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The Dems had a great convention. Some truly brilliant speeches with a tone of inclusiveness and working together as a country. Yet, in this political year of dysfunction, I’m not sure this will translate into a big lead for Clinton heading into the first debate.

Give doo-doo head credit. He’s the first politician in American history who can say anything, do anything, be seen kissing on Vladamir Putin, literally kill another person …and yet his base remains loyal. So knowing this as fact, why would this convention sway any of those people?

At some point–I’ll have to decide if I’m going to put a John Kasich sign in my yard or whether I’ll vote for Hillary Clinton on election day. I think Kasich would have made a great president, but I’m not the type to piss away my vote. It means too much to me.Too many people have done truly courageous things for all of us to have our say at the polling place. It’s not a right any of us should take lightly.

I know this for a fact though–Donald Trump will not be part of my personal equation. He’s just not qualified and he is a doo-doo head at the end of the day. Even more to the point, most fourth graders I’ve observed of late operate on a higher maturity plane than Donald Trump.

But even if you’re for doo-doo head you should vote. It’s your right.

All the heavyweights speaking at this convention. Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, etc. Some incredible speeches tonight at the DNC in Philly. Leon Panetta, Michael Bloomberg, Tim Kane, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden. All were extremely effective and eloquent in their own right. All pretty much hammering on the theme Donald Trump is a con artist and a fraud.

Barack Obama is clearly the greatest political orator of our time. Bill Clinton was, but Obama has moved into his own space as a speaker.

I’m going to go with Biden’s speech first. Maybe not the grace and eloquence of an Obama speech, but so much heart when Joe Biden speaks. Not an accident the theme music from Rocky glared as he took the stage tonight.

I’m going with Biden tonight and Barack Obama in the morning. Maybe Michael Bloomberg as well. He was outstanding.

And if you’re a Trump supporter and you’re wondering why people like Bush 41, Bush 43, John McCain, Mitt Romney, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Lindsey Graham and other prominent Republicans didn’t speak was that they basically think he’s a fraud as well.

Anyway….Joe Biden.

Michelle Obama went yard, but it was Sarah Silverman who led off the inning with a single to right center if you follow the baseball analogy. I was just proud of her for not spewing Trump supporters with a spew of F-bombs. It was a nice moment. One I have to post on here. Even in places Trump hates to admit exist within him, he would have given up a golf resort for Sarah Silverman to do this at his convention.

If you’re a lover of good speeches filled with vision of what our country is and should aspire to be it was a great night to lay in front of the flat screen with the diva lab and watch every single speech of the evening.

Unlike the GOP convention, angry white people weren’t chanting ‘Lock Her Up’. Instead, it was a night of people not related to Hillary Clinton giving their unique take on why America is still the greatest country on the earth and what can be done to make it better for our children and grandchildren.

Sarah Silverman was sublime getting it started. I might even put her speech on here tomorrow. I’ve always liked her and she looks great so that part was easy.

Corey Booker was next and was excellent. Tough, smart, and a natural ability to speak. No wonder he was a vice-presidential finalist.

Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders closed out night one in what was clearly an olive leaf to the progressive branch of the Democratic Party. Both were good, but just before them came the best speech of the night coming from Michelle Obama.

It connected with me in multiple ways. As an American, as a parent, and as a grown up. It touched me.

Anyway, here it is. Melania would be well served to watch it, just not use it in her next speech though.

Not that anyone is counting days, but’s it’s now been three weeks since the Kevin Durant exit from Oklahoma City. For the time being, the Thunder are going to do everything possible to keep Russell Westbrook and build the team around him.

In truth, it would be a nice fit because OKC has two bigs in Steven Adams and Enes Kanter who can pick and roll effectively with Westbrook, plus the addition of hybrid guard Victor Oladipo. A nice defensive guard in Andre Roberson, a talented backup point guard in Cam Payne, a promising rookie big to succeed Nick Collison in Domantus Sabonis, and an interesting stretch four in veteran Ersan Ilyasova who can provide some offense.

With the departures of Durant and Ibaka, OKC loses around 41 points a game and loses their two most consistent three point shooters. So a tough decision had to be made in regards to three point shooting, and the Thunder’s ultimate decision was to rescind the offer they made to Dion Waiters and instead sign their Euro stash shooting guard Alex Abrines.

Abrines is a 6′ 6″ shooting guard who the Thunder picked with the 32nd pick in the 2013 draft. Actually that pick came from the James Harden trade so we’re still not done evaluating the Harden trade. Abrines is a 40% three point shooter with an overall good offensive game which could help Russell Westbrook as far as giving him some one to kick the ball out to behind the arc.

The main concern with Abrines is his defense, as in will he be able to defend anyone at the NBA level.

Also, with this move not to retain Waiters, the Thunder have enough room to offer Russell Westbrook an extension if he and his agent feel so inclined at some point.

With this team, OKC would most likely be somewhere around a #4 thru #6 type of team and extremely entertaining to watch. Another very good player would need to be added to put OKC back on the championship contender radar, but with some luck and a kiss from the basketball gods it could happen.

So…three weeks removed from the Durant exit to the Oakland Super AAU Team, from my perspective all in OKlahoma City have accepted the hand which was dealt and have moved forward in a positive manner.

Moving forward.

Everywhere I turn I see these two together…laughing, giggling, embracing, texting, whatever—it’s like I can’t escape them. Now I know what Jennifer Anniston must have felt like when she found out about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.

Not one basketball blogger in the world wrote last October, “Kevin Durant will fall in love with Draymond Green and leave the Thunder for the Warriors.” Not one.

Wherever I look—there they are. America’s new ‘it’ couple.

I don’t even want to write about the Abrines signing or the release of Dion Waiters or even the best possible Westbrook to Boston trade for the Thunder.

It’s just this…there. How is it none of us saw this ending?

 

 

 

 

Some historians are somewhat comparing the these turbulent times in America to what the country faced in 1968. Richard Nixon from California was the Republican nominee, while Hubert Humphrey from Minnesota was the Democratic nominee.

Nixon’ speech in ’68 took about a third of the time Donald Trump’s took tonight.

From a historical standpoint I thought it might be interesting to compare Nixon’s speech to what we heard from Donald Trump tonight.

Of course, Nixon went on to win the election by a razor thin margin and then ultimately had to resign from office early into his second term amid the Watergate scandal.