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Getbig Main Boards => Politics and Political Issues Board => Topic started by: Benny B on August 29, 2008, 10:30:14 AM
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Andrew Sullivan:
It was a deeply substantive speech, full of policy detail, full of people other than the candidate, centered overwhelmingly on domestic economic anxiety. It was a liberal speech, more unabashedly, unashamedly liberal than any Democratic acceptance speech since the great era of American liberalism. But it made the case for that liberalism - in the context of the decline of the American dream, and the rise of cynicism and the collapse of cultural unity. His ability to portray that liberalism as a patriotic, unifying, ennobling tradition makes him the most lethal and remarkable Democratic figure since John F Kennedy.
What he didn't do was give an airy, abstract, dreamy confection of rhetoric. The McCain campaign set Obama up as a celebrity airhead, a Paris Hilton of wealth and elitism. And he let them portray him that way, and let them over-reach, and let them punch him again and again ... and then he turned around and destroyed them. If the Rove Republicans thought they were playing with a patsy, they just got a reality check.
TPM's Josh Marshall:
I thought this was a very strong speech. About exactly what was needed. It was a strong speech. He made the case for himself; he laid out clear policy goals; and he aggressively set forth the stakes of the campaign. He made the case against John McCain while not attacking his character -- which makes a clear contrast with McCain's aggressively personal, denigrating campaign strategy.
I've heard a few people say that he seemed to hold back from giving the soaring speech he might have given. But I suspect that was intentional and I think a good decision. Meta-themes and tonality form the deeper structure of political communication. And the aim of this speech was not eloquence but strength.
Washington Post's Chris Cillizza:
The optics of the event - the first national party convention to be held outdoors since John F. Kennedy accepted the Democratic nomination at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1960 -- were breathtaking. Television screens filled with images of Obama supporters dancing in the aisles to the tunes of Stevie Wonder and Sheryl Crow; a blazing orange sun set on an arid Colorado night as Obama prepared to take the stage. The speech ended with fireworks and confetti, as Obama, his runningmate, Sen. Joe Biden, and their families stood together waving to the crowd of delegates and supporters, at the climax of the Democratic National Convention.
Senator Hillary Clinton:
"Barack Obama's speech tonight laid out his specific, bold solutions and optimistic vision for our nation and our children's future.
"His speech crystallized the clear choice between he and Senator McCain. Four more years of the same failed policies or a leader who can tackle the great challenges we face: revitalizing our economy and restoring our standing in the world. I am proud to support Senator Obama, our next President of the United States and Joe Biden, our next Vice President of the United States."
Radar's Charles Kaiser:
It was the perfect culmination of a convention that was just as well-choreographed as the campaign that preceded it. Obama's speech was a splendid blend of stagecraft and substance. If you read the text, it hardly jumps off the page. But in Obama's hands it came alive, particularly here:
* We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe.
And here:
* If you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.
The cumulative effect of the words of Michelle, Teddy Kennedy, Bill Clinton, and Obama himself should give the him a noticeable bounce.
MotherJones' David Corn:
It was a historic speech on a historic night--in a remarkable setting. A crowd of tens of thousands of Americans, filling an entire stadium in the middle of the country, waved American flags and signs calling for "Change." Never in the nation's history had more Americans attended such an event. Never before had an African-American accepted the presidential nomination of a major party in the United States. And the speech of Barack Obama matched the moment.
He connected his own history--the history of a not-quite-ordinary American family--to the mythical promise of America. His rhetoric soared--as usual--but it was tethered to reality: in particular, the stark differences between how Obama would approach the challenges the nation now faces and how John McCain would do so. Obama laced his criticism of the Bush years and the possible McCain years with a dose of populism, which gave portions of the speech a sharp edge. And he brought his pitch for hope and change down to the ground with a succinct description of policy ideas he would work for as president.
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DENVER — First word on Barack Obama's historic nomination acceptance speech from a bevy of celebrities in attendance was decidedly partisan: "It was excellent," Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie said. "It was amazing."
"Incredible," said Jessica Alba simply, before joining Fergie, Rosario Dawson, Wilmer Valderrama and Kerry Washington at a private exit from Invesco Field. Alba was at the speech with husband Cash Warren.
Other celebrities in attendance included George Lucas with girlfriend Mellody Hardon and his daughter, Forest Whitaker with wife Keisha and Star Jones, and Daniel Dae Kim of "Lost," who posed for pictures with the Hawaii delegation.
Next for Obama and his celebrity backers?
"What I hope happens is the country doesn't forget the jubilation and excitement that's been generated here," Kim said. "And I hope it turns into something that changes the world."
will.i.am performed his speech-song "Yes We Can" with John Legend during the run-up to Obama's speech. Susan Sarandon and Anne Hathaway sang along in the stands as Sheryl Crow performed "Change is Gonna Come," and crooner Michael McDonald prompted many a flag wave with his rendition of "America the Beautiful."
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Oprah Winfrey left Denver with the candidate she wanted, but reportedly without her eyelashes.
The talk-show host said she was moved to tears by Obama's speech. And those must've been some serious tears.
"I cried my eyelashes off," she said in the bowels of Invesco Field, moments after Obama accepted the nomination for president before an estimated 84,000 people.
"I think it's the most powerful thing I have ever experienced," she added, calling Obama's words "transcendent." On the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a Dream Speech," Winfrey compared Obama's words to those of the civil-rights leader, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.
"He's not an African-American candidate," she said. "He's a candidate for Americans."
Winfrey threw her support behind Obama early _ even before the Democratic primaries got under way last year. She's stayed active since, hosting rallies and fundraisers that even Obama has acknowledged have given him a boost.
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Before singing the national anthem to a slowly filling stadium, Jennifer Hudson appeared lost in thought, wearing a casual gray dress and listening to iPod earphones as her handlers asked for directions to the podium. While waiting, she typed on a Sidekick.
"Fired up!" said an excited Spike Lee on the field. "Bigger than the Super Bowl!"
The only major party planned for Thursday night was an elite event sponsored by Vanity Fair and Google.
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Among the celebrities spotted in and around the convention on Wednesday was Steven Spielberg, who directed a short film on veterans that shown at the convention. Jennifer Lopez spoke at a reception honoring children's rights activist Marian Wright Edelman. Ben Affleck read excerpts from a Howard Zinn book and made an appearance at the city's food bank for America's Second Harvest.
Affleck was joined by his wife, Jennifer Garner, at the book reading at the Starz Green Room across the street from the Pepsi Center. Also participating: Dawson, Washington, Taye Diggs, Hill Harper and Josh Brolin.
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Also on Wednesday:
_ The Black Eyed Peas performed a concert at the Fillmore Auditorium for the Creative Coalition. Fergie praised Hillary Rodham Clinton's Tuesday-night speech, saying Clinton "really spoke to me as a woman. And I think she spoke to a lot of people in that way."
_ Politicians including former Virginia Gov. Mark Warner attended a ONE Campaign party featuring a Kanye West performance. Also in attendance: Whitaker, Kal Penn, Jamie Foxx and director Davis Guggenheim.
_ Muhammad Ali sat in the convention audience.
_ Fran Drescher, Ashley Judd and Joy Bryant joined Lopez at the reception honoring Edelman.
_ Hathaway and others gathered at a morning reception honoring Annette Bening for her work narrating the documentary "14 Women," about women in the U.S. Senate.
_ Big Boi of Outkast was at the airport on his way out of town after hosting a Radio One show where he interviewed John Legend, among others.
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I loved seeing all the wankers, women and negros crying at the end of his half-hour of jibberish.....
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Obama documentary maker: The only negative aspect of Obama is … Republicans
HotAir ^ | March 9, 2012 | Ed Morrissey
Allahpundit introduced you to the story of the Obama campaign documentary — allow CNN’s Piers Morgan to introduce you to its producer, documentarian Davis Guggenheim. Morgan fillets Guggenheim after the filmmaker insists that he found no negatives at all about Barack Obama, and that the only negative aspect of Obama’s term as President comes from … his opposition. No, seriously:
--snip--
Piers Morgan: “Most documentary makers balance these movies with the negative as well as the positive. What are the negatives in your movie about Barack Obama? Davis Guggenheim: “Well, I mean the negative for me was, there were too many accomplishments. I had 17 minutes to put them all in there.”
Piers Morgan: “Oh, come off it! You can’t say that with a straight face. Come on.”
Davis Guggenheim: “I’m looking at you right now with a straight face.”
Piers Morgan: “The only negativity about Barack Obama is there are too many positives?”
(Excerpt) Read more at hotair.com ...
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