In no particular order, here are some highlights from the 2007 state JJ Dinner:*The excellent Creigh Deeds panel on the 2006 elections, and particularly the analysis of panelist Steve Jarding, who got several rounds of applause for his fiery and frank comments. I think a lot of people were having the same thought: how can we get Steve Jarding to for something?
*The Chap Petersen for Senate, pre-dinner fundraiser/party, which featured Mark Warner, Dick Saslaw, Creigh Deeds, Mary Margaret Whipple, Janet Olseszek, etc.
*The attendance of nearly 4,000 Democrats at $165 per plate, by all accounts the most successul Virginia JJ dinner ever, and the "largest plated dinner in Richmond history."
*Tim Kaine's endorsement of Barack Obama for President. According to the Daily Progress, Kaine said, "Even though it is still early, I am very happy to say that it is a very simple decision for me in terms of my assessment of where the nation is and these candidates to endorse Barack Obama to be our nation's next president."
*The appearance on stage together of four Harvard Law graduates - Obama and his wife, Michelle, plus Tim Kaine and his wife, Anne Holton.
*Jim Webb's late arrival, after voting on the "anti-surge" resolution in the afternoon, driving down and battling traffic to Richmond, missing his own "thank you" party, but then speaking to the huge JJ Dinner crowd.
*Doug Wilder's declaration that Virignia "is nobody's red state," and that "Virginia is a winning state."
*Jim Moran's analysis that Webb's victory demoonstrated that "all the Presidents' me and their money were no match for [Webb]." Also, Moran's characterization of Barack Obama and Jim Webb as having the same "reverence for the truth."
*Webb's comments on his "bottom up campaign," on expanding the base of the Democratic Party, and on helping to bring a Democratic majority to Richmond this year.
*Mark Warner's declaration that "in 2008, it will be Virginia that delivers a Democrat to the White House."
*Warner's play on words that Obama is a "Ba-rack star." Ha.
*Tim Kaine's assertion that "Democratic governors know how to do the peoples' business," and his request for voters to "send me a few more Democratic legislators in November."
*Kaine's praise for Obama, who "came to Virginia for me in 2005 when I was behind in the polls," who has a "heart for serving people," who "brings an understanding of other nations in the world," and who is a good friend.
*Obama on how "we need a different kind of politics" in America" - "Mark Warner politics, Tim Kaine politics, Doug Wilder politics."
*Obama's joke about how he was trying to help people "get through difficult times" over Mark Warner deciding not to run for President.
*Another Obama joke (I think it was a joke!) about how he married his "smarter, tougher, better looking" wife to improve his gene pool. :)
*Obama's declaration that he would "not be here today without Doug Wilder," and that he stands "on the shoulders of giants" who came before him.
*Obama's praise for Jim Webb as "a man who's been through it all" and who "has no fear."
*Obama's speech on the "audacity of hope," in part to combat cycnism itself, in part to believe in "better days ahead."
*Obama's discussion of the struggles for equality in America, including African Americans and women fighting for their rights.
*Obama's declaration that "whether you were for the war [or against it], it's time to bring an end to this war. ? We know that it's time to bring our troops home [from Iraq and] to deal with the unfinished business in Afghanistan."
*Obama getting perhaps his biggets round of applause when he called for raising teachers' salaries. Also on education, Obama declared that "No Child Left Behind" had "left the money behind."
*Obama's story of meeting a 105-year-old woman, Marguerite Lewis, who brought home for him "America's capacity for change."
In addition, I enjoyed meeting so many people - politicians, candidates, reporters, old friends, new friends, former Webb campaign co-workers, etc. - and having a chance to chat with many of them. I just wish I had had more time at the JJ this year. Next year, I plan to book a hotel room well in advance...
P.S. Whoops, I forgot the highlight of the evening: Ben Tribbett in a tuxedo with a burgundy vest and tie. :)
Also, Obama's website; http://www.barackoba... has reports of his appearances through Saturday, February 17 (Orangeburg, SC), and they have videos there, too, so I would suspect that it won't be too long before they will post the video of Obama's Richmond appearance.
Unfortunately, I haven't yet found any other videos, but please stay tuned...
Thanks!
Steve
...but after viewing what I captured I'm thinking a short highlights clip is going to be better. A whole series of things (some my fault, some beyond my control) resulted in fairly bad video. Perhaps I'll put together a highlight clip and do a sound only (mp3) version of the full speeches.
[Obama fans may be a bit disappointed because I missed about a minute due to a required tape change. He spoke for about 45 minutes following Kaine's 20 minute speech - which had many videographers changing tape out in the middle of the speech.]
People's suggestions on this factor?
(1) Overall impression: Obama's stump speech is solid, even inspiring. On this night he was clearly fatigued. Fatigue is what comes from traveling to South Carolina, attending a Saturday vote in the Senate, and going to Richmond, Virginia on the same weekend. If Obama wants to approximate the energy and delivery of his magnificent announcement speech in Springfield, Illinois, he will need to figure out how to insert some naps into his campaign schedule.
(2) Delivery note: Obama spent a disconcerting amount of time displaying his left and right profiles. The profile-posing seemed a little too mannered. In large halls with multiple video screens, Obama could connect even better with the audience if he spent more time engaging directly with the camera, and therefore eye-to-eye with the viewer. (There were over 3,000 attendees and several large video screens at the Richmond Convention Center.)
(3) Grammar note: Obama several times used the colloquial but nonetheless ungrammatical "than me," "than us," "than them" construction. A former President of the Harvard Law Review surely knows better. Perhaps he is trying to appeal to main street voters who are a little fuzzy on their English constructions. But would it really sound too snooty to say "than I am," "than we are," or "than they are?" Curiously, he also used this ungrammatical construction several times in his first book, "Dreams from My Father." Are consultants telling Obama to "dumb down" his prose? I have heard several friends argue that George W. Bush, to appeal to his "base," actually works at dialing up his Texas twang and trying to sound even more stupid and redneck than he actually is. I hope that Obama understands that his potential base is very much different from Bush's.
I don't recall that JFK ever butchered grammar. I don't recall that Martin Luther King, Jr. ever butchered grammar. In reading the speeches of Winston Churchill, I never found him to have butchered grammar. Abrahama Lincoln may have spoken and written in complex sentences, but they were always grammatical.
If Obama wishes to distinguish himself by his eloquence--and surely he can--then he needs to speak with elegance. An occasional colloquialism can add spice and folksiness to his delivery, but a consistently repeated grammatical blunder is distracting to the listener.
(4) Diction note: Obama's diction and delivery may be the most impressive amongst the candidates of either party, but there was one grating note: he sometimes dwelled on "taaaa" instead of "to" while formulating the rest of an infinitive. Now even a Harvard professor in fluent speech will say "wanta" (though not "wanna") and not seem jarring. But a prolonged "taaaaa" makes the back crinkle. I've never heard that verbal idiosyncrasy in any American dialect. A plain middle American "to" would do just fine. I've also noticed that Obama tends to let "uh" creep in as a placeholder fairly often when he is responding to questions. I suspect he could eliminate "uh" without too much difficulty. He is sharp enough to formulate his thought before he starts speaking.
(5) Content note: Obama concluded his stump oration with a moving story about a meeting with a voter during his 2004 campaign for the Senate. The voter was an African-American woman who had been born in 1899, and she had made a special effort to meet with Obama to tell him how happy she was to be able to cast a vote for him. Obama did a good job with the anecdote, but just a little more work to fill out the kaleidoscope of what that centenarian had witnessed could have transformed a genuinely moving anecdote into an overpowering one--a grand, memorable crescendo to a resolving chord. Obama almost seemed to be too reticent, too cautious, to propel that remarkable narrative with counterpoint and cadence for maximum effect. He needs a little more George Szell or Georg Solti rather than Barry Manilow in his pacing and dynamics. Perhaps this evening he was simply tired. Or perhaps he is saving his very best ammunition for more important moments in the campaign.
At any rate, let us see how Obama does against Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, and Bill Richardson. I look forward to their debates. Let us see how he will think on his feet. Let us see how well he does on defense and offense. Let us see if he can display some flashes of wit. Let us see if he sticks to his core beliefs rather than try to be all things to all voters. Let us see if he can handle tough questions and even express disagreement with tough questioners--not to mention with the Republican Swift Boat Slime machine or the Foxist Noise Channel.
And let us see if he can consistently use words to inspire in the same way that JFK, MLK, Churchill, and, yes, Abraham Lincoln inspired.
Let us see if he starts by straightening out his grammar.
Footnote: Churchill, despite his astonishing official and literary output, political activity, and responsibilities as Prime Minister in the Second World War, still managed, under the prodding of his wife, Clementine, to get 8 hours of sleep in virtually every 24 hour period. She knew that Winston did not function well on less sleep. Perhaps someone (Michelle?) needs to ensure that Obama does the same.
And the reticence on the story of that woman born in 1899 made me think that he was uncomfortable on the subject of race.
I do not think the left - right thing is necessary rght now but it will be needed after he wins the primary.
There is a school of thought that the bipartisan tone will draw more independents to the primaries. This will help since it looks like Edwards and Obama my end up splitting the anti-hillary vote.
Your point on Obama and Edwards splitting the anti- (or at least non-) Hillary vote is the crucial one. It looks to me like a three-way race--with Richardson as a credible long shot if one or two of the top three stumble badly.
Hillary has the machine and the corporate money. Edwards has labor union ground support and trial lawyer financing, along with substantial netroots support. Obama has as much netroots support as Edwards and probably has broader appeal among independents than either Hillary or Edwards can boast. Hillary clearly will try to ensure that Edwards and Obama will cancel each other out. Richardson will hope that the top three do each other sufficient damage to leave him an opening. Hillary has a great deal of baggage and probably not much upside for future polls. I know many life-long Democrats who insist to me that they would sit out the election rather than vote for Hillary. Obama has more upside potential in the polls, but let's see if he has the strategic skills to run a national campaign and handle the inevitable Swift-boating. Edwards has a considerable organizational head start in Iowa. Richardson has the most presidential c.v. It should be a very interesting year.
Can Obama or Edwards overcome Hillary's co-option of the Democratic Party machine and corporate money? Hillary and her consultants thus far have been re-running the 1992 campaign. And the more money Hillary spends on high-priced professional consultants and fluffy advertising, the more cautious and staged she will seem. She is having a hard time untwisting her pretzel-like position on Iraq--echoes of John Kerry in 2004.
In 2008 the web and youth vote will likely play much more significant roles than they did even in 2004. A savvy candidate should be able to use the web to help neutralize an opponent's corporate fund-raising and media advertising advantage. Can Obama use the netroots to focus the enthusiasm of young voters, who in recent decades have been disappointments when it comes to voter registration and turnout? It is one thing to keystroke an entry in Face Book. It is another to put leather on the pavement to register Democrats, to pass out flyers, and to get out the vote in the ground war.
Lady and Gentlemen, start your engines.