Thursday Open Thread [7.28.16]
Andrew Sullivan on Obama’s speech:
It’s been a long and entirely unexpected journey with this extraordinary figure. I’ve doubted and panicked, I’ve hyper-ventilated and wept, I’ve worried and persevered. We did a lot of that together, you and me. But I have one thing to say: he never let us down. He kept his cool, he kept his eyes on the prize, he never embarrassed and almost always lifted us up. He is a living, walking example of American exceptionalism, of why this amazing country can still keep surprising the world.
Readers know how I feel about the Clintons. But this is not about them or me. It’s about an idea of America that is under siege and under attack from a foul, divisive, dangerous demagogue. If you backed Obama, there is no choice in this election but Clinton. This is not a election to seek refuge in a third party or to preen in purist disdain from the messy, often unsatisfying duties of politics. It is an election to keep the America that Obama has helped bring into being, and the core democratic values that have defined this experiment from the very beginning: self-government, not rule by a strongman; pluralism and compassion rather than nativism and fear; an open embrace of the world, and not a terrified flight from it.
But you know what Obama gave us tonight? He gave some of us hope. Again. That’s what he does. And we will never see his like again.
Barack Obama is the best President of the life of anyone who is reading these words. It is simply an undisputed fact. Most certainly the best President since Roosevelt, there are not many of us here were alive for FDR. If not for the Constitution, I would vote for this man three to four times.
Best. Photo. Ever. pic.twitter.com/M2eFVm2JG8
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) July 28, 2016
Dylan Matthews has the winners and losers from Day 3 of the DNC—Winners: Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Dad Jokes (Tim Kaine reference)–Losers: Rahm Emanuel, Michael Bloomberg, Doves, Pro-gun Democrats. His comments on the purpose and effect of Biden’s speech is important, especially to those like El Som and Jason330:
The idea that support for Trump is driven by economic anxiety rather than racism is close to a punchline at this point. It just doesn’t jibe with all the quantitative evidence from surveys of Trump voters, and it doesn’t explain why this seemingly economic-driven revolt is coming at a time when the economy is doing better than it’s done in a decade.
But the theory’s failure as an explanatory approach doesn’t mean that voters who respond to Trump’s racism might also respond to economic appeals. These are voters who won’t be persuaded if you tell them that Trump is a xenophobe, that he’s bigoted against Muslims. Those are features, not bugs, to them.
So instead of highlighting the aspects of Trump that make him so uniquely horrifying to Democrats, to reach these voters surrogates need to make an orthogonal argument, to change the subject to a topic the voters also care about and where their values are closer to Democrats’ than to Trump’s.
This was Biden’s task, and he nailed it. He did not try to convince viewers to oppose Trump on anti-racist grounds. He tried to convince them on pocketbook grounds, to convince them Trump is a fraud who does not care at all about their material needs. “He is trying to tell us he cares about the middle class,” Biden scoffed. “Give me a break. That is a bunch of malarkey.”
We've never heard a convention endorsement speech by an outgoing President for a preferred successor as strong as Obama's tonight.
— Michael Beschloss (@BeschlossDC) July 28, 2016
Libby Nelson says Joe Biden took Donald Trump’s most famous catchphrase and turned it against him:
“His lack of empathy and compassion can be summed up in that phrase he is most proud of making famous: ‘You’re fired,’” Biden said. “Think about everything you learned as a child. No matter where you were raised, how can there be pleasure in saying, ‘You’re fired’?”
Biden was doing what has been his job since President Obama added him to the ticket in 2008: trying to prove to blue-collar white Americans that the Democrats still speak their language. Those voters were Trump’s base early in the primaries, and Trump is trying to reach them in the general election — they’re his best hope for winning swing states like Pennsylvania and Ohio. The stakes are high.
But Biden, by now, is a virtuoso at playing variations on this theme. He went on to call Trump’s professed concern for the middle class “a bunch of malarkey” and to make an overt appeal to voters with backgrounds like his own.
Don't have an analysis of Obama's speech tonight. I wrote an analysis of his presidency, though. Transformational. https://t.co/xiIazQG3hG
— Jonathan Chait (@jonathanchait) July 28, 2016
Dara Lind on how Obama’s election sparked the white panic that is powering Trump:
It is not Barack Obama’s fault that Donald Trump is the Republican presidential nominee, any more than the proverbial hurricane is the fault of the proverbial butterfly. But just like the butterfly and the hurricane, the fact that Trump’s ascension comes at the end of the Obama era is hardly a coincidence — and it’s hard to imagine one without the other.
More specifically, Obama’s election helped pave the way for Trumpism: not the idiosyncratic and often incomprehensible campaign that Donald Trump himself is running, but the anti-immigration, anti-trade, “law and order” populist sentiment that he’s brought back into the American mainstream and that will probably outlast his (probable) loss in November.
One of the reasons Trumpism has surprised political and media elites with its passion and strength is that it draws from a deep well of anxiety about America losing its culture and values in the face of (among other things) multiculturalism. The idea that America is being both overrun and taken over by people with different values is partly inspired by reminders of difference in everyday life: seeing people in the streets who “look like” unauthorized immigrants; having to press 1 for English. But it’s also reinforced by the media, and by who represents America on the world stage.
And for the past eight years, that’s been a man of Kenyan ancestry — with, as Obama himself said during his 2004 convention speech, “a funny name.” Obama’s election was the result of the underlying demographic changes that have provoked so much anxiety that something’s being lost in America. But it was also a symbol of it.
“Let’s elect a sane, competent person with international experience.” https://t.co/tfiwDSmkiJ
— Jonathan Capehart (@CapehartJ) July 28, 2016
Having Bloomberg speak was very risky. First, he could have been massively rejected by the crowd. And indeed some did boo when he had the stones to say Dems were wrong on Education and fiscal issues. But it seemed that the hall knew the point and politics of his speech, even the always ignorant BernieBros (who booed former Defense Secretary and CIA Chief Leon Panetta while he was making an anti-Trump point, which was dumb in and of itself).
Dylan Matthews says Barack Obama is the most important political figure of our time, no matter who succeeds him.
'80s Kaine pic.twitter.com/GfkROFTqdj
— Ryan Creed (@RyanCreed) July 28, 2016
Doesn’t Tim Kaine bear a striking resemblance to our own Jason330?
Jeet Heer says the Democrats are the Party of Lincoln now. That has been true since the 60’s.
To defeat Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton is assembling a much wider popular front than even the Obama coalition. As evidenced by the Democratic National Convention, this front runs from the democratic socialist Bernie Sanders to the centrist Bill Clinton to the disaffected former Republican Michael Bloomberg. Much of the turmoil of the convention has come from the difficulty of bringing together these different factions, which still heatedly disagree on issues like trade and foreign policy.
The recurring theme of the third night in Philadelphia was that the Democrats offer a welcoming home to Republicans alienated by Trump’s antics. The speakers made a convincing case, and more importantly, they did so without offering any sort of compromise.
The most powerful image in this election so far. pic.twitter.com/0cc0L60zBo
— Marc Ambinder (@marcambinder) July 28, 2016
“Hillary Clinton has so far been putting on a better television show in Philadelphia than Donald Trump did in Cleveland,” the New York Times reports.
“Expectations had it the other way around. Mr. Trump is the bona fide television sensation, a former maestro of a hit reality series, and he had promised to bring some ‘showbiz’ to the proceedings. Yet it’s Mrs. Clinton who has had the celebrities and musical acts that ‘Tonight Show’ bookers’ dreams are made of — Alicia Keys, Meryl Streep, Paul Simon, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz and Lena Dunham. It’s Mrs. Clinton who has had the more professionally produced show. And at least for the first two nights, it’s Mrs. Clinton who has had the bigger ratings, by several million people.”
I am sure last night blew the RNC out of the water. Tonight will too.
Tomorrow's front page…
LOCK HIM UP: Comrade Trump's treasonous call for Russia to hack Hil https://t.co/AUh6gjw24v pic.twitter.com/WJfvGPRNdU— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) July 28, 2016
Some interesting inside baseball on what was going on with Debbie Wasserman Schultz and the DNC:
http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/dnc-debbie-wasserman-schultz-226352
That’s one of the biggest takeaways from the this convention – it looks like it was organized by professionals who knew what they were doing. And it the speakers – from the unknown to the known delivered the same message on why Clinton and why not Trump. The antics of the Sander’s supporters have been but a minor annoyance.
Last I heard Joe Biden is still scheduled to do an Aug. 5 fundraiser for DWS in Miami.
The thing about that Politico piece is that I expect that this dysfunction isn’t new. Maybe it is, but I still think that Dems are frequently just not very good at steering their own party ship because they pretty much have one function now.
Throw DWS an anchor and help make an example of her by donating to her progressive primary opponent Tim Canova.
Democrats have stolen the GOP’s best rhetoric — and Republicans have noticed
I was thinking about this on the drive into work this morning (with the idea of writing about it, but Vox beat me to it). Democrats have really owned American exceptionalism and patriotism and family values during this convention and mostly done it on their own terms. Interesting that the traditional GOP has noticed.
The thing I love and loved about Obama is that he was always smartest guy in the room. That was especially comforting after 8 years of W. I wish he had been less moderate, but there’s no question that whatever position he took, he analyzed the facts and the positions and based his conclusions on at least arguable sound reasoning.
Might as well use a pro rasslin’ reference re DWS. She ‘went into business for herself’.
Yeah, I wonder whether Biden will do that fundraiser now.
Hillary Clinton’s husband wore a fetching pantsuit to honor her nomination for US president
NICE!
Apparently, the donald’s Reddit AMA was a bust — with very few questions answered and the questions only taken from established fanboys.
Laugh away, Cassandra, but I remember the stink over John Edwards’ $400 haircut.
Male fashion choices, like female fashion choices, make a statement, consciously, unconsciously or both. It certainly said something to me that Chip Flowers wore a Zegna suit, $1,600 off the rack before tailoring, and that statement was “if you’re looking for someone to save you money, I’m not your guy.”
Almost all women know something about women’s fashion. Almost all men know nothing about men’s fashion. Most men wear a suit only for weddings and funerals. If you’ve ever seen male political reporters on the job, you understand why they don’t ask questions about fashion.
FWIW, Bill’s weight loss of recent years makes him look much better in suits than he did as president; fabric drapes better when it’s not negotiating love handles. I wouldn’t mind in the least if reporters had bothered to learn who made the suit, along with the brands of the tie and shoes. Unfortunately, that would go against mainstream journalism’s emphasis on providing less and less information every year.
HuffPo’s roundup of Bill fashion snark:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bill-clinton-suit-dnc_us_5798c46ae4b0d3568f855178
A Washington Post reporter was banned from a Trump event today. Four weeks from now any reporter who is not banned from Trump events should be ashamed of themselves.
When I see a guy in a suit, I just see a guy in a suit. I don’t know if it came from Italy or JC Penney. I guess I could tell if I looked closely, but I don’t look at guys that closely, or at politicians of any gender for that matter.
@puck: That’s exactly what I mean.
My grandfather was a tailor. I never bought suits or pants anywhere except at a factory until I left home.
In the main, I’m not crazy about commentary about other people’s clothes or haircuts. Too often, there are judgements there that don’t make a difference to why they should do the job. As long as Chip Flowers and John Edwards are spending their own money on expensive clothes and haircuts, I don’t much care about that. There was a dustup some months back about Hillary Clinton wearing an expensive Armani jacket and somehow that expensive jacket was evidence that she couldn’t be serious about resolving income inequality. This argument came from a few professional women and I asked them if they expected a well-paid professional woman to reach into the Target part of her closet when talking about less wealthy people. I still haven’t gotten an answer to that. On the other hand, Trump wears Brioni and no one loses their shit over his expensive suits. If you can afford it, there’s no reason for you to not spend money on the clothes and haircuts you want.
I don’t think that your clothes are a proxy for your credibility or position on issues. This article was poking fun at the way women’s looks are scrutinised more than their lives or accomplishments.
Bradley Cooper was at the DNC last night and the wingnuts are going batshit.
“Too often, there are judgements there that don’t make a difference to why they should do the job.”
And yet might offer insights into how they do the job. Clothes — and for women, makeup — present a sort of mask to the world. You are presenting yourself a certain way. I tend to look past it myself, and you’d be able to tell by my Goodwill wardrobe, but it’s not insignificant just because some of us don’t much care.
It used to be people wanted to be popular music stars. It should tell you something when all the pop music stars want to be clothing designers. It’s a big market. Everybody wears clothing.
That information is included because millions of people work in fashion and related industries, and they want to know. Just as importantly, newspapers used to (and big ones still do) employ fashion writers, and when the subject is the first female president, editors are going to demand stories for that audience.
“This article was poking fun at the way women’s looks are scrutinised more than their lives or accomplishments.”
Yes, I know. I chose to look a little deeper than that.
The reason Armani wants HIllary wearing his (their?) clothes is obvious — she operates as a walking billboard. Millions of eyes will take in what she wore whether they’re aware of it or not. To be fair, much scorn was heaped upon Nancy Reagan for wearing super-expensive clothing, so it’s bipartisan. There apparently is a certain level of luxury beyond which the American public will react negatively.
Finally, I wish the press had asked Bernie who he was wearing. Goodwill could have used the shout-out.
Re: Bradley Cooper
Under any other circumstances they would have criticized him for his Russian date, too.
When I lived in NYC I bought my suits from a second-floor loft warehouse factory on 23rd street. If it needed to be taken in here or there (usually not) a little old Jewish man did it for me, but I didn’t think for a moment I was buying a “tailored” suit. I don’t think places like that exist any more. Everybody is into the designer names from the high-end department stores (thanks, Reagan!)
I got a sharp looking sport jacket in a thrift shop in Rehoboth with some guy’s name inside. Paid 8 bucks for the thing. Some dead rich guy with his own taylored sport jacket. Now it mine!
The point about John Edwards’ haircut was about the price not the hairstyle.
“Almost all women know something about women’s fashion.” There’s a reason for this. They have to “know” because they are judged by it. And when they try and do what men do (wear the same outfit) they get called out. See: Yellen, Janet.
Clothing is a minefield women maneuver through daily.
If a tailor took in your suit then you were wearing a tailored suit. That’s actually the definition of tailored.
Most guys need even off-the-rack suit pants hemmed. That isn’t the flattering attention to the coat that is meant by “tailored suit.” Now they are starting to sell “suit separates” with different leg length but they never seem to have the size you need.
Women need to know a lot about fashion because other women notice if you wore the same thing recently. Also the shoes and handbag have to match beyond just black or brown. Guys might roll their eyes but they would notice if the woman’s shoes didn’t match. That’s why women are on a constant hunt for shoes. They not only have to be comfortable but be the perfect shade.
Most people (men and women) I know, myself included, use a tailor for suit/dress pants.
And at least men’s clothing is sized more accurately than women’s. A size 10 woman will also be a size 6, 8, 12, 14 depending on the store/designer (generic designer/off the rack H&M, Macy’s, Target, Old Navy, etc.). It’s infuriating. I can easily pick up shorts/jeans/shirts for my husband and son, but my daughter has to try everything on in the store. I’m guessing that’s no accident – seems like conditioning.
I once accidentionally mixed up my Crocs and wore one black one and a blue one
“The point about John Edwards’ haircut was about the price not the hairstyle.”
The subtext, at least to men, was “What kind of man spends that kind of money on his hair? A vain one. Maybe an …effeminate one.
“Almost all women know something about women’s fashion…. because they are judged by it.”
Agreed. So are men (judged), but most of them don’t know it or don’t care.
“And when they try and do what men do (wear the same outfit) they get called out..”
But not by men. I once worked with a guy who wore the same pants 28 days in a row. We counted and took bets on when he’d finally change them. And he was married.
“at least men’s clothing is sized more accurately than women’s. ”
What’s infuriating is the inflated price of women’s clothing relative to men’s, which I think dwarfs the price differential on women’s labor.
“If a tailor took in your suit then you were wearing a tailored suit. That’s actually the definition of tailored.”
A tailor is someone who makes clothing from scratch, professionally. Most men I know have their pants hemmed at the dry cleaner’s.
“Clothing is a minefield women maneuver through daily.”
Whereas men only look like they dressed in one.