From:  seanog@metconnect.com
 

First of all, re: yesterday’s post - you made me cry. It had not occurred to me that,
had history dealt us a different hand, JFK and Martin and Bobby would have been
with us this year. They were American heroes, of course not only because they were murdered.

Anyway, regarding this evening’s show - maybe you’re getting conventioned-out... I thought tonight was fine.

The Good Guys started by showcasing the 41 Democratic women in the House, led by Rosa DeLauro,
followed by Gephardt (whose speech tonight was honest-to-Koresh LIBERAL - he said we should love
one another, he did a good job of making the case for a Democratic Congress), Cabinet officers
(who deserve at least a moment in the spotlight - I’m sorry they could not, or would not, get Janet Reno,
a great lady, to speak), etc, the only truly boring part was Schumer’s “panel discussion” - that trick never works.
Reagan started this crap of using “ordinary people” in State of the Union speeches and conventions; anecdotal
evidence is always unconvincing. It seemed fake when he did it; it seems (and is) just as fake when the Dems do it, too.

John Lewis was, for many sensible reasons, an excellent choice for the Joe Lieberman intro
(for one, both marched with MLK) - a great American, his speech was impassioned and clearly heartfelt.
Haddasah Lieberman did a fine job, she comes across as personable and sincere.

Linda from PA is 100% right - Bennett seems to be everywhere, on every channel, whining and complaining
and pontificating. Like Will and Maitlin and Novak (and Hatch and Helms and - to be honest about it -
nearly all RePubs), he appears, judging by his facial expression, to be always smelling somthing bad.
And he speaks as if every word is a jewel dripping from his nicotine-stained lips. He is so full of himself
one desperately wants to reach through the TV screen and poke him in the eye.

You’re right about Doris Kearns Goodwin - she has been unfairly critical of the Democrats this year.
To be honest, I’m sick of her.

JennyQ1 and brettfavresux (I *resent* this guy’s tag - I am a Packers stockholder - he/she must be from either
Chicago or Minnesota - incidentally, Brett Favre DOESN’T suck, he’s the best QB in the NFL) are correct,
Hume’s comments were incredibly, breathtakingly partisan, trite and dumb. “His jacket is buttoned” - huh?

And this signifies what? That Gore thinks about things he does before he does them? Wouldn’t that be an
attribute for a President? Did you see the masquerade ball in Philadelphia - did you think that was not
100% scripted? You douchebag. I sincerely hope this bit of bullshit, partisan “reporting” is picked up
by salon.com or some other media outlet. FOXNEWS must be discredited at every opportunity.
There is a difference between news and propoganda; FOXPROPOGANDA or FOXGOP would
be much more accurate and appropriate. Words mean things. Remember the old days, when
Americans trusted Hundley/Brinkley, Cronkite, etal?

Rackjite’s piece was brilliant as always. I’m glad he mentioned Elliott Abrams - an evil, lying sack of shit
who tried to become a pundit based solely on the short-lived notoriety he gained because of his role in
Iran-Contra. I am elated that this slimy little weasel has been swept into the dustbin of history
(hey, come to think of it, why wasn’t he on stage in Philadelphia?).

The allegedly “wimp” Democrats have far more war heroes than does the Nazi party, which uses every
opportunity to promote the few RePubs who have actually served in the military (none of whom will ever
be allowed to run for national office, of course - anyone who believes Colin Powell or John McCain will
EVER be the Republican nominee for President needs his/her head examined - especially after this year’s
NaziCon, when we were given a glimpse into the future. Expect generations of little Bushies to run for
President, probably well into our childrens’ lifetimes). They talk a lot, but in the end it’s more than fine
with them if the “the others” (i.e., poor, minorities, etc) do the actual fighting and dying.

Even St. (What’s Your Sign?) Ronnie sat out WWII, making films for the DOD.
They have George H.W. Bush, McCain, Powell, Schwartzkopf; the other GOP war heroes are... Hmmm?
I’m waiting.

Speaking of Pigboy, he presented his usual fair, truthful report today (regrettably, thanks to you,
I’ve been listening to him regularly once again, to get my daily requirement of Nazi hate) - using tape
dubs to cut up speeches from last night so it seemed as if the speaker said things he/she didn’t actually say.
Much more needs to be made of the fact that the vulgar Pigboy, Tom DeLay, William Bennett, George Will,
etal, are, without question, the least patriotic citizens of this country. They incessantly criticize America;
they wouldn’t recognize fair play if it jumped up and bit them on the ass; they haven’t the first clue about
what “service” to one’s nation means; and they are interested solely in fattening their own wallets. If their
points are so strong and so right why do they always resort to outright lies, misrepresentations, and gimmickry?

There is no Liberal counterpart to Rush, at least not right now (I know you’re trying to get there, and you have
my full support). Al Franken is spotty, and a bit too ascerbic for mass taste; Maher is good, but he is a bit too fair,
and too nice (his recent HBO standup was outstanding - did you see it?). Lots of comedians go after the GOP,
but not often or aggressively enough. Certainly, there is no one with three hours in the middle of each day on
syndicated radio who can/will present the truth, to counter the vulgar Pigboy.

Love your “big piece of chicken” Chris Rock (one of my favs) reference. He was on Conan tonight but wasn’t
very funny, he’s promoting a drama he did recently with Morgan Freeman (great actor) and also the season
opening of his HBO show this Friday PM. He did, however, enter the stage ala Bill Clinton on Monday night
(hallway, etc), which WAS funny.

I disagree re: Guinness draught. Granted, Guinness demands to be experienced at the tap (if it’s fresh, a pint is
a tiny slice of heaven), but the cans with the CO2 carts aren’t half bad, really. Maybe yours had been sitting
around too long.

I thought Joe Lieberman did a great job. He’s corny, sure, but some of his lines were killers (especially the one
about the horse and the oats - he shouldn’t have had to explain the punchline, though), and he seems sincere
and thoughtful and smart. His jibes at the Nazis were pretty gentle, considering what they have coming to them.
He makes a very statesman-like appearance - were he running the country, you could sleep at night. I think
he’ll do fine vs. Cheney in the debate.

Bothered me that he mentioned the “g” word 10 times (this is not Jerry Falwell’s party), and like almost every
speaker at this convention, had a laundry list of things that need fixing (the President who’s leaving office is one
of the good guys, we should be partying, not criticizing or complaining; shouldn’t make a case that there’s a lot
to fix if our guy’s been in power the last two terms). Oh well, my only problem the Dems is that they are never
100% happy with anything.

Regarding spark: you’re right, and that worries me. I’ve read a few reports that the delegates are dispirited,
they think they have a losing ticket. This has been - considering that we’re seeing out a great President, and
bringing in a guy who will dance circles around Smirk in the debates - a boring convention. The speakers have
generally said the right things, but few of them have been obviously, clearly passionate about it. I thought Jesse
started slow, then built up and began to riff and eventually got into a groove. Ted Kennedy must have seen his
speech for the first time when it was on the teleprompter. Bradley (my guy - hey, he’s REALLY a Liberal, was
my Senator for 12 years) was good but he’s Bill Bradley, he’s not going to get anyone very excited. The Ford
kid did a great job - he’s a very talented speaker, and his speech was well-written - but who was watching?

This is a time of some crisis for the Democratic party. Moving towards the center has helped us win consecutive
Presidential elections (although it hurt us in statewide and local elections), but the left wing is in a lean and hungry
mood. Gore is, if anything, more centrist even than President Clinton. I think it’s hard for the DLC folks to get the
party faithful 100% on board for a third consecutive middle of the road Democrat; they demand to have a few
bones thrown to them. The Lieberman pick is a pretty big piece of meat - maybe that’s enough to shush those
puppies (I’m not saying this in a denigrating manner; I’m one of ‘em). Some of us are very unhappy that there
is an attractive candidate to the left of the Democratic party (who can’t win, of course, and against whom I’ve
been arguing with a surprising number of friends these past few months) - that’s OUR turf. We’re bound to
lose votes to Nader; maybe enough to be decisive, all because the Democrats moved too far to the middle.

Democrats are, at least, honest and open about where they stand - the Nazis have tried to give the impression
that they, too, have moved to the middle but this is, of course, smelly and aromatic bullshit. Should Smirk win,
there is no doubt that DeLay, Armey, Robertson, Helms, Falwell, Lott, and the rest of the Beltway Gestapo
will act on their core beliefs - abortion will be made illegal, rape of the environment will be the rule of the day
(remember James Watt?), etc. If they get the Executive office, AND the Congress, AND the Supreme Court,
we are truly and royally fucked.

I sent my donation to the DNC last week, I’m waiting for the President’s video to arrive - the one made for
the National Press Club (watching the dryer spin, playing “Battleship” in the Situation Room with the head
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, etc). I’ve laid in a $10,000 bet with the Mrs. that Gore will win. And I’ll spend
some time working for the Gore / Hillary campaigns in my neighborhood during the coming months.

Re: Jimmy Page - I think he applies utterly unconventional thinking to his guitar playing. I played in hard rock
and wedding bands for 30 years (I’m 46, too) (I went the opposite of Jimmy Page - I started out a Les Paul guy,
now I use a Tele and a Strat) and I’ve been a Page fan for longer than that. I’ve been able to absolutely master
only a few of his songs, I really do think he’s coming from a different place. He is indisputably a Rock god - him,
Jeff Beck, and Hendrix (Clapton is tasty, but there’s very little Clapton can play that I can’t). “The Wanton Song”
on Monday PM was awesome, sloppy for sure but you’re right, how a rhythm section not composed of Bonham
and JP Jones could even begin to keep up with him is a miracle. Cut loose with the Zep stories - are they
personal experiences, or do you refer to the legendary (and, to some of us, already familiar) tales?

Later,

Sean
 

Sean,
We saw Zeppelin three times, always under the influence of a red pyramid.
My very Catholic family occassionally reads bc.com now, so I may need
to cloak the stories in some heavy underground lingo.

But I need to get out of that Mexican jail, first.
It's been a busy three weeks :)