Monday, August 25, 2008

Back In the Saddle, Barely

On top of computer problems I caught a cold over the weekend. I think it was from the gross, sticky counter at Denny's. (But I do love to eat breakfast in the middle of the night.) When I cough, I feel like I'm about to pass out.

Watching the Democrat Convention pushes my weakened endurance to its limit. I heard Nancy Pelosi say that the first achievement of her Congress was to pass nine bills helping people. That's as specific as she got -- helping people. And that was enough for her audience. They don't want to look at the specifics, they just want to hear banalities like Democrats help people. They are not in the least curious as to what businesses were regulated and whose liberty was destroyed in the Democrats' quest to help people. We passed nine bills helping people! Jesus, it's the Kindergarten Party.

I can't watch MSNBC when I see Keith Olbermann there. The network loses all credibility by asking its viewers to take that man seriously.

If I don't pass out from Nyquil, I will post updates of thoughts on the Democrat Convention as they come. Maybe I'll take two shots of Nyquil and one shot of George Dickel just to make sure I pass out.

UPDATE: Barack Obama sees the world as it is and how it should be. Excellent!

But what does he think it should be? We didn't get an answer to that from Michelle Obama. We tend not to get such specifics in these speeches, because specifics will anger somebody out there.

Michelle Obama said that Barack wants to make the economy better. Great! But who would disagree with that? Even Hitler wanted a better economy. No one in America thinks, "Damn it -- I was hoping Obama would make the economy worse!" Okay, some environmentalists might actually disagree, but everyone else nods in agreement. But what is Obama's plan to make the economy better?

Michelle's speech did what it was supposed to do: it humanized the Obamas and showed they had strong family values. None of this should matter much in a voter's thinking, compared to a candidate's political philosophy and his concrete policies and goals, but maybe this sentimental biography does move people.

The speech was imbued with the altruist premise that only in community service does one find true morality. This premise, which Michelle Obama surely does not think is controversial, was the scariest thing in her speech. I keep hearing her famous line, "Barack Obama will require you to work."

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Myrhaf,

What exactly is it that you dislike about Keith Olbermann? I watched his MSNBC show just once, and he was sanctimoniously condemning Bush for the war in Iraq. Of course, Bush should be condemned for his policies in Iraq, but Olbermann came off as some irrationally angry Leftist who would be equally condemnatory if Bush had attacked and destroyed the Iranian regime (a fantasy, I know). But I really should not write anything more, because Ican't make much of a confident judgment based on one viewing.

I know Olbermann better from his days at ESPN and, more recently, his work on NBC’s Football Night in America. Now I can confidently say he can be rather amusing on that show, although a bit taken away with his witty self.

~ Joseph Kellard

Michael Neibel said...

Myhraf:
"Kindergarten Party" is right on. I wrote a post once titled "Children in Charge". I think Nancy and Al Gore are the two biggest children, that is, most immature, in government today. All the new leftists are that way to some extent.

Anonymous said...

Watching the convention would put me to sleep faster than the NyQuil if the speeches (and the audience's credulous, uncritical approval) weren't so alarming/frightening.

Myrhaf said...

Keith Olbermann rants about Bush without being on solid ground, with the usual leftist distortions of the Iraq war. And he does it in the most pompous style possible. Bush should be criticized, but not the way Olbmermann does it.

madmax said...

Olbermann criticizes the Iraq War from the perspective that America is an imperialist, fascist nation waging a war of aggression against innocent Muslims for the purposes of stealing their oil. And of course the entire war is being underwritten by Haliburton and "Big Oil." Bill Mayer essentially does the same thing but at least he hates religion (or at least monotheism) and is somewhat entertaining. Olbermann is just a pretentious, unbearable Angry Leftist. He is the biggest New Left attack dog of the MSM.

Anonymous said...

"Jesus, it's the Kindergarten Party."

Haha. One of the notes I wrote while watching the Pelosi speech was:
"*Chanting "John McCain is wrong" like a kindergarten class."

mtnrunner2 said...

>"Barack Obama will require you to work."

So did Stalin: "Comrade, the good news is, you will be working outdoors, in the fresh air of the beautiful taiga..."

Anonymous said...

Yes, another advocate of state-directed work said, "Arbeit macht frei."