by Matt Barr

Watcher's Council results February 24

Of the posts nominated on February 22, the following were winners in the weekly Watcher's Council voting.

Right Wing Nut House scored with a remembrance of Hubert Humphrey, The "Happy Warrior" Is Weeping In His Grave.

It was his acceptance speech at the 1964 convention that held me mesmerized and inspired my lifelong love of politics. To get an idea of what it was like think of Zell Miller’s speech at the Republican Convention last year and multiply the intensity by a factor of 10. Humphrey absolutely skewered Barry Goldwater. In a sing-song style that was both rousing and entertaining, Humphrey attacked Goldwater by ticking off a list of Great Society programs that moderate Republicans had voted for, always ending with the refrain “but not Senator Barry Goldwater!” After two or three examples, the entire convention picked up the refrain and would scream with one voice on cue “but not Senator Barry Goldwater” and roar with laughter and applause. It was electrifying. And it was great political theater.

But there was no malice in Humphrey’s words. Humphrey respected Goldwater and, in later years, developed a good working relationship with the Arizona Senator – as many old liberal Democrats did when their party kept moving ever leftwards, ever more defeatist on foreign policy issues especially with regards to the Soviet Union and Communism.

Done With Mirrors placed with thorough review of the new Lincoln book, Team of Rivals.

In the Non-Council category, Dinocrat's How Does the Modern World Look When You Have Done Nothing To Help Create It, and Innovation Is a Threat To Cherished Beliefs? won.

Full results and many more worthy links here.

Are you a blogger looking for more exposure? Who isn't! Watcher has a deal where he'll use host's privilege to nominate worthy posts suggested by you and your contemporaries who impress him most. There are some rules, helpfully summarized here. The deadline is 8pm Eastern each Tuesday. Check it out! Tell him New World Man referred you, it's worth two double super secret no-points in the voting.

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