Democrat Final Night Vs Republican Final Night

[Balloon guy 158]

I'm leaving at 5:00 AM tomorrow to go to blow up the balloons for the Republican conventionI'll watch the post speech show that Team Obama puts on and compare it to what the Republicans do with 50 confetti cannons and 150,000 balloons.I can already tell you who will do the better show...Watch the news Friday they'll be covering the inflation of the balloons. Hopefully they'll point out that the Dems felt it was time to change tradition and have no balloons fall at a political convention.THE FOOLS!The speeches are what they are, but the tradition of balloons falling is why we have political conventions. The only reason in my book.Checky if you have any heart you'll free me of my obligation to vote for Obama.Any heart at all!

[akoff 0]

I'm leaving at 5:00 AM tomorrow to go to blow up the balloons for the Republican conventionAny heart at all!

Remember to stop by the Canterbury club. Nice little card room about 10 minutes from the airport.

[LongLiveYorke 38]

I'm leaving at 5:00 AM tomorrow to go to blow up the balloons for the Republican convention

Any chance I'm going to get a BG sighting if I watch the convention? I'll look for the guy simultaneously hanging from balloons, smoking a cigar, and playing golf.

[hblask 1]

Remember to stop by the Canterbury club. Nice little card room about 35 minutes from the airport.

FYP

[nutzbuster 7]

I'm leaving at 5:00 AM tomorrow to go to blow up the balloons for the Republican conventionI'll watch the post speech show that Team Obama puts on and compare it to what the Republicans do with 50 confetti cannons and 150,000 balloons.I can already tell you who will do the better show...Watch the news Friday they'll be covering the inflation of the balloons. Hopefully they'll point out that the Dems felt it was time to change tradition and have no balloons fall at a political convention.THE FOOLS!The speeches are what they are, but the tradition of balloons falling is why we have political conventions. The only reason in my book.Checky if you have any heart you'll free me of my obligation to vote for Obama.Any heart at all!

(akoff @ Thursday, August 28th, 2008, 5:39 AM) *Remember to stop by the Canterbury club. Nice little card room about 35 minutes from the airport.FYP

Well. poop. That blowsupballoons...Too bad the plans never quite worked out Rob. (I was slated to help Rob with all the rigging and dropping at the DNC, but that fell through because they decided to have a Rock Concert instead, which could backfire miserably).when the contacts at the RNC fumbled a bit, Rob himself was barely able to make the trip. I backed out once it became clear things were getting sticky and last minute-ish.We'll be looking for ya on the tube. Would have been fun to meet up again with you too Henry, next time buddy.And what the hell was that Obama fumble last night right after Bidens speach? That did nothing to dispel the rumors that he has trouble without a tele prompter!

[copernicus 0]

Remember to stop by the Canterbury club. Nice Crappy little card room about 35 minutes from the airport.

FYP

FYFYPAnd watch out for collusion. It may be different now that colleges are back in session, but three were at least 4 kids giving signals to each other when I was there.

[whatgreatis 0]

I'll be at the RNC on its opening day.

[Nimue1995 1]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I'll probably watch more of the gop convention, because the dems (since 1968, anyway) took all the fun out of theirs. The delegates at the gop convention are more entertaining. Kind of like watching the crowd at one of those buffet-style restaurants in Sun City, or something. You wonder if they are wearing costumes, or whether a lime-green leisure suit with a white belt is normally part of some ancient dude's wardrobe. Are those huge eyeglasses part of the gag, or is it some kind of cataracts lens? When they try to whip the floor into a fury, you can see EMT's unpacking their defibrilators and oxygen bottles. Then, there's the entertainment. Who knew that Englebert Humperdink was even still alive? I mean, when's the last time we saw Andy Williams or Perry Como, outside some gop event (or, maybe in the bowels of some Laughlin, Nevada lounge)? The speeches are no better than at the dem convention. Maybe worse. Every two minutes, the speakers will be obligated to recite something "patriotic" to remind the crowd of the higher purpose, I suppose. My daughter calls it the "bleached raisin" convention: Rows of wrinkled little white folks, out to raise a little pergatory. But, be sure to watch with the SOUND OFF. The speeches are mind-numbing nostalgia, and the music really, REALLY sucks. But, with the sound off, I can guarantee some good laughs. I mean, what's funnier than watching a vast herd of old white folks in costumes, trying to look excited? You'll swear it's some alternative-universe viagra ad.

[Franchise632 0]

Need any help blowing up balloons?? I got nothing better to do and live 2 mins from Xcel Energy Center!!

[akoff 0]

FYFYPAnd watch out for collusion. It may be different now that colleges are back in session, but three were at least 4 kids giving signals to each other when I was there.

I never saw that...i won 56 BB in less then 4 hours a a couple years ago!! I guess I have only fond memories but have been wrong before.

[Balloon guy 158]

Well I watched the DNC final night speech, what a let down.I didn't really watch much of the speech, other than the part where he promised to save the world and raise taxes on anyone that earns money.But the end..wow how sad and pathetic was that?He gets one streamer shot..then some indoor style fireworks from the screen surrounds, then some road flares from the perimeter of the stadium.If there's one thing we can tell from all this it's that the DNC sucks.100,000 balloons are up and rigged, we're going to try to find out where the confetti cannons are going to go, I'll be on the catwalks dropping balloons and a couple hundred pounds of confetti Thursday nightWe'll win

[Nimue1995 1]

I saw your balloons on CNN. Just hope the oxygen tanks and defibrillators are on hand to help the crowd handle the excitement.

[copernicus 0]

I saw your balloons on CNN. Just hope the oxygen tanks and defibrillators are on hand to help the crowd handle the excitement.

and 3 days of zero content plus an ostentatious display of ego were exciting for you?

[Franchise632 0]

Should be interesting to see how the balloons look when the drop after McBush gives his speech from somewhere in the delta that will be broadcast on the big screen. From PoliticoStorm scrambles GOP conventionBy: Mike Allen and Jonathan Martin August 31, 2008 12:30 AM EST ST. PAUL, Minn. — President Bush is unlikely to make it to the Republican National Convention, and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) may deliver his acceptance speech via satellite because of the historically huge hurricane threatening New Orleans, top officials said.Late Saturday night, the RNC was planning to issue a release announcing the formation of a "working group of representatives from each of the states in Hurricane Gustav's path. The group will ensure that all affected delegates have information and assistance in real time."The Affected States Working Group is led by all five state party chairs from the affected area, along with other delegation officials. The purpose of the group will be to regularly brief their delegates and convention planners, provide access to timely information and assistance, and give input on appropriate steps that can be taken from Minnesota."Officials insisted that the convention, scheduled to open here on Monday, will go on — albeit in a more limited and sedate form — even if Hurricane Gustav stays on its projected path. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin ordered a mandatory evacuation beginning at 8 a.m. Sunday after federal officials said Gustav could grow to a catastrophic Category 5 and hit Monday afternoon somewhere between eastern Texas and western Mississippi.McCain made plans to travel to a threatened area of the Gulf Coast on Sunday, accompanied by his wife, Cindy, and running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. They planned to meet Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour ® in Jackson, Miss., aides said.McCain was scheduled to deliver his acceptance speech Thursday but now may do so from the devastation zone if the storm hits the U.S. coast with the ferocity feared by forecasters.At the start of his remarks at a rally in Washington, Pa., on Saturday night, McCain said: "I would like all of us, obviously, to keep in our thoughts and our prayers the people of the Gulf Coast, especially New Orleans, that are threatened by this terrible natural disaster, the hurricane. They need to know — and I know that they know — that they are in our hearts and prayers as this impending hurricane approaches.“The great God, that he could spare — at a minimum — the loss that might result from this natural disaster. So my friends, as we enjoy this great rally, we will keep them in our thoughts and our hearts and our prayers.”Officials of the convention, the Republican Party, the White House and the McCain campaign were all scrambling this weekend to rewrite more than a year of planning for what they had hoped would be a joyful four days starting Monday.McCain told Chris Wallace of “Fox News Sunday” in an interview taped for broadcast Sunday that the convention could be rescheduled. “It just wouldn't be appropriate to have a festive occasion while a near-tragedy or a terrible challenge is presented in the form of a natural disaster,” McCain said. “So we're monitoring it from day to day, and I'm saying a few prayers, too.”See AlsoMedia obsession: 5 questions for Palin Obama vs. his staff Obama calls Palin ‘up and coming’ Organizers confronted a plate of unhappy options, wanting to appear in touch and sympathetic while still carrying out their necessary business of officially nominating the party’s presidential candidate. One top convention planner said Saturday night to expect a more definitive plan by mid-afternoon Sunday. The source indicated that organizers had held off on making any firm pronouncements because of the uncertainty as to when Gustav will make landfall, and because they wanted to get a better sense of its impact before making decisions. Convention planners were preparing contingencies for making the nomination official even if delegates from the threatened area were missing.Officials were considering a video link for Bush, among other possibilities that they would not specify. The Red Cross may come in to the Xcel Energy Center to mobilize the delegates in a giant service project, preparing care packages for the hurricane zone, organizers said.The White House announced that Bush on Sunday morning will visit the headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for a briefing by federal, state and local officials.Bush was scheduled to speak to delegates Monday in what was to be one of his last hurrahs as president. But a top Republican now said he is unlikely to attend. Vice President Cheney and first lady Laura Bush are also scheduled to speak Monday.White House Press Secretary Dana Perino told reporters on a conference call Saturday that the government was preparing for one of the most potentially devastating storms in the nation’s history.Last Friday was the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, and the government’s tardy response still haunts the Bush administration.This time, the federal government has been very proactive, with Bush talking by phone on Saturday with governors in the affected area.Republican officials here are preparing for radical changes to every element of the convention. If the storm is as bad as feared, they will dramatically alter the tone of the speeches, cut way back on the partisan red meat, eliminate the glitzy entertainment and, if they can do so legally, use the gathering for a massive fundraising drive that may even feature a passing of buckets on the convention floor to benefit the Red Cross, according to a top GOP source. “We’ll have to acknowledge that Americans are hurting,” said this Republican. Much can be changed or altogether dropped from the convention, but it emphatically must take place in some form, because McCain needs to be nominated to be legally placed on the ballot in all 50 states. “There are no exceptions to that,” said the source. For now, though, they’re hesitant to act too quickly. But as the hours pass, the television networks, which have already invested considerable cash in the made-for-TV quadrennial ritual, are becoming increasingly impatient and are pressing party officials to firm up plans. The networks are stretched thin, in terms of both personnel and equipment, between here and the Gulf region and need to make their own decisions. But Republicans are reluctant to react too quickly under pressure. “We don’t want to be pushed into a herd mentality by the television media,” said a senior GOP source.Maria Cino, the convention’s president and chief executive officer, said in a statement to Politico: "Like all Americans, our prayers are with those who will be affected by Hurricane Gustav. We continue to closely monitor the movement of the storm and are considering necessary contingencies.Lisa Lerer contributed to this story. © 2008 Capitol News Company, LLC

[copernicus 0]

I think it would be a mistake for McCain to go to the Hurricane area. Hes not the POTUS and going there and speechifying would be as presumptuous as Bloharda going to Europe and pretending he was POTUS.Hmmmm...Bloharda doesnt quite work, but you get the idea.

[Franchise632 0]

I think it would be a mistake for McCain to go to the Hurricane area. Hes not the POTUS and going there and speechifying would be as presumptuous as Bloharda going to Europe and pretending he was POTUS.Hmmmm...Bloharda doesnt quite work, but you get the idea.

Yea but that has never stopped a politician on either side from seeking a photo op in a trying situation to make them look more compassionate. And considering the way the current administration dropped the ball on Katrina it doesn't suprise me that McBush would want to be down there to make it appear that he would not let that happen again...regardless of his ability to hold up those promises.

[copernicus 0]

Yea but that has never stopped a politician on either side from seeking a photo op in a trying situation to make them look more compassionate. And considering the way the current administration dropped the ball on Katrina it doesn't suprise me that McBush would want to be down there to make it appear that he would not let that happen again...regardless of his ability to hold up those promises.

Everybody dropped the ball, but especially Nagin and the Democratic governor. You do know that FEMA was not intended to be a first responder, dont you? If the locals had done their job then FEMA wouldnt have had to play catch up. But its so much easier to say "the current administration dropped the ball" without any thought as to allocation of responsibilities.

[checkymcfold 0]

don't hyperventilate! i know that the excitement of the RNC may cause countless old, white men to do so, even if they aren't blowing up balloons .sorry, rob. i like poor people too much to do that. work on the short game and maybe in 2012 you can vote your misguided conscience again.

[copernicus 0]

don't hyperventilate! i know that the excitement of the RNC may cause countless old, white men to do so, even if they aren't blowing up balloons .sorry, rob. i like poor people too much to do that. work on the short game and maybe in 2012 you can vote your misguided conscience again.

With Palin out there they wont be balloons.

[BigLebowski 0]

and 3 days of zero content plus an ostentatious display of ego were exciting for you?

Wait, the RNC already happened? I thought it was this week?There was plenty of content at the DNC. Too bad the media didn't cover it. Just like it will be this week.

[Franchise632 0]

Everybody dropped the ball, but especially Nagin and the Democratic governor. You do know that FEMA was not intended to be a first responder, dont you? If the locals had done their job then FEMA wouldnt have had to play catch up. But its so much easier to say "the current administration dropped the ball" without any thought as to allocation of responsibilities.

But when called to do there job the Federal Emergency Management Agency dropped the ball... from the FEMA websiteThe primary mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.They may not be a first responder, but as a leader they failed. If you want to argue the fact thats your choice but you are just plain wrong.

[jmkiser 0]

Srsly?McCain HAS to be down in Louisiana.One of the biggest complaints about the Bush presidency was how he was late to pull the trigger on any decisive action. And also for not even getting there until much later then he should have.And can anyone really say that they're shocked that Bush won't be at the RNC for McCain? That would just be doing Obama's job for him.

[copernicus 0]

But when called to do there job the Federal Emergency Management Agency dropped the ball... from the FEMA websiteThe primary mission of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to reduce the loss of life and property and protect the Nation from all hazards, including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and other man-made disasters, by leading and supporting the Nation in a risk-based, comprehensive emergency management system of preparedness, protection, response, recovery, and mitigation.They may not be a first responder, but as a leader they failed. If you want to argue the fact thats your choice but you are just plain wrong.

As usual you dont bother to read. I said they dropped the ball, but I also said they had to play catch up because the locals did such a dismal job. Those are the facts and if you deny the locals didnt exacerbate the problem there is proof that youre wrong. The adjacent states executed their evacuations in a timely manner and FEMA was able to manage the aftermath without major problems.

[gobears 0]

Srsly?McCain HAS to be down in Louisiana.One of the biggest complaints about the Bush presidency was how he was late to pull the trigger on any decisive action. And also for not even getting there until much later then he should have.And can anyone really say that they're shocked that Bush won't be at the RNC for McCain? That would just be doing Obama's job for him.

Bush was POTUS during Katrina - McCain's state is not in any danger nor is Palin's state. There's no reason for them to be down there at all.I mean you might as well say that Obama/Biden should be setting up shop in the gulf to show they care - I think that Obama's response where he will be asking his backers to donate to any charity efforts is the correct one.

[jmkiser 0]

Bush was POTUS during Katrina - McCain's state is not in any danger nor is Palin's state. There's no reason for them to be down there at all.I mean you might as well say that Obama/Biden should be setting up shop in the gulf to show they care - I think that Obama's response where he will be asking his backers to donate to any charity efforts is the correct one.

You have to understand presidential campaigning and politics to understand why it's a good idea for McCain to be down there.What is Obama's #1 attack tactic against McCain? Compare him to Bush.The reason John McCain should be in Louisiana is so people see him prepared for a national disaster because the general consensus is that Bush wasn't. You ALWAYS do every little thing possible to deflate your opponent's attack against you. No matter how small it is.McCain being in Louisiana has nothing to do with his position or whether it's his state or not. As far as substance, of course there's no real reason for him to be there. I mean, shit, as far as substance goes, there's no real reason for ANY of them to be there except for Bush (as POTUS) to "boost morale" and act like he cares.