DAY 4 of the DNC. Kerry Speaks, Makes a Convert of a Anybody-But-Bush Cohort

I was very nervous when Kerry stepped onto the podium, last night. The Dems had spent 4 days building him up, and frankly, I was starting to like the guy! But, I was petrified, he was going to blow it. Not that it mattered to me personally as such. I'm in the anything-but-Bush-Brigade. You could pick a goat to run the White House, I could care less. The choice though curious would be amusing, at least. There is nothing funny about Dubya.

I was pleasantly surprised last night, and I have listened to entire speeches from Kerry before! I remembered just one, until now. A few weeks ago, he gave a speech on education during the Brown vs. Board of Education commemorations. The content inspired a lot of thought and ideas, but by golly the only reason I kept listening was because I was packing to move house: I needed something to keep me calm in the face of traumatic decisions about throwing away a lot of shit, I had acquired over a few years. I said to my officemate, Kerry's actually really bright. Pheww! but for the days when brightness was a foregone conclusion in a President.

Last night, Kerry gave me goose bumps, not in a bad way, in a, "my god, i feel ya" kind of way. In the same way, that I think, my father was moved by what the Kennedys believed in and what the US stood for. Stuff that wore me out growing up. So, this entire week, my relationship with the US has undergone a revival --in spite of my annoying housemate.

After what I said previously about necessary and sufficient Bush-bashing, I was particularly pleased that Kerry threw the gauntlet and had saved the bashing for himself, as it were.

Interestingly enough, I thought he said absolutely nothing that would benefit my own demographic in a direct way -except may the environment (a public good). There was a lot of talk about children, and more children and families and still more families. Very tiring stuff ordinarily, but I fucking cheering!