O'Biden

I don't have television, so I just now got to watch Biden's speech thanks to Politico and I don't have too much to add to the blogosphere. But I'm very impressed with the way in which Biden has already addressed both his social connections to McCain and his previous (merited) criticism of Obama. I really hope that they electorate can see that Obama is still holding on to those politics of change when he is willing to surround himself with principled, experienced critics.

On to Denver.

"Appalachia, ideologically, is at war with itself."

My hometown newspaper, The Roanoke Times, has a great package today about Appalachian voters and Obama's chances in Virginia.

Pundits and bloggers, myself included, have already spilled a lot of digital ink about how to swing rural mountain voters one way or the other. This is important to both campaigns, but I don't know what I can say that hasn't already been said. I would like to point out, however, how the Times' piece tries to balance coverage of people in Appalachia. Yes, a lot of us still operate under the misunderstanding that Obama is Muslim. A lot of us are racist. A lot of us are disenchanged. And, yes, a lot of us are bitter.

But as I've moved even farther back up into the mountains, I am also reminded how people here would give you the shirt off their back, cut you a deal on rent you can't afford, and carry out a million other small acts of kindness. In sum, Appalachian voters are people, too - people who seem to have gotten a shorter end of the stick than those voters who don't worry as much about Obama's racial background. People in poverty who are racist or too busy feeding their families to pay attention to politics don't deserve to be exploited, either.

And if you think that considering how to cover these voters without being condescending, just ask Obama what sort of electoral risks that attitude carries.

Well, maybe not

Looks like Wes Clark will be in Italy instead of accepting the Democratic VP nomination. Oh well, this game is fun.

If We'd Just Run Government Like a Business

I think comparisions of government to business is generally overly simple and not very helpful. Mark Warner remains an exception to that rule and I'm excited to see him deliver a keynote at the convetion in just 13 days!

Broad Side of a Barn

Maybe rural America never needed Edwards in the first place; we've got Obama:

My Money is on Wes Clark

I very nearly drank the Kaine kool-aid when it came to Obama's VP pick but now that the Associated Press has released the themes for the Democratic Convention, I really think it's going to be Gen. Clark. The VP's night is "Securing America's Future." Those who obsessively read about this race, like myself, will note that is the motto of Gen. Clark's PAC. I can't imagine a better nod to the Clintonistas without the choice actually being HRC herself. Gen. Clark is also white and a man. It would be a shame to leave those folks out from under our big tent.

Clark was my original choice back in 2004 when he wowed me at Tudor's Biscuit World in Roanoke, so I may be a little biased, but I really can't imagine anyone better to counter McCain's accusations of inexperience (other than Sen. Webb who has very publicly said "No, thank you").

A little bit of election humor . . .

. . . in the midst of all the somber news out of China, Georgia, and Raleigh:



Thanks, Ezana.