17 August 2020, 10:12 PM
Piano*DadI guess everybody is watching...
... the convention.
I'm not. Got work to do to finish preparing my classes for later this week, and for the rest of the term.

But I don't need the convention to motivate me or to teach me anything, and I don't find political theater particularly compelling.
17 August 2020, 10:27 PM
Steve MillerFirst one I’ve ever watched or cared about.
I like it.
17 August 2020, 10:29 PM
CindysphinxIts interesting because it is the first virtual convention.
The Dems are crushing it. So much more interesting than watching people scream into a room full of screaming people.
17 August 2020, 10:44 PM
ShiroKuroI’m not watching it. I just got finished do a bunch of teaching prep and far too many emails :P
17 August 2020, 10:48 PM
Piano*Dadquote:
The Dems are crushing it. So much more interesting than watching people scream into a room full of screaming people.
I run screaming from the TV room to avoid that fate. It's about as pleasant as a root canal without novocaine.
17 August 2020, 10:52 PM
jon-nycquote:
Originally posted by Cindysphinx:
Its interesting because it is the first virtual convention.
The Dems are crushing it. So much more interesting than watching people scream into a room full of screaming people.
Reading this made me turn it on. Bernie did well. Michelle is too.
17 August 2020, 11:03 PM
Steve Millerquote:
Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
I see I wasn't alone ...
PM me and I’ll hook you up with some online classes in time management.

17 August 2020, 11:06 PM
Steve MillerThey got the technical parts right.
And Michelle crushed it!

17 August 2020, 11:21 PM
Steve MillerFor those following along at home, compare Michelle’s speech with this news tidbit:
Rather a different vision for America. 18 August 2020, 01:35 AM
CindysphinxI was impressed. I was expecting a bunch of boring speeches on zoom. Yawn.
Instead, it was Oscars meets CNN. Just when you started to drift off, bam. They moved onto the next thing. Much less soaring rhetoric, much more regular people sharing Regular thoughts in their own words.
Big winners: Senator from Nevada at her kitchen table. Lady who lost her dad to Covid because he went to karaoke night in Phoenix. Children from each state singing.
Big losers: George Floyd brothers; Just didn’t land. Random music by people I’ve never heard of. Too much talk about race and not enough about health care.
And I loved Joe showing up and moderating a panel. Broke the rule about staying hidden until the end. Proved he’s not on life support. Came across as really caring.
And efficient! Just two hours, without all of the chanting and applause.
18 August 2020, 11:49 AM
Piano*DadSo, y'all made me turn it on at 11 when Michelle was speaking. Yeah, she did a great job.
No clue how many votes can be earned by performances like these. Or lost if someone messes up.
18 August 2020, 12:20 PM
Steve Millerquote:
Originally posted by Piano*Dad:
So, y'all made me turn it on at 11 when Michelle was speaking. Yeah, she did a great job.
No clue how many votes can be earned by performances like these. Or lost if someone messes up.
I thought the same thing. So much of this is preaching to the converted.
18 August 2020, 03:40 PM
Piano*DadPreaching to the converted is fine, if some of the converts are waffling about actually professing the faith publicly (i.e. actually voting). If it raises turnout then it's productive. But I'm not aware of how much this kind of event matters in comparison to big factors like the unemployment rate, and the international situation, or to state-specific things a campaign cannot easily control.
I'm guessing that rule #1 is don't step on yourself, especially if you are an incumbent and/or have a significant current advantage (as Biden does).