I like to think I'm well-read & interested in politics & that I care about a lotta stuff, more so than most people I know---so much so that I sometimes can't help breaking my promise to myself to stop discussing politics on line.

That being said, I believe that the last time I watched either parties' convention on TV, the guy who got nominated was Walter Mondale. It just seems to me, first, that I'm not gonna see anything that'll change my mind about how I'm gonna vote, & 2nd, both parties have worked very hard to make sure that nothing newsworthy happens at their conventions. The major TV networks apparently agree, as they now only televise one hour a night.

For example, check these headlines in my morning paper's convention coverage, followed by my comments:

Edwards Accepts Nomination (No surprise there.)

Edwards Praises Kerry (What's he gonna say? "Kerry's a low life, but this is my only chance to get in the White House right now.")

Democrats Vow to Make Post-9/11 US Safer; so do Republicans (Didja think they were gonna pledge to make the US more dangerous??)

Kerry Eyes Key States (I certainly hope so!)

GOP Monitors Convention (Gee, I thought they'd be watching Gilligan's Island. Well, maybe Shrub did.)

And this headline was added to the paper's web site this afternoon:

Kerry Accepts Nomination; Promises Stronger America (Didja think.....well, never mind, you get my drift.)

Sooooo, I'll just read about the conventions in the paper. Wake me when they're over!

My favorite has been fighting with people because I've had the gall to bring up Sharpton's past. Yeah, he really is presidential timber: A man known for separating the races, for decades... a man who twice was told that the IRS was going to audit him, followed by coincidental fires that destroyed his paperwork... a man who is part of the Michael Jackson support system... a man who was videotaped in the middle of a cocaine deal and who sued the people who videotaped it...

I am really becoming repulsed with the rah-rah fully blindered Democrats.

...something i can relate to re:the dnc here.....
....try living near a convention....i wasn't planning on it, but they rarely consult me
on this stuff....
...i could (and have) go on and on about the money, the glitz and the total lack of interest (on many attendees part) in even acknowledging the citizens they have displaced, kept home, knocked out of their own city, etc.....
....and then there's the giant boot of government that's plunking down on our civil rights (searches, razor wire fences, police everywhere, etc., etc.).......
....on tv it looked a little too glossy...up close, it feels like it has nothing to do with me or anyone i know....
....but i gotta vote for him anyway....so it goes...
it coulda been the republicans...<img src="http://www.arlo.net/ubb/smilies/wink.gif" width=15 height=15>

I hear ya both!

Star - RE: Al Sharpton, it all kinda goes back to my original point here. I understand that the various news networks really made a big deal outta Sharpton's moment in the sun. Why? Coz it seems that this was the only genuine moment of "good TV" that the convention offered! But, as I said, I don't watch, so I'm only guessing here (& BTW I'm no Sharpton fan, either). Would you agree?

KJ - RE: The money & glitz. I've always kinda wondered about that. Wouldn't it be more efficient to tone that down some & use the money for campaigning & advertising? Like you said (& you used one of my favorite sayings), nobody's gonna ask me.

I said the same thing to Lance last night about the money, the glitz, the party atmosphere. Money better spent elsewhere.

Yeah, Terrie, it's odd behavior from 2 parties trying to convince us that one will be more fiscally responsible than the other!

I watched every minute that I could on CSPAN, where it was uninterrupted by talking heads and inanities. I thought it was the best convention...ever...if you're interested in the future of this country and of the world. It was true that it was scripted and that the outcome was never in doubt, but some of the speeches were inspiring, some were righteously angry, some were an opporunity to shed real light on subjects that have been politicized to pander to the most ignorant in our nation, such as stem cell research. I loved watching the crowd. What a great party it is...truly and really diverse and still idealistic, still hoping for a better way to do things.

And Kerry's speech knocked the ball out of the park. This might be the first time I've ever had the chance to vote wholeheartedly for a candidate for president as well as voting against the worst president in my lifetime. I loved it.

Joe - Though I'm no longer sold on the Democrat message, since they don't live it - I found many speakers to be more inspiring and believable than Sharpton... and "better tv."

The 12 year old girl who started Kids for Kerry, Rev. Alston, my future Senator Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter, Wes Clark (and the 'fraud' word) are among those.

And others could have been... if they accepted the time limit set by the DNC for their speech, and then more than tripled it, to take the time to say whatever floated their little boats at that time.

Remember that it's not only smart,intrested and informed people that vote, but also dumb, unintrested, uninformed people who make decisions using sound bites and campaign ads for their information. Playing the game is a means to the ends needed.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by star:

Joe - Though I'm no longer sold on the Democrat message, since they don't live it - I found many speakers to be more inspiring and believable than Sharpton... and "better tv."
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I belong to a business group that meets for breakfast every Thurs. morning, where I have vaguely-defined duties as Sgt. at Arms. I don't know what we're supposed to be doing, but we eat a lot of bagels & we discuss 'em.

Anyways, the members showed up Thurs. morning---liberals & conservatives alike---raving about Sharpton's speech.

But I'll take your word for it. Like I said, I didn't bother watching. Thanks for the feedback.

I loved Sharpton's speech. It wasn't the only one that I loved, but it did stand out. Everyone seemed to get their panties in a bunch because it was "angry". I know all about Reverend Al's past. He lived most of it practically on my doorstep. So? He was one of a few of the field that never for a minute thought he was going to win. He was running for other reasons. It's what he does and this was one of his more successful runs for office. He still added a lot to the dialogue throughout his stay in the primaries and the speech was killer and true.

I loved Al's explanation of why the party of Lincoln is no longer the best party ... after they waited and waited for the promised 40 acres and a mule, they gave up on the mule in the 1940s and decided from there on to ride the donkey. (Not nearly so well put, but that's the gist.) I think one reason I enjoyed watching the convention was watching it on C-Span, with nobody telling me what to think about it all, and getting a little better sense of it during what on other channels were commercial breaks.

CSPAN was the way to go if you really wanted to see it all. They were replaying it today. My sister got to see the Reverend Alston, who she missed the first time. He was something else.

I liked the donkey/mule thing, too. That's Sharpton at his wittiest. I also loved when the "our votes are soaked in the blood of martyrs" part. That was serious and it was truth.

For those who liked Alex Kerry's hamster story, and I did, here, in the interest of being fair and balanced, is the story from a different perspective. Registration is required for the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/31/opinion/31mcenroe.html

I realized I haven't been clear about what I have learned this week (a failing Todd called me on more than once). I do not trust the Democratic Party and I'm not in goosestep with them nor will I ever be, but I believe that this week I have learned enough about John Kerry (no, not just through the convention, but it helped) to know I do passionately want him to be the next Pres, and not just because it would get Bush back to the ranch, where he belongs, but because of Kerry's background and resulting potential.

i loved sharpton's speech and i'm definitely not a big sharpton fan. the donkey/mule thing was great...also really enjoyed when he talked about the changing reasons for being in iraq and (paraprasing badly) said it would be like him telling the delegates that they had to leave the fleet center because they were in danger, then getting outside and having them ask him what the danger was and him telling them, oh that's not the reason we're here...we just needed a breath of fresh air.

having watched the convention on CNN (not turning the brain on long enough to realize it was on c-span) i have to say the talking heads were enough to make you crazy. when kerry was done, wolf blitzer spent more time talking about the fact that the balloons weren't dropping as scheduled instead of what kerry just said. same with sharpton, they spent their time talking about the fact that he went over his time limit and how was that going to affect the rest of the convention. the link below explains it perfectly.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/217674p-187303c.html

goes to show why reading the headlines after the fact, sure doesn't give you the story of what happened.

btw...i definitely plan to watch the republican convention on CNN also...just to see if they handle it the same way.