Bring It, Biden
I really hadn't been paying all that much attention to Joe Biden. I was harboring some hope that Obama would pick Hillary Clinton as his running mate, but I knew in my heart they would probably kill each other in that close of proximity. I still have hope that she will make it to his cabinet.
BUT. I now completely respect Joe Biden. His speech last night helped define what change really means, and his ability to like McCain the man and disagree with McCain the politician resonated with me. It seems so many Americans vote for politicians because they "like" them, think they would be fun to drink with, and really, do you pick your kids' teachers that way? Their busdrivers? Your law enforcement officers? Anyone, really, who is the guardian of your home? God, no. You pick the person who you think is paying the most attention to the job at hand. Otherwise you end up with George Bush. I'm sure he would've been a party animal, back in the day, but look at what he's done with foreign policy.
Everyone's always excited to see Obama, but I thought he should've stayed off the stage. He seemed a little too eager to jump the gun on Biden's night. This is the first time I've seen him appear attention-hungry, and it's probably something he'll have to watch. Bill Clinton has that problem, too. It's probably an occupational hazard for the charismatic, as they seem to feed off interaction with an audience as we feed off them. Bill Clinton and Barack Obama are dynamic speakers, though. Wow.
I've been so excited about this Democratic convention. The speeches were moving and powerful, hearkening back to other important speeches in history. Speeches that would hold up as well on paper as they are delivered. Kudos to the speechwriters -- you are doing an amazing job. Though we know what a politician does in office is more important than what he or she says, it's also true that a good speech can motivate millions. A good speech is the face that can launch a thousand ships. A good speech can make the hair stand up on the back of your neck in a way that's uniquely human -- language is our most powerful instrument, and it's so often wielded carelessly.
Looking forward to tonight.
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In other news! I posted about teenagers on BlogHer this week. And also! Look at what I got in the mail yesterday...
Graco is sponsoring quite a few of the SIFTW signings. Lindsay and Erin of Graco should be lauded for their definition of "sponsorship." We talked about it with Lisa Stone of BlogHer, and then Lindsay and Erin just said, "Sounds good. What can we do?" And Erin said she would help with logistics, which is my weak point. And I was so happy, because by then I was so tired from calling all these potential sites and trying to explain who I am and who the contributors are and why yes, I do think we can get some people to come, but we can't get them to come just to a spot on the sidewalk somewhere, it would really be better to have a place with a roof and walls, and no, we're not famous. Please? And then this week when we decided to celebrate Kristen and Amy's pregnancies in Atlanta and DC, Erin said, "Oh, we've got the goods for them." Lucky girls. So while I'm thankful for Graco, the big company, for the financial help, I'm really loving Erin and Lindsay, the human beings, for the support and good cheer and general FUN they bring to everything they do. Nobody told me to write this stuff. I just felt like it, because I am an Army of One.
Erin the Party Planner.
Then one day, out of the blue, Lindsay called me and asked for the SIFTW title fonts. I asked why, and she said "oh, we thought it'd be fun to make custom Sharpies for you to give away to people who buy books" And then I thought to myself, who is this person? Because surely she is not a member of Corporate America. But she totally is. And she looks exactly like a girl I went to high school with, which endears her to me a little more.
Lindsay, who looks exactly like Bridget Roll.
So I've got a whole bunch of cool Sharpies to give away to folks who buy books at the signings. And I think I will give one to my mom, since she has bought more copies of SIFTW than anyone should have to.
