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"Your opponent cannot fold if you do not bet or raise." –Abdul

John Kerry is the nominee

Posted on | July 30, 2004 | No Comments

Last night was the fourth and final night of the Democratic National Convention, the night when Kerry officially accepted the nomination of the Party. I’ve watched Kerry throughout the primaries and on some of his campaign stops before the convention. Last night he gave his best speech and his best performance all year. Kerry is clearly not as gifted as some of the other talent in the party, but last night he laid out the Democratic platform in broad strokes and concrete details with authority and relative concision. He made the case for why the Democratic ticket surpasses the Republican ticket in national security, foreign policy, and domestic affairs. Kerry took on the question of values and vowed to restore “truth and credibility” to the White House. He challenged the President in the forum of big ideas, and vowed to make policy based on facts, to promote science for the good of all Americans. In short, he rose to the occasion, and said everything he needed to say.

Full Text of John Kerry’s Speech to the Democratic National Convention

John Kerry’s Speech (WindowsMedia)

Documentary Video: ‘A Remarkable Promise’

Category: Politics

Weekly game results: July 29

Posted on | July 30, 2004 | No Comments

Another down week. I say again, I don’t even know why I play. 

    This week  Cumulative
CR    +$0.05     +$2.10
EM    +$1.00     +$7.40
ER    -$3.15     +$0.75
JB    +$2.00     -$3.30
JC    +$2.00    +$10.95
Me    -$1.90    -$10.85

JB started off losing money steadily until a run of good hands put him into the black: a flopped boat, a rivered boat, a flopped straight (I had pocket kings), and more.

JC had his fourth consecutive positive session. He won one hand against CR when he riverred his boat: CR had made his boat on the turn with king-rag and check-raised on JC, JC called and got an ace on the river, which made his AQ good for aces full of rags. Sucks for CR, but then again, king-rag is a shitty hand to play.

EM continued her steady play, though she tended to get lucky with her straight draws completing on the turn or river.

Category: Poker
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USAToday’s Bill Nichols on Obama

Posted on | July 28, 2004 | No Comments

Second night’s speakers stoke the party fires Harsher line toward Bush revs up base, sets the stage for nominees

But it was Obama, a 42-year-old unfamiliar to most Americans, who seemed to really move the Democratic faithful and may have instantly established his credentials as a national political force. Obama, who is favored to become the Senate’s only African-American member, used his speech to celebrate his improbable journey from being the son of a Kenyan-born father to becoming a rising Democratic star.

His parents gave him the African name of Barack, he said, because it means ”blessed.” They believed ”that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.”

Obama issued a direct criticism of Bush’s decision to invade Iraq, a subject that the party platform adopted Tuesday night avoids. ”When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going.”

Obama also brought the crowd leaping to its feet with a charge that the Bush administration has divided the country, ”the spin masters and negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of anything goes. Well, I say to them tonight, there’s not a liberal America and a conservative America — there’s the United States of America.”

Watch the speech on CSPAN.

Category: Politics

Fucking brilliant

Posted on | July 27, 2004 | No Comments

Day one of the Democratic Convention (watch it on C-SPAN) was marked by Bill Clinton’s amazing speech. The Democrats were excited and wistful, and it was pretty obvious that they wanted someone like Bill Clinton to come forward again.

Day two brought us Howard Dean’s long, warm reception from the very people who, had the stakes not been so great, would have loved to have given him the nomination. They clapped and cheered for minutes before he had even said a word.

Day two also marks the day that Barack Obama hit the national stage and shone brilliantly. That man can speak like no other member of the new generation of Democrats, and the reception was floor-pounding, earth-shattering–simply great. I feel sorry for any of these poor bastards who have to follow him. Watch his Senate career and a possible run for the Presidency in 12 years. Yes, he’s that good.

Category: Politics

Al Gore had it right

Posted on | July 26, 2004 | No Comments

This speech on C-SPAN was given at the Commonwealth Club of California in September of 2002. Given hindsight, wouldn’t we have been better off with this man in office?

Category: Politics
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