Monday, July 26, 2004

Democratic Nat'l Convention--Thursday

We don't get cable TV here. Had to deal with network TV. Discovered that "Live Coverage" can mean the convention is going on in the background, but Tom Brokaw's head is covering up what you might have been able to see, and he and other talking dudes blathering about what we're going to see and hear later in the week covers up whatever it is that we might see and hear now. We changed the channel.

Glenn Close's 9/11 piece seemed forced and flat to me, but who knows? It was followed by a truly moving appeal from a woman who had lost 3 family members on one of the hijacked flights.

Hillary Clinton's "introduction" was a rousing yet intelligent endorsement of the Democratic Party and the upcoming Presidential candidates. I was pleased to hear her call J. Kerry "a serious man for a serious job."

Bill Clinton's speech was effective, powerful, resonant. It was interesting to me how he said that the Republicans need a divided America. I was groping toward articulating that today, talking with Natalie, as we tried to figure out how it is that so many people seem to need to know that they are "hanging out" with the "elite," and in order to do that, they have to always be aware of somebody "other" who is not "elite."

He also reminded us that "strength" and "wisdom' are not opposing values. Thank you, Mr. Clinton.

It was a great relief, like a return to normalcy, to listen to the speakers at the Convention tonight--to hear the endorsement of common sense that our present leadership has brazenly abandoned. This is not my usual reaction to political conventions. Hopefully that signals an unusual campaign and election.

Natalie and I saw Farenheit 9/11 today, my second time, her first. It is a powerful movie. The most harrowing to me are the segments portraying the anguish of the Iraqi people surrounded by fire and chaos.

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