Thoughts on last night's speeches

I admit, I was happier than I thought I would be. Obama always delivers a great speech so that's nothing new, but he said some things I can agree with (and a few that I cannot). But I don't have an all-encompassing opinion of it beyond that. Instead I have a bunch of random thoughts about his speech and the Republican response - many of which I expressed verbally in real time last night, in what my husband described as "Mystery Political Theater 3000." Of course I can't remember all of them, and I'm too inefficient (read: didn't think of it ahead of time) to blog while watching. So here goes:

Will Nancy Pelosi sit the hell down? I'm not a fan of her and her smarmy, unprofessional demeanor as it is, but was she at mass? I know she's Catholic - actually more like a revisionist Catholic, since she sees fit to rewrite doctrine to suit her views. But even a lapsed Catholic like myself knows the difference between Capitol Hill and a church. I stopped counting the Pelosi-led ovations when I ran out of fingers and toes from my entire family. (Including the dog.) Joe Biden looked downright annoyed. "Oh my GOD, woman, will you cut it out? Look at these chairs. We have the best seats in the house. The COMFY SEATS! Really, have you seen these things? The President doesn't get to sit down at all, but we can luxuriate in fine Corinthian leather - and you're wasting it by hauling your bony ass up every time Obama says a word with more than three letters. Not to mention that if you stand up, then I have to stand up or I look like a schmuck. So for the love of peaches, stop contributing to the devaluation of the Standing O and sit down. Or next time I'm putting a laxative in your coffee and I'll get Jilly to sit in for you. If nothing else, I can stare at her legs for an hour. Sheesh..."

Michelle Obama is made of awesome. I liked her enough on the campaign trail - and really, the "first time I'm proud" thing was insanely blown out of proportion - but I think I love her now. She's dedicated without being a Stepford wife, ambitious without overstepping her bounds. She has a seemingly solid and fun marriage (stuff like that is pretty hard to fake, even for politicians) and sets a great example for her daughters. And when a size-10 woman can rock a dress on national TV and nobody bats an eye, I'm the first to step up and say THANK YOU FOR EATING A SANDWICH. My only complaint - if you choose to speak out and be an active part of your husband's campaign/presidency, be prepared for media scrutiny of your words and don't hide behind your husband's chivalry. Take the heat along with the kudos, Michelle, and I'm totally yours.

It's Henny Penny Light. After weeks of The Sky Is Falling, we now have The Sky Is Falling But We Have A Very Flimsy Umbrella So It's Really Not All That Bad. We're still kind of screwed right now, but I think they might have caught on to the rule of self-fulfilling prophecy; times will get even worse if we are constantly told that they will. I'm not sure that putting us into unheard of debt is the way out of this mess, and I'd like to see some sunset provisions to end such measures when times aren't so dire. But since Obama started behind the bookkeeping 8-ball thanks to what he inherited, I'm willing to cut him a little slack and see if it works. With the sunset.

Bobby Jindal's presidential run is done. I'm truly impressed with what he's been doing in Louisiana, and aside from his social conservatism I agree with a lot of his views. But that was completely overshadowed by his goofy demeanor while giving the Republican response. I don't know what was worse - the gosh-golly-gee cadence to his voice, the extra long anectdote used as an opener, the completely scripted chuckle-shoulder shrug combinations ("oh, those silly Democrats..."), or the almost complete lack of anything new to say. The whole thing was just completely odd. Picture Jack McBrayer as re-imagined in an SNL skit working at the Magic Kingdom's Hall of Presidents and you pretty much get the idea on his delivery. He settled down about halfway through and it became tolerable, but the damage was done. Seriously, who in the GOP thought this guy would be a good follow-up to the King of Speeches?? He's following Barack Obama, for God's sake. You could have had Will Smith up there and it'd be a letdown. No, you don't put someone who has had no national audience up there, you get your best speaking guns out to take the next turn. As someone on CNN said after Jindal's speech, "This was a great night for Sarah Palin."

I really need to write my views on stuff like this as it happens. This is way too much work.