The Breakfast Table

Gloomy Gala

Michael,

I don’t remember when I’ve had a more dispiriting time than at this convention. And no, it’s not because I’m surrounded by Democrats and liberals–after all, I live in New York City and work in journalism. The fact is that this is a lousy convention, and even though that fact should make me happy, given how little I want Al Gore to win in November, it’s not pleasing at all. Conventions are mass events, and you can’t help but get caught up in the mass psychology. The dispirited mood is not mine, really, but the delegates’ and the Democratic Party’s. In marked contrast to the almost demented good cheer in Philadelphia, there’s a cloudy overhang above the Staples Center and the parties I’ve been to. I didn’t expect this; I thought it would be fun to be in Los Angeles in mid-August, at a convention that ended at 8 p.m. (well, 8:30), which means my column-writing is done at 9 rather than at midnight. The evenings free? Party time.

But though I have indeed been going to parties and dinners and the like–the Spago fete thrown by Michael Bloomberg on Monday night was particularly piquant, what with the half-naked woman dressed as a mermaid behind the seafood bar standing in as a one-person substitute for the canceled Loretta Sanchez event at the Playboy mansion–I can’t shake the feeling.

Truth to tell, it’s not fun being around people who are rightfully worried about what may be a looming disaster. The talk around the media center was a growing sense that Gore might not even enjoy a “bounce” out of this convention, though it’s far too early to say such a thing before he’s actually spoken. But in Philadelphia you could feel it working, all the sweetness and light rolling over the nation. Here you can feel it not working, particularly given the quality of the speeches on Tuesday night. I heard Bob Shrum wrote Caroline Kennedy’s speech. If that’s true, his reputation must be inflated, given how bad it was. And what was with Jesse Jackson’s line about people who “go into the Bushes” or “behind the Bushes” or whatever the hell he said? That may be the worst sound bite of all time, though the other one from that speech–“More with Gore”–runs it a close second.

Well, at least Left-Wing Night is over. Now I wonder: How will Joe Lieberman handle the loss of his own vaunted integrity this past week as he continues to flee from his own voting record?