Democratic National Convention 29AUG08


What a great Democratic Convention! I thought speeches by Bill Clinton, Al Gore and Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana were some of the brightest moments. Tears of joy on the faces of some people in the audience was surprising.

I didn't care too much for Hillary's speech. She seemed conflicted and it came off as slightly dishonest. Although she did have a self-deprecating joke about the "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pantsuits" that showed some humility.

Of course Barack's speech at Invescoe Field was spectacular. But what overshadowed the quality and substance of the speech for me was the sheer volume of people attending: over 84,000! That giant stadium was filled to the rafters. I couldn't believe how high up the top balcony was. And Jocey and I couldn't see any empty seats. Just amazing.

These gigantic crowds Barack is drawing shows his wide appeal and massive support from the general public for his policies. I can't help but look for other Democrats in history who have had such popularity. JFK and FDR come to mind. And similarly we are at a once-in-a-lifetime point in history where Democratic principles can be legislated. Our majority in the House and Senate are set to expand and we will also have the White House. They will not be able to stop us from passing legislation that will turn this nation around and actually help the American people.

As a musician I have to comment on the wonderful orchestra that played during the first 3 nights of the convention at The Pepsi Center. They knew how to groove and use the music to make the event fun and meaningful. Excellent selection of Classic Motown and disco hits that lent an atmosphere of celebration to the historic event.
Stevie Wonder on the last night was just excellent. You could tell he was no stranger to arena-rock events as he belted out "Signed, sealed, delivered I'm yours" with a few newly added verses just for this performance. But, it was a wide selection of music genres that gave it all a democratic feel. I heard a bluegrass band opening at the football stadium. Didn't catch their name but I noticed the bass player was using the largest bass amp known to man: an Ampeg SVT. I guess when you're playing bluegrass in a football stadium an SVT comes in handy.

How many indicted Republicans does it take to screw in a light bulb?
100 - 1 to screw in the light bulb and 99 to take the bribe!

I wonder if Liberal am talk radio will ever come back to Fresno? Maybe when HD radio kicks in a station in the area will have the bandwidth.

Gig flyers torn down by Fresno City Code Enforcement
I was at Livingstones yesterday afternoon and saw a guy methodically taking down gig flyers from the telephone poles at the Ban of America, Livingstones and the Starline. At first I thought it was a bank employee or some disgruntled wingnut but when I asked hin what he was doing I noticed he had on a City of Fresno jacket that said Code Enforcement. He said he was there because it's against the law to hang up these flyers.

I asked him what about the bulletin board at the old Archer's Music just down the block and he said he was going to have to give them another $200 ticket for not removing the flyers from their property. What about the kiosk on the corner of Olive and Wishon I asked. He said that was ok because it was designated for such flyering.

I think someone had to call Code Enforcement to get them to send someone down to tear down the few flyers he actually got to. He couldn't begin to take down all the flyers as some are glued on, taped on or out of reach, etc. If he comes back every day for the next year there will be more flyers hung up. A city who claims to be local musician-friendly and yet takes down our flyers directly in front of the venue is highly conflicted.

As of Thursday, Feb 7 with 99% of California Precincts reporting, nearly twice as many Democrats voted in this Primary than did the Republicans. That is a significant number and reveals an energized electorate. I believe we are motivated by the events in politics over the last 7 years. Namely, it is the extreme displeasure of the electorate with the incompetent Bush administration and his corrupt cronyism. “Heck of a job, Brownie.” Bush said yesterday that he is praying for the victims of the deadly tornadoes in the South. And that he is sending FEMA down there to help out. I imagine they should be seeing them arrive there sometime early next year. Maybe he can give them a tax cut, too. That should help out a lot with all the loss of life and property.

Clinton 2,107,758
Obama 1,717,681
Others 234,274
total 4,059,713

McCain 975,363
Rominey 790,515
Huckabee 268,622
Others 290,163
total 2,324,663

Why I like Barack Obama for President 31JAN08



Don’t get me wrong I like The Clintons. She would definitely bring more policy expertise to the office than Barack. And coupled with her husband they would be a powerhouse of policy development. But, the very thing that would make them effective, (and I say “them” because we all know Bill would be a de-facto Vice President) is the thing that makes them vulnerable.

I was listening to Hannity the other day and heard a most hateful criticism of Hillary’s candidacy.
It was the usual smear and innuendo that paints her and her husband as sleazy charlatans that can’t be trusted.
They might steal the nation’s family silverware or he might cheat on his wife and embarrass everybody. He just pulled a chapter out from the Clinton Hate Playbook from 1998. It’s a well thought out and extensive playbook that’s already written.

That’s why my main reason for supporting Obama is strategic. The Right-Wing Hate Machine has to start all over from scratch when it comes to attacking Obama. Sure, they already have the Drug-Addled Limbaugh schtick of drawing comparisons between Obama and Osama, but a few one-liners is no book. They will also make fun of his middle name. But, his obvious vulnerability is going to be a lot harder to attack.

Even in the world of macho sports announcing it is taboo to be racist. And if you’re caught being overtly racist it could cost you your job. That’s why Rush lost his job announcing football, because of a racist comment. If they Swift-Boat Barack because of his race it could cost them their job. And the reason they spew out this hate year after year on talk radio is because that’s how they make money.

Therefore, I think Barack is a stronger candidate because he has less vulnerability than Clinton. Talk radio would have to start from scratch to develop an attack strategy. And, just as he said in his victory speech in South Carolina a few days ago, “Our time for change has come”. And putting the Clinton’s back in the Whitehouse to start that same 90’s political war all over again is not as big of a change as America yearns for. “Turn the page”