MUTH’S TRUTHS

Observations from Night Three of the 2008 Demo-lition Derby in Denver:

* Bill Clinton loves getting the kind of adulation and attention he received tonight. Jimmy Carter has to hate the kind of adulation and attention Bill Clinton gets. You almost feel sorry for him. Not me. Jimmy Carter is an ass. But maybe some people.

* Bill Clinton gave a strong speech…which is redundant. He always gives a strong speech. That’s his strong suit. But this convention – especially after the ho-hum speeches by Michelle Obama on Monday night and Hillary Clinton last night – desperately needed a strong speech.

* Bill Clinton personally vouched for Barack Obama’s ability to handle the job of president, especially in the area of foreign policy. Then again, considering Bill Clinton’s utter failures in the area of foreign policy – anybody remember Somalia and how Clinton let bin Laden get away, allowing him to eventually plot and pull off 9/11? – that’s not exactly a very strong endorsement.

* And what exactly has prepared Barack Obama to face off against the world’s worst rogue leaders and dictators? What has steeled Barack Obama for the life-and-death decisions which fall on the shoulders of the Commander-in-Chief? Well, according to Bill Clinton, it was his primary race for president against his wife, Hillary Clinton. No, seriously. And he said it with a straight face.

* Bill Clinton also said that Barack Obama proved he had the judgment to be president by picking Joe Biden as his running mate because of Joe Biden’s experience in foreign affairs. Which I’m sure was an unintentional, yet nevertheless subtle admission that Barack Obama himself is weak on foreign affairs. Which is exactly what John McCain (and Hillary and Joe Biden before him) have been saying. Thanks, Bubba.

* Bill Clinton said that Barack Obama will use diplomacy first and the military only as a last resort. Kinda reminds you of - who was that again? – oh, yeah…Jimmy Carter. And we all know how THAT turned out.

* Referring to himself, Bill Clinton said that the critics said the same thing about Bill Clinton in 1992 that they’re saying about Barack Obama today about his ability to handle foreign affairs: That he was too young and too inexperienced.

1. Bill Clinton had already served two terms as the governor of a state and the leader of the national Democrat Leadership Council while Barack has yet to even finish his first term as a United States senator, and…

2. Looking back on the disastrous foreign affairs record of Bill Clinton, it turns out the critics were right; he WAS too young and too inexperienced.

* The bottom line on this question of ability and judgment: Bill Clinton saying Barack has it doesn’t make it so. Barack will have to persuade a skeptical electorate of that himself tomorrow night.

* Bill Clinton finally did what none of the other prime-time speakers had done before him: Go after the Republicans. By doing so he gave the convention delegates what convention delegates expect and eat up: Red meat. Only…he won’t have the last word. Republicans will take the field next week and will likely have a field day reminding everyone of exactly what was wrong with the Clinton administration and how it was only saved by the election of a Republican-majority Congress in 1994.

* Excellent speech aside, Bill Clinton is the past. If Republicans want something to really worry about, they better worry about the man who introduced Joe Biden – Joe Biden’s son Beau. Beau clearly and unarguably gave the best damn speech of the entire convention so far. And he’s already a statewide elected official in Delaware. Bet your bottom dollar that no matter what happens to Joe Biden on November 4th, you ain’t heard the last of Beau.

* Joe Biden started off great. Extremely strong opening, especially his ability to articulate in real-person terms the challenges and difficulties the average middle American family faces every day. But I think the best quote of his entire speech really had nothing to do with politics. It’s an old-fashioned lesson in life that American children were instilled with before liberals like Joe Biden, Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama started teaching our kids that self-esteem and feeling good about yourself was more important than actually achieving excellence. Anyway, the lesson Biden says he learned from his mom was: “Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable.”

* Of course, maybe he and Barack ought to apply that lesson to the war in Iraq.

* Also early in his speech, Biden spoke convincingly of God. This is something many Democrats – especially Hillary – have tried to do in a cynical effort to persuade religious voters that Democrats like Jesus, too. But with most Democrats, it always seems forced and contrived. With Biden, it came naturally and from the heart. Nice job.

* But then “Father and Husband of the Year” Joe Biden turned into attack dog Joe Biden. And frankly, he wasn’t very effective at it.

* Oh, sure, he hit on all the typical liberal complaints about Republican policies and politics, but when it came to John McCain, Biden didn’t attack the man’s policies or politics; he attacked the man personally. He questioned the man’s judgment. And this is very thin ice for Biden and Obama.

* If you believe what Joe Biden said tonight, Obama’s the one who has shown good judgment when it came to Iraq and John McCain has been wrong. But it was John McCain who pushed for the “surge” that Biden and Obama opposed - and which prevented American from losing in Iraq. Bet your sweet bippee the Republicans will remind the nation of that fact next week.

* Biden went on to rattle off Barack Obama’s legislative accomplishments in the Senate – only, those accomplishments were rather few and highly over-stated. Republicans will rip this apart next week, too.

* As a campaign trainer and amateur political consultant, one of the things I always drill into candidates is the necessity of being able to credibly, quickly and convincingly explain why you’re running for office. Not only did Biden do so with his words in a strong closing statement, but having the entire Biden family – mom, kids, wife and grandkids - up there on stage was the perfect visual exclamation point.

* Bottom line: It’s on. The Democrats appear to have united. They appear motivated and enthusiastic. They seem ready to kick butt and take names. They’re spoiling for a fight and are committed to victory. It’s now all up to Barack Obama to seal the deal with his speech tomorrow night before 75,000-plus people in a packed outdoor stadium. To say the stakes are a Mile High would be the Mother of All Under-statements.

* But I’m betting he nails it. Republicans, you better be ready.

Posted on August 27th, 2008 by Chuck Muth
Filed under: National