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Well, to have something to do during Obama's speech, I kept a window on my blog open and typed some thoughts. I knew I'd argue with him during most of the speech anyways, so I might as well try to listen closely and write instead of just having that go around in my head.
Reactions to Obama's speech.
-Boy, we are all screwed if in the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton is 'the champion of workers.' The Clintons, who gave us NAFTA and WTO and thus sent our jobs overseas, and who also didn't do squat for labor during their reign, are most certainly not 'champions of the workers'.
-Hmmm, in an Obama speech, I should time how long it is till he's says something that means something. About 5 min and counting.
-Is Obama unaware that he 'stands there tonight' because of $400 million dollars of corporate money? 7 min and counting.
-Obama apparently just accused the Democratic Congressional leadership of ruling over a 'broken politics in Washington'. Have all the Democrats forgotten they've held power in Congress over the last two years? 8 min and counting.
-Now he's talking about New Orleans. Or at least it got a throw-off line. Again, apparently forgetting that its Democratic majorities in Congress that have refused to give aid to Katrina victims. 10 min without any substance.
-He just conceded 'war hero' status to McCain. Both political stupidity and sign that Obama wouldn't know a war criminal if he stood right next to him. 12 min with no substance.
-So far, typical Obama. He can list some of the problems in the country. And he can take cheap slaps at McCain. But 14 minutes with no substance on what he'll do as President.
-Still more. A decent listing of problems with the Republicans. Followed by 'this is why its time for change'. And that's why he's running for the Presidency of the United States. Funny, I must of missed when he said what he'd actually do as President. 16 minutes with no substance.
-At least his speechwriters only use the word 'change' sparingly instead of shoving it in every sentence like in his earlier speeches. 17 min with no substance.
-He's got some nerve talking about vets after yesterday's march and standoff. I've got a small bet that he won't publicly endorse in this speech the specifics that IVAW asked for. So far he's got pretty words about vets, and absolutely nothing in specifics to promise them. 18 min with no substance.
-Now he's talking about his grandmother. 19 min with no substance.
-He intends to win this election. 20 min with no substance.
-Wow, now the guy who sends the riot police into the streets to meet protesters and vets is talking about 'an obligation to treat each other with respect.' 21 min with no substance.
-Danger, he's actually hinting at something here in talking about the promise of America. No real specifics, but he's given some vagueness about 'clean water and safe toys' (safe toys is a national priority?) 22 min with no substance.
-Uh oh, he's going to spell out ..... wait .. is there something real here. Maybe a hint of cutting out tax breaks for sending jobs overseas. but he quickly just promised to cut corporate taxes and get rid of the capital gains tax. Just promised to cut taxes on 95% of working families. No details of course. Why the 95%?
-Now a promise that the next president (or two down the line since he said 10 years) to cut our dependence on oil from the middle east. Slippery wording, I wonder if that means he's going to invade Venezuela and seize that oil?
-Oh goody, now he's giving money to 'clean coal' and 'nuclear power' and promising subsidies for the big three auto companies.
-Close to a real specific. $150 billion into renewable energy. Didn't catch the wording to know if some of that includes nukes. Nor over how many years.
-Promising vaguely to recruit new teachers, improve education. Had a Republican point in there about demanding accountability from teachers.
-Oh goody, he promised that the corporation I work for will pay less for my health insurance premium. Said if I didn't have that I could have the same care as Congress, but not a word about what he'd charge me for that! Or about the Democratic plan to make it a crime for me not to buy health insurance.
-In an America where all workers are having problems getting a decent job, he just promised equal pay for equal work.
-Oh great, a Reagan-like attack on the federal budget and beauracracy.
-Now he's off on the 'blame it on us' theme. Wasted energy, crime, struggling families are all our fault. Its we that must take responsibility for what's broken. Seems to be channeling Reagan all through this part of the speech. BTW, the substance part is apparently done, so I should start a new count till the next little nugget of substance.
-Some alpha-male talk about challenging McCain.
-Drags up the one moment as a state senator when he actually did oppose a war. Follows this with some strong warlike threats to Afghanistan and Obama bin Laden. 2 min since substance ended.
-Did say he'd withdraw troops from Iraq. No specifics on how many nor when. No mention of the usual loopholes he puts on it. 3 min since last substance.
-talking about 'standing up for Georgia'. How nice that he echoes the Republican line on this one.
-Tries to tie himself to Roosevelt and Kennedy. This campaign has done a lot of this. Tries to tie his vagueness to what greats in the past have done. Just propaganda to tie their great names to his. 4 min since last substance.
-Did promise better benefits to vets. Now he's talking about more wars and 'rebuilding our military'.
-Wants 'tough diplomacy'.And apparently he's going to 'restore America's standards', No mention on how he'll do that and still fight all the dirty wars around the world he's promising to fight.
-Attacking McCain's character by complaining that the various pro-war candidates can't disagree without challenging each other's patriotism. 7 min since last real substance.
-Big applause line about troops fighting and dying under our great flag. Seems to think this is a good thing. 70,000 cheer in agreement with that.
-More alpha-male challenges to McCain. 8 min since last substance.
-he just threw out the New Deal as 'worn out ideas of the past'
-just promised to extend the police state by expanding gun control.
-did he just say that 'employers who undercut American wages by hiring illegal workers' is 'part of America's promise'? Surely not, but the sentences sure seemed to flow together to create that impression.
-Just accused the Republicans as using stale tactics to scare voters (hope all the bloggers who say 'vote Obama or else the boogie man McCain will win' will hear that and stop their stale tactics.)
-16 year political hack trying to pretend to be an outsider. 10 min since the 'substance section' ended.
-Basically just said its all our fault if we don't get the change we think we will get. Pretty much just said don't expect any change to come from Washington. Of course, we've seen the riot police in the streets as the answer to any who don't just wait on change to be delivered from Washington.'
-Saying its a great thing for workers to cut their hours back to save a co-workers job. Not a word about how he might work to avoid that choice. Just that its a great spirit to see workers doing that as they all slowly go down together.
-btw, he also bragged about how he's such a great Republican that Republicans were voting for him. 14 min since substance ended.
-Oh, here comes the bit where he tries to steal King's dream. He's definitely already ripped off the speaking rythym, but its definitely stronger here.
-Vague bit about 'together our dreams can be won'. Not a word on what his part will be.
-More vagueness about 'America we can not turn back.' Listed some of the problems of America, but not a word about what he'd propose to do anything about them. Just that 'we can't turn back' repeated several times.
-Thank you, cue the country music. Did they really just go straight from a brief mention of MLK's 'I have a dream' speech into country music?
I heard a lot from progressives and Dems before the speech tying this speech to the anniversary of Dr. King's famous speech. Big part of the pre-speech hype. I wonder if they knew it was going to be one throw-away line in the speech, nothing at all about what he'd do to advance and achieve Dr. King's dream, then immediately go to 'thank you' and cue the country music. Of all things to cue at that point, did it really have to be country music. Maybe its because I was raised in the South, but that's a jarring discordance.
I've thought all week that Dr. King would not be inside that convention. That instead he'd be outside continuing his fights for justice, peace and an end to poverty. Now I feel like that quick cut to country music after grabbing his name must have him rolling over in his grave.
-On the bet about whether he publicly backs the IVAW demands of yesterday, I'd say Obama gets a small amount of partial credit. He did have a line about doing a better job of taking care of our soldiers when they come home. But nothing about ending the wars and bringing the troops home. Basically tried to repeat an earlier pledge to withdraw from Iraq. Sounded like he was referring to that. But that earlier pledge was so full of loopholes that we'd still have about 70,000 troops there. He didn't say he'd changed his position, but he didn't list any loopholes either.
But, given the numerous warlike chest thumping to fight in Afghanistan and to continue (and win of course) the war on terror, its a pretty sure bet that the troops ain't coming home during the Obama years.
-samsonsworld.blogspot.com
