And just for fun and posterity, here was my livecommenting...or something, in one of the threads over at The Field (doubt it will make much sense):

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:39 am Said:
“Fair Reflection.” Phrase of the day. 

Levin is a character. Really honing the voice, trying to sway. Appealing to the sympathy glands. “Don’t introduce disunity.” Pleads.  

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:46 am Said:
Levin is good with the abstract ideas, using them to support his point. Throws in emotion, history, fact, manipulation. Master politician.

A moment ago Alice Germond was on the metaphysical. “How can we use today’s reality to reason a way to validate an event we already invalidated given that the prior invalidation affected the reality that led to today?” Not a direct quote.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am Said:
i steal hear the rolling stones in my head every time someone says “super
tuesday.” it’s odd. i like it. makes me feel good about the democratic process.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:49 am Said:
*still

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:55 am Said:
I think the phrase “bandied about” is reaching the end of it’s useful lifespan. No, actually, I like it. It makes me feel…like porch hopping. Informal. Square dancing. Rubbery. No, I don’t like it. That’s my final ruling.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:57 am Said:
The phrase “Flawed Primary” seems to be catching on. Or taking root. Dropping seed? It’s in motion, that’s for sure. It’s alive.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 10:58 am Said:
Boos! That’s what they were. I do hear them. I thought people were moaning. I found it a bit surreal. I’m serious.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:00 am Said:
Thenkya Jane.

“Flawed Primary” again!

Drink! 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:04 am Said:
Coffee, that is. 

Wow. Striking jacket on Ms. Smith. Very Florida! I…feel like having a mint dacquiri ice cream now. DAMN YOU WOMAN!! 

::thirsts::

She’s Deeply Saddened. Using the “power to the voter” argument. “as brilliant as you are to come up with these diferent ways of deciding what the voters may have done …” she is  not just Deeply Saddened, but “Deeply Troubled,” too, it seems. 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:10 am Said:
“If I knew then what I know today, would I still vote the same … i dont know … I’m not sure what the right thing is to do. ”

“nobody can imagine what that unknown factor is…but i go back to how we should Honor the Voters …”

It’s a trip to the land of logicalized fantasy that is tripping everyone up.

‘ I have nothing to really base my opinion on, but I feel good about using a phrase like ‘integrity of the vote’ so please concede my being passionately attached to that phrase and implement what I interpret it to mean.’  A common tactic today.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:19 am Said:
Wow, what hand motions on this cat. Begins with WIll Rogers joke. Really gets his body into what he’s saying. Jim Blanchard, presenting for Hillary Clinton. 

He was ‘raised by a single mom’…telling his hard knocks story about getting into government. Also that its his mother’s 98th birthday tomorrow. I think he’s now pulling an apple pie out of his pants. Yup. 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:25 am Said:
Jim Blanchard. Michigan is reppin’ live. Throwin down vote stats, speakin Michigan pride. Claims he will “campaign vigorously” for Obama if he is the nominee. Gives up private conversation with Hillary, says she’ll do the same. Here it comes…BUT ‘we need a nominee of fifty states, not 48…” Voice squeaks on a note. He sounds pretty nervous overall. Or excited and shaky. Makes a “lets have lunch soon” joke. 

“600,000 people voted. Of the 8 candidates, 4 took their name off the BALlot. They signed an affiDAVite. It was a knowing …  decision. Doesnt make the election flawed [he's not hopping on the "Flawed Primary" wagon, it seems,] it makes their strategy flawed.” 
 


He is trying to debunk the idea that people in Michigan were told their vote wouldn’t count. Says it was more like people were disappointed that some names weren’t on the ballot.  Says people were “publicly urrrrrrged to vote uncommiited” Says that Edwards and Obama had people out handing leaflets or something. I think he has indigestion. Bad timing. 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:29 am Said:
Oh my god the drama on Blanchard’s last note. He went with the whole “this is the very heart of democracy we must preserve” feel.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:35 am Said:
Blanchard pointedly disagrees with the “Flawed Primary” framing when asked. “I think that’s an unfair use of the word…for a primary that our leaders helped establish. ” Thinks the mistake was allowing candidates to remove their names.

Likes the “Flawed Strategy” argument. Blames it on the candidates for not …what? Campaigning more slickly. 

OH the “Unity Wrench” is being brandished! 

 Thomas Hynes is asking him if he believes there should be rules.

Blanchard, like Levin, is framing this as a “screw Iowa and New Hampshire and their positions or power and privilege” fight. They shouldn’t have “a lock” on the first two primaries. 

Things are heating up. Especially when you have Blanchard using phrases that imply that the official Rules are designed to “disenfranchise.” 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:37 am Said:
Blanchard is apparently calming down a bit and finding his “voice.” It’s sort of a snotty one. And mostly Agrees With Carl Levin.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:41 am Said:
Blanchard had a weird second. He made the ‘anything can happen betwixt now and August” statement in the form of “things could switch around between now and August” and some people clapped and then he added, as if it were in doubt, “I meant the Superdelegates by that statement.” And it was silent for a moment.

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:43 am Said:
Allen Katz: ‘what happened in florida in 2000 is not equivalent to arguing how many delegates get seated in michigan” … “that election was stole” !

“the more we stay away from making those kinds of parallels” the better we are.

Here comes Blanchard getting dramatic and making an “I’ll pinch your head” gesture in the air. “THe VOTE IS SACRED” 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:47 am Said:
We’re on to Martha Fuller Clark, discussing how write-in votes were handled. “i think its important that we recognize” how many voted in that way for Obama. Brings up the number of “30,000″ voters, who didn’t get the message that write-in votes wouldn’t be recognized, and they should isntead vote as “uncommitted.” Blanchard concedes that in the future, this should be addressed. Costs him nothing to say that, of course. 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:51 am Said:
Oh Snap. Donna Brazile is talking about her own “mama” now in response to apple pie story I mentioned. “Happy birthday to ya motha. My mama taught me to play by the rules. [Wild applause]. My mama taught me … that when you decide to change the rules, especially in the middle of the game or the end of hte game, this is referred to as ‘cheating’.”

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:52 am Said:
Thank you Donna for breaking it down. She is just “putting it on the record.” And the crowd is responding very loudly. 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:53 am Said:
Blanchard “respects her opinion” but “hillary clinton did play by the rules.” Lots of static on CSPAN. It’s rather a soothing static, somehow. 

nezua, on May 31st, 2008 at 11:55 am Said:
OUCH. Shut down on the commenting where they should be questioning. “There will be a full debate right after lunch.” 

And on that note, I’m hitting the kitchen. Enjoy the theatrics, amigos. I know I did.

(next thread...)