Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Headin' to Denver...

I am off today for Denver to see Obama deliver his historic acceptance speech at Invesco Field tomorrow night! Because I teach and write about racial justice, I am excited to be a part of this event, which takes place on the 45th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. I am looking forward to checking out all the hoopla surrounding the convention. I'm not sure if I'll be able to post between now and Friday, when I return. Either way, stay tuned...

PS: I thought Hillary's speech was pretty good last night and that she did what she had to do. BUT, did anyone really think she wouldn't? She had to or else she would have been hammered publicly, destroying whatever remains of her career. This way, it appears she is on board, while, in fact, she and and Bill and their surrogates continue to act half-hearted toward the Obama/Biden ticket in more localized settings. It is clear that the Clinton people have continued to subtly and not so subtly undermine Obama's campaign. For an incomplete round-up of some of the ways they've done this, read Maureen Dowd's column in the NYTimes today.

Also, there is a lot of buzz that the Clintons were "offended" that Obama did not allow them to consult and have a say in his VP choice. That is the height of arrogance and entitlement.

Question: Do you think, if Clinton had won the nomination, that they would have invited Obama in to consult and have a say in choosing her VP? Hell no. Of course not...

Question: Do you think if Obama had lost and he and his people were acting like 5-year old, as many Clintonistas apparently are, that he would be getting the time of day and respect that is being extended to the Clinton whiners? Absolutely not. He'd be hammered over and over again about not being a team player.

And now there are reports swirling that Bill is leaving town after his star turn this evening and will not attend Obama's acceptance speech tomorrow evening. If true, talk about an ego-centric child...

So, I guess I don't fully buy the performance last night in a broader context. Maybe I'm just hopelessly biased against the Clintons at this point for all the lame stuff they've pulled in this campaign season, putting self-interest miles above party interest or national interest.

I am glad Hillary did the right thing last night, but the seeds of division she and Bill and their campaign sowed many months ago will not be vanquished in one speech. This problem will live on in the subterranean reaches of the election and just might be one of the things that prevents Obama from achieving the presidency, and thereby delivers the White House to McSame and the Rethugs for another miserable 4-8 years. Remember this...

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