Lilly M. Ledbetter's DNC Speech - Elections 2012 (John Ballard)

By John Ballard

For those who don't know me, I'm a newbie here at Ruchira's generous invitation. More about that later when I have time, but at the moment I want to post a timely video from last night's DNC Convention. I don't have the durability I once had to watch days of speechifying, but I'm good for two or three hours when they're like those last night. I was specifically iterested in two other than that of Michelle Obama: Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio, one of the party's rising young stars, and Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts, who has had his differences with the party in the past.

Everyone speaking last night was obviously trying to hurry along and the effect struck me as somewhat off-putting becuase live crowds simply don't hurry when they are really fired up. In this day of sound-bites and broadcast journalism, three-, five-, sometimes ten-minute ovations and demonstrations on the convention floor that were once part of the fabric of the national conventions, are as obsolete as rotary phones. But thanks to state-of-the-art jumbo video and sound systems everything that happens on stage has become bigger than life.

So as a Southerner I was especially impressed with Lilly Ledbetter herself. Great movies have been made with actors playing the parts of real people such as Julia Child or Erin Brokovitch. But last night the real Lillie Ledbetter took the stage and delivered one of the best speeches of the evening. 

Comments

[Sujatha]

Welcome to blogging on A.B. John!

Actually, the 'hurrying along' helped keep the evening on track, if you ask me. I might not have been able to stay up past 11 pm to watch Michelle Obama's tour-de-force, if they hadn't maintained the schedule.

Ledbetter's speech was an eye-opener, indeed!

[John Ballard]

You're exactly right, of course. Air time is too important to waste (although I wonder sometimes about timed sports events getting extended to two, three, even four hours in prime time).

But you know... the summer Olympics was an interesting exercise in global time management. Who knows? Maybe we will see a return to the old ponderous, carnival-type conventions with the media editing and cherry-picking for later. Let's face it, unless you have an Eastwood moment there really aren't many surprises from the conventions. That would be a good way to send the hard-core party faithful away really pumped.

[Ruchira]

Lilly Ledbetter was an amazing presence at last night's convention. Her southern accent and perfectly coiffed hair, make it tempting to call her a "Steel Magnolia." But Ledbetter's no-nonsense story was all steel without the requisite flirtatious charm of a magnolia - a brave woman with a good heart.

All the speakers were outstanding including the splendid Michelle Obama. I am hoping that the brisk tempo and the substantive messages stay on track tonight and tomorrow, drawing a clear contrast to the vacuous nature of the RNC. There may be little difference in some areas of governing by either party but there is enough in others to make this election one of clear choice. Democrats at last are showing some backbone and not just pandering. What a contrast to last week's self congratulatory, mean spirited "We Built It" sniping at the RNC fiasco that showcased among other things, empty suits and empty chairs.

Welcome to Accidental Blogger, John. I hope you will enjoy blogging with us. For those who haven't met John before, here is a short intro in his own words.

"John Ballard, a cafeteria manager in retirement since 2002, who spent his time since then working in the "senior" environment -- the first five years in the dining room of an independent living community, then as a non-medical caregiver working through an agency."

I met John in the comments section of 3 Quarks Daily and have interacted with him also on Facebook and as such I am somewhat familiar with his world views. His age and perspective, living in the American south, lend credence to his political convictions. John has a lot of experience in blogging, having launched his solo site in 2004 and later blogging at others. Until recently, he blogged at the Newshoggers which has now closed down.

[Elatia Harris]

John Ballard on AB!!! I'm really thrilled. I ducked in to see what was going on, and this is it. Will be back to read when I finish work. Welcome to one of my favorite haunts, John, and MWAH!!!

[John Ballard]

Thanks, Elatia. That makes my day!
I'll try not to be nuisance, but I'm still in recovery mode from losing two or three years of work at Newshoggers. I didn't think it would bother me, but it does. Every day I remember something or other I worked through and remember how much time it took -- and I now want to recover it.
But it's still a great time to be blogging and there is lots to keep me busy.