No, I'm not talking about the fact that none of them seem to be able to lip sync and dance at the same time.

I'm not talking about the fact that all of their signs seem to have been painted by the same 3rd grade art class.

Not even talking about how old they look when trying to pretend to know the words to "Celebration", a song which apparently was after their day.

As the cameras panned the crowd, showing the smiling faces and protesters being hauled away, I found something very striking, although not at all surprising.....

It was a very, very, very white crowd that was cheering for all those speeches talking about "change."

And how strange that the McCain camp switched back to "Johnny B. Goode" for the big intro last night, considering Chuck Berry is a big Obama backer. After taking it on the chin for using Jackson Browne's "Running on Empty" I'd think that they'd be more careful in choosing theme music.

Seems to me that their previous tune, ABBA's "Take a Chance on Me" would have been much more fitting, and not just because ABBA is also very, very, very white.

Addendum: Sorry for the delete/repost but what I wrote sounds like I mean that the Republic party is racially exclusive, and that's really not what I meant.

I'm sure the party would be thrilled to have a melting pot of faces and races in the crowd, but that's not the case.

For all the talk about change, it seems to me that the Republican platform is not attractive to a large percentage of people of color, which is one reason why the Dem party should be encouraged, as should we all.

Not a lot to be said wrong about stimulating a new generation of voters, and that's one thing that Barack Obama seems to have done. The numbers of new voters, both young people and people of color, are getting involved because of the Obama campaign team, and to that I say good for them.

Here's my favorite version of the video:

<link>

I know I keep posting this, but it's really, really good.

as I've been kind of spotty here in recent days. The Feith/Wolfowitz/Perle chorus was a deft touch, as was Condi Rice on piano.

that it gave me an overwhelming urge to eat something made with Wonder Bread.

Oddly, I get kind of sad now when I see Tony Snow. And I never really liked him at all.

There were 36 African-Americans at the convention. I believed they showed all of them on-camera during McCain's speech.

I saw a photo of old Carly Fiorina walking to the dais and I thought to myself:

Self, can't she get a job leading another fabulous organization into the toilet? Why is she up there?

Answer: Because the GOP needs female incompetant leaders to parade around as if they have any clue. Carly and Sarah together are not competant enough to arrange Hillary's travel schedule let alone lead or advise this nation.

The GOP continues to promote personalities over people of true substance. If they really wanted to lead, nominate Newtie. Newtie and Obama in a debate would be incredible.

The Boston Globe reports today that the GOP convention had the lowest number of black delegates in 34 years. Only 36 out of some 2,000 delegates were African-American. (<link>) The story also notes that “Michael Steele, an unsuccessful candidate for US Senate, has been the only African-American to have a prominent speaking role during the four-day event.”

The NY Times has been polling convention delegates about their backgrounds and political views since 1996, and found that this year’s GOP convention had “the least diverse, most conservative and richest Republican delegates” of all conventions it has gathered this data on. (<link>) That’s not surprising in a time when fewer and fewer voters are identifying themselves as Republican. Those that still do are bound to be more towards the outer Right pole.

The most comical shot had to be one nerdy delegate clapping on the downbeat to Kool & the Gang’s “Celebration.” Woo-hoo!

Out of 2380 delegates, 36 are African-American. I'm pretty sure John McCain's intro video had more black people in it than the whole convention combined.

given the color and girth of all-too many in the crowd. Plus, I was thoroughly annoyed to repeatedly see some middle-aged guy's "McCain Maverick" sign spelled "Mavrick". I don't want to be an elitist among my own GOP, but why not check up on sometthing like that even if one isn't a champion speller? And didn't they remember Jim Garner's breakout role, and how the word looked on the screen, or the back of their Ford when eschewing Datsuns and Hondas was an article of faith? Pah!

The RNC actually uses volunteers to mass produce "hand painted signs" for its convention. The idea is that the viewing public will be too dumb to tell the difference between that and genuinely spontaneous political artwork. A typical gesture of contempt for the public's intelligence. . . anyway, that's why they all look so rushed, and why they all have that similar-looking quality.

. . .It may also explain some of the more conspicuous mistakes. A lot of the "volunteers" who paint those signs are Democratic pranksters who take pride in making them as dumb, childish, ugly, and disturbing-looking as they possibly can without getting caught by quality control. In 2004, I was one of them. If you happened to see any BUSH signs in red and black, on which the "S" was shaped in angular way that evokes an SS lightning bolt. . .well.. . . that was me.

willingly show themselves in public, outside the closet of bigotry and groupthink that still dominates our society even in this day and age. Maybe when the stigmatizing burden of otherness and deviancy is exploded through education and open dialogue, the untold millions of conservative blacks will be able to hold their heads up with pride and validation.

...but thank all that's holy we were spared the rap stylings of M.C. Rove this time around.

(Who am I kidding, I couldn't watch more than five minutes of it.)

Had to chuckle at all the similarly hand-painted "Hockey Moms 4 Palin" signs during her speech, esp. when she gave a shout out to all those "hockey moms" on the floor.

Another good sign from last night:"The Mavrick"!

That made my week.