech she heard in the convention hall. The sisterhood of the traveling pants may not be ready to embrace Obama just yet. If had to title this speech, I would call it Clinton’s “Lesser of Two Evils” speech.
She gave all the reasons she ran for president and then said if you believe in those, vote for the Democratic nominee. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
Speaking of ringing, she said nothing about the questions she has raised about Obama’s preparedness to be president. It’s 3 a.m. and that phone is still ringing.
In other words, Hillary did what was expected and nothing more. If that’s what happened, then I can’t picture Hillary’s speech driving her supporters into Obama’s camp in any appreciable numbers. Of everything we’ve heard, that’s the worst news Sen. Obama could get from this convention.
Technorati Tags: Hillary, Democratic Convention, Energy, Nancy Pelosi, Abortion, Catholic Church, Unions, Racism, Jim Webb, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
August 27th, 2008 at 11:13 am
Is President Bush supposed to attend the RNC?
August 27th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Who cares? He, like McCain, is irrelevant to the Republican Party.
Oh, wait! McCain has to be there. Somehow he convinced enough voters he was a Republican, even though (except for the war issue) he’s much more in line with traditional donkeys (as opposed to extremists like Kennedy, Pelosi and Clinton).