Wayne Greene: Henry Good Governor, Bad Speaker

From Wayne Green's Blog In The Tulsa World ~ Gov. Henry didn't get to give his "Madam, chairwoman, the great state of Oklahoma…" speech at the Democratic Convention Wednesday night. Good.

As it turned out, the Democrats' script had the nomination handed to Barack Obama by acclamation before Oklahoma got into the mix.

That saved thousands of Democrats from hearing Henry's joke about the time his daughter embarrassed his wife. If anyone feels like they missed out of something, they can call me or anyone who's ever heard the governor speak. I think I can tell it in less than the governor's usual 15 minutes.

Let's face it, Henry is a good governor and a bad speaker. His cadences are all goofy, and he's just too slow paced.

When I've seen him speak in a question-and-answer format he's always been well-informed and bright. But don't give the man a script. You'll regret it.

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Henry, Others Praise Clinton Speech

By Jim Myers/Washington Bureau, Tulsa World, In Denver ~ Oklahoma Democrats praised Hillary Rodham Clinton's speech to the Democratic National Convention on Tuesday night, predicting that it not only will unite the party but will make the case for a Barack Obama victory in November.

Clinton summoned the millions of voters who supported her in the primaries to send Obama to the White House, declaring her one-time rival is "my candidate and he must be our president." "We don't have a moment to lose or a vote to spare," said the former first lady.

"I thought Hillary's speech was very powerful," Gov. Brad Henry said. "I felt like she did exactly what she had to do to unite the party. I think she hit the nail on the head."

Read the entire article at http://www.tulsaworld.com/.

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Analysis: Democrats Off To A Rough Start

By Bob Cusack/The Hill ~ The 2008 Democratic convention has gotten off to a rough start amid party infighting, second-guessing and outside distractions.

The lingering tension between Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and the Clintons has hung in the air throughout the early part of the Denver gathering. But that hasn’t been the only thing getting in the way of the Democrats’ message and quest for unity.

Some Democratic operatives, such as James Carville and Paul Begala, have said the convention speakers have been going soft on Republicans, warning that unless that changes, Obama will not enjoy a significant post-convention bounce in the polls.

Read the entire analysis at http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/analysis-dem-convention-off-to-rocky-start-2008-08-27.html.

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Oklahoma Democrats Ready For History

By Jim Myers/Washington Bureau, Tulsa World, In Denver ~ Oklahoma Democrats arrived Saturday for their party's national convention, which is unusually rich in symbolism and ready to make its mark in history.

"It is going to be exciting to be here and see it in person,'' Gov. Brad Henry said of the convention, which officially begins Monday. One of the convention's so-called superdelegates, Henry stressed the historical significance of Barack Obama becoming the first black candidate to accept a major party's presidential nomination.

Obama will deliver his acceptance speech on Thursday, the 45th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I have a dream'' speech.

Beyond that historical coincidence, Henry also praised Obama's ability to bring a fresh approach to the presidency, citing the momentum the standard bearer is building across the country.

"I think he can make a real difference in Washington,'' the governor said.

Frieda Wilcox, a delegate from Owasso, remains committed to Sen. Hillary Clinton but concedes she is looking forward to the nominations of Obama and Joe Biden, who was tapped for the second spot on the ticket. "I am excited about this convention, maybe more so than previous times,'' said Wilcox, who attended her first convention years ago.

Clinton will speak to the convention on Tuesday, the 88th anniversary of the passage of 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which gave women the right to vote.

In addition to honoring the legacy of King, Henry also thinks it is fitting to recognize the contributions women have made to the nation. He conceded uncertainty still exists over how the Clinton and Obama camps will come together during the week. "I am not exactly sure how that is going to play out,'' Henry said.

Clearly Clinton's delegates, who remain committed to her, are disappointed that she ran such a strong race but still came in second. "I think there is a lot of controversy there between the two camps,'' Wilcox said. "I am still a Hillary person, and that is not good.''

Wilcox said Obama must make a convincing case to the delegates for unity and expects that to happen. "We need to hear it,'' she said.

Betty McElderry of Purcell, a member of the party's national committee, also said she will remain a committed Clinton delegate until formally released. "I am a superdelegate for Hillary Clinton,'' McElderry said. "I will remain a superdelegate for Hillary Clinton until she releases her delegates.''

Regardless of what happens this week here, Oklahoma supporters of both Obama and Clinton predicted the party would end its convention united.

Henry said he has no concerns about a lack of unity for the party. "I think Democrats are as unified as we have been, maybe in my lifetime,'' he said.

McElderry echoed the governor on the unity issue. "The wonderful thing about a convention, of course, is it fires up the party loyalists,'' she said.

Jacque Tomsovic of Tulsa, another Clinton delegate who does not hide her feelings about what might have been, expressed hope for party unity. "I will go away disappointed, but I will vote Democrat in November,'' Tomsovic said.

Photo of Senator Judy Eason McIntyre and Rep. Jabar Shumate of Tulsa preparing to leave for Denver courtesy the Tulsa World.

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Upside-down Flag Plagues Obama Camp

DENVER ~ The "credentials" issued by the Democratic National Convention for fans of Barack Obama to attend his nomination-acceptance speech next week at Denver's football stadium are raising questions because they apparently have the U.S. flag flying upside down – an international signal of distress.

KUSA-TV in Denver reported its viewers have raised the issue, and online, a participant in a Gateway Pundit forum said, "That's an upside-down flag. It may not be intentional, but there it is."

The television station said viewers see the blue field and stars in the lower left corner, even though published flag etiquette states the stars should be displayed – always – in the upper left corner.

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