You know, the RNC and DNC these past weeks weren’t so different when you think about it: the skillfully choreographed dance moves of courting the celebrities and millionaires that appear on and off the stage while trying to keep a safe distance by disassociation to the public, the decision to have at least one artist perform that makes you want to Van Gogh your ears (I’m looking at you, Michael MacDonald and Cowboy Troy!) and plenty of humility pouring from both sides from people who will “stand up to the lobbyists!” while never soliciting donations at Pepsi/Xcel Center and of course never allowed any corporate advertising.
Of course most of the meat of the parties’ platforms was on the final nights during the acceptance speeches when Obama and McCain gave us a taste of what kind of President they hope to be. A sweet and tangy taste of Democracy marinated in Liberty, that is. This I imagine is probably something similar to but not necessarily a corndog with freedom sauce - otherwise known as ketchup, as the elitists and bourgeoisie might say.
The rest of both conventions allowed a soapbox for the losers in the primaries to shine as cheerleaders for ten to twenty minutes – which is a good thing really because that’s what a political convention is all about: addressing the core base of the party and getting them excited for this November.
Obviously this included a long barrage of bashing The Other Guy.
While the Democrats relied on bad puns (e.g. “eight is enough”), one notable difference though was the speakers at the RNC’s thorough usage of sarcasm. For some, there was as much facetious Obama praise as legit McCain praise.
Let’s indulge our minds and look over some highlights as seriously as possible:
In an effort to drive-home the Obama/Celebrity association the RNC called upon distinguished politicians to discuss politics such as common-folk Senator Fred Thompson. In this clip, Fred does a little impression as Obama addressing the European elites and tops it off with the classic Fred Thompson Shoulder Shimmy (starting at bout 1:55). The Senator is a natural thespian!
Rudy Giuliani compared the “resumes” of McCain and Obama for experience and cited Obama’s decision to become a “community organizer” incredulously:
lol! Rudy is totally right. Whenever I have a bad day I look at my “Hang in there!” poster with the kitten dangling from a clothesline and I think about all the people who believe they can make a difference in their community and I tilt my head and can’t help but giggle - it always makes me feel better.
Giuliani’s name carries the clout to introduce the newly nominated VP but he did seem to make an awkward argument if you do a quick look at the candidates’ bios. Both Obama and Giuliani are not that dissimilar in that they were both successful lawyers which helped them step into the political realm. Giuliani also argued that Obama’s experience as a Senator is not enough qualification because he has not been in direct command of any office or entity. While John McCain is advertised as the experienced candidate – he is also a Senator. That moment of realization might be a little awwwkkwwarrrrrrrrd.
Of course there’s also Governor Palin’s now infamous line comparing being a mayor and being a community organizer:
I suppose I just don’t get why “community organizer” is a dirty word. Perhaps because the word is so non-descript and vague as a stand alone you could sculpt the implied connotation into anything. Sure, not everyone who is involved with community service and advocacy are qualified to be a Senator but some certainly may be. And sure, not everyone who was a local sports newscaster is qualified to be a Governor but some certainly may be.
But why not try to do a little comedy at the convention? Performing with the home field advantage is always guaranteed to get a few laughs. I just hope they don’t try it out at the debates. The party of puns versus the party of sarcasm – it’d be like little Jeffy from Family Circus debating Chandler from Friends. But when I think about it – that’s about as American as it gets.