Charles Blow: "The Defiant Ones"
If viewers thought Democrats might tuck in their tails and run away from the president’s record, they were mistaken. The speakers gave full-throated, bare-fanged defenses of Barack Obama — rattling off hours of his accomplishments — and they used that record to draw a stark distinction with the plans of Mitt Romney, whom they attacked with unfettered ferocity.The Democrats came to the party ready for a fight.those are the words of Charles M. Blow of the New york Times in this piece, which like all of Blow's work, is well worth your time to read. For those who are younger than geezers like me (I am 66), the title is the clear reference to a 1958 movie of that title, starring Sydney Poitier and Tony Curtis as two escaped prisoners originally chained to one another, one black, the other a white racist. Both of them were nominated for Best Actor Oscars, both of whom won other awards. At the end of the film the character played by Poitier makes it on to a train, but when he cannot lift Curtis up with him, rather than escape, leaves the train and is holding his now friend when the sheriff catches up with them. Their bond is developed by learning that to survive they have to cooperate with one another. Given the history of the 2008 primaries, the title is a very interesting reference - to ensure re-election, Obama needs the visible and vocal support of Bill Clinton. To guarantee his own legacy, Bill Clinton needs Barack Obama to be re-elected, hopefully with Democratic control of both chambers of the United States Congress.
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