Sticking Around After the So-Called Debate, Town Hall, Whatever

Sticking around, talking to the people who had to sit there under all those lights for who knows how long -- surely much longer than what can seem an endless hour and a half, without cell phone, text message, internet, no talking -- no BEER! while having to listen to so much blather, and having da mavrik basilisk topple up to you and fix you with his baleful eye.

Who do you think immediately went talking with them, one on one when it was over? Why, yes, it was Barack Obama AND Michelle Obama. People took pictures with their little disposable instamatics (no cell phones, no digital cameras allowed obviously, but this little sop they were given).

Michelle was there immediately engaging with members of the selected Tennessee viewers and questioners., even as her husband was still engaged with his oppponent (who it seems refused to shake hands with him) and stooge Tom Brokaw. Then Barack was there also -- and I gotta say, about 3/4 way through the event he was seeming a little tired. He's been engaged a very tough campaign for two full years already. I suppose that will tire someone somewhat. But with the voters though, he was fully present and engaged.

So, howz bout that other team? As usual, Cindy trailed at least 3 steps behind John. At one point it seemed somebody TOLD him to put his arm around her, which lasted of a nano, while not even looking at her. She spoke to not a single voter and shook hands with none. And then, they were gone, in less than two minutes.

Whereas Michelle and Obama, and Brokaw too, for all the minutes post the event the CNN feed kept the cameras streaming. All three of them were chatting with all the audience members, still at it, even as the streaming came to an end because, after all the talking heads couldn't wait to tell us what we saw and heard.

In terms of style, presentation, ideas, information, I give it all to Obama. But then, I probably would, wouldn't I? But then -- I didn't the first time around, but the wider audiences and bloggers, and then, thus the primary media, disagreed with me.

Da mavrik wandered aimlessly about the staging area, verbally as well as physically. His runnning mate appears to be Joe Lieberman -- who knew? Lieberman is the guy mavrik kept referring to -- his rock?

Mavrik lied so much of the time. He poured out blather, almost matching his actual running mate much of the time. What was that "That one," huh? Like not shaking hands?

Da mavrik looks and sounds like Bella Legosi in one of his most slimeball villain roles. He wandered the stage and stared at the audience. You waited for him to rub his hands, and he would have except for that pesky mic. He ducked his head into his neck and whistled at the audience, "My friendsss, I am going to solve the entitlement crisis (um last I heard and hear from everyone who knows about SS and medicare is that they don't have problems) by taking them away from you and giving it to the Pentagon. And our friendssssssss in Big Finance who take $400,000 junkets as a just award for the stress from begging $700 billion of YOUR money to bail out their freakin' incompetency and greed." Of course a 5 thousand dollar tax benefit is going to give me so much health insurance here in NYC -- but that's OK. If that doesn't work for me I can drive to Arizona. "And, why yessdssss, I lurve our people in service, which is why I voted against every benefit that's come up to help them out."

Obama, hands down, thumbs up, whatever.

How come nobody talks about the place of the arts in a Great Nation?