Brad might have called this one right. I looked at the Clintons as acting as a riptide and he figured they might be willing to surf this wave for all it is worth. So far, Bill’s speech supports Brad’s position.
I’m really quite overwhelmed by this–he’s really quite good tonight. No one pulls them in the way he does. Cardiac bypasses and sex therapy don’t seem to have affected his abilities at the podium.
That was EXACTLY what I thought Hillary was going to do.
Haha. Leave it to Bill to show you how it’s done.
Now, he’ll go back to being passive aggressive and sniping. And he wasn’t without his subtle jabs. But he’s the Big Dog for a reason—he is constitutionally incapable of throwing a speech.
Man, I was sitting here thinking “Ho shit. Why didn’t they just give both Clintons Tuesday.” The Obama people have to be breathing a big sigh of relief after the Hillary fiasco.
Ironically, Bill has been the pissy one all throughout, but he’s the one that went up and delivered when it mattered. If anything, Bill kind of threw Hillary under the bus, if only by contrast.
If anything James, I lucked into being right on this one. I honest to God thought Hillary would give exactly that kind of speech, going OVER THE TOP to show what a good statesman she was of the party and how selfless she actually was. She went for self-aggrandizing back-biting instead.
What we underestimated with Bill, by comparison, was his preternatural need to exceed expectations and bask.
In an attempt to redeem myself, I have to ask whether this all will last beyond the convention (esp. Bill). His behavior on Hillary’s campaign trail certainly did harm.
So far, Brad’s scenario looks more viable than the one those guys in black gave me, but this isn’t over yet.
No, I have every expectation that Bill is going to immediately go back to passive aggressive childishness. Ironically, it might be Hillary that goes to work for Obama.
But one thing I’ll say for Bill Clinton. When you give him a stage, a limelight, and a huge audience, every time he blows me away more than I thought he would. Just when you think the Big Dogs’ had it, he has moments like this (his was also the best speech of the 2004 convention).
Sorry I missed this. Clinton’s not a magnificent orator in a technical sense, but he is the best I’ve ever seen at playing argumentative angles for persuasive leverage. I always enjoy watching him play the policy game.
This should be interesting.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:01 pm
Michelle Obama doesn’t look too happy again!
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:02 pm
You ripped the words right out of my mouth, Laura!
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:04 pm
I saw that immediately.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:04 pm
Great minds.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:04 pm
Of course he is honored.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:05 pm
And, he loves it.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:05 pm
They’re salivating all over him.
Losers
Comment by Liz — 8/27/2008 @ 9:06 pm
Nice stab, Bill.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:06 pm
He’s a rock star for the Dems, just like Reagan was for Republicans–although Reagan didn’t have a sex scandal…
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:07 pm
“Here to support Barack Obama, here to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden.”
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:07 pm
They are soooo smooth.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:07 pm
Bill’s good–objectively speaking, he can spin the oratorical web with the best of them. Even people who don’t agree with him almost want to.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:09 pm
Bill is an awesome orator.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:10 pm
I think Michelle Obama is waiting for the other shoe to drop–that’s what it looks like, anyway.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:12 pm
Bill is saying the things his wife should have said last night, really.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:13 pm
Brad might have called this one right. I looked at the Clintons as acting as a riptide and he figured they might be willing to surf this wave for all it is worth. So far, Bill’s speech supports Brad’s position.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:14 pm
Brad can’t be right, can he?
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:15 pm
There is always the possibility that Bill actually never wanted Hillary as president. I mean, what would he be called?
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:17 pm
The “First Gigolo”
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:17 pm
There may be something to that, though–he did sort of torpedo her in SC, and this way, he’s still sort of the “elder statesman” of the family.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:18 pm
Brad can be right. It just requires an alignment of no less than 128 pulsars.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:18 pm
OMG! Did you see the literal tongue in cheek there is his compliments of McCain?
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:21 pm
I have never seen an actual “tongue-in-cheek” comment until now.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:22 pm
I’m really quite overwhelmed by this–he’s really quite good tonight. No one pulls them in the way he does. Cardiac bypasses and sex therapy don’t seem to have affected his abilities at the podium.
Comment by Laura — 8/27/2008 @ 9:24 pm
He’s doing a beautiful job.
Comment by Liz — 8/27/2008 @ 9:25 pm
Bill is doing the deed. If this speech doesn’t draw in the Clintonistas, then Obama has a problem the Clintons can’t fix.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:26 pm
That was EXACTLY what I thought Hillary was going to do.
Haha. Leave it to Bill to show you how it’s done.
Now, he’ll go back to being passive aggressive and sniping. And he wasn’t without his subtle jabs. But he’s the Big Dog for a reason—he is constitutionally incapable of throwing a speech.
Comment by Brad — 8/27/2008 @ 9:27 pm
I give Bill’s speech an A for acclamation and a C- for Clinton ambition.
Pass me that plate of shit, Brad. And a spork.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:29 pm
Man, I was sitting here thinking “Ho shit. Why didn’t they just give both Clintons Tuesday.” The Obama people have to be breathing a big sigh of relief after the Hillary fiasco.
Ironically, Bill has been the pissy one all throughout, but he’s the one that went up and delivered when it mattered. If anything, Bill kind of threw Hillary under the bus, if only by contrast.
Comment by Brad — 8/27/2008 @ 9:30 pm
If anything James, I lucked into being right on this one. I honest to God thought Hillary would give exactly that kind of speech, going OVER THE TOP to show what a good statesman she was of the party and how selfless she actually was. She went for self-aggrandizing back-biting instead.
What we underestimated with Bill, by comparison, was his preternatural need to exceed expectations and bask.
Comment by Brad — 8/27/2008 @ 9:32 pm
In an attempt to redeem myself, I have to ask whether this all will last beyond the convention (esp. Bill). His behavior on Hillary’s campaign trail certainly did harm.
So far, Brad’s scenario looks more viable than the one those guys in black gave me, but this isn’t over yet.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:37 pm
Spot on.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:39 pm
No, I have every expectation that Bill is going to immediately go back to passive aggressive childishness. Ironically, it might be Hillary that goes to work for Obama.
But one thing I’ll say for Bill Clinton. When you give him a stage, a limelight, and a huge audience, every time he blows me away more than I thought he would. Just when you think the Big Dogs’ had it, he has moments like this (his was also the best speech of the 2004 convention).
Comment by Brad — 8/27/2008 @ 9:40 pm
Kerry following Clinton is like a sea cucumber following a Blue-finned Tuna.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:41 pm
Haha. I was just thinking that. Kerry sandwiched between Clinton and Biden just screams “beer run”.
Comment by Brad — 8/27/2008 @ 9:42 pm
It is a shame that Obama is surrounded by so many unmitigated losers.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:42 pm
I have to say, the only winners in terms of performance have been the Clintons. Everyone else has ranged from pathetic to horrible.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:45 pm
Kerry isn’t doing that badly.
He’s not exciting, but he’s saying the right things.
Comment by Liz — 8/27/2008 @ 9:45 pm
Kerry is painful to watch. Sorry, he is.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:47 pm
Liz, lots of people say the “right things”. The key to getting people to hear is to make them want to listen. Kerry fails at this in spades.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 9:49 pm
Huh. I usually agree, but he didn’t sound too bad. Maybe it helps that I’m not actually watching. I’m working while listening to it.
Comment by Liz — 8/27/2008 @ 9:51 pm
Heh, Kerry has a future in talk radio.
Comment by James — 8/27/2008 @ 10:03 pm
Sorry I missed this. Clinton’s not a magnificent orator in a technical sense, but he is the best I’ve ever seen at playing argumentative angles for persuasive leverage. I always enjoy watching him play the policy game.
Comment by Rojas — 8/27/2008 @ 11:27 pm