Just watched the convention speeches again. One big question:

[lottie244]

If Al Sharpton was "off message" as some of the pundits contended, what was "the message" supposed to be? Al spoke eloquently to every one of the issues that is burning in my gut. What about you? He and Jimmy Carter said what none of the other speakers, including Obama, could say...and I understand. But we should not allow the likes of Chris Matthews to trash Al or any of our Dems who dare to speak the truth when no one else will. Deep down in every true Dem's gut you know I'm right.

[Manix]

1. ..yes, I hear you!

[NightOwwl]

2. Pundits have as much credibility as a bag of hot air.

Don't pay any attention to them.

[seabeyond]

3. middle aged middle class white women says, right on message

for me too.

who the hell are these people telling me i dont want to hear what sharpton was saying. what sharpton was saying is exactly what we need to be saying right now. loud and clear and often

[LTR]

4. I think the DNC expected Sharpton to wing it

Really, how do you reign in one of the best off-the-cuff orators in the party?

I haven't heard anyone in the party complaining about it, and it was very well received.

I honestly think they told Sharpton to stick to the script, while giving him a knowing wink. They would have if they were smart.

[Gin]

6. Sharpton gave a copy of his speech to the talking heads before he

spoke....he was off "that" message and media were pissed....doncha luv it?

[goclark]

7. My thoughts exactly

Al Sharpton saved the debates. He made what would have been boring,except for Dean and Dennis,exciting.

He was the minority voice that people listened to.

I think of CMB as delivering the Woman's view more than the view of Minorities.

I adore CMB but she can not excite like Rev. Al. Nobody in the Democratic party,other than Big Dog and now Obama can do that like Al.

Kerry and Edwards really pumped up the Convention.

I am so proud to be a Democrat.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Those pundits are trying desperately to create wedge issues where...

...there are none at all.

They know who pays them and they're afraid they will lose their jobs if Kerry gets elected.

[shraby]

8. If Sharpton went off-script and went over his

allotted time from 6 minutes to 20 minutes, why then did the convention still run on time? Ha! He must have been allotted 20 minutes.

[lottie244]

9. For Dems to win, the candidates must speak to all the various groups that

make up the Dem base. Al speaks to and for most all of those groups except the very wealthy among us. Kerry and Edwards must not forget to speak to the issues concerning the poor, working class, disenfranchized, minority, women, gay, and religious among us. And they can't just speak in passing with platitudes. Since the issues are common for most of us a very simple, concise message will do. They should ask Al how to do it.

[bowens43]

10. Sharpton was great!

He said some things the pundits didn't want to hear and they were pissed because he spoke longer then the 6 minutes allotted.

[BenDavid]

11. I wrote CNN.

Imediately after Wolf Blitzer,Judy Woodruff and Jeff Greenfield were critical of Al Sharpton's speech. I asked, how is it that you three white people understand the importance of the right to vote to African Americans. You never had to shed blood to get the right to vote. You never had to wait years to receive rights already written into the constitution. Al Sharpton spoke the truth and when he said he was answering President Bush, he answered him in the only way he knew how and that was to say, Democrats are the donkey that asked us to climb on and as Al said, "we gonna ride this donkey as far as it will take us".
After seeing Jon Stewart's take on the Sharpton speech and the way others like Chris Matthews and Howard Fineman were hyper critical and Stewart showed the crowd reaction mostly the African Americans the clip in effect make all the "talking heads" look like they were talking out of their anus cause their minds knew better.

[emulatorloo]

12. Fineman personally apologized to Sharpton

for what it is worth. . .

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5479165/

<snip>

Boston, Friday, July 30, 4 p.m. --

So I'm here at Logan Airport, and as long as I was in an apologizing mood I couldn't let Al Sharpton pass without offering him one, too. I'm not a fan, and I think he lied about the Tawana Brawley case, but among the truly stupid things I said on TV the other night was something to the effect that his noisy speech might even turn off black voters. Maybe a few, but they're already voting Republican. And though I have been covering campaigns such as Jesse Jackson's since 1984, it was a dumb thing to say on more levels than I can count, as I just told Sharpton here at Logan. He accepted my regret with grace and, after saying that John Kerry had wanted him placed prominently on the stage last night, he smiled and shrugged. "I've said a lot of stupid things on TV myself." Now I really feel awful.

<snip>

[BenDavid]

13. I do thank you for posting the Fineman apology:

[Chili]

14. so do I

Thank you. It was a fascinating read. And my faith in honesty is partially (and probably temporarily) restored; that took guts, and I give him credit for it.

And Sharpton showed his class by accepting the apology.

[Robbien]

17. Are you kidding?

He tears him apart on mainstream news and then apologizes in private with a small "oh by the way" notice in a newspaper article.

Fineman knows the business he is in. He gets to do big damage and then also gets to put salve on his conscience by having his apology accepted.

[lottie244]

18. Me too. I have some new respect for Fineman.

But Matthews is a scumbag.

[WolverineDG]

15. I'm still concerned about Rev. Sharpton &

the Tawana Brawley incident. However, when he was making his speech, I was on my feet, in my living room, screaming "YES YES YES DAMMIT YES!"

Of course the predominately white media has to make an issue where there is none. Instead of reporting on what a great, awesome, exciting, incouraging speech it was, and doing follow-up, in-depth reports on the issues it raised, they have to intone on & on in solemn voices how Rev. Al went over his time, went off his script, tut-tutting that the higher-ups in the DNC must certainly be angry with him. "unbiased" media my fat white

:dem:

dg

[Albert Einstein]

16. The message was stupid and wrecked most of the speeches.