WaxWorks
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Thursday, January 10, 2008
Just Wondering
At the last two Democratic conventions, the main speaker on the first night of the convention has been Bill Clinton making the case for the Democratic nominee. With great success, in my opinion.
If Obama wins the nomination, will the party need to look for a new opening night speaker?
On the other side, Democrats are probably salivating about the prospect of George W. Bush, he with the 30+% approval rating, speaking on behalf of the Republican nominee on the first night of their convention. Maybe the White House will announce an "important" Presidential trip to Afghanistan that leaves August 31, 2008 and returns September 5.
Monday, January 07, 2008
A Few More Thoughts Before New Hampshire
1) If Hillary does flame out quickly, and Obama runs away with it, I'm wondering if people will question her decision to pass on challenging Bush in 2004. Clearly she felt that an open election with no incumbent would be an easier race for her, as no one could have foreseen the Obama tornado, and certainly running for reelection in New York and serving out her first term as a Senator all had benefits for her, but I think she certainly would have gotten the nomination in 2004 and would have been at least as strong as Kerry (and Kerry nearly won), and, with the nation closer to Bill Clinton's presidency, perhaps that token would have had more power.
2) Hillary has been focusing on the history of making change vs. just talking about change, I couldn't help but think about this classic SNL fake commercial from the late 80s. In any event, Obama has not been focusing on his record, instead trying to emphasize his vision for America. But I was impressed by his record in the Illinois state legislature, as this Washington Post op-ed piece describes. Being able to turn widespread opposition into a 35-0 vote in the Illinois state Senate on an issue like videotaping interrogations and confessions is pretty impressive.
3) Finally, if we still can't decide after New Hampshire, maybe this candidate will get a look too.
