Matt Yglesias

34 Responses to “The SUPERTRAIN is Coming”

1. S.P. Gass Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 10:48 pm

   I wrote a pro-passenger rail post shortly before the speech. Like you, I was curious if Biden would mention Amtrak in his speech. I doubted he would, be he did.

   Did you catch the article in the Post today?

   Democratic VP Nominee is a Passenger Rail Advocate

2. Kay Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 10:48 pm

   Biden makes soooo many mistakes it’s hard to deal with. It’s just really hard. I can’t watch anymore. Hope he’s effective!

   Go Amrak!

3. John Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 10:51 pm

   Hunter Biden is the one on the Amtrak board, right?

4. TH Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 11:01 pm

   Biden fumbles a bit speaking but he’s not on the ticket to speak. He was a little too dangerously close to a pro-war stance and didn’t talk enough about diplomacy, but maybe the Dems need some red meat for those voters.

   Beau’s introduction of Joe was great.

5. thehova Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 11:06 pm

   Yeah, he’s not a perfect speaker.

   But at least he gave the convention some much needed energy.

6. drjimcooper Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 11:11 pm

   I loved the “freudian slip.” I’m surprised that K.O. didn’t think it was planned. It seemed obviously intentional to me.

7. 55 Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 11:34 pm

   Too lazy to look at the archives, but if today’s Sullivan were around today in 04, I bet he would’ve whined about Obama’s convention speech. Yeesh. No, it wasn’t perfect, but he definitely bashed McCain on national security, pretty thoroughly IMO.

   I also think the Freudian slip was planned.

8. southpaw Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 11:34 pm

   I thought the use of “Love Train” at the moment of Obama’s nomination would send Yglesias and Atrios over the moon. Alas, it was not to be.

9. John Says:
   August 27th, 2008 at 11:49 pm

   Biden fumbles a bit speaking but he’s not on the ticket to speak.

   I don’t think that’s quite right. Biden may not be an orator in the same way that Obama is, and his speech wasn’t as tight and focused as, for instance, John Kerry’s was tonight.

   But he’s not at all a bad public speaker. Other than the Clintons, Schweitzer last night, and Kerry tonight, I’d say Biden was easily better than virtually any of the major speeches I’ve seen.

   Compare, in particular, to Evan Bayh (who was fine, but largely unremarkable), or to Sebelius (who was deadly dull), since those seem to have been major alternative candidates. Compare also to Warner, who was also a favorite veep speculation, whose speech was kind of a mildly interesting failure, not particularly amazingly delivered.

   Yeah, Biden’s not purpose. He ad libs and ruins good lines, and sometimes talks over applause lines – or, at least, doesn’t get the rhythm quite right for the call and response (something Schweitzer notably nailed). He rambles a bit. The best parts are great, but there’s too much fat. But he’s still one of the better political speakers about.

   I have no idea how the media will assess it – their reactions to things are usually completely mystifying to me. Nor do I have any good sense how the public will respond to it. But compared to the duds that were Lieberman and Edwards, I still think Biden was a very solid VP pick.

10. Seitz Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 12:24 am

    Biden fumbles a bit speaking but he’s not on the ticket to speak.

    In the past I’ve preferred him in a Q&A setting, especially with reporters as moderators. He was a way of almost showing contempt for the questioner, which is great when it’s a media type that people probably really don’t care for. I imagine he doesn’t do that when he’s talking to constituents. I’ll think he’ll be great for the next two months.

11. Aleks Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 12:46 am

    I’d love to see fast trains in this country (I live in the Midwest), but wouldn’t those endless miles of rail be a huge security problem? Blowing up rail lines was a very easy and effective way for partisans to operate in WWII.

12. Aleks Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 12:56 am

    Which is of course not to suggest that we don’t already have a lot of vulnerable points.

13. pseudonymous in nc Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 1:27 am

    Biden’s normal speaking environment is one where the audience gets kicked out if they respond. Or, as Seitz says, the Q&A where he’s good at kicking the legs out from under a premise.

    The stuff he nailed tonight — particularly the economic questions being asked across the country — is the stuff that will serve him well in the debate and in other forums.

14. laborlibert Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 4:33 am

    Dear Matt:

    The absurd issue I am about to describe came up in comments a week or two ago:

    Can you please explain whether, when you reference the “Supertrain” you are thinking of the tv show of the 70’s or the seattle commuter train described in the early 90’s classic “Singles”.

    Since we are of the same generation, I assume the latter.

    Thanks brudda.

15. Linus Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 11:14 am

    next stop: debtor’s prison!

16. tom0063 Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 11:36 am

    See the Supertrain NOW!

17. Medium Dave Says:
    August 28th, 2008 at 12:24 pm

    …the seattle commuter train described in the early 90’s classic “Singles”.

    Which, thankfully, Tom Skerritt put the kibosh on for all time!

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