Well, that’s strange.

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I saw this first via Drudge and figured, well, you know, it’s Drudge – but apparently Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) really will not be a featured speaker at this year’s Democratic National Convention. I wonder why.

No, I really am wondering. I mean, she spoke at the 2000 convention, and before I read this I would have said that if a Senatorial candidate (and current First Lady) would have a slot, then so would a current Senator from a key state (and former First Lady). Assuming that this is correct, there’s something interesting going on here…

Moe

UPDATE: Constant Reader wilfred has provided us with a link indicating that Sen Clinton is on the list to speak after all. Must have been a glitch in the system, or something.

Another UPDATE: Constant Reader Gary Farber sees wilfred’s Burlington Free Press and raises one New York Times article as proof that Sen Clinton won’t be speaking after all.

19 thoughts on “Well, that’s strange.”

  1. I don’t see it, myself. If being a junior, and first-term, Senator, gets you the gig, we’d have pretty much the entire Democratic Senate caucus up there. Even if only from a “key state,” it would be about twenty or so.
    I don’t get why you figure just another Senator, who is not running for office, and not the First Lady, should be up there.
    But it’s not, at least, remotely as bizarre as all those insane Republican predictions (I’m not tarring Republicans here, Moe: only those strange enough to be obsessed with Hillary Clinton) that Senator Clinton was going to be the Democratic nominee, when, as a minor detail, not a single well-known Democrat could be found in favor of it, and pretty much no ordinary Democratic voters.
    That’s the only thing strange I see: the weird fixation so many Republicans (I’m not saying you, Moe) have with Senator Clinton. Sorry.

  2. Gary, I’ll actually admit to being mildly obsessed with Sen. Clinton, if by that one means “I expect her to run – and win – in 2008” (although I would like to point out that I’m not particularly frightened by either prospect); still, the fact remains that she is in most people’s top ten list for most well-known Democratic Senators. She’s unique, in fact: a hawkish Democratic Senator, former First Lady and holder of the Clinton name who hails from one of the states so greviously attacked in 2001. Seems like a no-brainer to give her speech time, particularly since the networks would actually want to broadcast it.
    As I said: strange that they didn’t. Not particularly dark/omnious or anything, just interesting. 🙂

  3. It was announced yesterday that Hillary will speak at the Convention. If anyone needs the link let me know.

  6. Mrs. Clinton Will Be in Boston, but Not at the Microphone.
    Buried in the story:

    But Peggy Wilhide, a spokeswoman for the Democratic National Convention, and Ms. Cutter said Mrs. Clinton would have a role in the convention: she would be part of a special segment featuring all the women senators in the party led by Senator Barbara A. Mikulski, a Maryland Democrat and the dean of the female senators.
    “It will be one of the highlights of opening night,” Ms. Wilhide said.

    But she’s not going to be an independent “speaker.”
    If, however, you’d like fudge room:

    As for Mrs. Clinton, Lina Garcia, a spokeswoman for the convention, said there was still a chance that Mrs. Clinton could land a role as a speaker. “There’s a possibility she could,” she said. “There’s a possibility she couldn’t.”
    Ms. Garcia indicated that there would be a need to fill up some air time during the heavily choreographed four-day event. “There are obviously going to be other speakers to fill up the day,” she said.

    “If anyone needs the link let me know.”
    Know. Because it saves everyone ever so much trouble to make them ask.
    Myself, I’d rather see, and think it would be a far better idea, if Howard Dean got a major slot, than Senator Clinton. But do keep in mind that the only slots that count will be during the one hour of each of three nights the networks will broadcast. And they’re booked.

  8. Incidentally, Wilfred,in the interest of regarding how to read a news story, regarding this:

    New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, the convention chairman, told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the former rivals of presumptive presidential nominee John Kerry would speak at the convention, but no time had been determined.
    “They will all speak. I don’t know when, but they were in the arena and they deserve a chance to speak,” Richardson said. “Senator (Hillary) Clinton will speak also. She’s a major star in the party.”

    an accurate description would be “Speaking casually, Governor Richardson said Senator Clinton will speak, along with hundreds of other people, in some minor way, at some point during the convention; the story confirms that Senator Clinton will not have a major speaking slot.”
    Not “it was announced.” It wasn’t “announced.” “Announced” has a specific meaning, and this isn’t it. Richardson wasn’t speaking officially on behalf of the convention of which he was chair, and wasn’t making an “announcement.”
    Beyond that, it was a small-town newspaper, but more importantly, the story *specifically* referred, in the lead paragraph, to the official announcement; Richardson’s statement, read correctly, clearly refers to “speaking” in the vague sense that the convention will have people at the podium for about eight hours a day for three days, and hundreds of people will be “speaking,” without having one of the official major speaking slots.

  9. wow moe, mowing grandmothers lawns and making links for the tech-impaired. tell your girlfriend she has a keeper!

  14. Moe, he was born at 3:21pm and is 7 pounds, 7 ounces and was born on 7/14! and best of all he’s healthy and beautiful. Thanks so much for asking (can you tell i’m proud?).

  16. looks like my reading skills are just fine Gary and i think our covention head Gov. Bill Richardson would back me up

    Well, yes, insofar as a non-sentence not quite worthy of Keroac, and definitely not Joyce, makes sense, whatever. I do expect that folks at the “covention” may, um, back up their head. If you want to put it that way. I wouldn’t, but it’s a choice.
    (See, here is where we don’t do that silly punctuation thing.)
    I wouldn’t also choose to bring up butts and bash in the same breath, but it’s yet another choice. As a Democrat, I regret it, but c’est la vie.
    Myself, I’m almost regretting I didn’t apply for the famous “blogger credentials,” so as to also be able to assert that I was “speaking” at the convention, given that it doesn’t actually mean, apparently, one of the listed evening slots, but merely means “speaking” “at the convention.” Which surely is an honor.
    Despite my mock, congrats on your godson. Really.

  18. Gary,
    First, don’t sweat it, and i hope your bad day doesn’t spill over into tomorrow. Everyone i know seems to be dealing with lots of stuff this week. Second, thanks for the wishes. My godson is a sweetie. And last but not least– Only a straight man would have a problem with butt and bash being in the same sentence 🙂

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