Major Update Below:

I want to add to my piece about how Hillary fell flat last night with her speech. Generally speaking there is no harmony in Denver, the theme coming across is dissonance, forced fronts and angst. Probably being fed by a combination of inexperience and buyer’s remorse. What struck me with the Hillary speech was how many “Hillary” signs there were, and how they almost seemed to be doing battle with the “Unity” signs. If it was not for the reporting about the angry Hillary supporters I would probably not make a big deal about.

But this is one of this insane events which has me agreeing with none other than Maureen Dowd – and that means the signals are coming across loud and clear:

But this Democratic convention has a vibe so weird and jittery, so at odds with the early thrilling, fairy dust feel of the Obama revolution, that I had to consult with Mike Murphy, the peppery Republican strategist and former McCain guru.

“What is that feeling in the air?” I asked him.

“Submerged hate,” he promptly replied.

Ah, yes, now I recognize that sulfurous aroma.

There were a lot of bitter Clinton associates, fund-raisers and supporters wandering the halls, spewing vindictiveness, complaining of slights, scheming about Hillary’s roll call and plotting trouble, with some in the Clinton coterie dissing Obama by planning early departures, before the nominee even speaks.

…

“We’re seeing a train wreck all over again,” said one top Democrat. “I’m telling you, man, it’s something about our party, the shtetl mentality.”

The speakers just don’t seem to have their hearts into the event – like they are distracted or concerned. Mark Warner of VA gave a horribly dry and boring speech. Hillary’s was ridiculous, Michelle’s a waste of time (yes, lovely family and cute girls – no why should Barack be President?).

I recall the Kerry convention and there was a lot more energy last time around – at lot more confidence. The party was ready to do war. This one seems to be way off in a very subtle and subliminal way. The party leaders are having trouble covering for Obama (anyone see Governor Richards fumble on the Bill Ayers issue with Hannity?). They don’t ‘believe’ any more – and it is coming across even on the TV screen.  It seems to be much more palatable in Denver.

And worse, there are more and more reports of Hillary supporters openly and proudly going to McCain:

The last place Kathy Archuleta could have ever imagined she’d spend the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, was at a happy hour sponsored by the Republican Party.

But the 54-year-old Democrat joined several other Hillary Clinton supporters, along with volunteers and officials from John McCain’s campaign, at a Happy Hour for Hillary.

The event, sponsored by the Republican National Committee and approved by the McCain campaign, was a chance for McCain and Clinton supporters to come together for one cause: their opposition to Barack Obama’s candidacy.

“Four years ago, if you said we’d be at a Hillary happy hour at the DNC, I would have called you crazy. But today is a great opportunity for people who … agree that Sen. Barack Obama doesn’t have the experience to be president of the United States,” said McCain campaign regional communications director Tom Kise.

I remember when the Democrat’s BS-meter pegged so hard that I finally had my eyes opened and I left the party for good and became a staunch unaffiliated voter (aka, an independent).  The “Awakening” was so abrupt, so many lies were exposed, that I decided to never be a mindless robot in any party.  And people naively think it was some brain-washing by the GOP. The truth is it is always the acts and lies of the Democrats themselves which repulse sane and moderate people and drives them from the party. They belief in a fantasy magical solution to every problem caused by anyone else but them is just too much at some point.

Think about this – Obama is trying to convince people with very full life experiences of his own that his lack of experience is not an issue:

Obama’s relative lack of experience in national politics — long seen as his Achilles heel — was something that Clinton supporters, Republicans and independents attending the happy hour rallied behind.

“His lack of experience has been demonstrated so painfully every time he opens his mouth just about. … You cannot have good judgment without experience; that’s how you get it,” said 58-year-old Marnie Delano of New York.

Most people respect the challenges of the office of President, especially after 9-11. With Iran and Georgia and Pakistan all roiling, most people are tired of having their intelligence insulted with juvenile platitudes. 

There is a train wreck happening in Denver and I wonder how many folks are now just wishing the nightmare of selecting a inexperienced phenom to run for president would just hurry up and end. This is not going well at all.

Major Update: I missed some really important and shocking data hidden at the back end of the second linked story – the exodus of Hillary supporters to Obama is increasing!

But there is some bad news for Obama. The poll showed that 66 percent of Clinton supporters — registered Democrats who want Clinton as the nominee — are now backing Obama. That’s down from 75 percent in the end of June. Twenty-seven percent of them now say they’ll support McCain, up from 16 percent in late June.

In one month Obama was able to lose 11% MORE Hillary voters to McCain. Obama can’t survive in the fall with just that one month’s defection level, let alone a 27% of them and growing. Recall that Dem primaries shattered voting records across this country. In 2004 Bush beat Kerry by roughly 3.5 million votes. If Hillary did get 18 million votes in the primary, then 27% of that number is 4.6 million defections for the fall.

These are historic numbers – which is why I am kind of surprised they were hidden in the back of a story on CNN – except we all know why the media and the Dems don’t want this to be the theme of the Dem Convention!

Tags: 2008 Election, Democrat Convention