The speeches at the convention last night were outstanding.
Here is President Obama. Here is the transcript of his speech.
Here is Joe Biden, who was wonderful. Here is the text.
Here is Tim Kaine. He does a pretty good imitation of Trump.
Here is Michael Bloomberg, eviscerating Donald Trump’s claims to be a great businessman.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
“Together, let’s elect a sane, competent person.”
It’s not a soaring campaign slogan, but it’s the strongest argument for voting for Hillary Clinton – and it brought laughs and cheers when Michael Bloomberg said it at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday night.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.businessinsider.com/michael-bloomberg-dnc-speech-hillary-clinton-trump-sane-2016-7?client=safari
That line about “a sane, competent person” was not in the script, according to the commentators on MSNBC. It was spontaneous and heartfelt.
Bloomberg’s speech was by far the best of both conventions. He should have edited Obama’s verbal diarrhea called a speech. No fan of Bloomberg because of his attitude toward teachers and public ed, but he absolutely destroyed Donald Trump and did it in one-fifth the time it took Obama to get to the point.
THAT is how you give a speech. The same cannot be said for President Barack Obama.
Obama has never, ever learned how to deliver a speech. He is not an orator but a lecturer. He also lacks the speechwriting skills to be able to be on the level of the late Mario Cuomo. Obama’s speech went on and on and on, and apparently he forgot he was no longer the Democratic presidential nominee.
I do not know much about Tim Kaine. I will just ask it this way: is there any chance that the media, (and many democrats) considers education to be such a minor, not really worth talking about very much, subject, that when someone is being placed in their appropriate box on the line of progressives to not too progressive, that Kaine does not get his proper share of progressive credit? Any clues from his behavior in Virginia?
Sen. Sherrod Brown is called a “progressive”. He wants the US Dept. of Ed. to deliver the $71 mil. taxpayer check to Ohio, to expand charter schools.
He has been unwilling to endorse the Democratic candidate for Senate, preferring to cozy up to the Republican that is running. (Dayton Daily News). Political labels are conferred, often with the intent to mislead.
I must have missed some speeches, because I did not hear a single speaker speaking about public education in any way that wouldn’t count as channeling Bill Gates, et al.
I didn’t hear anyone speak about public education, other than Kaine saying how important education is.
At the Republican convention, the talk was only vouchers and charters.
Take your pick.
Not to be a nit picker but Mike Bloomberg is a bitter pill to swallow: rabid school privatizer/reformster, anti-union and very imperious. He made some very vicious and demeaning remarks towards the striking transit workers, he made callously indifferent remarks when the huge industrial cranes were falling in NYC, killing the crane operators and some civilians. I don’t have the exact quote but he tried to minimize all the death and destruction by saying that risk of death and destruction is part of the job description of being a crane operator, in so many words, tough luck and move on. Very insensitive and I do not think that being a crane operator should be the equivalent of being a combat soldier in Iraq.
Agreed. When he was speaking all I could think about was his administration’s disregard for our quality of life. To me Bloomberg means dumping hundreds of mentally ill/substance abusing homeless people into our neighborhood and discrediting local public schools with a “grading” system while forcing into our neighborhood a parasitic corporate charter school.
It is beside the point. Bloomberg did get a few scattered boos at the beginning because he mentioned education and the budget, but I will tell you, this speech hit it on the head. It was FAR better delivered and far more effective than any of the other speeches of both conventions. He got to the point. He kept it simple. Obama by contrast is so in love with his voice his speech was a crashing bore.
It ain’t about the messenger.
Agree with Beth and Joe. Bloomberg’s invitation to speak at the party of the people, was a slap in the face, delivered with full intent.
I am not a fan of Bloomberg, but I think the clear intent was to have a billionaire shred the claims of a boastful guy who claims to be a billionaire but won’t release his tax returns. It was not intended as a slap in anyone’s face.
I think that any delusions that any of these folks will not side with charters and privatization is naive. Their track records do not speak well on educational issues. Only money speaks to them and their wealth allows them to send chidlren and grandchildren to the finest private schools. They simply do not care.
Point taken, yet his presence alone is a reminder of why we should not elect a wealthy business person who is largely self-funding his campaign, since we already know how that worked out…
Thanks for the links, Diane!
While we don’t agree on which candidate, I do agree with your posting these videos even if I am sick and tired of all the political posts I see not only here but everywhere. Oh well, it is the quadrennial presidential election season, eh!
Duane,
Some people think it doesn’t matter who is president. I disagree. It mattes very much in shaping our destiny and our rights.
Perhaps it is best that the hour of typing I just struggled through disappeared in my jumpy Windows 10 computer .
Donald Trump has some very compelling messages to working class Americans . No I do not believe any of them and he will destroy what is left of the middle class.
I hope I am wrong but the 3 night “infomercial”, as Robert Reich described it ,is falling on deaf ears. Trumps message is change and like every demagogue before him, no one asks or cares how that change will be accomplished . Too few Americans, even if educated are politically educated ,to be concerned with the details. Including dare I say plenty of Teachers that I know. Myself I would rather be fried in oil than vote for a Republican, have felt that way since Reagan fired my best friend .
What is a swing voter? What is an undecided voter? How can polls shift in a week , they can not if those voters have any ideology. Most here are miserable about their choice but are educated as to the issues. You are not the general public.
Unlike the Democrats the Republican message is very simple; you are unhappy ,they have caused it and this is what I will do. Trade fix it , Common Core end it, Foreign Policy stop us from paying for the world. Fear of Immigration end it. Terrorism and Crime stop it.
From Trade to Immigration to Education to Foreign Policy…. the message is simple. They did it to you and I will fix it . No hour long speeches plain and simple.
I can sit here for an hour typing my thoughts, the average Joe on the Street stops listening to anybody after 15 minutes. If he pays that much attention!
What made Bernie so effective, What makes Warren so effective , What to me made Biden so effective is the Simplicity of their message. These are the problems that are affecting you, this is why , this is how we fix it . Biden’s message, the other guy is full of garbage . You are going to get screwed.
So Donald has a message . I hope Hillary has one that is compelling enough to reach the American people and be believed. Actions usually speak louder than words and the New Democrats are at a deficit in that regard. We can sugar coat the economy all we want but like Groucho Marx’s punchline, “who are you going to believe me or your own eyes “. The American people know that they have had a declining standard of living for thirty five years . They know that the Democrats have been in bed with those that have caused the problem as well as the Republicans . But the Republicans have been out of the White House for eight years ,so yes it is the Obama legacy she is running on. Just as Bernie (IMHO) was running against parts of it.
This is not about Bernie,Joe, Liz or Barack’s speeches ,it is about Hillary and she better be bold and convincing . .
And you owe Bill Gates big time He gave you all a gift this morning saving you from my much much longer rant. Loaded with grammatical mistakes.
To Joel Herman:
Are you a kindergartner in politics? Please quit writing or repeating a lip-service from a con man whose DIRTY past, TREASON present and a clear CRAZY future have shown publicly.
May I show you INVALID Trump University, Broad Grad Institute and Microsoft Certification.
Ah! You have your credentials from all of the above!
Hah! Readers in this blog have known and identified your first written sentence. Goodbye Joel. I hope that you have a PAINFUL pleasure to know that your opinion is worthless to read. Back2basic
m4potw
Please do not throw insults you have no Idea who I am ,Or what my ideological positions are. You obviously have much difficulty understanding what you are reading . There is nothing that I have ever said that was in support of Trump. But because I do not support Trump does not mean that I have been thrilled with the alternative that I have . It also does not mean that some of what he is saying does not have appeal to beaten down working class .
You may not comprehend the finer points of what I have been saying,so I will help you . I will vote for Hillary not because I support her but because she is the alternative to a demagogue. However it has been apparent to many of us that she is a terribly flawed candidate who could lose to this man. That loss will cost many of us personally as well as the Nation. The American public is not going to be as easy to persuade as some of us are who see the danger.
So please refrain from name calling and insults because one of the most cherished parts of your adopted country is the free exchange of ideas. We do not tell people to leave because we disagree with them. Which may have been a mild response in the society you were raised in . Here when we disagree we present our ideas to counter the argument we disagree with . Have a nice evening and I would welcome your response to any of the positions I have taken. .
I haven’t seen Robert Reich or, Labor Secretary Perez on the DNC dais. I haven’t seen economist Dean Baker. I’ve seen the hedge fund/private equity representative, Cory Booker and, the multinational corporate representative, Michael Bloomberg.
Stop your making feel ill (lol)
Cory Booker? Will he run for governor of NJ? I have no clue. Booker is pro hedge fund managers and pro charter school. The only positive thing you can say is that he’s not as vicious, nasty, openly anti-union nor as bullyish as his excellency, Chris Christiavelli. Two terms of this union hating, teacher hating blowhard and that’s thanks to many top Dems. Top Democratic apparatchiks openly and vociferously supported the GOP candidate (CC) not Barbara Buono, in the race for Christie’s 2nd term. That is unprecedented in NJ, to my knowledge, unless it occurred in the dim past.
Thank you “PROFESSOR” Joel,
Here is what you wrote:
“You may not comprehend the finer points of what I have been saying,so I will help you…”
Let’s get back to the basic of this website “Public Education = beck rock of American Democracy”
You might be older than me, might have more degree than me, BUT you might not be necessary wiser than me, according to you wrote,
“…a mild response in the society you were raised in”
If I was raised in the culture that has been 5000 + years in civilization with Buddha, Tsun Tu, Lao Tzu and Confucius, then please give me a bit credit of being civilized.
In this confusion in Presidential Election, I do not voice a theory, but people’s painful experience with LIP-SERVICE POLITICIAN whose background is unethical, shady, and physically abusive to workers and spouse.
In short, you are too smart to sow discord among all conscientious educators with gullibility. I lose my coolness to smart people like you.
Please accept my apology for being rude and intolerant to misread you as Trump’s troll. Back2basic
I thoroughly agree with you about Trump . What we have to understand is that demagogues like Trump do not appear out of thin air they are a response to failure. So if we are to defeat Trump those problems that have driven large numbers of people to him have to be addressed.
Thank you for your agreement, Professor Joel.
I am very sad whenever I read “beat around the bush” from all intelligent educators who keep exposing and criticizing Hillary, THE ONLY OPPONENT to the shady, ARROGANT and IGNORANT Trump.
I call this strategy as being gullible.
I would prefer to tackle one step at a time.
1) Winning the process in selecting SUPREME COURT NOMINEES in American People’s justice democratically, NOT extremely CONSERVATIVE. (please see all reasons that Dr. Ravitch shows.)
2) There would never be a shortcut to form any “quality” party WITHOUT money and people’s support in A SOLID AGREEMENT.
3) The rules, regulations and procedure have been in place for 200+ years and created by both rich and poor leaders BUT they are very intelligent and with very strong will.
4) Unite with conscience, we are strong, divide because of personal interest, we fall apart.
If intelligent and conscientious educators CANNOT unite, then please do not wonder WHY commoners and gullible educators fall for LIP- SERVICE con man, and shady businessman.(With a change, or chance, or hope to collide with 18 wheel truck and expect to be free of death)
In short, would anyone think that they are smarter and more experiences than Senator Bernie? Would anyone think that they know how government’s policy works in practice more than Dr. Ravitch?
Yes, we are old enough, intelligent enough, BUT we cannot unite in this PRESIDENTIAL election in one force, we will all suffer with A GAG OVER OUR MOUTH, NO POSSIBILITY TO FORM ANY MEANINGFUL PARTY TO OPPOSE ALL BAD DEEDS FROM BUSINESS TYCOONS.
Is it a scare tactic that you think about? Look at Peter Thiel, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, Mark Zuckerberg, Bezos, and many more. They will sell America into pieces = global control.
There are not only American people, but the world will never be in peace.
I would greatly appreciate any intelligent educator who can outline transparently all steps WITHIN LESS THAN 120 DAYS that can bring YOUR THEORETICAL DREAM COMES TRUE if you think that you vote for Green Party, Libertarian Party, or stay home to protest.
Remember that if you have not successfully fought back the system for the past 15 years while you have had all rights. So, why would you think that you can do it all over again when legal system is not ON YOUR SIDE after you inadvertently help the MAD MAN and SHADY CON MAN to be in the WHITE HOUSE? Back2basic