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You are here: Home / Elections / Biden-Harris 2020 / Democratic National Convention Open Thread: Day FOUR

Democratic National Convention Open Thread: Day FOUR

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To be crude, I really hope the Squatter-in-Chief’s staff managed to get an extra dose of tranquilizers into his hamberders tonight, because I don’t want to give the GOP a chance to promote Pence atop some kind of Reconciliation! Look forward, not back! ticket at this point.

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479Comments

  5. 5.

    Adam L Silverman

    To be crude, I really hope the Squatter-in-Chief’s staff managed to get an extra dose of tranquilizers into his hamberders tonight

    I doubt it given that he went full reactionary Christian herrenvolkism in his speech in Scranton earlier today.

  21. 21.

    Anne Laurie

    @Wapiti: Thanks for catching that — I’m gonna claim yesterday was so much fun, I want it to happen like that all over again!

  23. 23.

    CaseyL

    The DNC’s own feed is having problems syncing up the audio, so I switched over to (of all things) the Lincoln Project’s feed, which is synced up just fine.

  27. 27.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Also apparently, not everybody likes the “Florida Man” meme:

    There has been backlash to the meme, with the Columbia Journalism Review calling it “one of journalism’s darkest and most lucrative cottage industries” where “stories tend to stand as exemplars of the mythical hyper-weirdness of the Sunshine State, but more often simply document the travails of the drug-addicted, mentally ill, and homeless.”

  34. 34.

    Anne Laurie

    @SiubhanDuinne: According to my radar map, its name is, and I am not making this up, “Thirteen.”

    According to our local weatherguys, if the winds pick up sufficiently, it’ll be Tropical Storm / Hurricane Laura.

    But in 2020, I think continuing to call it “Thirteen” would be nicely accurate!

  37. 37.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Julia Louis-Dreyfuss!

    I love their choice of hosts. And the Veep is the perfect one to host Joe Biden’s night.

  39. 39.

    dmsilev

    “Joe Biden subscribes to the Amtrak in-ride magazine” seems, in retrospect, inevitable.

  44. 44.

    TS (the original)

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    And he’s on about raking again. The hate the man exudes for states that  did not support his election is a major way he has stepped all over democracy as it used to be.

  47. 47.

    HumboldtBlue

    How come women’s fashion gets away with those awesome belts?

    I wear one and I look like a pathetic pirate-cos-play dork.

    Li’l Cedric and the Chicks. Gotta love that.

    That’s a really good arrangement.

  59. 59.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Yutsano: I’m a huge fan. And I really hope she’s done with the stand up.

    Sister Simone Campbell! Nuns on the bus! I am a huge fan of her, as well.

  64. 64.

    Anne Laurie

    @Adam L Silverman: For the sake of you & Betty & the other Florida jackals, here’s hoping Depression #13 will not get any stronger.

    But dang, even the weather gods can’t keep up with the timing this year!   IIRC, the Jacksonville portion of the RNC next week was cancelled, the business portion will be held in Charlotte, and the Dumpster Fire Pagentry will be staged in the Rose Garden…

  65. 65.

    Kent

    @RinaX:Please make JLD stop with the “banter.” Please.

    Yeah…a little too much Academy Awards host happening there.  But you get what you get when you ask a comedian to host.

  70. 70.

    SiubhanDuinne

    To my absolute amazement, every night this week I have found both the Pledge of Allegiance and the National Anthem not only tolerable but truly uplifting. That … hasn’t happened in a very long time.

  71. 71.

    Marcopolo

    Nuns on the bus! If they are onboard we’ve got almost everyone pulling together—I know a few of them, they are about as left as you can get.

    Edited to add: the sane left :)

  75. 75.

    Sister Golden Bear

    As an aside, I discovered the someone I used to know was part of yesterday’s group Pledge of Allegiance. I will resist singing the Song That Shall Not Be Named. //

  77. 77.

    Kent

    @Betty:The Chicks!  Great choice.

    I just had to explain the whole Dixie Chicks controversy to my woke 17 year old daughter.  She didn’t know anything about it or who they were.  It all happened the month before she was born.

  83. 83.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @Kent: you get what you get when the whole thing has to essentially happen on TV so eyeballs is all that counts.

    So, yes, the Academy Awards, but with more god-bothering since it’s trying to reach the kind of people who don’t usually watch movies.

  84. 84.

    Betty

    @Anne Laurie: It is the 13th tropical depression. Fourteen is in the Gulf. Marco is concerned that one will be named for him if it becomes a tropical storm. That is a lot of storms so far, and it is still early.

  87. 87.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: Blame Florida’s sunshine law. It’s why every arrest has to be publicly posted for the local newspapers to cover.

  92. 92.

    Mary G

    Nuns on the Bus’s Sister Simone.  Luv huh. Biil Barr and his crew of Nazis who pretend to be Catholic must be fuming.

  96. 96.

    Ian

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    The Florida man meme is similar to the Karen meme. Its fun and games for the rest of us.  People who actually have disorders who fall into these categories become easy fodder for clickbait stories.  At that point the reporters/ hacks writing the thing become muckrackers.

     

    It is fun to play with, but does little to help our actual understanding of people in Florida or people named Karen and why the do what they do.

  103. 103.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Curtis: I’m with you. Sister Simone Campbell and the Divine Spirit, bring it. Chris Coons… not so much.

    Oh no. No. Julia, no. No jokes in between Biden talking about faith and loss and Mother Emmanuel, and transitioning to John Lewis.

  104. 104.

    zhena gogolia

    This is sad — they didn’t write “jokes” for Longoria, Ross, or Washington. Poor Julia.

  105. 105.

    Marcopolo

    I’ll live but JLD is killing this (not in a good way) for me. Artificial banter and forced humor sux.

  106. 106.

    PsiFighter37

    Usually I’d love JLD’s humor, but man – it strikes me as a bit tone-deaf for this event.

  107. 107.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Yutsano: Always has been. Of course, I think Seinfield was awful and everyone on it was and is awful. So I’m probably not the target demo.

  111. 111.

    cain

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Right? But I think we are also not living in normal times and these things are comforts – like a psalm that might be annoying in the good times – is a salve during times like these.

    (this day seems to be more religious than the other three days)

  113. 113.

    Mary G

    JLD is used to bouncing off a cast of live actors and visibly uncomfortable talking by herself to a camera.

  114. 114.

    TS (the original)

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    And I really hope she’s done with the stand up.

    Seems not – I’m not liking the presentation as much as the earlier nights. Not fitting the reality of what is happening/has happened.

  126. 126.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat)

    Agree that JLD is not fitting with the tone of the event. The joke after Biden talked about the loss of his son and forgiveness, ugh!  Just be an MC and leave the jokes for comedy night.

  130. 130.

    NotMax

    @Omnes Omnibus

    One of the duties dumped on me as low man on the totem pole when I was a newsroom writer for a local station in Minnesota was writing the banter lead-ins to breaks for the newscasts.

    A) It ain’t a walk in the park to do so on a tight deadline.

    B) Takes a toll on the funnybone to come up with material which is new, snappy but not too snappy and uncontroversial to fill less maybe 5 or 6 seconds at a time. For both evening newscasts.

  134. 134.

    PsiFighter37

    @Mary G: Kind of makes you realize how much it might depend on an agent putting their clients in a position to succeed vs. the actors themselves being self-aware.

  135. 135.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    The Dixie Chicks are nice, but I was hoping for the Spice Girls

  137. 137.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    also, since I’m sure everyone’s waiting for my commentary: Having watched Andrew Yang, I still very much don’t get it, and get even less why anyone, anyone at all, was tantruming to get him included in the program.

    I hope twitter is sending JLD the same message we would, and that they’re quickly toning the yuks down on the fly

  142. 142.

    Anne Laurie

    @Omnes Omnibus: Oh Noes! Biden talking about forgiveness. He’ll look forward not back!

    Kamala, on the other hand, is already assembling a Truth & Reconciliation task force*…

    (* I sincerely hope)

  146. 146.

    trnc

    @WaterGirl: Very slow start tonight.

    I would give a body part for slow. My wife and I cringed and almost crawled under furniture when JLD came on, and we’re both big fans.

    I see that some people like the bits, so I’m hoping it’s just an off night for me.

  147. 147.

    Marcopolo

    The leaders of the March on Washington had Lewis tone down his speech. They felt it was too aggressive.

    Also amazing to see how the protests now reflect the protests then.

  148. 148.

    Bill Arnold

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Not that I want anybody to get hurt, but I’d love one of these storms to destroy Mar a Largo

    Dorian2019) teased Trump a bit; one or two forecast cones had Mar a Lago on/close to the center line. But the surrounding area is Democratic, I believe (New Yorker here). Too much collateral damage. The stall over the Bahamas before it turned north was utterly devastating.

  149. 149.

    cain

    Cenk was trending – and apparently rose twitter was very unhappy with him saying he would lose respect for anyone who voted for Trump.The toxicity by these people – and I refuse to give them a label because I don’t believe they stand for anything.

  157. 157.

    cain

    I’m really sad that John Lewis is not able to witness a Black woman running on a major ticket as I am that Obama’s mother/grandmother and Kamala’s mother couldn’t.

  158. 158.

    Kent

    @Baud:The religious stuff isn’t for most of us here, but my guess it’s important to many black church goers and possibly Latino as well. These are people we need to turn out.

    And for my religious white rural dairy farmer relatives in Pennsylvania.  They eat that shit up.  Don’t need to peel very many of them away from Trump to tip the balance.   They are not happy with Trump but afraid of Dem cooties.

  159. 159.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    If you wanna be my president, you gotta get with my friends
    Make it last forever, friendship never ends
    If you wanna be my president, you have got to give
    Taking is too easy, but that’s the way it is

  161. 161.

    lamh36

    No matter how many times I hear it, “Glory” gets me in the feels every time. It’s just a great song! Kudos to John and Lonnie!

  166. 166.

    Anne Laurie

    @Baud: The religious stuff isn’t for most of us here, but my guess it’s important to many black church goers and possibly Latino as well.

    And, to be fair, also to a certain Joseph Robinette Biden.

    The man doesn’t spend half his media time mouthing cheap pieties, but — like our last Democratic candidate! — he’s genuinely a believer in a way most of the Talibangelical Pharisees can’t even imagine, much less live.

  167. 167.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    OK, much as I love JLD, I admit her segments are really cringe-worthy.

    I sang “Glory” with a chorus last year. Very cool to hear the original. It was a showstopper, even with a white chorus and a white guy doing the rap.

  168. 168.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop: @Baud: It’s also traditional to start with an invocation or benediction, the pledge, and the national anthem and then finish with another benediction. And if they didn’t do these things, every political reporter, every pundit, every talking head, and every Republican politician and their surrogates would crucify them as unpatriotic and anti-G-d. Some things you do because it is an easy way to immunize yourself from stupid responses.

  170. 170.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Ian:

    The Florida man meme is similar to the Karen meme. Its fun and games for the rest of us.  People who actually have disorders who fall into these categories become easy fodder for clickbait stories.  At that point the reporters/ hacks writing the thing become muckrackers.

     

    It is fun to play with, but does little to help our actual understanding of people in Florida or people named Karen and why the do what they do.

    I still tend to think the “Karen” thing is sexist. Get a load of this spicy meme

    This type of “Karen” stuff is pretty common

  171. 171.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @MomSense: I was surprised at first because Legend had already performed and I am sure there is a long list of singers who would love a spot here.

  173. 173.

    cain

    This music is really good – a great balance. But it makes the party living in the now, not in the past. Republicans are a bunch of folks living in the past, old white males the majority. Look at us.. the contrast has never been so severe..

  174. 174.

    Adam L Silverman

    @CaseyL: I’m sure of it. A whole bunch of Democratic political consultants and beltway insiders were consultants for the show.

  175. 175.

    dmsilev

    I’m sure the dynamic duo of Kid Rock and Ted Nugent will have no trouble topping that next week.

  178. 178.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @trollhattan:

    Does CJR not yet understand internet-Twitter memes?

    Apparently not. It comes across the school principal scolding the auditorium

  180. 180.

    Chacal Charles Calthrop

    @Baud: I know!  But I’m serious about the “people who don’t watch movies” crack.  When Mel Gilbson’s “Passion of the Christ” came out, a black co-worker of mine who was religious confided that she wanted to see it, even though she lived way outside of the city & didn’t usually see movies.  So I suggested that we see it together, right after work, because (as a classics major) I wanted to see how close the spoken Latin was to Italian (because Mel Gibson was an idiot, the Romans spoke Latin and the Jews spoke Hebrew, even though at the time everyone actually would’ve spoken demotic Greek).  So we saw it.

    And because the movie studios knew that a lot of (religious) people were going to see it who didn’t usually see movies, there were previews to just about every single film due to come out in the next six months, just in case they might lure in someone who otherwise wouldn’t have gone.  I have never, before or since, sat through a movie with so many previews of other films. And I found myself explaining Marvel superheroes to her, just because she honestly did not know what they were about.

    So that’s my anecdotal evidence to how I know religious people don’t usually see movies – the movie people know they don’t usually see movies.  And they would know.

  182. 182.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Yutsano: You do it.

    I’m not even going to try, before you ask. I couldn’t carry a tune to save my life. There was actually discussion of having me lip synch my bar mitzvah.

  184. 184.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Mary G:

    May I join you guys? I’ve never watched an episode and couldn’t/can’t to this day understand all the fuss.

  187. 187.

    RaflW

    @trnc: Yeah, based on FB it seems some of my friends are loving her, but they’re the on the ‘oh, snap!’ end of my friend continuum.

    I feel a little cringy about her, uhh, jokes.

  189. 189.

    Mary G

    The gospel chorus is safely distanced from John Legend and Common, but pretty close to each other’s aerosols. Hope they had good air circulation. Looks like a big sound stage with a large volume of air.

    Meacham annoys me.

  190. 190.

    PsiFighter37

    I wonder how much JLD is improv-ing. If she is, I would tell her to tone it down and follow the script. How many people does she think watched Veep on a subscription channel?

  192. 192.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Mary G: How are you doing with the fires? If you want, I can see if we can connect you with other jackals in neighboring states that might be able to give you a safe place to evacuate to well ahead of time. Just let me know.

  194. 194.

    Baud

    @Chacal Charles Calthrop:

    And I found myself explaining Marvel superheroes to her, just because she honestly did not know what they were about.

    In our bubble, we often forget how different the information space in other people’s bubble is.

  203. 203.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Raven: The only thing funny about those guys is they don’t realize they’re the joke. Often a dangerous and deadly joke, but a joke nonetheless.

  205. 205.

    scribbler

    I’ve got to disagree with the masses.  I love that JLD is taking it to Trump.  The jokes are all really harsh, smashing Trump in his face, and I bet that he hates it.

  206. 206.

    Marcopolo

    Deb!  I supported her campaign in ‘18.  Feels like a lifetime ago.  35th generation New Mexican.  Now that is dry humor!

  207. 207.

    PsiFighter37

    @Elizabelle: I would replace JLD with him as moderator. Not a campaign-changing issue, but it’s the first time where the Biden campaign has let control of the narrative – one they fully have control of – get away from them.

  209. 209.

    WaterGirl

    @trnc: By “slow” I guess I meant slow in pulling me in, slow in getting to something I waned to watch.

    So far tonight I have appreciated John Lewis and Legend and Common, a little bit of a Joe clip, but the rest has mostly left me cold.  Tonight is definitely not for me; I hope it’s resonating with someone.

  214. 214.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    Kierkegaard is trending on twitter

     

    so is “Vice President Poonce”

    HA!

  217. 217.

    Marcopolo

    I like this humor.

    Okay, that was the first time I’ve actually heard her lovely real voice.  This segment is working for me.

  225. 225.

    Adam L Silverman

    My childhood babysitter was the first woman, also person, to speak in the “when I cast my first vote” segment. And the last one to speak too.

    I’m watching on a delay, I had to hit pause to take the dogs out.

  227. 227.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I think Cooper has a real great speaking voice.  Far better than the one she uses for her bits.

  233. 233.

    guachi

    The use of Sarah Cooper was very well done. Using Trump’s own words but mocking them as you use them was perfect.

  234. 234.

    NotMax

    @Sister Golden Bear

    Couldn’t grok it as well – until something inside clicked which told me to view it as a comedy science fiction series about 12-year-olds forced to survive in adult bodies.

    Thenceforth, through that lens, it all came into focus.

  237. 237.

    TS (the original)

    Interesting evening. Segments definitely for different people. I like this section of voting & the Post

  240. 240.

    Anne Laurie

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I still tend to think the “Karen” thing is sexist.

    Not gonna look for it right now, but somebody on twitter pointed out that ‘Karen’ was only popular as a given name for a period in the 1960s-1980s.  And that the (mostly) men swapping those ‘Karen wants to see the manager’ memes were squarely in the age group to have moms named ‘Karen’.

    If it weren’t for You are not the boss of ME!, half the RoseBros and Cosplay Socialists would have no guiding principles whatsodamnedever.

  242. 242.

    guachi

    Though overall it feels like tonight is lots and lots of filler. It’s a 4-part miniseries with only enough material for three parts.

  244. 244.

    Omnes Omnibus

    I wonder if some people are disappointed with tonight’s proceedings because it’s a bit of an anticlimax because the people they really wanted to hear have spoken already.

  251. 251.

    Baud

    It’s possible that in the scramble to make this virtual, certain segments are less polished than others.

  252. 252.

    Elizabelle

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    bit of an anticlimax because the people they really wanted to hear have spoken already.

    I think that is what is happening.  Although — Joe!

  256. 256.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: There was a lot of yesterday’s convention that wasn’t the “big” people speaking.

    Too churchy for me, too preachy for me, I don’t even care for the way they talked about the post office, and I hated hearing Donald Trump’s voice.  Ugh.

    This conversation between Joe & this fellow feels canned and insincere tome.  7 minutes to the second hour, hopefully there will be a change then.

  259. 259.

    Chetan Murthy

    @Anne Laurie: Huh.  I thought the first one was “Barbecue Becky”, no?  I do agree, that “Karen” has stuck.  But it seems pretty anodyne by contrast to the way we all characterize the deplorable males: it starts with Cletus (a pretty blistering insult already) and heads downhill.  Not that I’m arguing we shouldn’t: these racist/misogynist/homophobic males deserve every bit of what they get, and then some more.

    I’d have thought that limiting it to calling them “Karen” and ridiculing them was actually going easy on them — I mean, that monster Amy Cooper (was that her name?  The one in Central Park) is pretty goddamn evil, and it seems to me she got off easy, just being called “Karen” instead of the fucking attempted murderer she actually is.

  260. 260.

    Ken

    @Omnes Omnibus: it’s a bit of an anticlimax because the people they really wanted to hear have spoken already.

    I’m still holding out hope for a surprise Republican speaker tonight.

  264. 264.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Elizabelle: I think a good number of people here are still lukewarm about Joe himself while being very enthused about getting him elected.

  265. 265.

    Anne Laurie

    @Adam L Silverman: I don’t find SNL funny.

    I’ll have you know I was finding SNL unfunny back in the Phil Hartman / Bill Murray era, whippersnapper.

    Cringe humor, I just do not like.  Even Christopher Guest — Spinal Tap was fine, for what it was, but his other movies just seem like middle-school kids at the ‘nerd table’ making fun of the ‘short-bus luzers’, in hopes of attracting some positive attention from the Kewl Kidz (like Lord Guest).

  266. 266.

    Amir Khalid

    It’s a good thing My City of Ruins is one of my favourite Springsteen songs. I’m not sure there’s another song that wouldn’t irritate the heck out of me if I kept hearing the same two snippets every couple of minutes.

  268. 268.

    tokyocali (formerly tokyo expat)

    @WaterGirl: Agree. Last night captured me and I wanted to see everything! I connected. Tonight, I feel more like an observer. Some of it’s good, but it’s not drawing me in like last night. There’s still more to go, so we’ll see how the rest plays out.

  269. 269.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Ken:

    I’m still holding out hope for a surprise Republican speaker tonight.

    Okay, that made me laugh.

  270. 270.

    Marcopolo

    For me one of the high points of this format is how it allows so much more “every person” content. I like hearing from regular folks (even though I realize they are probably sorted/ vetted ahead of time). And the absence of the crowd noise makes it a more intimate conversational experience.

  274. 274.

    guachi

    Final night should have just been 60 minutes. 15 minutes of intro and 45 minutes of Biden.

  275. 275.

    Yutsano

    Apparently I didn’t miss much when I was iff feeding the dogs.

    Tammy Baldwin!

    EDIT: that pre-existing story was a powerful one.

  283. 283.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @trnc: I think the jokes are out of sync with the overall tones, but also JLD’s delivery isn’t helping.

    If you’re gonna throw cut someone down to size, you need to be cutting. JLD needs to embrace her inner drag queen throwing shade.

  284. 284.

    TS (the original)

    @PsiFighter37:  Quick rewrite  before her next appearance

     

    Edit: And I now have to refresh the screen every time she appears to get the sound back in sync with the picture

  286. 286.

    Jeffro

    @HumboldtBlue: I hear you.  We were talking about that tonight over dinner… Everything and anything feels like it took place five times as long ago as it really did

  294. 294.

    Elizabelle

    I am Edward Good.  (Veteran, Republican, NRA member, 95 yo.)

    … I think Trump is the worst president we have ever had.

  298. 298.

    Mary G

    @Adam L Silverman: Cross your fingers, no fires close to me yet. Only one about 90 miles away that’s 95% contained.

    Geologically my town isn’t as susceptible because we have no narrow canyons and passes to compress and accelerate the hot winds.  Lots of rich people with very expensive houses around me assure we’ll get resources poor places won’t. I am all set up to go, so I won’t have to, just like it never rains when I have an umbrella. NoCal is a nightmare. Hope all the jackals up there are OK.

  306. 306.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    There was a lot of party star power last night. After all those rock stars it was kind of inevitable that there’d be a little feeling of anticlimax tonight. Guess they wanted Joe to have the spotlight alone.

  312. 312.

    Barbara

    @Anne Laurie:

    If it weren’t for You are not the boss of ME!, half the RoseBros and Cosplay Socialists would have no guiding principles whatsodamnedever.

    That was funny!

    I think, perhaps, that four nights is perhaps just one night too many?

  316. 316.

    Marcopolo

    Tammy Duckworth is awesome!  Since I live in MO I consider her an adopted Senator from across the river.

    Interesting VP vetting story that said Biden & his folks liked her but her birth situation was a minus since they didn’t want to face a possible legal challenge.

  317. 317.

    Elizabelle

    This is so perfect, because Trump is the most weasely*, least qualified Commander in Chief we have ever had.  He is a joke.  He is a coward.

     

    ** with apologies to actual weasels, who have a lot more going on.  Hyenas too.

  323. 323.

    Elizabelle

    Coward in Chief.

    Yep.  It is what we have.

    JB would never let tyrants manipulate him like a puppet.

    … unlike Trump, JB has common decency.

  330. 330.

    Emma from FL

    One question: who pissed on your cornflakes?

    Democratic conventions are never going to be tasteful and restrained. There will be folks there you don’t particularly like. We’re a coalition. Live with it.

    p.s.add me to the “who said SNL is funny” crowd

  334. 334.

    Kay

    Matt Walton
    @Matt4VA
    ·1h
    In 2005 I was walking around Capitol Hill & ran into
    @JoeBiden
    . As a college student on winter break Sen. Biden took time to talk w/ me about my love of politics & govt, but also about how important it is to be a good citizen.
    This year I’m a Republican 4 Biden

    I find this very endearing about Biden- not that he talks to people, but that you always get the sense he feels incredibly lucky to have his job and just loves it. He’s so old and he’s still like “I can’t believe I’m here! I have really made it!”
    It’s great.

  350. 350.

    Jeffro

    @Baud: yup…Dems could not be any more behind him, and he’s over the 50% mark nationally.  The only folks left are the few disenchanted/weekly attached Republican voters, and occasionally-voting independents

    and lord knows young ‘uns aren’t watching this ?

  351. 351.

    Anne Laurie

    @Barbara: I think, perhaps, that four nights is perhaps just one night too many?

    Nah.  IMO, the big star power people pumped everyone up last night, and it was wonderful.  But the earnest nerds deserve their time, too — they’re the ones who made all this possible, and who will keep working through Election Day and beyond.  And Joe Biden, of all people, appreciates him some earnest nerds!

  356. 356.

    SiubhanDuinne

    The folks who were voted off the island on Survivor. This is a good segment!

    ETA: Although where the hell are Tulsi and Marianne?

  360. 360.

    Anne Laurie

    @Marcopolo: Interesting VP vetting story that said Biden & his folks liked her but her birth situation was a minus since they didn’t want to face a possible legal challenge.

    It is what it is.  But also, I always wondered if Duckworth really wanted to take on a job as big as VP while her daughter is still so very young.  Senator Duckworth is young enough, in political terms, to have other chances in her future.

  371. 371.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Omnes Omnibus: Sanders’ Booker joke was funnier (and I’m rather cool to both)

    OKay: I give Booker major points for saying that choosing not to vote is a gross act, and abuse, of cultural privilege. I still remember an angry Joe Conason column making this point in 2000 about the Bore and Gush crowd.

  373. 373.

    Jeffro

    @Baud: he’s outvoted four to one

    ugh, Bloomberg.., I better read about some serious Mike Cash dropping for the Dems in next two months in order to justify this

  375. 375.

    TS (the original)

    @Jeffro:  Mr TS gave them away in 1970. Had to go to court once in the 1990s & someone in the courthouse gave him a tie to wear. Only time in 50 years.

  378. 378.

    guachi

    Still don’t know why Bloomberg was giving time in the 10 o’clock hour except if he’s going to attack Trump and drive him crazy.

  381. 381.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jeffro: the arc of the moral universe is long….

    ETA: @Yutsano: a “ranch” near Telluride, between Ralph and Oprah? Now that I think of it, I think I have read that he owns a couple of hundred acres near Aspen, bought it from somebody else whose real estate transactions make Page Six

  382. 382.

    Anne Laurie

    @Sister Golden Bear: Yes, but they require sufficient quantities of the-higher-the-hair-the-closer-to-God wigs, oversized lashes, glitter, costume jewelry, and stripper heels to come out.

    Don’t forget the support garments.  Really supportive support garments, for some of us!

    (I didn’t have a defined waist when I was a size 12, and that was almost fifty years ago… )

  388. 388.

    Omnes Omnibus

    Alright, a real billionaire taking it to Trump over business.  Still, pony up, motherfucker.

  396. 396.

    Adam L Silverman

    @NotMax: Five Democrats, an old fart, and whatever the fuck Yang is politically/ideologically because he’s not a Democrat.

  397. 397.

    cain

    I must admit that Bloomberg is doing good. He’s making a good case to small business. He’s trolling Trump pretty good.

  399. 399.

    Ken

    @guachi: Still don’t know why Bloomberg was giving time in the 10 o’clock hour except if he’s going to attack Trump and drive him crazy.

    Bloomberg doesn’t have to attack Trump to drive him crazy, merely being successful in a way Trump never managed is enough.

  400. 400.

    Anne Laurie

    @Kay: I find this very endearing about Biden- not that he talks to people, but that you always get the sense he feels incredibly lucky to have his job and just loves it. He’s so old and he’s still like “I can’t believe I’m here! I have really made it!”

    Seconded!  And I think that’s the voters this night is pitched for — not us cynics, but the people who unironically believe in the American Dream where any kid can grow up to be President.  Even the female / non-white / non-straight kids, these days!

  403. 403.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    One thing I’ve been grumpy about this whole convention: the two-camera shoot on so many speakers. I can’t see what is gained by staring at the speaker’s ear for a few seconds every minute or two.

  414. 414.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Somebody who’s sentimental and doesn’t have a cold, black piece of anthracite where there heart should be might be moved by this kid. I wouldn’t know any thing about that.

  420. 420.

    Anya

    I am standing in my family room clapping for that awesome kid. This was the awesomest moment in the whole convention and there were many moments to choose from.

  422. 422.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Anne Laurie: The drag queens’ rule of corsets: If you can complain about how tight it is, you’re still breathing. If you’re still breathing, it ain’t tight enough.

    Plus some of my drag queen friends wear four pairs of pantyhose so they don’t have the shave their legs (it takes that many to cover up the hair).

    Beauty knows no pain. //

  426. 426.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    The grandkids can’t get their story straight about the ice cream flavor! Ice Cream Gate!

  428. 428.

    Anne Laurie

    @NotMax: Thought Buttigieg is old enough to have learned how to shave by now.

    He’s at the stage where he needs the beard shadow to reassure elderly doubters like you that he’s old enough to shave.

  429. 429.

    Mai naem mobile

    Jeezus. I don’t remember getting emotional about any convention. Not even Obama’s. I’ve been running late all day and am listening to this on the radio in a parking lot trying to hide,umm, the dust from the dust storm getting in my eyes lol.

  430. 430.

    Ken

    Possibly a not-so-subtle reminder to a lot of grandparents about why their grandchildren can’t visit?

  435. 435.

    Marcopolo

    Steph Curry outside of the bubble! And this adorbs family. You don’t get this in a normal convention.

  438. 438.

    Subsole

    @Jeffro: I think she’s taking the President’s approval of Russian bounties on our servicepeople a mite personally.

    For some reason.

  440. 440.

    Anne Laurie

    @Yutsano: Why is Bloomberg in Colorado?

    He’s old.  When the coronavirus was first peaking, I suspect he did the sensible thing & got the hell out of NYC.  And Colorado is, I’m told, lovely at this time of year — Manhattan, not so much.

  442. 442.

    Marcopolo

    So yesterday I realized for the first time that I wouldn’t be sitting in a living room surrounded by friends on election night. Cheering or, as was the case in 2016, mourning. 2020 sucks.

  445. 445.

    West of the Cascades

    I’m liking Hunter being one of the people to introduce Joe. They know next week’s scuzzbag convention will go after him, and they’re like “bring. it. on.”

  447. 447.

    Mary G

    Love the Curry family and JLD getting a bit choked up.

    Hunter and Ashley are so much classier than the grifter spawn.

  448. 448.

    MoCA Ace

    @HumboldtBlue: I traveled to San Diego in January, it feels like it happened in 2018.

    Yes… Mrs. MoCA and I went to the Rose Bowl in January and we were talking the other day about how it seems like three or four years ago.

    COVID time SUCKS!

  450. 450.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Pro. Jeck. Shun.

    Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump· 6m
    After the worst debate performance in the history of politics, Michael Bloomberg, commonly known as Mini Mike, is trying to make a comeback by begging the Democrats for relevance. They treated him like a dog – and always will. Before politics, he said GREAT things about me!

    Italics added, and…

    Rick Wilson @TheRickWilson
    He’s so much richer than you he could find your net worth in his couch cushions.

  451. 451.

    Kay

    Andrew Lawrence
    @ndrew_lawrence
    · 40m
    Trump says that on election day he’s going to send law enforcement to polling locations

    I’m glad dumbshit telegraphed Barr’s plans. Gives state Dems and the one or two state Republicans who aren’t sniveling cowards time to block his goons.

  452. 452.

    MCA1

    @Baud: Yes.  Based on my experience, a significant portion of the gettable undecided votes out there are country club Republicans or older Republicans just having the scales lifted from their eyes about what their party has become, who were openly expressing that they would happily vote for Bloomberg in the General if he were the Dem nominee.  So he’s got some cred with that crowd, for whatever reason.

  457. 457.

    Anne Laurie

    @Omnes Omnibus: If Bloomy would have ended by whipping out a check book….

    The Repubs would’ve immediately started claiming he was trying to buy votes.

    I agree he needs to step up & chip in, like he promised, but *not* tonight.

    For one thing, whipping out a checkbook (for a check he never signs) is a Trump podium gesture.

  459. 459.

    Subsole

     

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Maybe in some backwards-diagonal mirror-universe where the Libertarian party hadn’t been coopted by plutofeudalists and “ackshully it’s ephebophilia” types, he would be a member.

  460. 460.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Anya: he’s not an orator, he’s a chatter. The last couple of months, and this convention, give me confidence that he and his staff know this and they’ve prepared for this moment.

    Holy crap! I’ve never heard that story about Joe’s mother threatening to rip “that bonnet” off a nun’s head.

  461. 461.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Anya: I get a little nervous for him sometimes. He’s a good person and a good speaker when he feels strongly, but he also gaffes sometimes.

    But on his worst day he’s about as bad as Trump at his best.

  466. 466.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @MisterForkbeard: every Republican president of my political awareness* has been to some degree at war with the English language, even when they had a script, a couple of them. A couple of them got re-elected.

    *I have no real independent memory of Ford–only Chevy Chase’s version of Ford– or Nixon– I remember adults talking about Nixon

  467. 467.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Subsole: Worst show I did was during a heat wave when it was over 90 in SF. On stage it was probably at least 120 (small stage, overly-big stage lights). Thankfully I shaved my legs, so I only had to wear a single pair of hose. But I still think I sweated off five pounds during my number.

  471. 471.

    Dan B

    @gwangung:  I was reading Sister Golden Bear’s commant about St. Dolly and thought for a moment about a Kamala / Dolly ticket.  Or at least my mind inserted Dolly for Tammy Duckworth.  Ha! Would be fun for all.

  472. 472.

    Yutsano

    @Dan B: That would be interesting. However you and I both know Dolly would politely decline in the most Dolly way possible.

  474. 474.

    Yutsano

    @Sister Golden Bear:  It would almost be worth it just to watch Tennessee struggle to go Democratic. But I’m holding out this weird hope for Senator Taylor Swift.

    Which reminds me: there was a push about 15 years ago or so to get Tim McGraw to run for the Senate in Louisiana. The thing is he probably would have won and would still be there.

  477. 477.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Adam L Silverman: I think Seinfield was awful and everyone on it was and is awful.

    @Mary G: @Adam L Silverman: Come sit six feet away from me. I never made it through five minutes of Seinfeld.

    Amazing, there are a few folks here I actually have something in common with!

    Swinefeld in four words: Repulsive characters behaving reprehensibly.

    (Or in more political terms, “Deplorable characters behaving despicably.”)

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