Then and Now

Top Ten Differences Between 1908 and 2008 Democratic National Convention

By Matt Sandy

Special to Metromix

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1. 1908 Deomcratic nominee and twice-presidential-candidate-failure William Jennings Bryan runs on “third-time’s-a-charm” platform.

 

2. Bryan unaware Democrats leaning towards “Experience doesn’t count for anything” ideology

 

3. “Recreate [19]68” protestors more easily corralled than bayonet-bearing “Recreate [18]68” rabble rousers.

 

4. Thanks to miracle of refrigeration, 2008 DNC attendees feast on epicurean delights and Colorado microbrews as opposed to salted meats and warm banquet beer.

 

5. Horses ridden by cowboys, not dystopian riot police.

 

6. Most popular 1908 anti-GOP fashion statement: “Taft is a Fat Ass” t-shirt.

 

7. Bryan’s campaign slogan “Shall the People Rule?” somewhat passive aggressive but less of a sentence fragment than Obama’s "Change We Can Believe In” battlecry.

 

8. In 1908, all politics take place in smoky backroom.

 

9. Bryan’s Prohibitionist disposition somehow doesn’t get him run out of town by inebriated pitch-fork and torch wielding crowd. 

 

10. Obama let into the DNC.