WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
It had originally been thought that more people watched McCain's acceptance speech than Obama's. Turns out, that's not true. And we'll never actually know the true count because CSPAN doesn't GET counted.
What is true for sure is that, as HuffPost says:
But if the presidential vote is this close on Nov. 4, it will be a long night.No matter how you look at it, seemingly the pundits who said the conventions would NOT be news were wrong. It is thrilling to see so many people interested in politics, and by extension, what really happens to our country.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
This is a live capture video of Senator Hillary Clinton's dramatic entrance into the convention floor and with Representative Charlie Rangel and Governor David Patterson. The state-by-state voting was suspended and Senator Barack Obama is now officially the Democratic Nominee for President of The United States.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Tonight should be exciting, with the topic of "Securing America's Future." Full schedule here.
As someone following the Senate races, I just want to point out that the Democratic opponents of many of the Republican Senate candidates who will NOT be attending the GOP convention next week because they don't have enough time, will be speaking this evening, including Tom Udall, Jeanne Shaheen, Jeff Merkley, and Tom Allen.
If you've only been following the prime time hours, consider watching earlier if you can. It's live on CSPAN (on TV) as well as live internet feeds. There are truly some gems from the early speakers.
Since we've got hours to go, and the schedule is so vast, check out the listings, and use the comments thread to say what you're looking forward to, how you think Bill Clinton's speech will go, whether Joe Biden will play attack dog, and other comments you may have on the upcoming evening.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
At this morning's California delegation breakfast - a daily affair we hold with 1,000 of our closest friends - I officially signed my support for Senator Obama on the delegation whip sheet for tonight's roll call vote.
California is a state that Senator Clinton won handily in February (by about 10 points). The signatures on the sheet of paper I saw were all for Obama, two signatures were for Clinton.
Doing my best to make full use of all of the "tools" that have come in our delegation goody bags, I've pulled out the Magic 8 ball to seek its wisdom: are we on our way to unity? Signs point to YES!
(and on a similar note, pedometer update from Tuesday: 10,041).
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
She nailed it.
Hillary Clinton's speech last night was one of the best I've ever seen her give (and having worked on the campaign trail these past two years, I've seen her give quite a few).
The lines to get into "the Pepsi" last night were immense (see photo to the right) and it took more than an hour just to get through the security perimeter. It was so packed inside the hall, that I actually couldn't get a seat in the California section - I ended up sitting in the North Carolina delegation!
Fire Marshalls sealed the entrances to the hall just before her speech because of the volume of people.
The speech: Clinton hit all of the right notes, she said all of the right things. She was gracious, she was stately. And she emphasized the most important issue of all: the need for Party Unity.
This was Hillary's night, the crowd was waiting for one person and one person only. This was a crowd looking for red meat, something to rally around. Defining McCain as the common enemy was that rallying cry. All of the other speakers pretty much amounted to filler leading up to her speech...with a few exceptions.
Ohio Governor Ted Strickland did an admirable job, but the real star of the under card speakers was Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana. Schweitzer was essentially the de facto keynote speaker of the night after former Virginia Governor Mark Warner came up a little flat.
Schweitzer's "everyman" persona and style make him very likable to begin with, and he was exciting and fun. And it marks the first time I've ever seen a crowd get so fired up over a speech that was based on the subject of energy and natural resources...
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
From Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana:
"We simply can't drill our way to energy independence, even if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards, including the ones he can't even remember."
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
From the Obama campaign conference call this morning:
A joint statement from Alice Germond and the Obama and Clinton campaigns was sent to the state delegation chairs last night about today's process.
They say that vote tally sheets have been distributed to the state chairs, and they will pass them out to the delegates. They will be reviewing them at the state breakfasts this morning. From 3 - 5 MT this afternoon, the nomination and roll call process will occur.
There will be speeches nominating Clinton first, Obama second: Clinton will have two seconds to her nomination, and Obama will have three. There should be about 30 minutes of speeches, the tally sheets will be submitted, and then there will be a state roll call, with the totals for each candidate being announced by the state chairs.
Expect a joint statement from the campaigns this morning on who will be making the nominating speeches. We'll update with the names of the nominators at that time.
Update from Matt: There was no commitment to letting the actual roll call go to completion. So yesterday's reports about the NY delegation moving to make it unanimous may still be accurate.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Janet Napolitano just said that
"Barry Goldwater ran for president, and he lost. Mo Udall ran for President, and he lost. Bruce Babbitt ran for president, and he lost. For this election cycle, that's one Arizona tradition I'd like to see continued."Thought the quote was too good to let pass......by the way, she's Governor of Arizona....
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Today is the 88th anniversary of women getting the right to vote. This is sweet for me, not just because I have suffrage, but because my grandmother was arrested twice, standing up for my right, and that of all women, to vote.
And on this historic occasion, Hillary Clinton will rise to the podium tonight and make a speech. Hillary Clinton has been as much of a fighter as my grandmother ever was. Albeit, she has progressed in the field of politics in ways my grandmother never could have imagined. When I spoke to my grandmother about becoming a doctor when I grew up, she got that smile of hers meaning "I'd never crush a dream, but girls can't be doctors." Had she lived long enough, she would have been so very proud to see me get that diploma.
Hillary Clinton (and all of us who have broken barriers, and have been foot soldiers in the march towards equality FOR ALL) has accomplished much. So far. She has worked tirelessly for decades on the positions that Democrats hold so dear.
And now, tonight, much of her work, and her legacy, hangs on what she says, and how she says it.
She can get up on the stage and speak of causes: how important they are, and how we as Democrats have been working forever to advance equality, and justice, and rights. She can talk about how important it is for our party to reclaim our country: our Constitution, our Civil Rights and our Human Rights.
Or, she can make the speech about herself.
The question will be if her speech works towards the unity of the party, and the necessity of winning the White House and the down-ticket races in November. Or not.
What Hillary Clinton says tonight will forever mark her legacy as either someone who did all she could, then lost the primary race, but remained true to her ideals, her party and her work -OR- someone who does not accept defeat.
Equality does not mean getting ahead because of your gender (or in other cases, your race, your religion, or your sexual orientation) it means you have an equal opportunity. And then, as in every aspect of life, there are winners and losers.
For a lot of us, we must make the choice of what we are first. Am I a woman doctor? Or am I a doctor who just happens to be a woman? For me, the choice is the second: I am what I am irrespective of my gender. I want my work, my accomplishments, and all that I do, to be judged by its worth: not because of my gender. I hope that Hillary Clinton will chose the same ideology.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Most of us who have visited Denver, and the Rockies, know that the altitude is higher than many of us are used to, and therefore, there is less oxygen in our blood, and our biochemistry can be a little different because of the change, until one acclimates.
New York is being cautious, warning its delegates:
"Please monitor yourself, and remember that drinks may go to your head faster than you're used to in New York. We don't want any of our members to miss Delegation events or procededings, so please stay safe."
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Since I'm limited to 10 responses and we'd go WAAAAY past that, in lieu of a poll today, please use the comments to say what you are most looking forward to today....Michelle Obama's speech, other speakers, the committee reports, the DCW blogs from the site, breaking political news, the protests, or whatever else is jazzing you on Convention, Day 1.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Today started bright and early as we (Sheri, Monique & I) departed Ted Steven's International Airport bright and early at 12:05 am. I wonder how that will read after the Ted's legal matters are fully investigated?
We all felt very safe and the driver was kind enough to offer us bottled water. We declined but appreciated the gesture as we had been told of the importance of staying hydrated in the Mile High City. Coming from a place that is not far above sea level we certainly appreciated the gesture.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
OK I've got two goody bags here; one from the DNC for all delegates, and one for members of the California delegation. I'm limited on time, so here's the DNC bag and it's contents.
Here are the contents, spread out across my bed at the Sheraton in downtown in Denver.
Ok let's see...
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese - DNC edition! The noodles are little donkeys. So I guess that's "Ass and Cheese." Not nearly as appetizing but it's real Kraft so I'll probably eat it anyway.
Pedometer. From Astra Zeneca
Sanitizing gel with clip. Sponsored by Hogan & Hartson lawfirm
Joint Juice. Sponsored by Joint Juice.
Mints by UPS.
Mints by ProLogis real estate.
Chapstick by FedEx.
AT&T lapel pin and free ring tone card
Bunch of pens, one of which is made from recycled materials
A notebook.
And a lump of coal. Seriously. It's a stress ball thing that promotes "clean coal" (which I think sounds like a contradiction, but whatev).
There are also a lot of papers and brochures. One from the "Protecting America" group which is actually an audio pamphlet and came with earbuds. Shnazzy.
Not included in the bag but given to us upon arrival to the hotel: H2Obama water. Drink it and you're not just refreshed, but you're filled with hope!
Like I said there's also a California bag, which is actually *bigger* than the DNC bag. But I don't have time to go through that right now...I have got to go eat.
Update from Matt: As we wrote here last month, yes the bags have the Coke logo on them, and yes the convention will be in the Pepsi Center. You can't make this stuff up.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
This is a picture of the six acres of field turned into what Papa Johns is calling their "crop circle". It's about a mile away from the runway when you land at DIA.
In case you're hungry: the pepperoni is made of red mulch, the olives are black mulch, the green peppers are corn stalks, and the cheese is harvested wheat.
It cost almost $50,000, and took 600 hours to make. Since no aliens were available, Stan Herd did it all on his own.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
Starting on Sunday, August 17th, I will present the first of a daily video series I call "DNC Convention News" which will run from that point, through the DNC Convention. The videos will be posted here and at Zennie's Zeigeist, as well as in at playlist at the Zennie62 Youtube channel. Each video will be dated in the title.
The idea is to give a video roundup of what's being reported on the blogs and emails and listserves about the DNC Convention, and reports on the DNC Convention events and people. Each video will be not more than four or five minutes long at best.
Stay tuned.
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
WE'VE MOVED! Democratic Convention Watch is now at http://www.DemocraticConventionWatch.com
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