Warren gave a good if not particularly memorable speech. I wish her well and think she would do a great job in the Senate as a REAL Democrat and not one of those Third Way fakers, but she is awfully low key. I am not sure she will be able to defeat incumbent Scott Brown, who isn't one of those idiot extremists who have polluted most of the Republican Party.
Bill Clinton, after a shaky start with a hoarse voice, gave a good speech. He always does. I seriously doubt he was reading from a TelePrompTer. However, Bill Clinton has a LOT to answer for, and I don't mean those bogus scandals. He has to answer for NAFTA, Glass-Steagall repeal, welfare "reform," and the other Third Way triangulating bullshit that may have helped him and the country in the short term, but have helped to worsen the economy in ways that have teetered this country on the brink of disaster. ALL of the presidents from Reagan on out have a lot to answer for with their continuation of neoliberal policies that were rooted in the crackpot economic "philosophy" of Milton Friedman. I have written about how he was lucky to be cremated and scattered over San Francisco Bay, for if he hadn't, I'd have done to his grave what a dog does to a fire hydrant.
I cried "bullshit" when Clinton went off on that cliche that the old economy will never come back but we have to create new ones. WHERE? There aren't any. We HAVE to bring back manufacturing and tariff the hell out of imports. The alternative is the complete hollowing out of the American economy and a wholesale race to the bottom.
However, he talked far too long. I suspect this will be his last convention speech, for he was shaking like he has Parkinson's and does not look very healthy.* He was in good form mentally, rattling off statistic after statistic, as long as you try to forget his own neoliberal bent. He's always been a good speaker, at least since his flop nominating speech in 1988 where the crowd made "cut" gestures when he ran overtime nominating Mike Dukakis.
Clinton ended the speech after around 45 minutes. Of course the crowd ate it up. A little charisma goes a long way in this business. Since he has a LOT of charisma and a lot of intellect to boot, it goes even farther.
Don't get me wrong: I was a big defender of the Clintons when they were being sabotaged by the fascists in the Republican Party. I like Clinton a lot, have met him a few times, and admire his considerable intelligence. I would, however, have appreciated if he would admit some of his policies were not in the best interests of the country. You have noticed, however, that Obama has been free of those far right tactics which plagued Clinton (and Gore). That's because there has been so much infiltration of the party by the neolibs bent on implementing (former and current) Republican policies and the kowtowing to the elites by those NOT of a neoliberal bent in exchange for campaign funds that a brazen coup attempt is no longer necessary. Infiltrating a major political party and Citizens United were all that were necessary. No more silly hearings, no more silly impeachments.
*--I haven't much followed reports of Clinton's health problems. He apparently doesn't suffer from Parkinson's, at least I gather that from a report some three years ago although rumors swirled that he did. He's awfully shaky for somebody that relatively young who doesn't have it. Of course the quacks in the vegan movement were pleased as punch he decided to adopt such a nutball diet thinking he would live longer. There is no evidence at all being vegan or vegetarian increases life expectancy or makes one "healthier." (I won't touch on the idiotic animal "rights" crap argument or the equally nonsensical environmental "argument," both of which are fairly new "arguments" of the vegan/vegetarian cult.) No unnatural diet is a panacea for health issues. However, people who peddle this quackery for a living are doing just fine pushing unfounded solutions to health problems.
Elizabeth Warren:
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