Charlotte-tans

It's all over but the shouting in Charlotte. And oh my, there was a lot of shouting. A few impressions:

• Jennifer Granholm should really try the decaf. This is a pretty amazing performance:

• Charlie Crist appeared for a few minutes. If the Democrats want him, they can have him. 
• Joe Biden's speech was alternately ranting and halting. He seemed to have trouble tripping over his words a fair amount. He's well known for his tendency for malapropisms, and for lifting biographical details from British politicians, but this was different -- at one point he couldn't remember which day Michelle Obama spoke, getting it wrong twice, and at other time it almost seemed like he was losing his train of thought. You can watch for yourself and see if you agree. Or you can repeatedly strike yourself with a ball-peen hammer; it would be equally enjoyable. Since we were told all week long that Republicans offer false choices, I figured you should have a real choice.

As for the President. . . well, it was the usual thing -- soaring oratory and a battlefield littered with strawmen. Here's a typical example:

 I don’t believe that firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid will grow the economy, or help us compete with the scientists and engineers coming out of China.

Or this:

I don’t believe that rolling back regulations on Wall Street will help the small businesswoman expand, or the laid-off construction worker keep his home. 

I must have missed it when Mitt Romney started talking about firing teachers or kicking students off financial aid. And if you were paying attention at all to what was being said in Tampa, the focus wasn't on Wall Street firms but rather on small businesses and entrepreneurs. Of course, the president is hoping that the voters weren't paying attention. Voters who have been paying attention aren't especially likely to vote for him.

The takeaway for me from the whole week is this -- the Dems don't have much to offer except yelling. They talked a lot about optimism, but the entire week was an effort to scare the horses. Are the horses scared? Guess we'll find out.