Even saw the lights of the goodyear blimp
And it read ice cube's a pimp
Drunk as hell but no throwing up
Half way home and my pager still blowing up
Today I didnt even have to use my a.k.
I got to say it was a good day.
And it read ice cube's a pimp
Drunk as hell but no throwing up
Half way home and my pager still blowing up
Today I didnt even have to use my a.k.
I got to say it was a good day.
Pedro comes back - and wins, absent a Heilman - on the night that Sen. Obama clinches the Democratic nomination. Are you kidding me?
The only way this week could get any better would be for Barack to take David Wright as his running mate (am I the only one who thinks this is a brilliant idea? Hello? Virignia?). Whatever.
Somewhat more seriously, though, I thought that one of the more telling aspects of this evening's events was the different speeches by the three -- now two -- candidates for President. I recognize that I am going to favor any speech given by Sen. Obama over any speech given by Sen. McCain because, well, I favor Sen. Obama. But there was more to it than that. The cadence of his speech, the ease with which he brings the crowd to a crescendo and then guides their descent back down from a frenzy (side note: eat it, OB), and the growing substance behind his message (one example: on Iraq, he has gone from calling it a mistake, without more, to calling it a mistake, acknowledging that there are no good solutions left, and implying that a reduction in troop levels will have to be done slowly and with great caution), all combined to make his -- by far and away -- the most energizing and exciting speech of the evening. He is not a Clintonian debater (yet) but the rallies this guy is going to stage over the next few months are going to be legendary. The contrast to McCain could not be more stark.
Sen. Clinton gave a nice presentation, but her message about why she is sticking around - for universal health care, for working Americans, to strengthen the country, etc. - merely reinforce what we already know: that she is holding out for some concession from the Obama campaign that she has not earned before she will formally concede.
Lastly, Sen. McCain was simply awful. I think the crowd in the room was largely to blame, because I have seen him give better speeches, but whatever the reason, I thought he completely blew an opportunity in front of what I assume was a large television audience. His stunted delivery as he tried to highlight what's wrong with Sen. Obama's "change" message was completely lost on the crowd. Using a constant refrain as a rhetorical device, he would mention a policy position of Obama's that he wanted to challenge, and end with, "my friends, that's not change we can believe in." The problem was that the audience was left to wonder whether they were supposed to applaud the closing or deride the preceding statement. It resulted in a mixture of tepid applause and groans from the crowd, who only really got in to it at the very end.
I am not ready to guarantee victory in November, but I am a hell of a lot more confident this time around than I was in 2004. And at the end of the 8th, the Mets are up 9-3, and there is still no sign of Aaron Heilman.
I have to say it was a good day.
1 comment:
It was, indeed, a good day.
Although, I think you left out one piece of good news. Pedro wasn't the only New York starting pitcher making a noteworthy appearance. The adonis known as Joba Chamberlain made his long-awaited debut as a starter for the yanks.
He made it through 2 and a third innings.
:-)
But here's something re: Obama. Andrew Sullivan posted an email from a reader (http://tinyurl.com/47hwbt) that I found quite powerful:
"My grandfather, 86 years old and a veteran of WWII, just gave me a call. He was calling all of his grandchildren to let them know what an important night this was in the history of our country.
Grandpa drove a truck for over 50 years, and he told the story of how he drove with a team of drivers, 2 white (including him), and 4 black. When they stopped at the truck stops, the black drivers had to use seperate restrooms and showers, and had to eat in a small room in the back of the kitchen. Grandpa and his co-driver would eat in the back with the rest of the team, and while they didn't speak of it at the time, they knew it was wrong yet felt powerless to change it, and believed that it would never change.
Tonight, he told me, we have come full-circle. Many people, especially the younger generation who supported Obama, will never fully realize the historical import of what happened tonight. But he wanted his grandchildren to know this story that he had never told us, and it was the second time in my 33 years that I have heard my grandpa cry."
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