I have not been encouraged about American politics for many years, and I have been disgusted with American politics for the better part of four years. The President's leadership has left a great deal to be desired, and his failure as a political leader is even greater. Then there are the Republicans, who no doubt have Lincoln spinning in his grave.
I didn't think I'd be paying any attention to the conventions, because neither Obama nor Romney are worth writing home about. But speeches have been getting my attention.
Condoleeza Rice gave an incredibly statesmanlike Republican Convention speech. Who'd a thunk it?
From the Democrats, here are the things that have caught my ear. You probably heard them, too.
Ted Strickland: Mitt Romney never saw the point of building something when he could profit from tearing it down. If Mitt was Santa Claus, he'd fire the reindeer and outsource the elves.
Lily Ledbetter: Women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar men make. Those pennies add up to real money … when we lose 23 cents every hour, every day, every paycheck, every job, over our entire lives, what we lose can't just be measured in dollars.
Gov. Duval Patrick: [Barack Obama] is the president who ended "don't ask, don't tell" so that love of country, not love of another, determines fitness for military service.
Cecile Richards: Women are no longer pre-existing conditions.
For some reason I recalled the late Ted Kennedy's 1980 speech, given right after he lost the nomination to Jimmy Carter. Remove the specific Reagan references, and the references to inflation, and this is a speech that could be given today, 32 years later. And probably should be. Take a listen. I can't find a video of the entire speech, but the text and audio link is here.
This year's speech-writers and speakers want Americans to believe that what they say will make a difference. But Congress is still full of no-compromise Republicans and no-backbone Democrats.
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