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The Daily Dose/August 30, 2008
By Gaylon Kent
The Writer's Shack
   
Notes from around the Human Experience, including Obama's speech, probably the only time we'll care about vice-presidents, some solid On This Date action, including our 1908 Cubs whipping the goddamn Giants into shape, the Thought for the Day, Trivia, plus Sarah Palin is the Column Four Foto! Of course, the past politician who was the Column Four Foto got assassinated, but that wasn't our fault.
GET OUT THE VOTE: Sen. Barack Obama's speech Wednesday night accepting the Democrats presidential nomination didn't make us want to register as Democrats, but it was rather substantive, on several occasions cutting to the heart with why this country is squandering its collective existence and not getting the most out of its enormous gifts.
Quotebook: Obama hit the nail right on the head with this one:
"America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this."
Yes we are. We aren't showing it right now, but we are. To quote Salman Rushdie, we have become fat and trivial, a society more or less existing to be entertained and to acquire possessions. We really haven't done anything of substance since Apollo.
On the other hand, he didn't exactly use a heavy stick. His speech was hardly the indictment it could've been, however. Of course, there was the usual hyperbole about how the current rascals have led us to the fourth ring, third level of hell, how we are at the usual defining moment we find ourselves at every four years and how, if we don't elect Barack Obama, we'll all be in soup lines. And there were the usual Democratic plans to save everyone by spending money.
The Bottom Line: But America-bashing would not have been in keeping with generally upbeat, yeah-things-are-bad-but-there's-hope-dammit theme, especially on a celebratory night like Thursday, and the Democrats left the serious bashing to Dennis Kucinich, who gave a speech which itself - while probably true - was long on rhetoric, but drearily short on specifics.
Meanwhile: For one of the very few times ever, running mate selections actually meant something. Specifically who was picked, of course, is more or less immaterial. It's the vice-presidency, after all. All they really have to do is go to funerals and stay awake in the Senate, and of the vice-presidents who History called to be president, none of screwed the country up too badly. Both Johnson's meant well, but had mixed results, and Andrew Johnson was about the worst of the lot. Harry Truman, who didn't really want to be vice-president, was a very good president.
Obama, for his part, had no choice. He didn't have to choose Joe Biden, but, let's be honest here, if he did not choose a white male, and a pretty Establishment white male at that, he was done, that was it, point, set and election. This country is probably ready to elect a black president, but not without a member of the tribe running with him. He would not win with a woman, or some other fringe element, on the ticket.
Batting Second, For The Republicans: Republican nominee apparent Senator John McCain announced his running mate will Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.
?????: Yeah, beats us, too. I mean, we knew Alaska was in the Union, and that they had governor, but who knew he, I mean she, would be selected to run for vice-president?
A Theory: The Republicans were in a box, too. They are taking risk enough running McCain, who is your usual cut-and-paste Republican nominee: middle aged or older, white and male. The last time they tried running an old white guy against a younger Democrat, Bob Dole had his lunch handed to him by Bill Clinton, and you think they would have learned a lesson there. If they had trotted out another white male with McCain they stood the risk of being seen as hopelessly behind the times and the pace set being set by Obama/Biden.
Whoops: But good luck finding a black to accompany McCain. First, black Republicans aren't in any great supply. Alan Keyes and JC Watts are the only two that come to mind. Second, would you want to be black and running against Obama this election? We wouldn't either. So it had to be woman. Our own fave female Republican was US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, but we've met her once, so we're biased.
Thought For The Day: This species could have been so great, and now everybody just wants a new Salad Shooter or sneakers with lights in them. This is what we’ve settled for. - George Carlin
Uh-Oh: On this date, in 1864, the Confederacy, led by General Robert E. Lee, finishes routing the Union Army at the Second Battle of Bull Run. The Union was beaten so badly that commander Major General John Pope was fired a couple of weeks later and dispatched to Minnesota to fight Indians.
Batter Up: On this date, in 1905, Ty Cobb makes his major league debut with the Detroit Tigers. Cobb would remain a Tiger throughout his career, and retire in 1928 holding all-time major league records for Games, At Bats, Hits, Batting Average and Singles.
Editor's Note: As you probably read in one some national column or head on the news, On This Date - in order to better celebrate the 100th anniversary of the last Chicago Cubs World Series championship - is chronicling the 1908 Cubs season.
Giant Killer: For the second time in the series, Cub pitcher Jack Pfiester beats the Giants, this time 2-1. Pitching on two (2) days rest, Pfiester allows five hits, strikes out three and walks two as the Cubs got a run in the first and another in the fifth. The Cubs have won eight (8) straight, and eleven out of their last twelve, and move to within a half-game of the Giants. The Pirates, who were idle this Sunday, remained a game back.
Make Your Ticket Plans Now: The Cubs home stand continues on Aug. 31, with the first of five games against the Cardinals. The Pirates will play in Cincinnati, while the Giants will take the day off before opening in Boston on Sept. 1.
I Told You We Should Have Been Nicer To Them: The Nazi's begin the Seize of Leningrad on this date in 1941. The siege would be broken somewhat in January, 1943, when the Soviets managed to establish a land corridor to Leningrad, but would not completely end for another year. A November speech by Hitler, who said "Leningrad must die of starvation", was not regarded as a boost to resident's morale. Estimates of the death toll vary from 800, 00 to over 1.5 million.
I Do Solemnly Swear: On this date, in 1967, the US Senate confirmed President Lyndon Johnson appointment of Thurgood Marshall as a justice of the Supreme Court.
HUT HUT HIKE: The 2008 college football season begins in earnest this weekend, and those of you hoping to dive in with a heap of good games will be better off cutting your grass. Due mainly to the BCS system which does not look kindly on a loss, teams now load up on as many cupcake wins as possible, and no less than eleven Top 25 teams are slumming for the easy win against I-AA teams.
Dry, Technical Matter: Western Michigan at Nebraska would be considered a slumming game, too, but Western Michigan doesn't have the requisite Top 25 ranking.
FunFact: Only two games this weekend featured two Top 25 teams: #20 Illinois, who was last seen getting slaughtered in the Rose Bowl, at #6 Missouri, and #24 Alabama at #9 Clemson.
Answer To The Last Trivia Question: The most ballots required for a major American political party to nominate a presidential candidate was the 103 ballots it took the Democrats to nominate John W. Davis in 1924. The Republican record is the relatively swift 36 ballots it took to nominate John Garfield in 1880.
Today's Trivia Question: When and where was the first Republican National Convention, and who was its nominee? - Answer next time!
Threats? Recipes? Trivia question answers? Email The Writer's Shack Here!
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