MORE GREAT QUOTES FROM LAST NIGHT: THIS TIME FROM BILL

ONE OF THE MANY GREAT QUOTES FROM LAST NIGHT'S SPEECHES

[One of my many dream tickets would include Warren]

THE BIG DOG LAYS IT DOWN

Man is anyone better than Bill Clinton at connecting with an audience and breaking complex wonky policies and programs into easily digested solid facts to build an argument on? No.

When I was young and my brain was running on all channels and I gave political speeches I was able to connect with audiences of hundreds and in a few cases thousands on a one to one basis, people told me. What I did was just talk like I actually was talking one on one. Clinton has perfected that to an art form and watching him pull it off is like watching Pavarotti in his prime sing a difficult aria perfectly or Picasso in that film where he paints on glass and you get to see his mastery in action.

Any great performance leaves you, or at least me, high, but without the hangover or damage done from artificially produced highs, if you know what I mean. Just a master at work as folksy as always as though we're sitting on a porch in Arkansas and he's just making a point in a discussion. Beautiful, masterful, impressive and effective. I hope whoever was undecided was watching.

After the highlight last night of Michelle's kick ass speech and now tonight Bill Clinton topping that won't it be great if Obama takes it even higher tomorrow night? Here's hopin'.

MICHELLE KICKS BUTT

There were a lot of great speeches on this first night of the Democratic convention—Deval Patrick, Governor of Massachusetts; Ted Strickland, ex-Governor of Ohio; Nancy Keenan, the president of NARAL and too many more to list. But the two best for my taste were the mayor of San Antonio, Julian Castro, who I hope runs for higher office he was so good, I'd vote for him, and he looks like the future of the party and the country (and his mom reminded me of my mom God rest her soul), and Michelle Obama, who I would vote for tonight for president if she were running.

This woman can give a speech. There were others whose speeches were fine but who just didn't know how to deliver them. Like Tammy Duckworth, the veteran running for Congress from Illinois who lost both legs in combat in Iraq. She didn't seem to understand you have to pause when people are cheering and chanting because otherwise your words are drowned out, and they're showing their enthusiasm so let them, that's the point of a convention speech.

Or the poor mother of the little girl with the heart condition who broke my heart and it looked like everyone else watching from the convention floor when she pleaded for another four years for Obama because her daughter needs a heart operation next year and if Romney gets elected and has his way her and her husband won't be able to pay for it because Romney has vowed to repeal Obamacare on his first day in office. Her message was so powerful and she was so moved by it herself but when people cheered she just kept on speaking, out of nervousness or inexperience or maybe the cheers just didn't sound as loud to her as they did to the television audience.

But Michelle had a relationship with the audience that was moving to see, as was her speech for me. And man was that audience diverse. It did include old white men in Veterans of Foreign Wars service caps, but they and old white people in general were just one small part of an amazing variety of folks. It was so refreshing to see such a mix, people who were obviously gay and proud of it, every skin tone and shape and age and it seemed like more women than men which reflects the population.

I look forward to the next few night of speeches and before tonight I was actually not expecting much. The sad thing is probably not too many people who are undecided or apathetic watched and so will never know how clear and positive and truly patriotic and solution oriented the Democrats are.

REMEMBERING WHAT LABOR DAY IS ABOUT

HAS ANYONE EVER SAID THIS BETTER?

[as always click to enlarge]

HOPE SPRINGS

I needed this. After a week of inane political unreality TV and the "discussions" (often arguments) that ensued on this blog and the Internet in general, let alone in person, I was walking through the parking lot in Great Barrington near the movie theater and noticed HOPE SPRINGS was playing and having wanted to see it I did.

It was just what the doctor ordered. Not perfect, but perfectly performed. It's basically a three character movie with Tommy Lee Jones, Meryl Streep and Steve Carell. And man did they keep my attention and impress the shite (as me dear departed mother would say) out of me.

Carell had some wordless close ups that were so well done they bought tears to my eyes, tears of appreciation for his acting chops. And the same but even more so for so many of the scenes between Jones and Streep. Just a master class in film acting.

And as many who read this blog know, I never found Streep that attractive but after brain surgery inexplicably instantly did, and still do. I fell in love again with her watching this flick. Even when there were a few plot points that misled me or I thought weren't the greatest writing, I still never doubted her or Jones's characters reality, nor lose the sense of this being a woman I could love (even though I know it's a trick of my post-op brain, I surrender to it).

But despite the strange brain aspects of my response, the basic message is, as someone who has acted in films and understands the challenges I was blown away by what these actors accomplished with the lines and characters they were given to work with. Stunning accomplishments and I hope to see Oscar nods for everyone if life is fair.