The Democratic National Convention in Boston – an event more tightly scripted than a pro wrestling match – is now in the history books. The DNC had something else in common with rasslin, namely a lot of people acting in order to put on a good show for the audience; I mean, have you ever seen so many flaming liberals masquerading as moderates? Anyway, heres my take on the convention that officially nominated the two Johns for president and vice president:
The company you keep. The fact that the Rev. Al Sharpton – a race-baiting loudmouth perhaps best remembered for being involved in the Tawana Brawley hoax in the late 1980s – was a speaker (and former presidential candidate) at the DNC says a lot about the Democratic party. Also, blame-America-first film maker Michael Moore was featured prominently at the DNC; he got to sit next to former President Jimmy Carter.
Pessimistic optimism. Under orders to be positive and optimistic – as opposed to the usual Bush bashing – a lot of speakers at this years convention strained to be upbeat, when clearly most were very angry, especially President Carter (maybe because he had to sit next to the always unkempt Moore). Former Vice President Al Gore made a few jokes about his razor-thin loss to Bush in the 2000 presidential race, but his humor seemed forced, and it looked as if he could come unglued at any moment.
Going negative. I had to laugh at vice presidential candidate John Edwards bemoaning negative attack ads from the Republicans. Of course the Republicans are going to take shots at the Democrats and vice versa. What Edwards failed to point out is the Democrats have been far more negative than the Republicans. For example, the Democrats have given tacit approval to Moore and his conspiracy-theory-laden film Fahrenheit 9/11 and moveon.org, an organization which has compared Bush to Hitler.
Vietnam redux. Did you know Sen. John Kerry served in Vietnam? Of course you did, because the man who would be president is constantly bringing it up, and the DNC was no exception. Look, I have a lot of respect for the fact that Kerry saw combat while serving his country. What I dont have respect for is the fact hes made his service in Vietnam – a conflict which ended over three decades ago – the centerpiece of his current run for the presidency. I guess Kerry doesnt want to focus on his 20-year career in the Senate, which is a lot longer than the four months he spent in Vietnam.
My Two Cents is a weekly column where the author – who will also give his take on the upcoming Republican National Convention – gets in his two cents worth in spite of the old saying you only get a penny for your thoughts.
