7:15: Chuck Schumer just finished highlighting the Senate battles that he and the Democratic Party are waging this year. In particular, he brought out Jeff Merkley - Oregon State Speaker of the House who is opposing Republican Senator Gordon Smith, Tom Allen - Maine Congressman who is facing Republican Senator Susan Collins, and Tom Udall - New Mexico Congressman facing Steve Pearce for an open Senate seat. Noticably absent: Al Franken, who has a penchant for spouting off inappropriately.
7:30: The Democrats bring all Democratic, female House members on-stage. A few of them speak. A nice way to highlight the 88th anniversary of the 19th Amendment.
7:40: Congressman James Clyburn (D-SC) is now at the podium. He's now speaking out about the horrible Republican attacks against veterans like John Kerry, and before him Max Cleland, where they shamelessly questioned their patriotism.
Transitions into redefining what "national security" is. It's not about fear, "it begins by tearing down the barriers of human intolerance and suspicion that have been erected by this administration."
7:50: Still no particularly strong attacks against McCain. All attacks so far have gone against the Bush record, and while they did a good job yesterday, Democrats do have to keep tying McCain to that record.
7:52: Here comes Senator Rockefeller. How a member of that family ended up in West Virginia is still a mystery to me, but he's done a great job as Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee. "Two Patriots with the wisdom and the courage to face down the threats of the 21st Century." - nice. Now he's transitioning into scaring the crap out of everyone listening (which, as per the audience noise, isn't many people). Unstable regimes, loose nukes, terror cells. Not sure if I like this message - America is more vulnerable thanks to Bush/Cheney. However, the link from there to condemning all Republicans is tough (although the line "obsolete thinking" reflects the vision of this race as the Present versus the Past), and most Americans tend to favor McCain when faced with the things that go boom in the night.
All right, I see where he's going with this. Obama is ready to handle the 21st century, because he is a 21st century thinker. McCain is a 19th, or at best 20th century thinker. "Shouldn't we have captured Osama bin Laden by now?" That would have been a great transition to hitting Bush and McCain for diverting resources away from Afghanistan and towards a quagmire in Iraq. He is being a little too general on "what sort of leader we need," instead of explaining clearly why Barack Obama is that leader.
8:00: Melissa Etheridge is now playing - Born in the USA is a nice tune, albeit her version is simply too unhaltingly loud for my tastes. Her outfit is also a little silly. But she does have a really nice electronic constitution-backdrop to make up for it.
8:11: Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) steps to the podium...and takes an incredibly long, awkward silence after the applause stops. I think maybe his teleprompter wasn't up yet, and he had no idea what to say.
Also, PC-culture has gone way overboard, as demonstrated by the obviously mass-produced, homemade signs from the Nevada delegation that say, "Give 'em Heck, Harry!" Give them heck? What the hell is heck? Wikipedia explains:
Heck is a euphemism for Hell. Heck or Hecke may also refer to:
- Parnall Heck was a 1930s British four-seat cabin monoplane
- The Heck reaction, named after Richard F. Heck
- Where the Hell is Heck? was a collection of BC comic strips
Reid is attacking our current President, something that's become his favorite pasttime since he became minority leader, and then majority leader.
Now he turns to building up Obama. Honest, hard-working, smart, etc. Comprehensive "smart" energy policies based on science. Yes! Reid hits on offshore drilling. It won't put a drop of oil in America for 10 years. "John McCain's magic offshore oil elixir." Reid is certainly one for interesting rhetoric. "18th century thinking for a 21st century problem!" That's certainly an age-hit if I've ever heard one. "National security means ending dependence on foreign oil." - that's redefining national security in their favor. Good work.
Reid is not the most engaging speaker (I surfed Wikipedia for definitions of "heck" while he was speaking, after all), but he makes good points all the same.
8:20: Now they have a retired Command Sergeant speaking to how Senator Obama will be a phenomenal Commander-in-Chief. Effective, and she's actually a pretty intense speaker. Good find by the PR crew. "Barack Obama exemplifies what a Commander-in-Chief should be!'
8:26: Congressman Patrick Murphy (D-PA) and "25 American heroes." Murphy was a soldier in Iraq, and is recounting his tale of service. Now he's focusing on the treatment of veterans when they return. "Our politicians rush to stand in front of soldiers at political rallies, then dump them at Walter Reed." That one got a loud cheer, he's making great points. Soldiers aren't just photo-ops. Unfortunately, he's got 25 of them doing just that right now behind him. However, he makes a strong case that Barack Obama will be the Commander-in-Chief that takes care of our fighting men and women - "understands the needs of our nation and our military." Obama does have a pretty strong Senate record of helping veterans once they return home, and that is a great issue to highlight in a way to focus the military argument in a more positive vein for Barack.
Really solid speech by Murphy, although the "Eye of the Tiger" music is a bit over-the-top for military veterans.
8:32: Secretary Madeline Albright takes the stage to the tune of "And I...Will Always Love You." Priceless. The focus has definitely turned towards national security and foreign policy now, and will probably remain there throughout the evening. Biden may focus on both foreign and domestic issues, but he does have the stones, and the resume, to hit McCain on foreign policy.
Solid speech by Madame Secretary. Yay Albright!
8:38: Senator Evan Bayh comes out and starts thing with a bang. He excitedly yells some good news: we only have 5 months left of Bush's garbage!! "Gone! Finished!" ...Unless we elect McCain, and then we're stuck with 4 more years. Nice start, he's already got the crowd's attention.
Immediately a focus on fiscal responsibility (a normal hallmark of Conservatives, but obviously not of the Bush Administration) indicates why Bayh is considered a moderate whose presence on the ticket would have soothed worriers on Wall Street.
Now back to the foreign policy side, something he knows a lot about. "Remember 'bring it on'?" George Bush & John McCain were wrong about Iraq, and about ignoring the dangers in Afghanistan. Well put. Hitting McCain on the "agrees with Bush on virtually every issue" line - Bayh: "must be the only one in America."
That buzzword of fiscal responsibility is there again. "And he'll end the War in Iraq, and bring our sons and daughters home." There it is.
Then Bayh hits Bush's lie of being a "uniter, not a divider." "Stand united as 50 red, white, and blue states." He's going on the riff of this race being more important than a single candidate or party. "Your cause is our cause." Bayh is a decent speaker, but he's talking a little too quickly to be really impactful. Still, he writes one hell of a speech. Good job.
8:44: Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) is now up. He mentions that his experience as a soldier allows him to relate to the troops. OOPS! That sounds like a McCain argument. Damn it, Reed. That must be why he wasn't among the finalists for VP - his service record would be viewed as a reason for picking him, and would highlight McCain's POW story even more than it already is.
But Reed is rebounding nicely, and he's using his military credentials to build up Obama as a great leader who will do a terrific job as a Commander-in-Chief. "Time to responsibly end the War in Iraq."
His focus does seem to be on Obama and Biden at the helm. A lot of speakers today have been doing that, and I'm not sure it's a good thing. Obama is the one at the helm, not Biden. Biden's right behind the helm.
8:52: Former Senator Tom Daschle is now speaking. He got ousted in 2004 as Minority Leader, in a surprise upset in South Dakota. He's now focusing on the fact that 8 years ago, other countries wanted "to be like us." That's no longer true.
And now he's finally making the argument that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfield brought decades of experience to Washington, and led us into tons of "foreign policy debacles." Experience isn't what matters, judgment is what matters. We deserve better than that, and we deserve better than McCain. Biden & Obama have sound judgment (again he refers to both of them). "A foreign policy that is as smart as it is strong." Nicely said, Daschle. Republicans can flex their muscles, but Obama will make the right decisions, which is ultimately what's more important.
Good speech. The crowd isn't quite whipped up yet. We'll see if they get there before Bill arrives.
9:00: Here's the runup to Bill. They have a Congressman detailing his many proud accomplishments. And he says that Barack Obama is gonna rebuild that legacy.
9:04: President Bill Clinton takes the stage, and the crowd still loves him. Despite how angry he made people during the primary, everyone still remembers how much they miss having a Democratic President. In fact, the crowd won't shut up. They were about to stop yelling, and now it's started again twice as hard. A nice tribute to the greatest living President. He keeps trying to get them to sit down, he looks serious about it too. Pretty funny.
9:05: Hillary also looks amused as Bill gets under way. "We have important work to do here tonight." He is clearly a fan of Joe Biden. Lets see how he talks about Obama, though, that's what's important. He's getting right into this primary. He's proud of his wife, and what she accomplished and what she ran for. "I am not so grateful for the chance to speak in the wake of Hillary's magnificent speech last night, but I'll do the best I can." --> he's still a funny guy. "She told us in no uncertain terms that she's gonna do everything she can to help elect Barack Obama. Well that makes two of us!!!" The crowd roars. "Actually, that makes 18,000,000 of us!" --> The best call I've heard so far for her supporters to come into the fold.
He can offer a unique perspective, because he was a President (one of 43, if I'm not mistaken). And "we're in trouble." Let's here why. He's taking our current leadership to task for not engaging with the worsening problems our nation faces. Not using diplomacy, not leading on global warming, the list goes on and on. "Clearly the job of the next President is to rebuild the American Dream and restore American leadership in the world...Everything I learned in my eight years as President, and in the work I have done since, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job." (Not the woman for the job, though?) That is a solid endorsement, though.
His policies are "far superior to the Republican alternatives." He's praising his judgment, his background and his experiences, but most importantly his capacity to lead. Now he's lavishing praise on his running-mate choice, in an effort to dispel anger that it wasn't Hillary. This has officially become a Democratic lovefest - every Democrat is feeling exactly what I am right now: why we liked the Clintons and the rest of the Democratic Party in the first place.
He's repeating it over and over: ready to lead. Yay!
"Choosing diplomacy first." "People have always been more impressed by the power of our example rather than the example of our power." - Amazing line, he is truly a great President. Thank you Bill for showing us the way. "yes we can, but first we have to elect him." Hooray.
McCain is a "good man." But on the major questions of this election, he still "embraces the orthodoxy of his party." Now he's building back his accomplishments and tearing down the Republicans along the way. "In 2001, we saw what would happen when the GOP controlled both the White House and Congress."
"Thanks but no thanks. In this case, the third time is not the charm." Well put, Bill. And now he pulls those all-important parallels with Barack! "In 1992 the Republicans said I was too young and too inexperienced to be Commander-in-Chief." Oh man, Bill, lay it on me. "It didn’t work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history. And it won’t work in 2008, because Barack Obama is on the right side of history." "Show the world our humanity and our strength."
Finally, a homage to his background that brought him to the White House (the last Democrat to do so), and he leaves the stage to thunderous applause. Let's see if Bush gets this kind of treatment next week. They're not gonna sit down until he leaves the stage. And jeez, there's a lot of American flags out there. I just realized what all that waving was (even Hillary has one). That crowd is so frickin coordinated with their flag/banner/poster waving. Well played, all.
Bill Clinton just rebuilt his reputation in the Democratic Party that was so damaged by this primary, and just reminded everyone that the first page of his biography will not be Lewinsky and it won't be his "racism," it will be his status as one of the greatest presidents of the 20th century.
9:29: And now, here's "Beth Robinson from Virginia." God, do I feel sorry for this woman. You can't follow a triumphant former President, and not even have a title to be introduced as. I hope this crowd treats her well.
9:33: The wait is over. Here's Senator John Kerry. He's gonna thank them for making him their nominee four years ago. Gore gave an incredible speech in 2004 in this position, the only one of the convention that bordered Obama's. Let's see if Kerry can pull it off too.
Oh man, what an amazing mistake! "And we all know what a Bush Administration - I mean, a McCain Administration would look like. You see, there's the slip." Michelle thinks it's hilarious. Well done by mistake, Kerry. Then Kerry attacks Bush/Cheney/McCain for the war by saying it was "Wrong war, wrong place, wrong time." That trio of attacks on being "wrong" must be his payback for Zell Miller four years ago.
The crowd isn't really digging it so far, though. They didn't even respond to his line that "we must respond with the greatest weapons in our arsenal - our values." But they like closing Gitmo (since Harold and Kumar already got to make their movie, there's really no reason to leave it open).
"An energy revolution." - Kerry sounds really passionate, more emotion than he ever showed in 2004. Unfortunately, it seems like the crowd just isn't filled with Kerry fans. They all blame him for allowing four more years of Bush four more years ago.
Now he's drawing comparisons between "Candidate McCain" and "Senator McCain." "Talk about being for it before he was against it." Yes!!! 2004 Greatest Hits used against his old best friend! "Before he debates Barack Obama, John McCain should finish the debate with himself." - Kerry is now digging deep into his own hurt pride and taking it out on John McCain as the frontman for the GOP. "McCain once railed against the Rove tactics, when he was the target." Kerry is tougher than ever now, since he knows he'll never be President he can tell the truth.
I was not expecting Kerry to be this aggressive against someone who he counts as a friend. "Today, Bush's diplomats are doing exactly what Obama said. "So who can we trust to keep America safe?" Repeated over and over.
Even President Bush has seen the light on timetables. Thank you so much, John Kerry, you are making the debate that this country needs a reality.
"Barack Obama's Uncle is here!???" I've never seen this guy before, but terrific - great story.
John Kerry is defining Patriotism?? Why didn't he do this 4 years ago?
9:53: That was a terrific speech, the kind of thing we wanted to hear from Kerry during the 2004 campaign when he sat back and took punch after punch from the GOP attack machine. Not gonna happen this time. Now an admiral, and life-long Republican, is talking about why this country needs Barack Obama right now. It's a cool speech, but no one is really listening - we're all waiting for Biden.
9:57: Nevermind, here comes Congressman Chet Edwards (D-TX), the surprise finalist for Obama's running mate. He's an interesting character, and I'm hoping this speech demonstrates why Edwards was so closely vetted.
He's a very methodical speaker, and he smiles after every good line - doesn't come off as incredibly sincere. He is introducing a Speilberg film, which should be interesting.
10:03: Speilberg is taking a look at the personal experiences of troops in Iraq. Much of the emphasis sits on the need to take care of these men and women when they come home, which is an issue Obama can own McCain on. McCain may be able to better relate to our armed forces, but Obama clearly is more focused on taking care of their needs. It's a powerful film, and clearly non-partisan, which makes it all the more touching. Tom Hanks is also most excellent at narrating things about America.
10:12: It's clear that the message of the last 40 minutes or so is honoring our troops' sacrifice. It fits perfectly with honoring McCain's before attacking his legislative record. Also, it's an issue where being a compassionate liberal actually makes you a better commander.
10:17: Here it comes. Here's Quincy Lewis from, you guessed it, Delaware. The Vice-Presidential nomination is about to happen. Starting with a story about her sister being murdered - not the most optimistic message to introduce Joe Biden with. Uggh, those "yeah!!!"s that she followed her official nomination with were pretty uncalled for and out of character.
10:19: Joe Biden becomes the official nominee for Vice-President of the Democratic Party by acclamation!
He's got red signs. Very nice touch to differentiate it from Hillary and Kennedy and Obama.
Video intro to Biden. According to polls, about half of all voters don't have an opinion on him - they sure will after tonight, and it'll certainly be positive. First explain who he is as a father and as a man. Now we hit his resume. Bringing down violent crime is a nice non-traditional Democratic plank.
10:24: Out comes Biden...oh wait, it's his son, Beau, the state's Attorney General. He's quite possibly the heir to Biden's Senate seat should Biden win. He's now telling the story of his mother's death. This is so tragic, there isn't a dry eye in the convention hall, or in my dorm room. "Delaware can get another Senator, but my boys can't get another father." The more I hear about Joe Biden, I realize that he is truly a sincere individual. "We" remarried Jill. That's sweet, but comes out a tiny bit creepy.
Now a rundown of his accomplishments - "speaks truth to power."
Younger Biden has a request, because he won't be available - "Be there for my dad. Be there for Barack Obama, because they will deliver the change we need." Great intro, and here...he...comes:
10:30: A loving embrace with his son, Biden looks like he's emotionally steeling himself for the grenades he's about to lob at John McCain. Here we go...
The crowd, of course, showers him with love. He eats it up - he's a politician, he can't help it.
"I'm a hell of a success." - would be a sign of his ego, were it not a reference to his being proud of his children. Then says his wife is hot (again). Then he turns to praising Hillary Clinton - "one of our great leaders."
Pledge to America, this should be good: "no longer will you hear the 8 most dreaded words in the English language - the Vice-President's office is on the phone." Nicely done.
Common story with Barack, but different journeys. He uses the Rocky line again, then singles out his very proud-looking mom in the luxury seats. She looks overcome with happiness. And based on these stories, I must say that Joe Biden's mom is amazing. The American creed: "No one is better than you, and everyone is equal to you."
Biden slips up the same way Kerry did. Wow, they do truly believe that Bush and McCain are the same person, and after the last few months of seeing McCain's campaign, I agree.
Now he talks about Obama - now that Biden has built up his own middle-class credentials, he wants to help bring Obama into that fold. "Looking your child in the eye." Now Biden reprises the line from the first speech in Springfield- "you learn a lot about a man..."
Biden praises McCain the man, and gets polite applause from the Convention.
But now it's time to tear into him politically. 95% with Bush, and that's very hard to believe.
NO RELIEF FOR 100 MILLION AMERICAN FAMILIES. "That's not change, that's more of the same." Voted again and again against renewable energy. Supports corporations that ship jobs overseas. Voted 19 times against the minimum wage. $10 billion a month for Iraq.
By the way, the delegates are holding up (astoundingly prepared) signs that say "More of the Same," which I'm not sure is quite what they're supporting right now.
There we go, the big number: 95% of Americans will have their taxes cut by Barack Obama. Alternative energy will be a national priority - 5 million new jobs. Making college more affordable. $2,500 per family decrease in healthcare costs. Healthcare for every American (the Clintons stand for that one). More cops. Social security. Equal pay. Biden is hammering home the entire Democratic platform. Well done, sir. But now it's time for the foreign policy argument.
"Dug us into a very deep hole." Focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Now on to Georgia. Holding Russia accountable, and help Georgia rebuild.
John McCain says, "Barack Obama is not ready to protect our national security." He believes Afghanistan succeeded, but Obama believes more people need to be sent there. Barack's call echoed by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. It's all about judgment. We reject McCain's judgment. Right on, Joe.
He's going point by point, making a clear choice between McCain's failures of judgment and Obama's leadership. America needs to "get back up together." Nice way to tie his father's advice into his message to this country. "We're both ready."
The Convention rewards Biden for a job extremely well done. Hillary is whispering something to Bill, I'm hoping it wasn't "I could have done that better." Aww, and here's wifey!
Aaah! Surprise guest. Biden appears to be in the same position as the little Obamas, as the man, the myth, the legend himself arrives on stage. It's interesting that their exchange is kind of miked. What a great team. The Convention loves it, and now Obama has a microphone.
He's proud to have the whole Biden family "on this journey to take America back." Now he's gonna have the crowd gives props to the highlights - yay Michelle! Hillary "rocked the house!" Gracious, sustained applause from both members of the ticket as Hillary is put up on the big screen. President Bill Clinton "reminded us what it's like when you have a President who puts people first." Nice shout out to his long time nemesis. He doesn't look as gracious as Hillary, but who cares, his time in the spotlight is over. Obama shakes some hands, and the woman who ran the roll call looks like she's about to explode in happiness after getting to see Obama face to face.
This is the team. I wish Michelle was down there. Biden has the whole clan, but Obama has no familial support system. Biden carries his grandson around the stage in triumph.
"We Are Family" is a nice song of unity. Awww!! Biden's grandchildren wave, and my heart melts a little bit.
I just noticed that everyone is still cheering pretty wildly. Finally they're quieting down as Biden leads the family off-stage.
I was gonna stop there, but I wanna point out that this nun was about to start her benediction, and then gave a stern look out on the members of the crowd who were still talking amongst themselves. That was fairly priceless.
That's all for tonight; I'll have pictures added into this entry tomorrow, so it's a little more legible/not-blinding. Hopefully you made it this far, and hopefully you've made it through these three days of the convention.
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