2020 DNC thread (starts at 9pm ET)

[GeneralMacArthur]

It's gonna be so weird having these speeches be delivered from living rooms to no audience.

Part of the convention spectacle is the big echo and the crowd roaring, all the reaction shots.

Hopefully it doesn't just feel like a series of YouTube videos.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Cuomo doing great.

It's been ok or miss so far.  No real hits.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Can't believe AOC complained about only getting sixty seconds when literally every speech has been 30-60 seconds.  I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she didn't know all the speeches were going to be similarly truncated.

I really wish Sara Gideon got more time.  Biden, Cunningham, Gideon are the three most important races.  Then again Cal Cunningham may not get to speak at all.

[GeneralMacArthur]

who cares, he was just one of the "regular guys" chatting it up.  It's not like he gave a speech or anything.  If they'd gone and thoroughly vetted all the "regular, average people" y'all would be complaining about how artificial it was.

"lol, Biden secretly watches InfoWars" come on now.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Can't believe AOC complained about only getting sixty seconds when literally every speech has been 30-60 seconds.  I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume she didn't know all the speeches were going to be similarly truncated.

I really wish Sara Gideon got more time.  Biden, Cunningham, Gideon are the three most important races.  Then again Cal Cunningham may not get to speak at all.

AOC didn't complain one bit. She even responded to the original report on twitter about it good-naturedly about making her minute count. She doesn't need the benefit of the doubt or excuses like she doesn't know what she is talking about. She's one of the savviest most informed politicians out there.

I thought she complained about only getting sixty seconds, but I may be mixing it up with thousands of people complaining on her behalf.

I do know she picked a fight with John Kasich earlier today, literally the least helpful thing imaginable.  That Republicans for Biden segment was executed pretty flawlessly.  I felt Kasich's speech had a bit much meandering mush, but that's what you get from him these days.

[GeneralMacArthur]

The first gay man to win a state presidential caucus

Uh oh, will Bernie be ok?

[GeneralMacArthur]

“I think both parties have to have new ideas, and I think this country is moderate,” said Kasich, winding up to a gentle criticism of Ocasio-Cortez. “People on the extreme, whether they're on the left or on the right, they get outsized publicity that tends to define their party. You know, I listen to people all the time make these statements, and because AOC gets outsized publicity doesn't mean she represents the Democratic Party. She's just a part, just some member of it. And it's on both sides, whether it's the Republicans or whether it's the Democrats.”

This is the mildest criticism of AOC I've ever seen.  It's not even a criticism.  But she looks for any opportunity to "clap back" and get Twitter likes.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Shout out to Jorge Luis Borges' Collected Fictions[/i.  One of my absolute favorites.  Great book to have on your bookshelf.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Amy bringing up Home Alone 2 was excellent, I lol'ed.

Pretty sure that joke is just part of her stump speech lol

[GeneralMacArthur]

This Bernie speech is the most effective one so far.  Good job Bernie.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Susan Molinari looks completely different haha.  Ride the fashion wave girl

[GeneralMacArthur]

Damn I can't believe Michelle Obama is 56.  She looks like she's in her mid-30s.  I swear she looks younger today than she did when Obama was elected.

This speech is excellent.  Hit after hit.  There's a reason she was asked to carry the opening night.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Look closely and you'll see that her necklace spells out "Vote".

Damn good catch.  Biden should try selling them.  MICHELLE OBAMA (c) VOTE NECKLACES.  A much more palatable fashion item than the pussy hats.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Crazy to think that the Obamas have now given major speeches at 5 conventions in a row, and will almost certainly anchor the next 2 or 3 at minimum.

I wonder how much longer the Clintons have.  They're both in their mid-70s, but it's tough to imagine even a Carter-aged Bill turning down the opportunity to save his party with One Last Speech.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Beto already got to speak.  He and Klobuchar were the main two 2020 opponents featured in the "we lost to Biden and we're happy about it" montage.

[GeneralMacArthur]

In politics, you have to reckon with the relationships you've built. Bernie lost out in both cycles because he failed to create close relationships with popular Democrats that could have helped him win over more voters.

Hillary, on the other hand, had to reckon with the fact that her team treated Bernie poorly (and arguably unfairly), and in return they didn't receive as enthusiastic a backing as they believed they were entitled to. That's completely on Hillary. Biden formed a much better relationship with Sanders, and he's reaping the benefits. It's one of the most positive aspects of Biden in my opinion, he's great at forming good relationships with people on both sides and that's how progress gets made.

Hillary's team let Bernie put his people on the platform committee and changed the platform to satisfy his demands.  The entire first night of the convention was dedicated to kissing Bernie's ass.  She also had to spend the entire last few months of the race trying to appease him and dancing around the reality of her own dominating victory, and got nothing for it but a slap in the face.  At the end of the day, "Hillary didn't reach out enough, so she deserved to lose the 25% of Bernie voters who put Trump in office" isn't a take that will age well.

That said, I like this alternate history better than the other ones that rely on WikiLeaks conspiracy theories or "it was rigged" nonsense.

At any rate, the 2016 race is ancient history now and there's no point relitigating it in this thread.  Bernie did a good job last night.  I just wish he'd been cognizant enough of the stakes in 2016 to do the same back then.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Kinda disappointed in the Bill Clinton speech.  I was hoping to see a classic Clinton stemwinder where he systematically dismantles Turmp in a way a 5-year-old could understand.  But I guess this just isn't the right setting for that.

AOC was fine.

[GeneralMacArthur]

What happened to the Bloomberg and Gabbard votes in American Samoa?  I was looking forward to that awkward moment, but they all just went to Biden.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Hey it's Matthew Shepard's family.

[GeneralMacArthur]

I would be absolutely furious if Kshama Sawant, for instance, was allowed to speak for Washington.  So I can see where sawx is coming from.

That said, it doesn't really matter.  I have better face recognition than most and right now, having watched it ten minutes ago, I could probably only tell you like ten people from that entire segment.

[GeneralMacArthur]

"Young climate activists" better not be the Sunrise Movement.



They have absolutely no place in the Democratic Party.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Kamala is just fine.  I've never been a big fan, but I know she's not really a candidate built to appeal to me.

Her public speaking is very polished and boring.  She makes a lot of appeals to the woke constituency of our party.  She's very muddled on policy and there's nothing really unique about her congressional resume.  These are the main negatives.

Her resume prior to the senate is stellar and she has quite a lot to be proud of.  Her most effective skill is her quick thinking and sharp prosecutorial instincts.  She does very well on offense.  She isn't very good on defense.

Overall there is nothing about her as a candidate that is below-average and she seems smart, hard-working and high-character enough to do well at the job of VP and, if needed, President.  So I am pleased with her as VP.

I felt basically the same way about Tim Kaine as a candidate and VP.  As a white southern Roman Catholic, he and I share a very similar culture and sensibility, and I felt a much better personal connection with him.  I would assume that's the same way plenty of POC and women feel about Kamala, so I am happy for them that they have someone on the ticket they can get enthusiastic about.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Uh, what happened to Julia Louis-Dreyfus?

Was Tom Perez so enamored of his own public speaking skills that he gave her the boot?

[GeneralMacArthur]

Is that some kind of veep reference?  Awkward scripted jokes about not pronouncing Mike Pence's name correctly.

[GeneralMacArthur]

Man John Lewis is gonna make a great POTUS