DNC – Convention Coverage

So ended up watching most of the DNC coverage this evening. About 5 minutes of CNN “Let’s Make This about What Our Pundits and Talking Heads Think” drove me over to C-SPAN, which suffered only from not always being good about noting who was whom.

Observations:

1. What an amazing, incredible, daunting, fantastic honor to speak at the DNC. Until you realize you’re sandwiched between five other governors / congressmen / veterans / noted guests, not to mention, oh, the folks who the media are actually covering.
2. Harry Reid gave the best speech I’ve ever heard him make (which isn’t saying much). Nancy Pelosi was her usual awful self.
3. Bill Clinton managed to actually get Michelle Obama smiling by the end of his speech, which tells me he said and did the right things. Which, I think, he did.
4. Okay, I’ve bought into the Biden Kool-aid. At least to the extent that he said the right things, behaved the right way, and seems to be a fine running mate.
5. Right. I get it that the Dems are trying to point out that they, too, are “people of faith.” The continuous matra of “God Bless Our Troops! God Bless America!” got more than a bit old. I shudder to think of what the GOP confab will be like.
6. Obama’s surprise visit was a surprise only if you didn’t listen to any media coverage which noted that he was arriving in town and planning on visiting the convention. That said, it was reasonably staged, and the man’s ability to behave casually under the circumstances, alternating between seriousness and smiles, is amazing.