For seven days I substituted sleep for adrenaline.
Now I am out of adrenaline.
To the beach.
Will reflect later.
Stay tuned.
As always, I promise not to disappoint.
ds
Best Videos from Denver (Part I)
If you facebook... there are better copies posted there.
16th Street
Bill!
On Colbert Report
To quote a text from one of my former students:
"OH MY GOSH! YOU ARE ON THE F#@%$ING COLBERT REPORT! !! !!!!"
I thanked him then gave him a detention for swearing.
"OH MY GOSH! YOU ARE ON THE F#@%$ING COLBERT REPORT! !! !!!!"
I thanked him then gave him a detention for swearing.
Pre Investco Excitement
First, Gavin Newsom addressed the California Delegation at breakfast this morning. The entire theme of his speech?
If we can do it in San Francisco, we can do it in all of California. He focused on every issue accross the board.
Apperantly I had it wrong when I addressed him last night. He's not running for Senate, he is running for Governor. It's definatley worth noting, That Lt. Gov. John Garimendi left before Newsom took the stage.
This is going to be one hell of a primary battle. Garimendi probably has more money in his arsenal than any Democrat Gubernatorial candidate in history, but Newsom has the Google gang in his back pocket. They founders and CEOs were actually at the party last night.
Saw Howard Dean present to Young Democrats today:
"We need each of you knocking on forty doors and getting your friends and loved ones out to vote. If you do this, we will win. There is no doubt."
"We need each of you knocking on forty doors and getting your friends and loved ones out to vote. If you do this, we will win. There is no doubt."
Also... met some folks from the California Delegation today. They were just filmed on the Daily Show! Be looking for these folks with me at the Convention Tonight and on the Daily Show later this evening. Also look for me waving the American Flag from my classroom wall. Yep, I brought it and I'm bringing it in tonight.
FIRED UP AND READY TO GO.
IT'S SHOWTIME
ds
KFOG update
Friends, family and supporters -
Thank you so much for your empassioned responses to KFOG regarding this morning's incident.
I want to let all of you know I have made my peace with them.
Please stop sending them your complaints.
NOW LET'S ENJOY THE SHOW TONIGHT!
ds
Thank you so much for your empassioned responses to KFOG regarding this morning's incident.
I want to let all of you know I have made my peace with them.
Please stop sending them your complaints.
NOW LET'S ENJOY THE SHOW TONIGHT!
ds
Two full days in nine hours
Three of the best stories of the day:
First: Two of my former students drove all the way from Pleasanton, California in two days just to be here. The don't have floor passes to the Convention, but they are here and they are loving it. I am totally inspired by their efforts to be a part of history... or at least a good party.
Second: I didn't get to see myself on television, but a lot of you did. And you let me know it, too - and it was awesome. My blackberry wouldn't stop blowing up (on vibrate). It got to the point that all the people around me would ask "Were we on TV again?" everytime I looked at it. We are redifining interactive democracy here.
A pic sent curtousy of my former student Tim Salud. Somehow he got this picture off the video feed of me at the DNC. Tim, can you post in the comments section below this just exactly HOW you did this?
Also, I got a lot of texts about the redhead in front of me (unfortunately, not a good picture here). Unless you're a recent high school grad, you need to back off. The girl is 19. And she's from Iowa.
AND PERHAPS THE BEST STORY FROM THE NIGHT...
Third:
DS: "Hello Mayor Newsom, I just wanted to shake the hand of the next great Senator from the State of California.”
GN: Smiles and laughs mildly.
DS: “My name is Dan Schneider and I'm a Delegate from the Bay Area."
GN:"Alright! Welcome."
DS: "I actually have an interview on KFOG tomorrow morning"
GN: "I love KFOG."
DS: "I know you do! You’re a Foghead. I listen to you when you’re on."
DS: “I think The Morning Show gang would be pretty fired up if we got a picture together.”
GN: “Sure! Let’s do it.
Picture taken
DS: “You know, Mr. Newsom, I just have to say one more thing before I leave."
GN: Nods.
DS: It’s regarding Civil Rights. I was an American History teacher for ten years and I've been following your battle closely in San Francisco and in the State of California. I am certain that you are going to come out on the right side of history on this. I just wanted to encourage you to keep fighting the good fight.”
GN: “Thank you very much.”
I met his wife too. She is awesome.
They are quite possibly the most striking couple on the PLANET... next to Katie and myself, of course.
The pictures and stories in the above links are pretty great as well.
And this was the same day I met Hillary Clinton and asked her to sign the photo of my daughter.
Everything! - so amazing and tangible.
ds
For Brooke Elizabeth
Senator Hillary Clinton addressed her delegates today at the Colorado Convention Center.
Some important quotes:
(paraphrasing grossly)
“All of you will cast your vote today for President of the United States…
Some of you will cast your vote for Barack Obama… (some applause)
Some of you will cast your vote for me… (huge applause)
I want you to know I cast my vote today and I voted for Barack Obama.” (some applause)
Afterward:
DS: “Hillary, will you sign this picture of my daughter, please?”
HRC: “Oh my gosh, she’s beautiful! How old is she?”
DS: “She’s four months old now… can you sign it '18,000,000 cracks'?”
HRC: “Absolutely”
DS: “Thank you so much”
HRC: Signs and hands the picture back to me
DS: “We’re going to win Health Care, Hillary!”
HRC: “You bet we will.”
For You Brooke Elizabeth.
Love,
Your Daddy
Some important quotes:
(paraphrasing grossly)
“All of you will cast your vote today for President of the United States…
Some of you will cast your vote for Barack Obama… (some applause)
Some of you will cast your vote for me… (huge applause)
I want you to know I cast my vote today and I voted for Barack Obama.” (some applause)
Afterward:
DS: “Hillary, will you sign this picture of my daughter, please?”
HRC: “Oh my gosh, she’s beautiful! How old is she?”
DS: “She’s four months old now… can you sign it '18,000,000 cracks'?”
HRC: “Absolutely”
DS: “Thank you so much”
HRC: Signs and hands the picture back to me
DS: “We’re going to win Health Care, Hillary!”
HRC: “You bet we will.”
For You Brooke Elizabeth.
Love,
Your Daddy
Link to KFOG interview
http://media.kfog.com/vendor/delegatedan.mp3
Many thanks to Andy Drake. A fine SRVHS and UCSB Alumn. And a great KFOG employee.
Many thanks to Andy Drake. A fine SRVHS and UCSB Alumn. And a great KFOG employee.
Pomp and Circumstance
So I’m up here on the 15th floor of the Denver Sheraton finishing my last blog “Numbers” and I get a phone call on my hotel line.
It’s Pat Baran, the other Clinton Delegate from District 11.
She’s a little worried.
PB: “Dan, where were you for breakfast?”
DS: “Up here, finishing up a post. Why what’s up?”
PB: “We voted during breakfast.” She said
DS: “What do you mean you voted during breakfast. That wasn’t in the agenda.”
PB: “I know, but there was a paper for us to sign who we voted for and that was it. You need to get down there.”
I’m in the shower and all I can think is WTF? So folks were just sitting there eating their Ham and soggy pancakes and oh, by the way, let’s decide who our candidate for President of the United States is going to be…
?!?!? !!!
Threw on my shirt and tie and raced downstairs.
I found the table where I had registered to get my floor pass the last two days.
It’s Pat Baran, the other Clinton Delegate from District 11.
She’s a little worried.
PB: “Dan, where were you for breakfast?”
DS: “Up here, finishing up a post. Why what’s up?”
PB: “We voted during breakfast.” She said
DS: “What do you mean you voted during breakfast. That wasn’t in the agenda.”
PB: “I know, but there was a paper for us to sign who we voted for and that was it. You need to get down there.”
I’m in the shower and all I can think is WTF? So folks were just sitting there eating their Ham and soggy pancakes and oh, by the way, let’s decide who our candidate for President of the United States is going to be…
?!?!? !!!
Threw on my shirt and tie and raced downstairs.
I found the table where I had registered to get my floor pass the last two days.
“Where do I vote?” I asked, attempting to hide the frantic nature of my visit.
“Here.” The woman replied
I preparing for the embattled roll call vote, I semi-thought and prepared in my sub-conscious to makes some formal announcement to a delegation of people and representatives.
“Here.” The woman replied
I preparing for the embattled roll call vote, I semi-thought and prepared in my sub-conscious to makes some formal announcement to a delegation of people and representatives.
“Here?” I surveyed my surroundings. No pomp. No circumstance. No cheers. No boos. No fighting. No passionate debate. Just me in a relatively empty and uninvolved hotel lobby.That was it.
For all of you who helped get me here, this is for you:
The Delegate from California District 11 proudly casts his vote for Senator Barack Obama from Illinois.
It was awesome.
Numbers
I was inundated with Convention material in the mail prior to my departure to Denver. Rules and regulations, hotel confirmation, party invites, speech invites, petitions to sign, hand signed letters from strangers… so on and so forth.
One piece of literature excited me the most: An invitation to attend the Democrat Youth Council meetings taking place on Tuesday and Thursday morning of this week.
Some statistics for you:
*80% of young people polled (age 18-29) are “paying close attention” to this election
*There are 631 delegates here that are younger than 36 – the greatest number in history.
*92 of them are from California.
*Current polls show that, nationally, Barack Obama wins among young voters by 27 points in a head to head matchup: 60% - 33%
* In 2008, young voter turnout tripled or even quadrupled in many primary states.
* Over 6.5 million young voters participated in the primary contests or caucuses this year, an increase of 103% over 2004 and they voted for Democrats by a 2:1 margin.
The conference was held in the largest theatre inside the Colorado Convention Center (note: not the Pepsi Center). Here’s a picture I took when I walked in. How many people to you figure are there?
One piece of literature excited me the most: An invitation to attend the Democrat Youth Council meetings taking place on Tuesday and Thursday morning of this week.
Some statistics for you:
*80% of young people polled (age 18-29) are “paying close attention” to this election
*There are 631 delegates here that are younger than 36 – the greatest number in history.
*92 of them are from California.
*Current polls show that, nationally, Barack Obama wins among young voters by 27 points in a head to head matchup: 60% - 33%
* In 2008, young voter turnout tripled or even quadrupled in many primary states.
* Over 6.5 million young voters participated in the primary contests or caucuses this year, an increase of 103% over 2004 and they voted for Democrats by a 2:1 margin.
The conference was held in the largest theatre inside the Colorado Convention Center (note: not the Pepsi Center). Here’s a picture I took when I walked in. How many people to you figure are there?
It was an awesome presentation. There was dynamic panel comprising of about twelve people, all of which were younger than forty. Each of these people had worked for – often times leading – their various organizations to increase turnout among young voters.
Their shared their frustrations, but also their undying optimism. The best part about it: What drives these people is pure idealism, however, the presentation wasn’t just about blind, bleeding-heart pleading. It was numbers! Awesome ones! They believed that victory is at hand, but they emphasized confidence and diligence.
It was absolutely inspiring.
A time came for questions from the audience.
I chose not only to ask a question, but to propose and idea that I had been considering for quite some time in the face of party disunity.
Here is the video clip:
After this “question” there was a scheduled break in the presentation. I was barraged by reporters, all of which had to be younger myself. I think I counted eight of them.
One of them offered to introduce me to Jamal Simmons, youth correspondent to CNN. When the reporters had finished their questioning, I walked towards the stage to find Jamal, but he was already walking towards me.
He had a lot of great things to say. We laid out a plan, but concluded that we would wait to see Hillary’s speech that night to decide what was best.
I hope to talk to him again today.
One of the young reporters I met, Derek, asked me if I'd like to tag along with him to a special Press Meeting with New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Richardson is one of the most unique figures in politics today: he is bilingual, was part of the Clinton administration but boldly endorsed Obama, and he was a college baseball pitcher. I was definately going to go.
When he entered the meeting – fashionably late - he filled the room. And it was a big room.
I don’t know what it is about some of these politicians that demands attention, but this man did. Maybe it’s the fact that his beard makes him looks like the Dos Equis Man.
I don’t know what it is about some of these politicians that demands attention, but this man did. Maybe it’s the fact that his beard makes him looks like the Dos Equis Man.
We sat in the third row. In front of us was a ten person delegation from Spain. When Richardson entered the room he walked right up to them and proceeded to speak fluent Spanish to them (Richardson is of Spanish decent). In looking at how the folks from Spain reacted to him, I got the sense that the man is somewhat of a rock star over on the Iberian Peninsula.
The title of the presentation was “Winning the West”. It was dedicated to strategy and analysis to winning the Hispanic vote. I use the word “Hispanic” as opposed to “Latino” or “Chicano” because one of the most poignant points of his presentation was his explanation as to why he uses that word instead of the others. The goal: unity. All cultures in Central and South America (excluding Belize, Guyana and Brazil…any others?) find their roots from Spain. In recognizing this common trait, Hispanic voters will become more galvanized and vote together.
Again – just like at the DNC Youth Council – I was bombarded with optimistic numbers. 1. Huge numbers of new registered voters
2. The issues of abortion and gay marriage are somewhere near seven and eight on the depth chart of issues for them. The economy, the housing crisis and the war are the top three.
3. The other two panelists were organizers who had dedicated their lives to working and interacting with Hispanic voters. One guy was the numbers guy. The other was the rally guy. They said that their interactions and statistics indicate that – despite what some people may believe – Barack Obama’s racial background is resonating very positively and very deeply with the Hispanic demographic.
Richardson and his panel boldly claimed that Colorado and New Mexico were going to be blue states in November and instrumental in handing the Presidency to Barack Obama.
One of the highlights of the presentation:
One reporter asked:
“How does adding Joe Biden as Vice President hurt or help Obama's chances of earning Hispanic support? What ideas can you offer?”
Richardson – with a big smile and jovial laugh - responded:
‘Well, I have one idea that would have helped him!”
The whole room erupted in laughter.
As I read this I realize it’s hard to get the joke.
The title of the presentation was “Winning the West”. It was dedicated to strategy and analysis to winning the Hispanic vote. I use the word “Hispanic” as opposed to “Latino” or “Chicano” because one of the most poignant points of his presentation was his explanation as to why he uses that word instead of the others. The goal: unity. All cultures in Central and South America (excluding Belize, Guyana and Brazil…any others?) find their roots from Spain. In recognizing this common trait, Hispanic voters will become more galvanized and vote together.
Again – just like at the DNC Youth Council – I was bombarded with optimistic numbers. 1. Huge numbers of new registered voters
2. The issues of abortion and gay marriage are somewhere near seven and eight on the depth chart of issues for them. The economy, the housing crisis and the war are the top three.
3. The other two panelists were organizers who had dedicated their lives to working and interacting with Hispanic voters. One guy was the numbers guy. The other was the rally guy. They said that their interactions and statistics indicate that – despite what some people may believe – Barack Obama’s racial background is resonating very positively and very deeply with the Hispanic demographic.
Richardson and his panel boldly claimed that Colorado and New Mexico were going to be blue states in November and instrumental in handing the Presidency to Barack Obama.
One of the highlights of the presentation:
One reporter asked:
“How does adding Joe Biden as Vice President hurt or help Obama's chances of earning Hispanic support? What ideas can you offer?”
Richardson – with a big smile and jovial laugh - responded:
‘Well, I have one idea that would have helped him!”
The whole room erupted in laughter.
As I read this I realize it’s hard to get the joke.
Here’s the idea: Richardson was having a laugh at the fact that he would have liked to have been Obama’s VP. If you have to explain it, it’s not funny, right? But it was in and it was perfect.
From my friend and coworker
You made KFOG’s daily recap. You’re famous!!!
Good job out there.
The blog has been fun to read.
Keep on supporting
OBAMA!!!!
cc
From KFOG’s webpage:
Tuesday, August 26th:
The KFOG Morning Show spent time hanging out with Phil Lesh and Jackie Green this morning. The Guys are playing this weekend in Fort Mason at the Slow Food Rocks Festival. They also took a call from Foghead Dan Schneider. Dan is a former civics teacher who got himself elected as a delgate to the Democratic National Convention. He called in from Denver this morning to give us his take on the events taking place so far. Read Dan's blog each day.
Good job out there.
The blog has been fun to read.
Keep on supporting
OBAMA!!!!
cc
From KFOG’s webpage:
Tuesday, August 26th:
The KFOG Morning Show spent time hanging out with Phil Lesh and Jackie Green this morning. The Guys are playing this weekend in Fort Mason at the Slow Food Rocks Festival. They also took a call from Foghead Dan Schneider. Dan is a former civics teacher who got himself elected as a delgate to the Democratic National Convention. He called in from Denver this morning to give us his take on the events taking place so far. Read Dan's blog each day.
Homework Assignment
In calling a time out to rest, I'm handing over the reins to to all of you.
What did you think of the Convention last night?
Email me at dans321@hotmail.com before noon tomorrow.
Best blogs make the Delegatedan page.
Cutoff time is 11AM tomorrow.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
ds
What did you think of the Convention last night?
Email me at dans321@hotmail.com before noon tomorrow.
Best blogs make the Delegatedan page.
Cutoff time is 11AM tomorrow.
Looking forward to hearing from you!
ds
Adrenaline Overdose & Sleep Deprivation
Imagine total euphoria and exhaustion all at once.
I just did the math and figured out that I've slept twelve hours over the course of the last four days. There is just so much going on here. My body is going to have a serious adrenaline dependency issues after this week is done.
Today's events... that I will post about seperately tomorrow AM:
*The DNC Youth Council
*"Winning the West" Media Presentation and Bill Richardson
*Pictures from 16th Avenue
*Thoughts from the floor: WE'RE GONNA WIN.
*Video Clip "The Turbulent Masses: My Exit From The Pepsi Center"
Before clocking out, I will say this:
*Hillary did what she needed to do. "Twin Cities" uppercut and "Harriet Tubman" analogy blew the roof off the building.
*Loved Governor Brian Schweitzer candid, interactive approach with the crowd. He lit a fire in a way that was very timely.
*God Bless Dennis Kucinich
*Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland taking a page from a Pearl Jam song! "Born on third, thinks he got a triple" Is a lyric from "Bushleaguer"
*“That’s not a Maverick, that’s a Sidekick”
AND
*“Four more months! Four more months! Four more months!”
Someone texted me and said they heard me start this chant at one point.
I did.
There are parties going on everywhere in this town and all I want to do is sleep.
And yet all I can think about is everything.
I just did the math and figured out that I've slept twelve hours over the course of the last four days. There is just so much going on here. My body is going to have a serious adrenaline dependency issues after this week is done.
Today's events... that I will post about seperately tomorrow AM:
*The DNC Youth Council
*"Winning the West" Media Presentation and Bill Richardson
*Pictures from 16th Avenue
*Thoughts from the floor: WE'RE GONNA WIN.
*Video Clip "The Turbulent Masses: My Exit From The Pepsi Center"
Before clocking out, I will say this:
*Hillary did what she needed to do. "Twin Cities" uppercut and "Harriet Tubman" analogy blew the roof off the building.
*Loved Governor Brian Schweitzer candid, interactive approach with the crowd. He lit a fire in a way that was very timely.
*God Bless Dennis Kucinich
*Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland taking a page from a Pearl Jam song! "Born on third, thinks he got a triple" Is a lyric from "Bushleaguer"
*“That’s not a Maverick, that’s a Sidekick”
AND
*“Four more months! Four more months! Four more months!”
Someone texted me and said they heard me start this chant at one point.
I did.
There are parties going on everywhere in this town and all I want to do is sleep.
And yet all I can think about is everything.
For SFFD
I walked out of Breakfast and saw a slew of people taking pictures. Someone big is overthere.
It wasn't one person, it was two:
Lieutenant Governor John Garimendi and former San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown
I approached Mr. Mayor and waited my turn amoung the unorganized mass.
DS: "Mr. Mayor, my father was a San Francisco Firefighter for 28 years."
WB: "What?! NO! You're too young."
DS: ?!
DS: "No, no... MY FATHER was a San Francisco Firefighter for 28 years."
WB: "Ohhh... ha ha!"
DS: "What kind of vitamins did you think I was taking?"
DS: "I wanted to let you know I'm a huge fan of your articles in the Chronicle."
WB: "Thank you, Thank you."
DS: "Do you mind if I get a picture with you?"
WB: "No problem. Sure."
DS: "You know, Mr. Mayor... I've got to ask you a question."
WB: "Sure."
DS: Leaning in, lowering my voice "Are you still friends with Bob Demmonds?"
WB: "Oh yes! Bob and I are great friends. I don't talk to him that often. He's in great health. I fired him you know?"
DS: "Yes, I know."
DS: smiling "But you also hired him" Wink. Nod.
WB: Quizzical smile. Onto the next photo.
Willie Brown is alright in my book. The man defines cool and yet he radiates.
I think Obama and I would crush him and Newsom in a basketball game of two on two.
KFOG
I thought the interview went pretty well.
They must have edited it a lot.
Those of you who were able to hear it... what did you think?
I'm going to be on again on Thursday. Probably at the same time.
They must have edited it a lot.
Those of you who were able to hear it... what did you think?
I'm going to be on again on Thursday. Probably at the same time.
LIVE FROM THE DNC - Monday 8/25/08
I woke up from a failed nap, turned on CNN and saw - what looked like - the Ellen DeGeneres show on steriods: An arena filled with people dancing. Badly. It was weird. I watched for ten minutes. Nothing but dancing.
What the hell kind of Convention was this?
Ironed my shirt, got dressed and made the decision to walk the two miles to the Pepsi Center.
I had been to Colorado three times prior to this, but I had never spent time in Denver. This city has culture and class. All one has to do is walk down 16th Avenue to sense this. There was a electricity in the air and within the people. Even from the ones that wore McCain shirts and tried to pin a “NObama” pin on me.
The approach and entrance into the Pepsi Center overwhelmed me. I didn’t talk to anyone for two hours. Upon seeing my green floor delegate pass, a reporter from NBC Illinois asked to interview me. I declined. I was inputting too much to output: Everywhere I looked I saw a digital video camera, an elegant diversity of people, the H U G E crystal clear televisions that not only adorned the front of the stage, but the rear top rafters as well, a sea of signs, and above all else, the sense of hope, movement and anticipation.
And there were famous politicians everywhere. I almost bumped into the Mayor of Los Angeles being interviewed in the entry way. There are so many cameras, so many interviews, that they take place right in the middle of all the movement and action – polka dotting the crowd in flux. I passed Mark Warner (former Gov. of Virgina and current Senate Candidate) in the hall. It was like we were in high school and he was an upper classman. I couldn’t believe how casual it was.
Then I entered the floor. Seats were hard to come by, so I stood for a while. I took me ten minutes of standing in the same place to realize California Senator Barbara Boxer was standing right next to me. Enough of this, I want to meet one of them.“Excuse me, Senator Boxer, I’m a huge fan of yours” This was truth. She is one of my favorite Senators. One of the best environmentalists we've got. We shook hands. I continued. “I took a group of students to Washington D.C. last year with the Close Up program and you were awesome.”She said "Thank you" but she seemed preoccupied with trying to find a seat.
I figured I had to move. Our conversation had reached it's end and jumping infront of her at the first open seat didn't seem like a good idea. I was told there were a lot of open seats in the West Virginia section. Apparently a lot of Clinton Delegates decided not to make the trip from that state. That was great for me. I sat there for the Kennedy speech.
I would be curious to know what all of you thought of this at home, at my end, the entire Convention was ignited by this man. Folks weren’t sure if he was really going to be able to make the trip (a successful buildup of drama). Go ahead and bring up whatever you want about his past, but to see a man who has battled in the Senate for four decades, and who has battled brain cancer, come up to a podium and bang his fist on it – live – was an incredible experience. Not going to lie, I got emotional. What did it for me was holding and waving a sign that said simply said “Kennedy” on it.
The other speech justly receiving a great deal of media discussion and prominence is the Michelle Obama speech. It was awesome. For me the greatest quote of the night is as follows:
“Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is - even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves - to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?”
Damn, that hit me.
We’re Americans - just because we are less than perfect, doesn’t mean we don’t have to accept less than what is the best possible. Our strive to innovate and improve should be what defines us.
The CNN booth was a little more than a first down away from me, so after the convention I figured I would hang around. I had received a sizable amount of texts from female friends who really, really wanted me to meet Anderson Cooper. I like the guy’s work and so I thought this was a good idea. I positioned myself behind the panel, directly behind Anderson Cooper and directly in the line of the camera. I tried to text as many of you as I could. I think some of you saw it. I must have been on TV for at least five minutes hold a sign that said "One Nation".
I was within arm’s length of him. When commercial break came, I directed my voice his direction. “Excuse me, Anderson.” I extended my had. “I am a big fan of your work.” When he shook it I said “Keep fighting the good fight.” At which point Wolf Blitzer threw me a glare that, somehow, was both sneery and bewildered.
I left the Pepsi Center and joined the exodus heading East on blustering 16th Avenue.
What the hell kind of Convention was this?
Ironed my shirt, got dressed and made the decision to walk the two miles to the Pepsi Center.
I had been to Colorado three times prior to this, but I had never spent time in Denver. This city has culture and class. All one has to do is walk down 16th Avenue to sense this. There was a electricity in the air and within the people. Even from the ones that wore McCain shirts and tried to pin a “NObama” pin on me.
The approach and entrance into the Pepsi Center overwhelmed me. I didn’t talk to anyone for two hours. Upon seeing my green floor delegate pass, a reporter from NBC Illinois asked to interview me. I declined. I was inputting too much to output: Everywhere I looked I saw a digital video camera, an elegant diversity of people, the H U G E crystal clear televisions that not only adorned the front of the stage, but the rear top rafters as well, a sea of signs, and above all else, the sense of hope, movement and anticipation.
And there were famous politicians everywhere. I almost bumped into the Mayor of Los Angeles being interviewed in the entry way. There are so many cameras, so many interviews, that they take place right in the middle of all the movement and action – polka dotting the crowd in flux. I passed Mark Warner (former Gov. of Virgina and current Senate Candidate) in the hall. It was like we were in high school and he was an upper classman. I couldn’t believe how casual it was.
Then I entered the floor. Seats were hard to come by, so I stood for a while. I took me ten minutes of standing in the same place to realize California Senator Barbara Boxer was standing right next to me. Enough of this, I want to meet one of them.“Excuse me, Senator Boxer, I’m a huge fan of yours” This was truth. She is one of my favorite Senators. One of the best environmentalists we've got. We shook hands. I continued. “I took a group of students to Washington D.C. last year with the Close Up program and you were awesome.”She said "Thank you" but she seemed preoccupied with trying to find a seat.
I figured I had to move. Our conversation had reached it's end and jumping infront of her at the first open seat didn't seem like a good idea. I was told there were a lot of open seats in the West Virginia section. Apparently a lot of Clinton Delegates decided not to make the trip from that state. That was great for me. I sat there for the Kennedy speech.
I would be curious to know what all of you thought of this at home, at my end, the entire Convention was ignited by this man. Folks weren’t sure if he was really going to be able to make the trip (a successful buildup of drama). Go ahead and bring up whatever you want about his past, but to see a man who has battled in the Senate for four decades, and who has battled brain cancer, come up to a podium and bang his fist on it – live – was an incredible experience. Not going to lie, I got emotional. What did it for me was holding and waving a sign that said simply said “Kennedy” on it.
The other speech justly receiving a great deal of media discussion and prominence is the Michelle Obama speech. It was awesome. For me the greatest quote of the night is as follows:
“Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is - even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves - to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story?”
Damn, that hit me.
We’re Americans - just because we are less than perfect, doesn’t mean we don’t have to accept less than what is the best possible. Our strive to innovate and improve should be what defines us.
The CNN booth was a little more than a first down away from me, so after the convention I figured I would hang around. I had received a sizable amount of texts from female friends who really, really wanted me to meet Anderson Cooper. I like the guy’s work and so I thought this was a good idea. I positioned myself behind the panel, directly behind Anderson Cooper and directly in the line of the camera. I tried to text as many of you as I could. I think some of you saw it. I must have been on TV for at least five minutes hold a sign that said "One Nation".
I was within arm’s length of him. When commercial break came, I directed my voice his direction. “Excuse me, Anderson.” I extended my had. “I am a big fan of your work.” When he shook it I said “Keep fighting the good fight.” At which point Wolf Blitzer threw me a glare that, somehow, was both sneery and bewildered.
I left the Pepsi Center and joined the exodus heading East on blustering 16th Avenue.
Ten Floridas / Ten Ohios
Dianne Feinstein was hosting a party for California Delegation after Monday’s Convention festivities. Our host couldn’t make it. Sadly, she broke her ankle last week and will not be attending the convention.
It was a desert party, and I hadn’t eaten dinner. I met a few folks, drank some wine that tasted corked (not that I didn't appreciate it), and then took off to find the closest restaurant before kitchens closed.
A gentlemen sat down next to me at the bar. He was working the security for the Convention. He told me he had not made up his mind who he was voting for yet. We struck up a conversation. He told me he lives in Colorado Springs and his son plays high school football. About five minutes into our conversation, I realized something: “You know what? Your vote is worth fifty times more than my vote. I have to work on you a little bit.”
And I did.
And it was fun. He was really receptive. Maybe it was the fact that I used some fundraising dollars to buy him beer.
I’m hearing a lot of talk out here about Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Montana, Nevada and - of course - Ohio and Florida. Battle ground states. Purple states. Must win states.
This system is total garbage. The President represents each citizen. Therefore, each citizens’ vote should count the same. Under the electoral “points” system, it doesn’t.
It’s an old system that dates back to the framing of our Constitution - it’s old and it’s failing us. Kind of like aspects of the 2nd Amendment (Yes, I said it). Remind me again, did the original Constitution say anything about women having the right to vote? And what did (or didn't) it say about the slavery of human beings?
"Congress shall make all laws necessary and proper"
Do you hear that? It's a heartbeat. The Constitution is a living document. Living things grow and change.
AND
I’m enjoying the hell out of this Convention, but in the twenty first century, this practice of “pledged” delegates and “super” delegates has no place in a democracy that claims to be the greatest on earth.
It was a desert party, and I hadn’t eaten dinner. I met a few folks, drank some wine that tasted corked (not that I didn't appreciate it), and then took off to find the closest restaurant before kitchens closed.
A gentlemen sat down next to me at the bar. He was working the security for the Convention. He told me he had not made up his mind who he was voting for yet. We struck up a conversation. He told me he lives in Colorado Springs and his son plays high school football. About five minutes into our conversation, I realized something: “You know what? Your vote is worth fifty times more than my vote. I have to work on you a little bit.”
And I did.
And it was fun. He was really receptive. Maybe it was the fact that I used some fundraising dollars to buy him beer.
I’m hearing a lot of talk out here about Colorado, Minnesota, Virginia, Indiana, North Carolina, Georgia, Montana, Nevada and - of course - Ohio and Florida. Battle ground states. Purple states. Must win states.
This system is total garbage. The President represents each citizen. Therefore, each citizens’ vote should count the same. Under the electoral “points” system, it doesn’t.
It’s an old system that dates back to the framing of our Constitution - it’s old and it’s failing us. Kind of like aspects of the 2nd Amendment (Yes, I said it). Remind me again, did the original Constitution say anything about women having the right to vote? And what did (or didn't) it say about the slavery of human beings?
"Congress shall make all laws necessary and proper"
Do you hear that? It's a heartbeat. The Constitution is a living document. Living things grow and change.
AND
I’m enjoying the hell out of this Convention, but in the twenty first century, this practice of “pledged” delegates and “super” delegates has no place in a democracy that claims to be the greatest on earth.
Mr. Superintendant
Left the bar and entered the hotel lobby.
I saw a tall guy that looked familiar talking to two voluteers who were younger than me.
It was The California State Superintendent of Education, Jack O'Connell.
I waited for him to finish his conversation then I reintroduced myself.
He remembered his visit to Foothill High School.He asked how the Leadership Academy was working.I told him that it no longer exists and I am no longer teaching.
"Why?" He said. "That was a State Program of Excellence."
"The idea was too big for a school administration." I said. "And I have two kids now. A lot of things happened very fast and it was time to move on."
Now was not the time for details. I don't remember specifically how we transitioned. At some point I told him I was a delegate and showed him my floor pass. But here is how it ended:
"Mr. O'Connell..." I paused. Should I call him Mr. Superintendent? Too many syllables, I concluded. Then I went with a line I realize now that I said a lot tonight: "I am a big fan of yours. We met each other way back when I was at UCSB. You wrote a letter of recommendation for me to me to get into Graduate School. I would like to help you with any direction you wish to go."
"Do you have a card?" He asked.
"Yes I do."
My room is on the 15th floor. On the elevator ride up there were two men having a conversation about who would be the Democrat Candidate for Governor. There has been a lot of buzz about the possibility of Dianne Feinstein leaving her Senate Seat to take a more local office. The men were entertaining what would happen in a primary battle between Lieutenant Governor John Garimendi and the Senator. They were talking all sorts of strange demographics and minutea "Dianne and (probable Senate replacement) Newsom would pull strongly together around the Bay Area, but John would poll strong in the mountain counties."
The elevator stopped. The doors opened and the two men got out. Just as they did so their was a pause in their conversation. What the hell, I figured:
"What about O'Connell?"
The man smiled. "A third choice? ... That could be interesting."
I nodded my head and the elevator door shut."Interesting" is one thing. Beating the two wealthiest Democratic office holders in the State of California in a primary is another. Everyone loves an underdog, but they don't always vote for them.
Checklist of HandShakes today:
*Barbara Boxer*
*Anderson Cooper*
*Jack O'Connell*
Not too shabby.
I saw a tall guy that looked familiar talking to two voluteers who were younger than me.
It was The California State Superintendent of Education, Jack O'Connell.
I waited for him to finish his conversation then I reintroduced myself.
He remembered his visit to Foothill High School.He asked how the Leadership Academy was working.I told him that it no longer exists and I am no longer teaching.
"Why?" He said. "That was a State Program of Excellence."
"The idea was too big for a school administration." I said. "And I have two kids now. A lot of things happened very fast and it was time to move on."
Now was not the time for details. I don't remember specifically how we transitioned. At some point I told him I was a delegate and showed him my floor pass. But here is how it ended:
"Mr. O'Connell..." I paused. Should I call him Mr. Superintendent? Too many syllables, I concluded. Then I went with a line I realize now that I said a lot tonight: "I am a big fan of yours. We met each other way back when I was at UCSB. You wrote a letter of recommendation for me to me to get into Graduate School. I would like to help you with any direction you wish to go."
"Do you have a card?" He asked.
"Yes I do."
My room is on the 15th floor. On the elevator ride up there were two men having a conversation about who would be the Democrat Candidate for Governor. There has been a lot of buzz about the possibility of Dianne Feinstein leaving her Senate Seat to take a more local office. The men were entertaining what would happen in a primary battle between Lieutenant Governor John Garimendi and the Senator. They were talking all sorts of strange demographics and minutea "Dianne and (probable Senate replacement) Newsom would pull strongly together around the Bay Area, but John would poll strong in the mountain counties."
The elevator stopped. The doors opened and the two men got out. Just as they did so their was a pause in their conversation. What the hell, I figured:
"What about O'Connell?"
The man smiled. "A third choice? ... That could be interesting."
I nodded my head and the elevator door shut."Interesting" is one thing. Beating the two wealthiest Democratic office holders in the State of California in a primary is another. Everyone loves an underdog, but they don't always vote for them.
Checklist of HandShakes today:
*Barbara Boxer*
*Anderson Cooper*
*Jack O'Connell*
Not too shabby.
The best argument of the night
Heading into Monday night there was a lot of anticipation thrown towards the Michelle Obama and Ted Kennedy speeches . Their speeches were awesome. In response, after Monday night's festivities concluded, the media focused their entire attention on these two individuals and these two speeches.
However, neither of them delivered the most politically useful speech of the night.
That award goes to former Republican Congressman Jim Leach.
Read on and you will find the "Superman" agrument I made earlier put into more elegant and detailled words... for all Conservatives to follow.
The message: Republicans, please don't vote for John McCain. He and George W. Bush have abandoned the values that once made our party strong.
Although given the story that Michelle and Teddy bring to the podium, it bothers me that this didn't get more attention from the press. This guy had the courage to leave his party and - although he sounded a bit like a drunk muppet - he made one hell of an argument for every Republican to do the same.
Too bad Bush didn't nominate this guy to serve on the Supreme Court.
VERY POIGNANT. VERY BIG. SHARE WITH YOUR REPUBLICAN FRIENDS.
Former Republican Representative, Jim Leach IA-1
August 25, 2008
As a Republican, I stand before you with deep respect for the history and traditions of my political party. But it is clear to all Americans that something is out of kilter in our great republic. In less than a decade America’s political and economic standing in the world has been diminished. Our nation’s extraordinary leadership in so many areas is simply not reflected in the partisan bickering and ideological politics of Washington. Seldom has the case for an inspiring new political ethic been more compelling. And seldom has an emerging leader so matched the needs of the moment.
The platform of this transformative figure is a call for change. The change Barack Obama is advocating is far more than a break with today’s politics. It is a clarion call for renewal rooted in time-tested American values that tap Republican, as well as Democratic traditions.
Perspective is difficult to bring to events of the day, but in sweeping terms, there have been four great debates in our history to which both parties have contributed. The first debate, led by Thomas Jefferson, the first Democrat to be elected president, centered on the question of whether a country could be established, based on The Rights of Man.
The second debate, led by Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican to be elected president, was about definitions—whether The Rights of Man applied to individuals who were neither pale nor male. It took almost two centuries of struggle, hallmarked by a civil war, the suffrage and abolitionist movements, the Harlem renaissance and a courageous civil rights leadership to bring meaning to the values embedded in the Declaration of Independence.
The third debate, symbolized by the new deal of Franklin Roosevelt and the emphasis on individual initiative of Ronald Reagan, involves the question of opportunity, whether rights are fully meaningful if all citizens are not given a chance to succeed and provide for their families.
The fourth debate, which acquired grim relevance with the dawn of the nuclear age, is the question of whether any rights are possible without peace and environmental security. The American progressive tradition reflected in these debates spans Democratic standard bearers from the prairie populist William Jennings Bryan to the Camelot statesman, John F. Kennedy. It includes Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt, who built up the National Parks system and broke down corporate monopolies, and Dwight David Eisenhower, who ran on a pledge to end a war in Korea, brought a stop to European colonial intervention in the Middle East, quietly integrated the Washington, D.C., school system and not so quietly sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to squash segregation in public schools throughout the country.
The American progressive tradition reflected in these debates spans Democratic standard bearers from the prairie populist William Jennings Bryan to the Camelot statesman, John F. Kennedy. It includes Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt, who built up the National Parks system and broke down corporate monopolies, and Dwight David Eisenhower, who ran on a pledge to end a war in Korea, brought a stop to European colonial intervention in the Middle East, quietly integrated the Washington, D.C., school system and not so quietly sent the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to squash segregation in public schools throughout the country.
In models of international statecraft, progressive leadership includes Al Gore, who helped galvanize worldwide understanding of the most challenging environmental threat currently facing the planet, and our current president’s father, who led an internationally sanctioned coalition to oust Saddam Hussein from Kuwait. In Congress, Democratic senators like Pat Moynihan and Mike Mansfield served in Republican administrations. On the Republican side, Arthur Vandenberg helped President Truman launch the Marshall Plan, and Everett Dirksen backed Lyndon Johnson’s landmark civil rights legislation.
In troubled times, it was understood that country comes before party, that in perilous moments mutual concern for the national interest must be the only factor in political judgments. This does not mean that debate within and between the political parties should not be vibrant. Yet what frustrates so many citizens is the lack of bipartisanship in Washington and the way today’s Republican Party has broken with its conservative heritage.
The party that once emphasized individual rights has gravitated in recent years toward regulating values. The party of military responsibility has taken us to war with a country that did not attack us. The party that formerly led the world in arms control has moved to undercut treaties crucial to the defense of the earth. The party that prides itself on conservation has abdicated its responsibilities in the face of global warming. And the party historically anchored in fiscal restraint has nearly doubled the national debt, squandering our precious resources in an undisciplined and unprecedented effort to finance a war with tax cuts.
America has seldom faced more critical choices: whether we should maintain an occupational force for decades in a country and region that resents western intervention or elect a leader who, in a carefully structured way, will bring our troops home from Iraq as the heroes they are. Whether it is wise to continue to project power largely alone with flickering support around the world or elect a leader who will follow the model of General Eisenhower and this president’s father and lead in concert with allies. Whether it is prudent to borrow from future generations to pay for today’s reckless fiscal policies or elect a leader who will shore up our budgets and return to a strong dollar.
Whether it is preferable to continue the policies that have weakened our position in the world, deepened our debt and widened social divisions or elect a leader who will emulate John F. Kennedy and relight a lamp of fairness at home and reassert an energizing mix of realism and idealism abroad.
The portfolio of challenges passed on to the next president will be as daunting as any since the Great Depression and World War II. This is not a time for politics as usual or for run-of-the-mill politicians. Little is riskier to the national interest than more of the same. America needs new ideas, new energy and a new generation of leadership.
Hence, I stand before you proud of my party’s contributions to American history but, as a citizen, proud as well of the good judgment of good people in this good party, in nominating a transcending candidate, an individual whom I am convinced will recapture the American dream and be a truly great president: the senator from Abraham Lincoln’s state—Barack Obama. Thank you.
Superman
The dude can fly, is impervious to bullets, and can shoot lasers out of his eyes.
Sorry Batman lovers, but as badass as Batman is, Superman would definitely kick Battman's ass in a fight.
He is the king of all superheroes.
BUT if Superman were to run for President of the United States in the year 2008 and his party was the Republican party than - if logic prevailed - on the first Tuesday in November, the voters of the United States would kick Superman's ass in ways Batman can only dream of.
Superman the Republican would lose because the Republican Party under the leadership of G.W. Bush and Richard Cheney have done more harm to this country than any other President in the history of the United States. Rights have been stripped under the shade of fear. What was once a national surplus has been pillaged into the greatest deficit any democracy has ever sustained. Teachers are getting pink slips. Students have to learn in classrooms filled with forty kids. College tuition is unaffordable to the majority. The Housing Market has crashed and with it, many people's dreams. And let's not forget the scandals: Tom Delay, Scotter Libby, Alberto Gonzalez and the king of the all, Karl Rove has fled the country to avoid being subpoenaed.
Lies sent us to war.
Lies sent us to war.
Lies sent us to war.
And they have the audacity to wave a flag in our face, tell us to support the troops while they cut the funding for G.I education, body armor and adequate military medical support.
If today Superman the Republican entered the race for President of the United States then despite his ability to fly, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on; despite his x-ray vision, he would rightly be judged a fool for having zero vision for the future; despite his ability to block bullets, his reputation would be politcal cannon fodder for unjustly putting our troops in harms way and then having the audaciousness to deprive them the protection, health care and education worthy of the greatest democracy in the world.
But of course, none of this would never happen.
Because Superman is a liberal.
And besides, the voters of this great nation would realize that it's going to take a lot more than eyes that shoot lasers to fix this mess.
Sorry Batman lovers, but as badass as Batman is, Superman would definitely kick Battman's ass in a fight.
He is the king of all superheroes.
BUT if Superman were to run for President of the United States in the year 2008 and his party was the Republican party than - if logic prevailed - on the first Tuesday in November, the voters of the United States would kick Superman's ass in ways Batman can only dream of.
Superman the Republican would lose because the Republican Party under the leadership of G.W. Bush and Richard Cheney have done more harm to this country than any other President in the history of the United States. Rights have been stripped under the shade of fear. What was once a national surplus has been pillaged into the greatest deficit any democracy has ever sustained. Teachers are getting pink slips. Students have to learn in classrooms filled with forty kids. College tuition is unaffordable to the majority. The Housing Market has crashed and with it, many people's dreams. And let's not forget the scandals: Tom Delay, Scotter Libby, Alberto Gonzalez and the king of the all, Karl Rove has fled the country to avoid being subpoenaed.
Lies sent us to war.
Lies sent us to war.
Lies sent us to war.
And they have the audacity to wave a flag in our face, tell us to support the troops while they cut the funding for G.I education, body armor and adequate military medical support.
If today Superman the Republican entered the race for President of the United States then despite his ability to fly, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on; despite his x-ray vision, he would rightly be judged a fool for having zero vision for the future; despite his ability to block bullets, his reputation would be politcal cannon fodder for unjustly putting our troops in harms way and then having the audaciousness to deprive them the protection, health care and education worthy of the greatest democracy in the world.
But of course, none of this would never happen.
Because Superman is a liberal.
And besides, the voters of this great nation would realize that it's going to take a lot more than eyes that shoot lasers to fix this mess.
Supershuttle
Three rows of seats.
The shotgun seat makes ten passengers.
I sit on the edge in the middle row, but have to squeeze to the middle as the tenth passenger hurries to the vehicle.
The drive from the Denver airport to downtown Denver is long.
The man behind me to my left is here today from Los Angeles to support his friend who is performing stand up comedy tonight at the DNC. He tries on a couple of occasions to make the car laugh, but fails miserably each time.
The guy directly behind me is from Marin. He graduated High School in 2006 and his hat is slightly crooked in a modernly hip way that I do not completely understand and makes me feel old. He works for a nonprofit in Washington D.C. that is dedicated to delivering clean water to third world nations. He’s here for the party and hopes to rub elbows with some legislators who can help his cause.
The guy behind me to my right is an donor from Minnesota. He’s the only one wearing a sport coat. He gets going about Al Franken’s chances of beating the Republican incumbent, Norm Colman (the one who won Paul Wellstone’s seat over Walter Mondale in a special election years ago). Al Franken is a liberal comedian and satirist. Many of you know him as Stuart Smally from Saturday Night Live “I’m smart enough, I’m good enough, and gosh darn it, people like me. He has also written books one of the most notable of which is Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them about the conservative media/hate machine. Our conversation started when he enthusiastically congratulated me on the birth of my daughter. He’s pissed that Franken wrote a column in Playboy, but he still likes his chances. Franken is also going to play an important part in weather or not Minnesota turns blue in November. Right now folks are worried because “it’s purple” meaning it’s a toss up between McCain and Obama.
Woman to my left is from Arkansas. She works for non profit group. She has come to Denver in an effort to make Hillary Clinton President. “But she lost the primary”, I gently respond with. She claims it’s because no one in Arkansas will support Obama. She claims “He is causing low turnout.” I reply that I am sorry for her state but, he is responsible for record turnouts in many different parts of the country. Especially among youth voters. The most stinging comment of note from her: “If she doesn’t get the nomination, I think she should form a third party… she could really win this thing.”
The Woman to my left – the one who hurried to catch the bus- works for Andre Carson, a Democrat Congressmen from Indianapolis. He won a special election for a seat that was filled by his grandmother for ten years. See died a little over a year ago. At age thirty-three he is one of the youngest Representatives in the House. He is also the second Muslim ever to serve in the U.S House of Representatives. After winning the special election less than a year ago in 2007, he then compete in the 2008 Democratic primary a few months ago, and now he must win against a Republican for his seat once again in November. Three elections in less than a year. The oldest person on his staff is thirty one.
The woman riding shotgun never says a word.
The woman in front of me to my right works in Chicago. I seem to remember something vaguely about her working for Mayor Daly, but I think I am wrong. Her boyfriend lives in San Francisco and wants her to move there. She’s frustrated by the fact that she doesn’t understand why she needs to be in Denver. He called while we were in the car, boyfriend called with a realization of which she shared with the whole car: “I get it now… this Convention is kind of like the Superbowl for you, isn’t it?” I tell her the Bay Area is awesome. She says the homes are too expensive. The rest of the county is getting hit much harder than the Bay Area has with this housing crash.
The woman in front of me to my left is the head of the Bay Area Nurses Association. I ask her if she needs any stethoscopes. She thinks Dianne Feinstein is going to leave her Senate post and run for Governor of California. Who would run for her Senate seat then? My money’s on Newsom. I told her I would ask him on Wednesday when I’m in the VIP room at his concert.
I am the only Delegate in the car.
At least three people ask to see if I can get them a ticket onto the floor.
The shotgun seat makes ten passengers.
I sit on the edge in the middle row, but have to squeeze to the middle as the tenth passenger hurries to the vehicle.
The drive from the Denver airport to downtown Denver is long.
The man behind me to my left is here today from Los Angeles to support his friend who is performing stand up comedy tonight at the DNC. He tries on a couple of occasions to make the car laugh, but fails miserably each time.
The guy directly behind me is from Marin. He graduated High School in 2006 and his hat is slightly crooked in a modernly hip way that I do not completely understand and makes me feel old. He works for a nonprofit in Washington D.C. that is dedicated to delivering clean water to third world nations. He’s here for the party and hopes to rub elbows with some legislators who can help his cause.
The guy behind me to my right is an donor from Minnesota. He’s the only one wearing a sport coat. He gets going about Al Franken’s chances of beating the Republican incumbent, Norm Colman (the one who won Paul Wellstone’s seat over Walter Mondale in a special election years ago). Al Franken is a liberal comedian and satirist. Many of you know him as Stuart Smally from Saturday Night Live “I’m smart enough, I’m good enough, and gosh darn it, people like me. He has also written books one of the most notable of which is Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them about the conservative media/hate machine. Our conversation started when he enthusiastically congratulated me on the birth of my daughter. He’s pissed that Franken wrote a column in Playboy, but he still likes his chances. Franken is also going to play an important part in weather or not Minnesota turns blue in November. Right now folks are worried because “it’s purple” meaning it’s a toss up between McCain and Obama.
Woman to my left is from Arkansas. She works for non profit group. She has come to Denver in an effort to make Hillary Clinton President. “But she lost the primary”, I gently respond with. She claims it’s because no one in Arkansas will support Obama. She claims “He is causing low turnout.” I reply that I am sorry for her state but, he is responsible for record turnouts in many different parts of the country. Especially among youth voters. The most stinging comment of note from her: “If she doesn’t get the nomination, I think she should form a third party… she could really win this thing.”
The Woman to my left – the one who hurried to catch the bus- works for Andre Carson, a Democrat Congressmen from Indianapolis. He won a special election for a seat that was filled by his grandmother for ten years. See died a little over a year ago. At age thirty-three he is one of the youngest Representatives in the House. He is also the second Muslim ever to serve in the U.S House of Representatives. After winning the special election less than a year ago in 2007, he then compete in the 2008 Democratic primary a few months ago, and now he must win against a Republican for his seat once again in November. Three elections in less than a year. The oldest person on his staff is thirty one.
The woman riding shotgun never says a word.
The woman in front of me to my right works in Chicago. I seem to remember something vaguely about her working for Mayor Daly, but I think I am wrong. Her boyfriend lives in San Francisco and wants her to move there. She’s frustrated by the fact that she doesn’t understand why she needs to be in Denver. He called while we were in the car, boyfriend called with a realization of which she shared with the whole car: “I get it now… this Convention is kind of like the Superbowl for you, isn’t it?” I tell her the Bay Area is awesome. She says the homes are too expensive. The rest of the county is getting hit much harder than the Bay Area has with this housing crash.
The woman in front of me to my left is the head of the Bay Area Nurses Association. I ask her if she needs any stethoscopes. She thinks Dianne Feinstein is going to leave her Senate post and run for Governor of California. Who would run for her Senate seat then? My money’s on Newsom. I told her I would ask him on Wednesday when I’m in the VIP room at his concert.
I am the only Delegate in the car.
At least three people ask to see if I can get them a ticket onto the floor.
The Clinton Die Hards
An example for you of some of the things I have been sent.
This one comes on the eve of Day One at the Convention.
One might think this is Republican sabotage, but this guy is a delegate and PUMA is for real.
I have been barraged by these people in recent weeks via telephone, email and hand-signed letters sent to my home address.
If these people are for real, my purpose this week will be to stop them.
Please realize, Hillary Clinton has the power to call these people off, and she has not done so as of yet.
Feel free to email this guy and tell him what you think about what he's doing.
Kids, in a history classroom, this is what we call a "primary source". In a courtroom, this is what we call "evidence".
(This guy's email to me is L O N G... but you should get a sense of its message and tone pretty quick.)
>>>>>>
Date: Sun, 24 Aug 2008 21:49:06 -0400
From: rrl99999@gmail.com HIS EMAIL ADDRESS
To: rrlieberma@gmail.com HIS OTHER EMAIL ADDRESS
Subject: SUSPENDING, NOT ENDING (77)
ELECTABILITY WATCH (EW)
Rasmussen: Obama 46%, McCain 43%
Gallup: Obama 45%, McCain 45%
"There was no immediate boost to Obama's support coincident with the announcement of Joe Biden as his running mate."
All,
Someone who did not sign his name wrote that "You should be ashamed of yourself to go against the nominee of the Democratic party". I responded, "The Democratic Party has no nominee - neither received enough delegates to be the nominee. The task of the Democratic Party now is to select the Electable Democrat. There is no evidence that Obama is that candidate. I am ashamed of those who will not fight to get a Democrat in the White House, who are more interested in a spectacle in Mile High Stadium."
WIth Ohio, there are now 13 Binding Vote states where the elected/pledged delegates are bound to vote for HRC on the first ballot: Arizona, California, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Virginia. For additional information, please see # 5 below.
The DNC and Obama are clearly nervous that they do not have the votes to nominate Obama, and the DNC is trying every pressure tactic to avoid having a traditional floor roll call vote. Among other problems, this will also circumvent many state laws. On Monday we need you to call AGs in the 13 states to bring pressure on the DNC to respect the state laws and insist that the DNC hold an open floor roll call vote in the tradition of Democratic conventions for decades.
Otherwise we are left with symbolic mush.
We also hear that some state parties like OH are talking about saying "Pass" when they are called in the roll in hope that Obama will hit the magic 50% plus 1 before every other state gives their count and the convention chair will not need to go back and take their actual roll call on the record. How's that for transparency and accountability?
You have to ask, if Senator Obama, his campaign, and the DNC are so sure Senator Clinton has lost the nomination then why are they trying so hard to rig the process to win?
PUSH BACK. Do not let the DNC eliminate the traditional Roll Call at the convention. Do not let them commit such a flagrant abuse of process. Do not let them take away your voice and the voices of the 18 million Hillary voters!!!
Key 'action' steps for tomorrow are to contact State AGs, and also to call or fax your Democratic public officials to exercise their responsibility to select the electable candidate - she is HRC - and certainly to vote for her on the first ballot as a recognition of her historic candidacy and out of respect for her 18 million voters. GO GO GO!!!Ricki
1. DELEGATES: ATTENTION MUST BE PAID:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7a6_0fwpYUv=X7a6_0fwpYU
Geeklove writes, "I am sick and tired of Hillary "working her heart out" for the ungrateful Obama who has done nothing to reach out to Clinton or her supporters. While, Obama states that Hillary would be on anybody's vice presidential short list, he doesn't even give her the time of day or even pretend to do so. If Obama wants people to vote for him because of his judgment, I say, that it really was poor judgment not to even consider her and extremely poor judgment to mock her by sending the dissing text message at 3 a.m."
2. OREGON DELEGATES: Please remind Laura Calvo that she is bound to vote for Hillary.mailto:goddesspdx@yahoo.com
And, to clarify, MA DELEGATE Steve Driscoll who has been so rude to so many people, has been elected as a pledged delegate from MA CD 10 and is subject to the State Binding law to vote for Senator Clinton.
3. BRAVA, BRAVO, BRAVAE, BRAVI - The grassroots petition that soared When the Clinton and Obama campaigns announced last week that Senator Clinton's name would be placed into nomination, a group of Clinton delegates cheered for a moment and went right back to work. With Hillary Clinton's name "officially" on the ballot, the petition signatures were no longer technically needed. But this group of determined individuals pressed on.
"When we started this effort, it was the ONLY way for us to be able to vote in Denver to represent the people who elected us," said a Clinton delegate from Texas. "We're proud of what we did. We're going to see it to the end. Just like our candidate – we don't quit."
According to DNC rules, a floor nomination petition needs a minimum of 300 signatures from voting delegates to be submitted. In July, a small but determined group of Clinton delegates and volunteers started reaching out to fellow delegates in true grassroots fashion – one by one – to collect the signatures. This proved to be slow going since Democratic Party officials would not provide contact lists for delegates. The 300 Delegate Petition group was born.
After national and international mainstream media attention, petitions started pouring in. When they received the requisite number of petitions, they once again took a breather and went back to work. DNC rules state that no more than 600 petitions can be submitted. They're working on it.
"We've got well over 300 petitions now in hand," explained Sue Castner, a Clinton delegate from Portland, OR. "Since we never consulted with Senator Clinton's campaign, we don't know if 'the petition that wouldn't die' had anything to do with the two joint campaign announcements made last week. We will probably never know but it certainly made us feel good."
Signatories include a governor or two, county Democratic party chairs, members of the diplomatic corps, and even some brave Obama delegates. The names of those who signed the petition will remain a mystery unless Senator Clinton decides to file the petition, in which case, their names will be a part of recorded history.
As a meager reward for those delegates who saw the nomination process as a path to party unity and signed this historic document, a numbered commemorative pin will distinguish them from fellow delegates. Rest assured, the green pin, featuring the number 300 with a pen, will be THE most coveted pin in Denver.
4. MSM Ignores Democrat Lawsuit Against Obama
PJ GLADNICK,
SEE ATTACHED FOR FULL FILING
Imagine if a prominent Mitt Romney supporter who was a former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania as well as former Republican Party chair in Montgomery County in that state had filed a lawsuit against John McCain questioning his eligibility to become president. How many milliseconds after the filing of that lawsuit do you think it would take for that news to be prominently featured on the New York Times website as well as the many other MSM websites? Well, something very much like that has happened only instead of a Republican suing McCain it was Democrat Philip J. Berg, a Hillary Clinton supporter and former Deputy Attorney General as well as former Democrat Party chair for Montgomery county, who filed a lawsuit yesterday against Barack Obama to keep the DNC from nominating him because Berg claims he is ineligible to become president. So far there has been a collective yawn from the MSM to this news. The one exception was a very small blurb in the Philadelphia News Clout section:
Barack Obama's presidential campaign has faced so many false rumors about his family history that it has put his birth certificate on the Internet: he was born in Honolulu, nearly two years after Hawaii became a state, making Obama a U.S. citizen by birth.
But that hasn't stopped Montgomery County lawyer Philip J. Berg from challenging Obama's qualifications to be president.
Berg, a Hillary Clinton supporter, announced he's filing a federal lawsuit today, claiming that Obama lost his citizenship when his mother relocated the family to Indonesia when Barack was a boy.
Under the law, however, moving to a foreign country does not negate an American's citizenship.
Berg said that he's acting on his own, not as an agent for the Clinton campaign. Republicans were prepared to file a similar lawsuit after the Democratic convention, he said.
5. EXAMPLES OF WORDING IN THE LAWS OF BINDING VOTE STATES INDICATING AN INTENTION THAT THE DELEGATE WILL CARRY OUT THE BINDING OBLIGATION AT THE NOMINATING CONVENTION THROUGH THE CUSTOMARY ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE NOMINATING BALLOT
"Each person selected as a delegate shall sign a pledge that the person will continue to support at the national convention the candidate for President of the United States the person is selected as favoring until 2 convention nominating ballots have been taken." OR
"Each political party shall, on the first ballot at its national convention, cast this Commonwealth's vote for the candidates as determined by the primary or party caucus." KY
"Each delegate or alternate delegate to the national convention of his political party shall cast their vote on all ballots for the candidate who received this state's vote." OK
"Each delegate to the national convention shall use his best efforts at the convention for the party's presidential nominee candidate who received the greatest number of votes in the presidential preference election until the candidate is nominated for the office of president of the United States by the convention." AZ
"As a delegate to the national convention of the Democratic Party, I pledge myself to vote on the first ballot for the nomination of president by the Democratic Party as required by Section 1-8-60 NMSA 1978." NM
"Delegates and alternates shall be bound to vote on the first ballot at the national convention for the candidate receiving the most votes in the primary." VA
"The delegates to the national conventions shall be bound by the results of the preferential presidential primary for the first two (2) ballots and shall vote for the candidate to whom they are pledged." TN
In an Opinion now appended to his state's binding vote law, the words of the Attorney General of GA reach the heart of similar laws enacted in all of these states: "This section reflects the legitimate interest of the state in insuring orderliness in the electoral process, and it provides a means of presenting the political preferences of the people of this state to a political party." GA
6. Joe Biden: No True Friend of Working Men and Women JACKSON WILLIAMS
Last August, the Democrats held a presidential debate in Chicago. Seven Democrats participated, with former sportscaster Keith Olbermann moderating. It was sponsored by the AFL-CIO and took place before 15,000 union activists at Soldier Field. You'd think the candidates at a Democratic debate dealing with issues relevant to working men and women would be asked about the infamous bankruptcy bill signed two years earlier by President George W. Bush. Oddly, you'd be wrong.
This wasn't the first time Congress had passed this shameful act. Bill Clinton vetoed it twice in the 90's, so we know where he stands. The credit industry, ever relentless, kept coming back, confidant they had the number of elected officials necessary to do their bidding. They did, and Joe Biden wasalways one of them. The final version of the bill was cleverly titled the "Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005," but it wasn't aimed at preventing abuse or protecting consumers, and everyone knew it.
Arianna Huffington wrote on salon.com in March 2005 that this legislation was "so hostile to ordinary American families that it could only have come about in a place as corrupt, cynical and unmoored from reality as Washington, D.C." She concluded: "The bankruptcy bill is morally bankrupt. And so is any senator who votes for it." She defined the problem:
"So what does the bill do? It makes it harder for average people to file for bankruptcy protection; it makes it easier for landlords to evict a bankrupt tenant; it endangers child-support payments by giving a wider array of creditors a shot at post-bankruptcy income; it allows millionaires to shield an unlimited amount of equity in homes and asset-protection trusts; it makes it more difficult for small businesses to reorganize while opening new loopholes for the Enrons of the world; it allows creditors to provide misleading information; and it does nothing to rein in lending abuses...."
It turns out the average annual income of Americans who file bankruptcy is less than $30K, not the loose affiliation of millionaires and billionaires gigging the system that we all heard about when this bill was debated. Also, the vast majority of people who file bankruptcy don't do so to strategically hang on to their mansion on the hill, but because of medical bills, a job layoff, or both. Real people, real lives.
I've never filed bankruptcy, but like Bill Clinton I'm moved by those demographics. Not so our Joe. Of all the presidential contenders lined up on the stage in Chicago, he was the only one who had voted for the bill. Not senators Dodd, Clinton and Obama (Edwards was no longer in the senate in '05), and not House member Dennis Kucinich. Only Joe Biden. And he didn't just vote for it, he helped carry the water on it. Some Democrats tried to soften the bill with a series of amendments; for example, exempting military personnel at war in Iraq. Biden joined the majority of his colleagues -- all the Republicans and too many Democrats -- in knocking down every possible change that was offered.
For the record, Biden's home state famously holds the incorporation papers of large credit card and financial services companies. He obviously knows how his bread is buttered in Delaware, which means a "profile in courage" by 'ol Joe on the bankruptcy bill was out of the question.
Sure, Biden has a certain rogue charisma combined with what he's developed over the years as serious experience on the senate foreign relations committee. He's no idiot. But if part of the calculation in picking him is that he'll help sell economic populism in the heartland, from Perkiomen to Peoria, that's a cynical joke whether it succeeds or not. Anyone who cares about progressive politics, or the salt of the earth, knows that the bankruptcy bill is a disaster for average folks. Joe Biden is a big reason why this is so. He supported it and voted for it, many times over many years.
That speaks volumes about how he views the rest of the country.
7. CLARIFYING MESSAGE FROM PUMA:
We are still fighting to make Hillary Clinton the nominee at Convention, and -- ultimately -- the next president. Should that not happen, we are not officially endorsing John McCain. You are encouraged to consider all the various non-Obama options come November... McCain, 3rd Party, write-in, and/or abstaining.
AND FINALLY,
WORTH WATCHING and CONSIDERING: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m89m0pC_bpY&feature=email
Vice President Biden
For the last week and a half I have been telling everybody to take any odds in Vegas that the VP was going to be Governor Tim Kaine from Virginia. Today I am happy to be proven wrong.
In the face of recent Republican attacks, questionable debate forums and vomit-inducing poll numbers, my colleagues and I were a bit bothered. We had feared for a while that Obama had not been hitting McCain hard enough and now, finally, the day we “hoped” would not come was here.
What the critics had been saying all along about Obama's credentials to lead suddenly seemed to gain disturbing resonance in his campaign: Hope is not enough. Action is necessary.
Unfortunate events had cost Barack Obama polling points, but more importantly the attacks seemed to have succeeded in pushing his campaign to a dangerous crossroads: If he stays positive, he loses. If he goes negative, he contradicts the style of leadership he purports to stand for, and in doing so becomes a hypocrite.
So now what?
My friends and I concluded he had to hit back. We weren’t calling for anything below the belt, but the time had come to throw a counter punch and we were perplexed and frustrated as to why none was thrown: No need to become a swift boat ogre, but... Come on man - defend yourself!
Then today.
To quote an email from one of my friends:
“Today Obama found his balls: they are named Joe and Biden. Amen.”
As the faithful Clinton supporters continue to cry foul I am sure commentary like this – albeit valid - will not help. However, I am optimistic this new formula for success will create a healthy force for the Democrats going into the convention and beyond it: Obama can continue to rise above. Biden can be the pit-bull in the trenches. America needs both.
Hopefully this rising tide of momentum, tenacity and hope will raise all Democratic ships together.
I broke this blog into three parts:
1) Why Biden is a great pick
2) Where the Republicans will now try to hit the Democrats
3) Top five quotes from today’s speech
WHY BIDEN IS A GREAT PICK:
Experience. Only four Senators have more years in the Senate that he does. The argument that the ticket is “inexperienced” just got a lot more difficult.
Gravitas. He will attack the opposing ticket with fire and urgency. The themes from today’s speech are already resonating: We can’t have “four more years of Bush/McCain”
Personal Background. And there a two stories here. Although their stories are extremely different, both Biden’s and Obama’s upbringings encapsulate that of the American Dream. Americans like stories and the fact that both of them have different – and awesome – stories to share adds depth of character to the ticket. The second story relates to the incredible adversity he and his children overcame. If you have not heard this story yet, you will.
Style points. Anyone else out there a little sickened by the fact that they had camera’s docked out at all the “VP finalist” homes? I was. But I watched it anyway. Call me a slave. Anyway, in the midst of this garbage, I caught a pearl: One morning Biden pulled into his house and instead of hurriedly driving by the press corp., he stopped, rolled down his window and gave all of them bagels and coffee. Well played, my friend, well played.
WHERE REPUBLICANS WILL NOW TRY TO HIT THE DEMS:
Brace yourself. Don’t be surprised. Don’t allow them to “shock and awe” us.
Biden and Obama went head to head a couple of times in the debates. Biden questioned his experience. It got ugly. But the ugliest moment actually took place off the debate stage. Biden made a comment to a reporter that about Obama that some interpreted as racist. If you read it and didn’t hear him say it, it looked really bad. Biden called him a “clean looking… African American”. Doesn’t that look terrible? I remember at the time thinking it was a terribly stupid thing to say, but not a terribly hateful thing to say. He apologized and claimed that the comment was taken out of turn. Obama accepted his apology. What to expect: Republicans will try to use to claim the Democrat ticket is more divided than it appears to be.
The man has hair plugs. But he is funny about it. Rumor has it that a while back he entertained questions about his hair plugs and actually invited the camera’s to zoom in and take pictures of them. Expect to hear some jokes and under the table remarks about them. What to expect: Whisper campaign. Jokes. Under the table remarks. Fox News will show pictures, the Religious Right will say this act of vanity proves that he’s out of touch with “real”American Values, and Rush Limbaugh will criticize him for it then get some himself three years from now.
The Plagiarizing Scandal. This is big one. So big, I thought it eliminated him from being a candidate. The worst part about it is that it happened twice. Biden had his bid for President in 1988 cut short because it came to light that he copied a political speech from a British official. Within weeks it came out that he had also plagiarized a paper out of a Law Review while he was in Law School at Syracuse University. Yuck. What to expect: Commercials. Lots of them. Pictures of a classroom. Pictures of cute, little, innocent-apple-pie-eating children. Voice over: “Do you want your children to grow up cheaters? Joe Biden does!” It’s going to sting a little.
TOP FIVE QUOTES FROM TODAY’S SPEECH
The gloves come off. Biden is throwing blows. Here are the top five hits of the day:
5) Seven Kitchen Tables
“Ladies and gentlemen, your kitchen table is like mine. You sit there at night before you put the kids -- after you put the kids to bed and you talk, you talk about what you need. You talk about how much you are worried about being able to pay the bills. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.”
4) Lincoln Refernce in Springfield: Planting Our Feet
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is no ordinary time. This is no ordinary election. And this may be our last chance to reclaim the America we love, to restore America's soul. Ladies and gentlemen, America gave Jill and me our chance. It gave Barack and Michelle their chance to stand on this stage today. It's literally incredible. These values, this country gave us that chance. And now it's time for all of us, as Lincoln said, to put our feet in the right place and to stand firm. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to elect Barack Obama president. It's our time. It's America's time. God bless America, and may he protect our troops.”
3) Gorgeous Wife
"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife Jill, who you'll meet soon, is drop dead gorgeous. My wife Jill, who you'll meet soon, she also has her doctorate degree, which is a problem. But all kidding aside, my Jill, my Jill, my wife Jill and I are honored to join Barack and Michelle on this journey, because that's what it is. it's a journey. We share the same values, the values that we had passed on to us by our parents and the values Jill and I are passing on to our sons Beau and Hunter and Ashley."
2) Bush/McCain ‘08
"You can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95% of the time. You can't change America when you believe, and these are his own words, that in the Bush administration we've made great progress economically. You can't change America and make things better for our senior citizens when you signed on to Bush's scheme of privatizing social security. You can't change America and give our workers a fighting chance when after 3 million manufacturing jobs disappear, you continue to support tax breaks for companies who ship our jobs overseas. You can't change America and end this war in Iraq when you declare and, again, these are John's words, no one has supported President Bush in Iraq more than I have, end of quote. Ladies and gentlemen, you can't change America, you can't change America when you know your first four years as president will look exactly like the last eight years of George Bush's presidency..."
1) Americans and Leadership
"...Ladies and gentlemen, that's the bad news. But there is good news, America. We don't have to have four more years of George W. Bush. And John McCain. The next President of the United States is going to be delivered to the most significant moment in American history since Franklin Roosevelt. He will have such an incredible opportunity, incredible opportunity, not only to change the direction of America, but literally, literally to change the direction of the world. Barack Obama and I believe, we believe with every fiber in our being that our families, our communities as Americans, there's not a single solitary challenge we cannot face if we level with the American people. And I don't say that to say it; history, history has shown it. When have Americans ever, ever, ever, let their country down when they've had a leader to lead them?"
In the face of recent Republican attacks, questionable debate forums and vomit-inducing poll numbers, my colleagues and I were a bit bothered. We had feared for a while that Obama had not been hitting McCain hard enough and now, finally, the day we “hoped” would not come was here.
What the critics had been saying all along about Obama's credentials to lead suddenly seemed to gain disturbing resonance in his campaign: Hope is not enough. Action is necessary.
Unfortunate events had cost Barack Obama polling points, but more importantly the attacks seemed to have succeeded in pushing his campaign to a dangerous crossroads: If he stays positive, he loses. If he goes negative, he contradicts the style of leadership he purports to stand for, and in doing so becomes a hypocrite.
So now what?
My friends and I concluded he had to hit back. We weren’t calling for anything below the belt, but the time had come to throw a counter punch and we were perplexed and frustrated as to why none was thrown: No need to become a swift boat ogre, but... Come on man - defend yourself!
Then today.
To quote an email from one of my friends:
“Today Obama found his balls: they are named Joe and Biden. Amen.”
As the faithful Clinton supporters continue to cry foul I am sure commentary like this – albeit valid - will not help. However, I am optimistic this new formula for success will create a healthy force for the Democrats going into the convention and beyond it: Obama can continue to rise above. Biden can be the pit-bull in the trenches. America needs both.
Hopefully this rising tide of momentum, tenacity and hope will raise all Democratic ships together.
I broke this blog into three parts:
1) Why Biden is a great pick
2) Where the Republicans will now try to hit the Democrats
3) Top five quotes from today’s speech
WHY BIDEN IS A GREAT PICK:
Experience. Only four Senators have more years in the Senate that he does. The argument that the ticket is “inexperienced” just got a lot more difficult.
Gravitas. He will attack the opposing ticket with fire and urgency. The themes from today’s speech are already resonating: We can’t have “four more years of Bush/McCain”
Personal Background. And there a two stories here. Although their stories are extremely different, both Biden’s and Obama’s upbringings encapsulate that of the American Dream. Americans like stories and the fact that both of them have different – and awesome – stories to share adds depth of character to the ticket. The second story relates to the incredible adversity he and his children overcame. If you have not heard this story yet, you will.
Style points. Anyone else out there a little sickened by the fact that they had camera’s docked out at all the “VP finalist” homes? I was. But I watched it anyway. Call me a slave. Anyway, in the midst of this garbage, I caught a pearl: One morning Biden pulled into his house and instead of hurriedly driving by the press corp., he stopped, rolled down his window and gave all of them bagels and coffee. Well played, my friend, well played.
WHERE REPUBLICANS WILL NOW TRY TO HIT THE DEMS:
Brace yourself. Don’t be surprised. Don’t allow them to “shock and awe” us.
Biden and Obama went head to head a couple of times in the debates. Biden questioned his experience. It got ugly. But the ugliest moment actually took place off the debate stage. Biden made a comment to a reporter that about Obama that some interpreted as racist. If you read it and didn’t hear him say it, it looked really bad. Biden called him a “clean looking… African American”. Doesn’t that look terrible? I remember at the time thinking it was a terribly stupid thing to say, but not a terribly hateful thing to say. He apologized and claimed that the comment was taken out of turn. Obama accepted his apology. What to expect: Republicans will try to use to claim the Democrat ticket is more divided than it appears to be.
The man has hair plugs. But he is funny about it. Rumor has it that a while back he entertained questions about his hair plugs and actually invited the camera’s to zoom in and take pictures of them. Expect to hear some jokes and under the table remarks about them. What to expect: Whisper campaign. Jokes. Under the table remarks. Fox News will show pictures, the Religious Right will say this act of vanity proves that he’s out of touch with “real”American Values, and Rush Limbaugh will criticize him for it then get some himself three years from now.
The Plagiarizing Scandal. This is big one. So big, I thought it eliminated him from being a candidate. The worst part about it is that it happened twice. Biden had his bid for President in 1988 cut short because it came to light that he copied a political speech from a British official. Within weeks it came out that he had also plagiarized a paper out of a Law Review while he was in Law School at Syracuse University. Yuck. What to expect: Commercials. Lots of them. Pictures of a classroom. Pictures of cute, little, innocent-apple-pie-eating children. Voice over: “Do you want your children to grow up cheaters? Joe Biden does!” It’s going to sting a little.
TOP FIVE QUOTES FROM TODAY’S SPEECH
The gloves come off. Biden is throwing blows. Here are the top five hits of the day:
5) Seven Kitchen Tables
“Ladies and gentlemen, your kitchen table is like mine. You sit there at night before you put the kids -- after you put the kids to bed and you talk, you talk about what you need. You talk about how much you are worried about being able to pay the bills. Well, ladies and gentlemen, that's not a worry John McCain has to worry about. It's a pretty hard experience. He'll have to figure out which of the seven kitchen tables to sit at.”
4) Lincoln Refernce in Springfield: Planting Our Feet
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is no ordinary time. This is no ordinary election. And this may be our last chance to reclaim the America we love, to restore America's soul. Ladies and gentlemen, America gave Jill and me our chance. It gave Barack and Michelle their chance to stand on this stage today. It's literally incredible. These values, this country gave us that chance. And now it's time for all of us, as Lincoln said, to put our feet in the right place and to stand firm. Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to elect Barack Obama president. It's our time. It's America's time. God bless America, and may he protect our troops.”
3) Gorgeous Wife
"Ladies and gentlemen, my wife Jill, who you'll meet soon, is drop dead gorgeous. My wife Jill, who you'll meet soon, she also has her doctorate degree, which is a problem. But all kidding aside, my Jill, my Jill, my wife Jill and I are honored to join Barack and Michelle on this journey, because that's what it is. it's a journey. We share the same values, the values that we had passed on to us by our parents and the values Jill and I are passing on to our sons Beau and Hunter and Ashley."
2) Bush/McCain ‘08
"You can't change America when you supported George Bush's policies 95% of the time. You can't change America when you believe, and these are his own words, that in the Bush administration we've made great progress economically. You can't change America and make things better for our senior citizens when you signed on to Bush's scheme of privatizing social security. You can't change America and give our workers a fighting chance when after 3 million manufacturing jobs disappear, you continue to support tax breaks for companies who ship our jobs overseas. You can't change America and end this war in Iraq when you declare and, again, these are John's words, no one has supported President Bush in Iraq more than I have, end of quote. Ladies and gentlemen, you can't change America, you can't change America when you know your first four years as president will look exactly like the last eight years of George Bush's presidency..."
1) Americans and Leadership
"...Ladies and gentlemen, that's the bad news. But there is good news, America. We don't have to have four more years of George W. Bush. And John McCain. The next President of the United States is going to be delivered to the most significant moment in American history since Franklin Roosevelt. He will have such an incredible opportunity, incredible opportunity, not only to change the direction of America, but literally, literally to change the direction of the world. Barack Obama and I believe, we believe with every fiber in our being that our families, our communities as Americans, there's not a single solitary challenge we cannot face if we level with the American people. And I don't say that to say it; history, history has shown it. When have Americans ever, ever, ever, let their country down when they've had a leader to lead them?"
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