The clip of the speech that they played on the radio was of Obama briefly congratulating Clinton on her toughness, and then going on to say that we can do great things if we all come together. He went on to list a lot of groups that have long been at odds politically, even saying the words "straight and gay", which I doubt he said in other locations. But in PDX it was a good move for him. This is a very inclusive city, and there are a lot of really vocal and political gays here. By speaking these words he set the stage for a level of welcome to this fair city that few politicians have seen.
Remember now that Portland is the city that the Bushes called "Little Beirut" because the welcome they have gotten here has involved near-riots and the burning of police cars. Makes me proud of my temporary home city. I don't plan to stay, but there are reasons that I chose this place, and I intend to go out and connect with them.
Meanwhile, yesterday's post with the video clip of Ron Paul is still on my mind. There is a revolution brewing in which patriotic Americans are working to regain the honor of our country by ending the ceaseless war, stopping the spending frivolity and corruption, and becoming once again the great and noble nation that our founders were attempting to create. I hope that Obama is not so overloaded with the rituals of political obeisance that he cannot see the direction in which we must go to survive and thrive as a nation.