DNC Super-Special Report: Live at the Temple of Obama!

Yes, tonight on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, Senator Barack Obama will formally be the nominee of the Democratic Party for President of the United States. Senator McCain, graciously, actually took an opportunity tonight to air a TV ad praising Senator Obama for his historic nomination, and to just take today off from the partisan bickering. I must be dreaming.

By the way, people really want to be at this speech.

Obama has absolutely filled 75,000 seats for tonight's speech, with many people desperate to get in. Meanwhile, McCain is having a rally in Ohio to announce his running mate for the first time, but his campaign is having difficulty giving away tickets to fill a 10,000 seat arena. Now that's an enthusiasm gap.


And also by the way, John Kerry's wife thinks that his speech last night was a gracious acceptance of his nomination for reelection for President.

More importantly, John McCain's healthcare advisor believes that no one in this country is uninsured - as long as we close our eyes and don't count them. What ever happened to Phil Gramm?

8:10: Tim Kaine is up at the podium, and this circular, columned set up is quite epic. He's arguing that we need to move mountains by yelling at them. Maybe it's his lack of practicality that kept him off the ticket.


8:14: Evil Spock!! Governor Bill Richardson still has the crazy beard! He's also clearly popular out here in the Midwest. He's hitting McCain on his flip-flopping. Good stuff, Bill (still my favorite Bill, by the way). He is really digging this primetime slot - he's speaking very confidently, and with a great passion about pulling out of Iraq, focusing on green energy, and giving tax breaks to middle class Americans instead of oil companies.

Richardson stumbles over himself a few times, but he gets the crowd roaring at several points, especially when demanding that we have a President who "respects civil liberties," and "pledges to uphold the Constitution of the United States," and (big one) "protects a woman's right to choose."

"Are you ready to take our country back?" - Richardson is a dynamic speaker, but he seems to do much better with these large crowds than in the smaller settings of a primary battle. He still has the potential to run a successful presidential campaign one of these years.


Update: Ben Smith provides some further details:

In a line that's not in his prepared remarks, Richardson suggested that McCain replace his expensive shoes with flip-flops.

Interestingly, most of Richardson's speech -- his sustained attack -- doesn't appear in the prepared remarks distributed by the campaign.

8:42: Stevie Wonder just finished up. It was, well, what I expected. Stevie is soulful, and he clearly enjoyed playing to the huge crowd. I wish he could see Obama tonight.


8:45: Nobel Prize-winner Al Gore takes the stage to a song about "sunshine." Hahaha. Of course the crowd adores him - he's probably more popular among Democrats overall than Bill Clinton himself, which makes him the elder statesman of the party. Let's see how strongly he talks about Obama, or if he's just gonna use a nationally-televised address to promote his global warming agenda (or both).



So elections are "an opportunity to change course." "We must seize this opportunity to elect Barack Obama." Sweet. Now he's giving a slight throw towards "I should have been President because I would have done stuff right." Wait, did I say slight. He's going off on every issue about "what we would have been doing." Jeez, who is this about, Gore? "Tonight, we face the same choice we faced in 2000." Hahaha, he hits McCain for endorsing the use of the same Bush/Cheney policies again. "I believe in recycling, but this is ridiculous."

Now he suddenly stops, looks into the upper deck, and screams, "Man Bear Pig!!!! He's real!!!!"

No, sorry, that was my imagination.



He's praising Joe Biden and Barack Obama, but "why is this election so close?" The status quo is scared, he claims. Take that, you believers in the Corporate Democrat-myth, as the ultimate Corporate Democrat soothes your fears.

Here comes his comfort zone - "planetary emergency." John McCain has abandoned his formerly solid stances on global warming. WTF John, says Al. Says the oil lobby owns the GOP, and they're lying to you on behalf of those special interests.

My sister reports that PBS's coverage of this speech just showed Daniel Dae Kim, proud graduate of Haverford College, enjoying Gore's speech. That makes two of us (except the graduate part).

Now he's back to Obama. Good, Mr. Gore, I'm glad that this speech is such a strong endorsement of your party's candidate. Comparison to Lincoln is fairly obvious, but incredibly positive. Oooh, he's extending the metaphor. "Powerful ability to inspire hope in the future." "Clear thinker, great orator, passion for justice, heal the deep divisions of our land." Nicely done, Al. "Inconvenient Truths must be acknowledged if we are to have wise governance."

He still looks really presidential. I wish he got more involved in this race, but of course he won't because he doesn't want to tie his agenda down to one candidate. Now he's digging for the soaring rhetoric - this may be his one big event for the campaign, but he's making it count. "Move your feet."


9:01: Gore finishes up, and I must say I'm deeply amused by Cnn.com's Live feed of the DNC, because one of the linked headlines below the feed reads, "Obama expected to address change in speech." REALLY???? Obama talk about change? Nah.

"Gosh I'm so tired of divisive exchange, and I've got one or two things to say about change, like the change we must change to the change we hold dear, I really like change have I made myself clear? So he'll talk about change til you're deaf in the ear..."

Update: Damn, Ben Smith beat me to this joke at 8:40. Sorry that I noticed it that late, although I did notice it independently.

CNN is actually going out of its way to praise Richardson's speech - it really was a thumper.


9:06: Michael McDonald is going to perform a short piece called "America the Beautiful." But it's gonna be one of those incredibly melodramatic versions that take 20 seconds to get through each line. Time to count the amount of times CNN camera's point at fluttering flags, as is their prerogative in this situation: 12, although the 9th is the one I was most expecting: the typical close-up huge flag being waved back and forth.


9:12: Susan Eisenhower, daughter of the former President, comes to the podium accompanied by the Rocky theme song, just further expanding my desire to make fun (respectfully) of Joe Biden. She promises to be an effective speaker, as she attacks the current positioning of the Republican Party as their heir to the best Republican President since Teddy Roosevelt. "Advance to the distant hills of hope, or retreat to the garrisons of fear." Wow, how more obviously could you work homages to your dad's military record into your speech? Still a cool line.


9:16: Here comes General... Admiral... General (Wesley Clark)... General... Admiral... Admiral... Admiral... General... Admiral... General... General... General... General (Lloyd Fig Newton???)... General... Admiral (Joe Sestak!!!! - Rep of Haverford!)... General... General... General - get the point?? By the way, it might be a problem with our military command structure that there's so many people called "General." I do wish Colin Powell was up there. Sadly, he hasn't decided yet (publicly).

That's quite a way to make the "I'm ready to be Commander-in-Chief" point. "Leadership does matter." - He cites the story of Obama connecting with the troops he visited in Iraq, and argues for Obama's 21st Century leadership.


9:23: They have an unseen band (i.e. recording) playing a military march. I think it would be cooler if they just had 10,000 people in the audience pull out instruments on cue and start blasting. Then again, they wouldn't be able to fade out that music, as they just did.


9:24: Joe Biden? Cool beans. The crowd is very happy with him, and once again he's absolutely loving it. He seems like a politician that looks like he's having a good time, and kicks it off with a reference to being a football fan. Then an "open convention" remark. "Millions of Americans that have been knocked down, and we're gonna get back up as a nation." - He's using that line as much as John McCain mentions his POW experience. All right, maybe not quite that much.



9:29: Now we move to average Americans telling their stories of economic hardship, and their personal reasons for supporting Barack Obama. These people have all been carefully vetted, and probably had a lot of help with their speeches from the campaign. For all these speakers, this is most definitely their five minutes (literally) of fame. 75,000 are hanging on their every word.


9:47: The crowd is starting to buzz as we know that the hour is fast approaching - 10:15 is the time. State Director takes the stage, and applauds the crowd for 30,000 text message signups for the campaign in the last hour from inside that arena. Impressive. The Obama Campaign has revolutionized the way that politicians will connect with their supporters.


9:51: CNN is loving their skycam use for the crowd shots. I'm pretty sure it's the same camera they use to get aerial shots of football plays to use for instant replay.


9:57: Senator Dick Durbin (the other D-IL) talks about how he introduced Barack Obama four years ago, and how his speech changed our hearts and minds (agreed). "A message of unity and change." "I want to believe," says Dick Durbin, clearly looking forward to the second X-Files movie. Durbin is emphasizing the hope and promise of an Obama presidency, fighting against cynicism and doubt that we can't overcome the challenges that lie ahead of us. "Yes we can." Durbin does pretty well.


10:02: Obama intro video begins. They run a short clip from the 2004 speech, then feature some images of his childhood. A "search for self." Referring to his search for identity as a multiracial person, and discovering his American roots. Grandfather in Patton's army, grandmother was Rosie the Riveter. His mom pushed him really hard, and clearly shaped his value system. And oops, they skip the college years. Can't imagine why, Columbia. They move right along to his courtship of Michelle. Terrific mustache, and I really miss the fro. Bring back the fro, Barack! Oh, there's Harvard Law, once again snubbing his undergraduate "experiences."

Now we move into his legislative work in Illinois. He cared about his work there, helping Americans without voices - those without healthcare, those on welfare, etc. And his move to the Senate, with his big achievements in ethics, renewable energy, nuclear proliferation (daddy!), etc. Now we move into the personal, family side of Barack, the side that (unfortunately) dictates a lot of people's votes. Finally, his announcement for President and his entry into the national consciousness with his 2004 speech, which continues to amaze me. And he rules at shaking tons of hands. So that's why candidates do that so much - to get stock footage for biographical videos. "That's what's worth fighting for..."


10:12: Here he is!!! The next President of the United States. Michelle looks too overcome with pride to even clap, her hands are just clasped together. The crowd is going absolutely nuts, flashbulbs aplenty. He also looks ready to lead. These people are waiting for him to give them an order and point, and they will march.


10:13: "Thank you, thank you so much, thank you, thank you so much, thank you, thank you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you so much, thank you, thank you so much."


10:15: We finally get under way. Oops, no wait. He smiled, and the crowd lost it again. He would really like to speak.


10:16: Here we go. "with great humility, I accept..." Barack has spoken, and history has been made before our eyes. "Thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me." Hillary gets a very nice roar from the crowd, as does President Bill Clinton, "who made last night the case for change as only he can make it." Ted Kennedy gets a noticeably louder roar than Bill (suck it, Prezbill). And Joe Biden gets the loudest of all. Awww, "the love of my life." And the daughters love it too, as Sasha waves and grins shyly while people applaud for them (then she points back at her Daddy, givin him props).


The American Dream. A nice way to start out. Weave yourself into the backbone of the United States. "Students and soldiers"? Not always side by side...

Now he goes into the challenges that Americans are facing. "Failed policies of George W. Bush." First mention of the President, let's see how many times he mentions Bush and/or McCain by name.

"We are better than this. We are a better country than the last 8 years." He throws in one of his trademarked touching, personal stories of people he's met. "A government that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes." - That's quite a condemnation, in no uncertain terms. "Enough!"


"We love this country too much to let the next 4 years look like the last 8." - Excellent, it's about love of country, not a desire to be President. The crowd chants "Yes We Can," albeit in a round.

Obama now previews the RNC, in an effort to head off any bounce. They're gonna say X, Y, and Z.

"A 10% chance on change" - that's what McCain is, as he only disagrees with Bush that often.

Yes! Brings in Phil Gramm - "we are a nation of whiners." I've been waiting for them to hit McCain hard on that sort of perspective during these final few months. "I don't think that John McCain doesn't care what's happening to Americans, I just think he doesn't know." - Now he goes after the $5 million line, bad healthcare plans, no education plan, privatizing social security

"It's not because he doesn't care, it's because he doesn't get it." Yes! Go after McCain. This speech isn't about you at all, and I like it. "You're on your own - pull yourself up by your own bootstraps even if you don't have any boots." - He attacks the basics of the Republican philosophy. Hardcore stuff, you usually don't see presidential candidates wade into a battle over the fundamental ideology of their parties. Finally, it looks like the Democrats have a candidate who will fight that battle, and intends to win it.

The ways we measure progress. Sweet - it's not an intangible change (which he's been attacked for), it's measured in economic gains, both for your family and for this nation. A nod to Bill's accomplishments. He thinks of his own family history and the things he saw from his parents and grandparents as a way of understanding the problems that struggling Americans face today.

Praise of his mom. "This is her night as well." OOOOH, a blast against the "celebrity" hit. "These are the experiences that shaped my life." Obama will not take this "elitist" garbage lying down.

America's promise. "Let me spell out exactly what that change would be." Here's the specifics of his policies, spelled out for the world to see. End tax breaks for lobbyists, cut taxes for 95% of all working families. Clear goal - in 10 years, we will finally end our dependence on Middle Eastern foreign oil. Tap natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal (bleh), safely use nuclear power. New cars built here. $150 billion in 10 years invested in renewable sources of energy. Jonathan Smith is sitting somewhere, smiling right now. A world-class education to compete in the global economy. Michelle is hanging on his every word, as is I think anyone else watching. Early childhood education, an army of new teachers who are more highly paid and better supported, higher standards and more accountability, a guarantee of affordable college education. Affordable, accessible healthcare for every America - lower premiums for those already covered; those uncovered get the coverage that Congressmen get. Equal pay for women.

But how does he pay for them? Closing corporate loopholes. Go through the federal budget line-by-line, eliminating programs that don't work anymore.

"Renewed sense of responsibility from each of us." Both moral and economic - a shoutout to family values and individual responsibility (and mutual responsibility).

..."And keeping America's promise abroad." A debate about judgment. Take out Osama bin Laden. "John McCain likes to say that he'll follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell (as I mentioned), but he won't even follow him to the cave where he lives." - John McCain, "your face is on the phone; soccer practice is over, and it wants you to pick it up." Totally facecrushed!

YeS!!! "Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe! The Party of Kennedy, the Party of FDR!" Only send troops with a clear mission and with adequate equipment and with proper care/benefits when they return. - Sounds reasonable, right? Then why don't McCain/Bush agree?

"I will not suggest that McCain takes his positions for political purposes." We don't have to challenge each other's patriotism, "the times are too serious." "Patriotism has no party." "[Soldiers] have not served a Red America or a Blue America..." - very great line, and the crowd flipped out over it.

Speaks to John McCain directly. "I've got news for you..." - He looks so tough - no more wimpy-liberal label for this guy.

YES! "Surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country." - changing the debate of pro-choice vs. pro-life, because both sides are anti-killing things. Differences on same-sex marriage and on gun ownership. "Surely we can agree on..."

"When you don't have a record to run on, you make your candidate a person to run from. You make a big election about small things." - way to marginalize exactly what McCain and the GOP are gonna do next week.

"All across America, something is stirring." - including a mouse. And now a nod to the movement. Just as his movement candidacy was larger than him when it carried him to this spot, it still is larger than him. He is the focal point of a larger cry for something new in our government. "Change we need doesn't come from Washington, it comes to Washington." - sweet line. Make it about the we the voters, not you the candidate.

Good people who need a good leader. Our military isn't what makes us strong. "The American Spirit/Promise"; it fixes our eyes on the future, on the promise of tomorrow. Finally, here comes the reference to that Mall in Washington before Lincoln's Memorial, where a "young preacher from Georgia spoke about his dream." Could have been "anger and dischord." "Together, our dreams can be won." "We cannot turn back." - that's his new campaign slogan. Past vs. Future. "We can't turn back," not with so many challenges facing us. "We cannot walk alone."

And he concludes to an unbelievable ovation. "Only in America" blares as fireworks shoot out of the tops of the backdrop, as a future Presidential family, a family that could go on to live in the White House "only in America" waves to the crowd. They're now joined by Biden (and Mrs. Biden) as confetti explodes out of the backdrop and the new leadership of America waves to the audience. What a great, successful speech, what a great, successful convention, and what a great campaign he has run thus far.



Fireworks explode out of the top of INVESCO Field, lighting up the sky in an affirmation that the promise of the next eight years may well be limitless. And they ruin that moment with some incredibly bizarre music that sounds like the Orcs are about to invade. Oh wait, it's ok now, because Gandalf has come to rescue us. Seriously, what is with these intense drums in this music. It makes all these images look haunting and almost evil. That's a great image, though. Obama surrounded by pieces of red, white, and blue confetti.


Now we get back to the sort of music that should be accompanied by incredibly slow-motion images of Barack embracing his wife, holding his hands in the air as the crowd roars.

The punditry will, no doubt, begin immediately, and McCain will act to overwhelm this moment with his VP-announcement tomorrow. But don't forget this night, this speech, and try to imagine McCain leading us towards any sort of bright future. Pictures will come tomorrow.

However, if you want to see some amazing pictures from someone who was actually there, check out the link in Harrison's comment. Beautiful stuff.