From Denver…

Posted by Jeff Pruitt - 8/28/08 @ 9:54 pm - Filed Under 2008 National Elections, Featured

Our national delegate Karen Goldner chimes in from Denver in the moments leading up to Barack Obama’s speech. And just to make some of us even more jealous she informed us that she has great seats - the 3rd row!

We couldn’t leave the floor because the access point was mobbed with folks trying to get in. It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced - a political rally & rock concert. The emotion is overwhelming

Comments

10 Responses to “From Denver…”

Rumpole on August 28th, 2008 11:12 pm

I’m glad the emotion was overwhelming, because, having listened to the speeches, nothing else was. I take it back–the overtly totalitarian and socialistic impulses in Obamas biopic and speech were, in fact, overwhelming. And terrifying.
Jeff Pruitt on August 28th, 2008 11:29 pm

We disagree again - imagine that.

Overtly totalitarian? That comment is a bit over-the-top to be sure. Of course I think the Bush administration has been borderline totalitarian but I reckon we disagree on that as well…
Rumpole on August 28th, 2008 11:44 pm

1) That comment isn’t at all over the top. Totalitarianism is the concept that the state can and should regulate every area of life (Mussolini, who coined the phrase, described it as: “everything within the state, nothing beyond the state”). Obamas speech ridiculed the idea of Americans being “on their own” as something self-evidently absurd. He said that his “fundamental concept” was that “we are our brothers’ keepers.” All of his policy planks involved subjugating individual rights & individual behaviors to the common good. Those intentions just are totalitarian, under any historically faithful definition of the term.

2) We don’t disagree at all. Bush and McCain both suffer from the totalitarian impulse, as both believe, like Obama, “all things within the state, nothing beyond the state.” McCain isn’t as up front about it as Obama, and he’s promised to appoint federal judges that, God willing, will disagree with the faux-conservative totalitarian trend entirely.
Rumpole on August 28th, 2008 11:46 pm

As my friend Keith Cumtwa would say, “You don’t have to be a Duche to be totalitarian.”
John Good on August 28th, 2008 11:57 pm

I thought I saw a side profile of Karen, but it was close to the stage and I thought “no way”. Good for her!
Jeff Pruitt on August 29th, 2008 12:29 am

Rumpole,

Obamas speech ridiculed the idea of Americans being “on their own” as something self-evidently absurd. He said that his “fundamental concept” was that “we are our brothers’ keepers.” All of his policy planks involved subjugating individual rights & individual behaviors to the common good.

Did you listen to the speech? Here’s exactly what Obama said about personal responsibility - how could he be more clear?

And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America’s promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our “intellectual and moral strength.” Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can’t replace parents; that government can’t turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility — that’s the essence of America’s promise.

I’m not sure how anyone could read that as totalitarian…
Rumpole on August 29th, 2008 8:26 am

Jeff, the term totalitarian isn’t derogatory; it’s purely descriptive. Totalitarianism doesn’t have to come dressed in brown shirts and jackboots. The concept has a full wardrobe. It can wear a military uniform, a nice Brooks Brothers suit, or tie-dye. Jonah Goldberg has written some excellent pieces on “smiley-face” totalitarianism–the concept that the state needs to be involved in every corner of life “for our own good.” The smoking ban and helmet laws are good examples. Just because the policies appear to “make sense” doesn’t mean they aren’t totalitarian. Mussolini, after all, was wildly popular and made the trains run on time–policies that made a lot of sense to Italians of the time.

Obama’s speech was overtly totalitarian because, while he paid lip-service to individual responsibility, he also made it entirely clear that such personal responsibility should be subordinate to state involvement. Look at the syntax at the passage you yourself quoted–FIRST the state invasively reshapes society (”builds more ladders for success”), THEN individuals are permitted to exercise limited autonomy within the society, whose contours have been dictated by the state.
Mr. Green Jeans on August 29th, 2008 11:06 am

Incredible Speech. No doubt about it.

However, does everybody agree that if Senator Obama is not up ATLEAST 15% after the convention bounce, then this is going to be a dead heat to the finish line? I think if Obama, coming off that type of performance, does not launch 15% ahead of McCain, it will signal that this thing is going to be a 51/49 type of race one way or the other. Which by the way will be incredible since Bush/Cheney approval rating is about 5.7%
Jeff Pruitt on August 29th, 2008 11:38 am

Green Jeans,

All the bounce talk is just silly. This is going to be a close election - no doubt about it…
Mr. Green Jeans on August 29th, 2008 11:54 am

Jeff, the bounce talk is not silly. Every candidate gets a bounce and so will Obama. My point is that any Obama supporter should be worried if he is not up 15 or so by Monday coming off this great convention.

However, given that McCain just picked Palin, Obama may get a double bounce.