Posted on 07/28/2004 4:35:54 AM PDT by governsleastgovernsbest
John Kerry should be nervous. He seems more and more like an afterthought at his own convention. Judging by its coverage this morning, instead of the lugubrious Kerry, Today would love to see inaugurated on January 20th Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate for US Senate from Illinois.
Today led with a clip from Obama's keynote address in which he claimed there was "no liberal America, no conservative America, just the United States of America." Today claimed the speech "electrified" the crowd. It was a nice speech and certainly well received. But "electrified"? A bit of positive editorializing by Today.
Tim Russert, in a subsequent interview with Katie, joined in the gushing, speculating that Obama could one day become the first African-American President.
Campbell Brown surprisingly gave away the beans. She mentioned that Obama is a strong supporter of abortion rights and gun control, and is strongly opposed to the Iraq war. In other words, there's a very good reason for Obama to fudge over the differences between liberal America and conservative America - he is a big-time liberal, like every other national Democrat, and he knows that a significant majority of Americans reject liberalism.
Today mentioned this biographical note: Obama is the son of a Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas. He was raised by his white grandparents.
Those FReepers who watched Teresa's speech last night and/or read the multitudinous comments about it on FR threads know that it was an excruciating embarrassment, with many observers remarking that to all appearances Teresa seemed heavily sedated, speaking in a very slow, depressed monotone.
Katie gingerly asked Russert what he thought of the speech, and specifically of Teresa's comment that she wanted an America in which "opinionated" women (such as herself) would be respected as smart and knowledgeable. Russert said that "this is who she is and they did the best they could with her" [!] Translation: "they know they have a problem on their hands."
Then it was on to Katie's interview with Elizabeth Edwards, who will introduce her husband tonight, and their daughter Cate [sic] who will introduce her mother.
Katie asked about Teresa's "shove it" comment, made to a journalist "from a conservative newspaper." If a Republican wife had told a NY Times reporter to shove it, would Katie have described the Times as a "liberal" newspaper, despite the fact that the Times' own ombudsman admitted last week that it is?
In any case, Elizabeth expressed the pious hope that Teresa's "terrific" speech last night would get as much coverage as the "shove it" comment.
There was some unintentional humor. Cate Edwards, the 22-yr. old daughter who will introduce her mother, unfortunately seems to have inherited more of her mother's looks than her father's. I'm not sure whose brains she inherited, but she seemed like a confused, somewhat clueless young woman.
Couric tossed her a very generic, gentle question about what she has experienced out on the campaign trail. Cate screwed up her face in a befuddled scrunch, looking like a seventh-grader who had been asked to describe Einstein's theory of quantum physics.
That is truly a wonderful thought to hold to; while the Democrats bleat on and on through this show convention.
Edwards is speaking now; great speaker; but empty and divisive words carrying a message that is 'not'.
His talent makes him more than a bit scary. .
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