Where is the humility?

"A podium "that puts American voices center stage," the Democrats are billing their dazzling Pepsi Center Podium in Mile High City. We admit we're smitten, by the medium if not the message. What ever happened to "ask not what your country can do for you"?

"I like the Republican one better. It's more straightforward," pronounced Tuck re the dueling convention podia of the two parties (Democrats' above and below, Republicans', near bottom of post):

The Democrat one looks like a rock show.

As indeed might be expected, given the credits of the man behind the screen, set designer extraordinaire and founder of Tribe, Inc, Texan Democrat Bruce Rodgers, whose project list includes Madonna, Sting and a Super Bowl Halftime with Prince. "I think people from the West get their inspiration to do great things from each other and from nature, Rodgers told a DNC interviewer last winter:

People help us learn and strive, and nature keeps us humble and hopeful.

We love the words, and we love the work. But where is the humility? The Democrats hired Rodgers, knowing that glitz and glamour are his stock in trade. McCain's brilliant "Celeb" ad —the one that got under Obama's skin — comes to mind.

"We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him," quips Greg Pollowitz of National Review's Media Blog re this totally awesome digital rendering [via Bird Dog] of the Democrats'' podium at "the manger Pepsi Center in Denver."  Politics aside, Rodgers's artful composition of daybreak orange and Parrish blue half made us wish we were Democrats [Just kidding. —ed] (Lynn Sweet photo)

"It was heartfelt and deeply personal — and many are saying she rivaled Barack's famous 2004 convention speech in the way she moved the crowd," says Obama's website re the candidate's wife's performance (click here to watch) on the Rodgers-designed podium last night. We have to admit that had we not already gotten Michelle Obama's America-bashing number awhile back based upon many unscripted moments, her breathtaking beauty, grace under stress and supreme acting ability might have fooled our foolish heart.

"I often joke with (foreign interviewers) and say that our level of human performance is second in the world," former dissident filmmaker Zhang Yimou — the man responsible for the dazzling Beijing Olympics opening and closing ceremonies — told a Chinese newspaper, reports the London Telegraph. The dark side of Zhang's stagecraft and pyrotechnics resonates not without irony in the theory and practice of the Democrats' dog and pony show:

Number one is North Korea. Their performances are totally uniform, and uniformity in this way brings beauty. We Chinese can do it too. After hard training and strict discipline, Chinese achieve that as well.

Now dissed by some critics as — in the words of an International Herald Tribune profile a couple of weeks back — "a kind of Chinese Leni Riefenstahl, creating "beautiful backdrops for iron-fisted rulers," Zhang "also showed little concern for the few critical voices who found the mass organisation of thousands of performers reminiscent of the Soviet era," notes the Telegraph:

By contrast, he found working in the west, where he has been artistic director for a number of opera performances, something of a shock.

"It was so troublesome," he said. "They only work four and a half days each week. Every day there are two coffee breaks, and no-one can suffer any discomfort because of human rights."

"This caused me no end of worry. One week, I thought everything had been rehearsed completely without any problems, but in fact they could not even stand in straight lines.

"You couldn't criticize them either. They all belong to organizations — some kind of institutions, unions. We do not have that. We can work very hard, and can put up with a lot of pain."

Those pesky human rights. Just ask Barack "Their ports, their train systems, their airports are vastly the superior to us now" Obama.

The Republicans' convention podium — Digital rendering, above — to be mounted at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center for their September 1-4 event appears suitably conservative compared to the Democrats' "progressive" staging. Click here for larger image.

"The intimate setting will be a fitting backdrop for Senator McCain’s acceptance speech," says President and CEO of the 2008 Republican National Convention Maria Cino re the GOP stage set:

The design of the podium continues under the auspices of Executive Producer David J. Nash. Nash, a veteran of Broadway and television award shows, is back for his fifth-consecutive Republican National Convention.

Nash has also served as executive vice president of production at New York's Radio City Music Hall and director of technical operations at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, in Washington, D.C.

"Get Stupid" Madonna probably wouldn't get it, but we think it looks pretty classy.

Comments

[goomp]

Our original national anthem, "America," My country 'tis of thee, which preceded "The Star Spangled Banner," spoke of land of the pilgrims' pride from every mountainside let freedom ring. Today it is land of our shame and let government rule from every crevice so that we may emulate the foreign dictatorships.

[Gayle Miller]

The Republican podium has dignity and class - not to mention some flat out patriotism. The DNC podium is like far too many Dems: cheap and flashy!

IF some Hillary-generated bomb doesn't drop and IF Obama/Biden actually becomes the ticket (which I still don't think is a sure thing), the Dem ticket will bear constant watching. Rosary Joe Biden has always been madly in love with the sound of his own voice and as a result is prone to foot-in-mouth disease on a fairly consistent basis. Me, I'm looking forward to that! And also to watching Sen. Biden try to continue to present himself as a good Catholic boy after the verbal whupping administered to him by the Archbishop of Washington, D.C. this morning on the subject of Joe's pro-abortion stance and how the good Senator has no business receiving the sacraments under those conditions. Ooops.

[Teresa]

Well, you certainly have far more fortitude of spirit than I do. I had to suffer through a few of the scenes from last night's dog and pony show while at my dentist today... gag me with a dental mirror...

I don't watch conventions - if there is something spectacular or completely out of the ordinary - I know I will see it on youtube within 10 minutes of the happening, so I don't even worry about missing anything. (well, I never really worried about missing anything - but hey - now I have backup *grin*)

[hnav]

Interesting post on the Conventions...

I actually stomached a little of the Hillary homage to Hillary.

Very amusing, like a poorly done comedy routine.

Still curious about what is 'historic' for a Celebrity to lose to a virtual unknown in a DNC Primary Race.

Hillary's Campaign was a disaster, and the speech isn't much better.

[Gayle Miller]

You didn't like the line about the "sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits"?

[mkb]

The Republican podium is set in the middle of a giant Union Jack formed by the seats?