A long, wet lightning storm cut satellite viewing during the prelims last night. And satellite modem? Fuhgeddabahtit! When the connections came back, they came back uncertainly and only intermittently for a while. Accordingly, we switched between "Hairspray" and CSpan coverage of the convention. The similarities between the two spectacles were startling. The tight script, the social message, and the brightness of the colors were similar. "Hairspray" was leavened by humor, though. Walken's and Travolta's marriage easily rivaled that of any political candidate.
Because CSpan is CSpan, there were no interruptions (except for the storm) and no interviews with "I want my Maypo!" Hillary supporters or other MSM drek. Andrew Sullivan's reactions, as usual, are much the same as this blogger's.
"There's no question that if you judge the candidates on their actual lives, rather than mythologies, the Obamas are extremely mainstream and conservative. Married for life, great parents, very humble beginnings, driven meritocrats. No divorce or adultery - and regular religious attendance and faith. And yet they are tagged as elitists and radicals. Yes, they're liberals in policy, although not radically so. But they're conservatives in their lives.
"The same paradox can be seen in Obama himself: a policy liberal but a temperamental conservative. To see the Obamas as they are requires us to see them in these paradoxes. And to recognize that they may not be paradoxes at all."
As for Democrats and Republicans, what tore it for me was how alike they had become, if not in policy, certainly in modus operandi and close corporate hug and the sense of entitlement. So no wonder Obama's combination of progressive commitment, political skill, and dignity appeals to me and no wonder the Clintons don't. That doesn't mean I don't switch off when the going gets slick. That giant screen with Daddy 'n' Mommy 'n' The Girls was a little gagging. The moment was saved only by the personal quality of that daddy and those neat kids. You just have to hope the context -- the surrounding crap -- doesn't bring the candidate down.
The best moments came when the camera focused on Joe Biden. Biden, who was looking very bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, seemed to be having one helluva good time. He appeared to be in a state of perpetual admiration. Admiration and affection rose to a peak with the sight of his old friend, Teddy Kennedy, on stage. Biden seemed to be thinking: "We really are all in this together. You never know when the tough times are going to strike. Hey, old pal, we've had our differences and our personal tragedies, but you've come through it like a trooper." (Or maybe he was wondering, "How the hell did I wind up on the set of 'Hairspray'?")
The digital revolution has brought us a much clearer vision of who our fellow countrymen are. The cameras and the ability of technology to produce, one after another, perfectly clear large-screen views of our fellow voters and friends, are wonderful. What we see is no longer an America in black and white. Last night there were as many variations in eye, hair and skin colors, in style and gender and age, as there were camera angles. For people who had been on their feet for hours, hefting Obama or Kennedy or Hillary signs, there were remarkably few sullen, tired convention-goers. Everyone was paying attention.
