US Presidential Elections: Democratic Convention Day 1 & 2

In other news, Barack Obama has chosen Biden as his running mate. Which is not at all shocking, given Biden's record in foreign policy and his honesty = change. Frankly, I've taken my eyes off the Presidential Elections for some time now. Obama vs McCaine is just not as exciting as Obama vs Clinton. But I'm still rooting for Obama though. Although McCaine is indeed an unconventional republican, he's still George Bush 2.0 under Republican pressure so I'm definitely not rooting for him. Not to say that Obama is perfect though. He has his flaws. But I really really want someone different to take the seat this time. Someone with a true cosmopolitan view of the world. I'm not just sick of George Bush. I'm sick of the tirade of US presidents parading their ignorance. The people of a country takes after their leader and I hope Americans will become more like Barack Obama. Change we can all believe in. Yes we can.

Now that the Democrat candidate has been decided, it's on to the Democratic Convention, where efforts would be made to unite the party after a bruising primary between two juggernauts.

And Day 1 woo. Michelle Obama is fierce! Great speech at the opening day of the Democrat's convention. She is such a strong speaker. The whole day was almost like a one-two knockout punch by the Democrats. First was emotional flabbergaster for Kennedy and then a solid Michelle Obama re-illiterating and reshaping of her husband's image for us, since many Americans still think they don't know much about the Democratic candidate. Anyway, on to the second day.

Oh Hillary Clinton, I shall laud you for your wonderful speech. Filled with sartorial soundbites, it was enjoyable to watch/read. It was also, more often than not, filled with grace and humility -- I guess she's got to plan for 2012 eh? Still, I regret her not being the nominee when I read this. Here stands such an amazing woman who opened so many doors for us. Not just for women but for humankind.

"... see another Republican in the White House squander our promise of a country that really fulfills the hopes of our people. And you haven't worked so hard over the last 18 months or endured the last eight years to suffer through more failed leadership."

No way, no how, no McCain." (best punchline of the night)

"I will always be grateful to everyone from all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the territories who joined our campaign on behalf of all those people left out and left behind by the Bush administration. To my supporters, to my champions, to my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits (lol!) , from the bottom of my heart, thank you. Thank you, because you never gave in and you never gave up. And together we made history."

I want you -- I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me, or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him?Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that young boy and his mom surviving on "the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible?" (Great way to change the focus of her speech and to change the mindset of her supporters)

"Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, we did it before with President Clinton and the Democrats. And if we do our part, we'll do it again with President Obama and the Democrats."

"Now, with an agenda like that, it makes perfect sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities, because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart."

"My mother was born before women could vote. My daughter got to vote for her mother for president. This is the story of America, of women and men who defy the odds and never give up."

And other pretty cool things she said. Just read the speech first before watching it. Her delivery is still quite stiff and flat compared to Obama's.

Too bad Hillary Clinton is not the democratic nominee, she is not the future vice-president and she is no longer in the running for President. History will record her as the juggernaut who fell before the maverick. In the end, 18 million cracks in the glass ceiling still could not break the toughest one of all. She did play with the big boys and almost won. But ultimately, although she serves as a wonderful inspiration, there is still no female commander-in-chief sitting in the White House. I guess this just show's how hard the fight for humanity really is. We're inching along, bit by bit, hoping that what we do will make a difference, but not knowing for sure what it would be. Let's just keep chipping away at the stone and hope that we find something amazing at the core.

So for the first 2 days of the Democratic Convention in Denver, we caught a glimpse of the 3 most influential political dynasties (as of now, that is) in America. The Kennedys, the Obamas and the Clintons. It's quite amusing to see how the most democratic nation in the world fall to the irony of political dynasties. I guess Power is still a heady thing.