Ah, the great Chautauqua speaker! In a different era he could rival William Jennings Bryan except that Clifton's* religion is Communitarianism, at least according to the New York Times. The man is evil on the hoof.

*I know how to spell the name but I have a son named Clinton, an honorable name, and I cannot bring myself to connect that pusillanimous miscreant witn my son's honorable name. My apologies to all who are named Clifton; that's certainly an honorable name. Alright, to spare the feelings of those named Clifton, from now on, our "poor white trash meets collectivism" ex-president will be called by me, "ex-president mudder fukkah". Or does someone have a better choice. There *are* numerous possibilities!

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I'd almost believe you don't care for our 42nd President, Mach. Fair enogh, but I would caution you to ignore his gifts at your peril. If we must suffer through a Kerry administration, next January, I will say that the election shifted on July 26, 2004, when President Clinton spoke at the Convenion.

Perhaps we'd best stick with JK's "42."

I had a different take on 42's speech. After fuming over several of his many distorted anecdotes (like "I really appreciated my tax cut until I realized that all of you in the working class were paying for it") I realized that 42 was trotting out the old-time Democrat religion and the loyal base on the convention floor was lapping it up. But like the Paul Wellstone rally, it was probably received outside the room more like McGovern and Dukakis than like the clever and disingenuous "triangulation" approach that made 42 successful.

Bottom line, IMO - 42 doesn't want Kerry to win in '04. He believes that four more years of GWB will prepare America to make his estranged wife the first woman POTUS.

JK, you would be correct that I don't think much of "42's" morals. To conclude from that that I don't respect his speaking abilities would be unwarranted. Hitler was a great public speaker whipping people into a froth of collectivist emotionalism, guided by collectivist philosophers. Our loveable lunk of an ex-president, "Mike Foxtrot" is a great public speaker whipping people into a froth of collectivist emotionalism, guided by collectivist philosophers.

You're more interested in the politics of this, I think. You see possible turning points in the contest. I see many but certainly not all, of the ways that the life and the very thinking of Americans has been transmogrified from individualism to collectivism. People have changed during my lifetime in a fundamental way. If the facts of the linked article are true this has been done according to plan. http://www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1999/07-05-99/vo15no14_gramsci.htm

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John, I fully understand your desire for a "drawing room" tone to the discussion. There is most certainly a virture in it. However. this is not a game, where we're all supposed to keep score and cheer appropriately. (Imagining in my mind's ear the tasteful clapping around the green after Arnold Palmer sinks a birdie putt.) On the contrary, we are in a fight for our very existence. You've read the philosophy in question. You know. Therefore, you understand that for this old truck driver, calling that slime bucket "42" is asking a lot.

PS In my first comment, I *was* quoting a movie line, in part. Not that that makes it OK!

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John, I just reread your comment again; the part about Hitlary becoming POTUS. If she becomes POTUS Prince Prevaricator can't be FLOTUS; he'll have to be anagrammed FHOTUS. Mudder FHOTUS.

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Mike Foxtrot would work for me, but then that name applies to ANY second hander. Some classic Clinton (sorry, Clifton) nicknames can be found at http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/739862/posts. My nominations for official BSB use are Beezelbubba and Bubba bin Laidin.

As for the F word, I agree with Dick Cheney. It's reserved for face-to-face encounters.

Bill clinton's official nomenclature here at the Sugarshack is "Bubba". You may recall the children's magazine "Highlights" from visits to your pediatrician and the feature "Goofus and Gallant" which pitted a good Abel-like boy against his Cain-like counterpart. My daughters and I have renamed Goofus and Gallant; Gallant is now Bobbo after a revered Mayo physicain and researcher. Goofus is now Bubba, after the 42nd president of the United States. We've moved beyond the Goofus doesn't clean up his room stuff as well. For instance, in spite of the Steinam Doctrine laid out in the New York Times OP-Ed pages (first grope is free for those of you who don't remember), Bobbo would never take advantage of a woman behind a closed office door. Bubba, on the other hand...well you get the picture. We've had a lot of fun telling Bobbo and Bubba stories over the past few years and I think the girls have learned a thing or two along the way.
As to Clinton's speech...a tour de force certainly, but who in the world saw it that hasn't already made up their mind? I'm not even sure Kerry's speech will matter so much as people's perceptions of Iraq and the economy on Nov. 1. This is discouraging as this perception will largely be created by a media hostile to the incumbent and voted on by people who make up their minds on the way to the polls.
One more bit of rambling...seeing Bill Clinton's rhetorical gifts wasted on the stump for J/J must have been an awful lot like watching Howard Roberts don a telecaster to play the background tracks for the Beverly Hillbillys.

Those background tracks were awesome. I once thought that the best show ever but it hasn't worn well (except the background music).

President Clinton provided the only sound bites of the Convention. President Carter and Senator Kennedy catalyzed the Bush hatred, Barack Obama gave a truly great and memorable speech about himself, THK gave a truly mediocre speech, about herself, Governor Dean said that he's back in the fold, yeah, but he didn't say one nice thing about Senator Kerry.

I know the readership of this blog doesn't dig 42, but I say that you underestimate him at your peril. Maybe no undecideds saw it, but those who did will be pulling the lever for Kerry/Edwards next November.