Regarding the musical selections for the GOP convention, I was also a bit surprised, but on the other hand, the median age of the delegates is about .. my age, so you play to the audience you have, right? I didn't watch much of the Democratic convention other than Obama's speech from Mount Olympus, but I suspect they never played "Happy Days are Here Again", at least during the televised portions.
Sure they practice. Sure they have speechwriters. But if you don't believe in the message you're delivering, I don't think you're going to give a good speech. In my memory, I don't recall four more eloquent candidates for Pres/VP. In the past few elections, jokes and complaints about the lack of eloquence of the candidates (directed at both sides, though Bush caught the lion's share of the snickering) have distracted us from the real business of understanding and assessing their arguments. This time, we can concentrate more on the substance of their messages and decide which ones better represent our beliefs and priorities.
That said, I'm a little politic'ed out tonight. Heading downstairs to pop my Smokey and The Bandit DVD in the player, and hoist a Diet Coke in Jerry Reed's memory.
