What did you think of Hillary Clinton's convention speech?

I could not agree more. If any of the holdouts weren’t woken up to the stakes of this election, nothing is going to convince them. Clearly, her statement about why you supported her, was it for her or for the cancer patient or the marine, that gets right to the heart of it and calls them out for the selfish, myopic, petty people they were.

She needed to attack McCain, check.
She needed to support Obama, check.
She needed to acknowledge her supporters, check.
She needed to toot her own horn, check.
She needed to remind her supporters what was really at stake and why they supported her in the first place, check.

There’s nothing she needed to do that she didn’t do as well as any person possibly could have. There are only 3 types of people who won’t be moved by this, and nothing would move them.

1) People like Will Bower and the PUMAs. You know, I engaged with Mr. Bower personally on another board, I challenged him on some very specific points about how he could support McCain if he believed what Hillary stood for. He had a hit and run prepared answer that was based on technicalities but which was completely illogical and hypocritical, and he didn’t come back to support his thesis when challenged. Clearly he’s in this for his own notoriety, nothing else.

2) People who were never really Democrats in the first place….some Hillary supporters were only in it to mess with the process, some were in it because they wanted a woman but weren’t really Dems, some just liked Hillary, period.

3) Some have serious reservations about Obama’s lack of experience. These may never be convinced, but then again when push comes to shove, a lot of them aren’t going to risk a McCain Presidency.

That’s all anyone could have hoped for…these 3 groups will not be moved

Well said, Dale.

As to your five checkmarks…believe it or not, those were the exact 5 things I was looking for, and made little checkmark signs in the air with my index finger as she accomplished them. Hillary did a fantastic job tonight. Having been on Obama’s primary campaign staff, I spent many months fighting that woman (which I do not regret….) Tonight, she inspired me, and I have never appreciated her more.

It’s definitely a side of her that if we’d seen more of, she might have pulled it off. I was sold on Obama when I saw him in ‘04, and I had always thought I’d vote for Hil if she ever ran, but it became clear that Obama was a real progressive and Clinton was a real politician. Hillary would have been a great Democratic nominee, but Obama said the things (and genuinely believed them) that I’ve been waiting my whole life to hear a Presidential candidate (who actually had a shot at it) say. She did so many things that made me so angry and it became clear that winning was the only thing…integrity was meaningless to her. But now, WOW, she has redeemed herself in every way imaginable. I wasn’t sure before if she believed her own rhetoric, if she genuinely cared…she made me believe.

Glad you’re enjoying the entertainment.

I much preferred Kucinich’s speech.

I can’t even watch this stuff now.

Kucinich is definitely more in line with my politics, but America is far too shallow to vote for someone who looks like a garden gnome and far too conservative and easily manipulated to elect someone that liberal.

Hillary for President!

the only concern I have was that she didn’t do enough to counter the attacks on his youthfull political career.

Other than that I agree with dale and lefteh.

I love Hilary Clinton. I will vote for her in 2012, like I did this year.

@nayeight—- that’s fine that you love her but don’t say 2012. that means mccain wins and i know you dont actually want that. How about 2016? : )

That doesn’t mean McCain wins, does it? Obama could win this election and then not be elected in 2012, right? I say let him have his 4 years, then give Hillary a crack at the whip, (haha).

No incumbent president seeking reelection has been significantly challenged by a party colleague since Ted Kennedy gave Jimmy Carter a run for his money in 1980.

Let’s get through 2008 first, before we start worrying about 2016. Because you go down that road you have to say Obama could win or lose, then if he wins does he survive (figuratively or literally), and if he does, does Biden want it in 2016 and who knows who comes down the pipe by then. Or could Obama win and have his first term be disasterous in which case maybe she WILL challenge him for th enomination. And if he loses, will he try again in 2012, will McCain run for re-election, if McCain doesn’t, will his running mate run? And will Dubya or Cheney name themselves Supreme Commander for Life some time in October of this year? Just get out and vote in November and hope for the best.

”... and he knows that government must be about We the People, not We the Favored Few.”

- Hillary Clinton

”... and we will overcome the obstacles in our path to greatness”
– Barack Obama

You seem to be interested in individual rights, kevbo. So why would so adamantly oppose the candidate fighting for them? John McCain obviously has a less-than-stellar record on the topic. I would think that you would be quite adamant in supporting the candidate that is defending the civil rights you hold so dear.

@lefteh, I see your point, and I further apologize for not responding more directly to your question and instead focusing on other aspects of the DNC.

To more directly respond to your question, I would agree that she did an effective job of encouraging the bulk of her supporters to throw their weight behind Barack Obama. It is always effective to remind a group of people that their support of certain ideals should supersede their support of individual leaders championing those ideals.

I don’t pretend to have a better understanding of politics than Hillary Clinton, but her speech seems hardly praiseworthy when she could have said the same things months ago when her only hopes for securing the nomination were “new math” and hopeless and unfair ploys to bend the rules to include biased primary election results. I’m sure it’s all funny money anyway but now governors, (such as Bill Richardson) and other supporters are stumping to pay her campaign debts. To me, that seems like a giant waste of time, effort, and money (both hers and the public’s) that could have been easily avoided.

I don’t adamantly oppose Obama (and I am certainly not for McCain). In fact, I was for Obama, albeit passively, in the primaries. On the whole, I think the populist nature of his campaign has been fantastic as has his rhetoric. However, his drift to the center in recent months as well as his giant list of corporate sponsors has me prepared for disappointment. By extension, the not-so-well-lit side of this year’s convention has me concerned that regardless of the candidate and the story that’s being sold, it really is business as usual—maybe even more than usual. I would like nothing more than to be proved wrong in this assumption.

I believe much of “Obama’s drift to the center” is a media creation. If you were intimately familiar with his policies from the time he started running, you’d find that he has shifted very little, almost not at all in fact. A lot of people point to the war as an example, but he ALWAYS said we need to be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in, that timetables were tools to make Iraq step up to the plate and not be all end all drop dead dates, and that any decisions he made would be informed by his military commanders, and any decisions would recognize current realities. But the media like 45 second sound bytes….Obama wants to end the war in 16 months…suddenly he talks to Petraeus and Crocker, and he’s selling out the Dems.

As for corporate sponsorships, this is all paritsan noise. His campaign does not take money from lobbyists, that’s what’s important. he doesn’t take campaign money from large special interest corporations. But you CAN’T stop someone who works for a particular type of company from donating as a person. I work for a Real Estate Development company, I have donated to Obama several times, but I do not in any way shape or form represent the industry.

Much of what seems to concern you kevbo, seems to be Republican talking points…you’re buying into what they want you to buy into and not seeing th ebig picture. There is in my opinion no reason to question his judgement or financial independence from big money interests. The things they’ve tried to tie to him are so indirect as to be meaningless. And even if he has imperfections, you have to see that he’s a far cry from the other alternative.

@dale, on your advisement, I’ll hold judgement on his drift to the center. I personally don’t consider his stance on the war as an example, but I have considered FISA and domestic drilling as such.

If I’m buying into anything, though, it’s anti-fascist talking points.

@ Kevbo – could you point me to his sponsorships (not because I doubt you or want to make a point, but because that would concern me as well)

I still found it disconcerting how little she actually spoke to her opinion of Obama’s worthiness as a leader. I am glad, having watched Bills speech, that he covered what she left off.

a) I’m tired from whipping myself into a frothing frenzy.

b) I don’t remember where I got that (giant list) from and am willing to concede that I’m wrong. I read a flurry of articles last night and either took it from something I read, or I lumped Obama’s sponsors with the DNC’s sponsors, which better fits my argument. Related link.

c) Here’s a list of top Obama donors/bundlers, as well as some commentary.

d) Perhaps the weather is getting to me.

Sorry… DNC’s sponsors (disregard link above).

Thanks so much. I am finding that I am becoming guilty of closing my mind to one of the candidates and I want to remain open.

“No way. No how. No McCain.”
– Hillary Clinton

Best. Hillary quote. Ever

I really liked her speech.