Monday, September 1, 2008

Wrap Up of the Big Night

Four days later, it is still a bit difficult to know where to start. The experience of Thursday was visceral rather than intellectual. I have since tried to make some logical sense of the evening and my reactions, but even though the event FEELS of a piece to me emotionally, I can’t find a way to describe it as a narrative. So here are some individual impressions I have been able to verbalize.

Make no mistake, there was a “party” atmosphere here. Pun intended. There was a lot of music Thursday and with happy Democrats, that meant a lot of dancing. One of the Georgia delegation’s favorite moments was Shirley Franklin dancing with Calvin Smyre in the aisle between Georgia and Ohio.

When we first got there, the crowd was thin, but there were what looked like miles of people streaming in over a bridge leading towards the stadium. Parking was severely limited, so people had to park far away and walk. Throughout the afternoon, the stadium steadily filled in – it was amazing to watch the mass of humanity assembled for a political speech.
The day itself was drop-dead gorgeous. There was literally “not a cloud in the sky.” Which we all got a kick out of once the rumor started circulating that the Family Research Council had been praying for months for our event to be rained out.

I went to get pizza with my friend Page at one point. All the lines were packed and we waited and waited. In the first line, they ran out of pizza so we all had to run to the next pizza line. We were almost to the front of that line when we heard again that they were sold out. Just then, a young man, about 20, ran up to us with some cash in his hand and explained that he was a “runner” for Fox News and he needed to get them some pizza – did we mind if he broke in line? “They are out of pizza,” I told him, “and….yeah…Fox News. You’re probably not going to get much sympathy at the *Democratic* National Convention.” He just looked a little sheepish and ran away. I looked around at the others in line. “Had to be said.”

My thoughts about the speech itself. It was brilliant. He used memorable rhetorical devices, often turning the catch phrases of the opposition on their heads, “the ownership society means – you’re on your own… It’s time for them to own their failure.” He also debunked some of the Republican mythology that seeks to convince voters that Democrats don’t value or don’t understand the market, the proper role of government, etc:

"It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.


Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.


Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work."

He avoided the old Democratic trap, even under pressure from the pundits, of reeling off policy positions and getting deep in the weeds. He spoke of specific goals, but always in terms of our common American values. He covered his tax priorities, his energy goals, his education goals, his health care approach, and his foreign policy approach. All the while contrasting his policies with those of Bush/McCain.

He touched on his recurrent theme that government won’t solve all our society’s problems and that we need to renew our own sense of personal responsibility to our families and communities. He outlined how he would pay for his proposals, and made a commitment to rooting out waste and inefficiency in our federal bureaucracy, again using vivid language, “because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.”

He was strong as he outlined his foreign policy approach, again emphasizing the contrast between himself and McCain:

"You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.



We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.



As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home."

He also foresaw and addressed a familiar McCain and general Republican attack line – that Barack Obama in particular and the Democrats in general aren’t sufficiently patriotic. He pledged not to fall into this particular gutter and stipulated that McCain and the Republicans love their country, too.

"But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.



The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America."

And in a powerful applause line that foresaw the “theme” of the Republican National Convention (“Country First”) he said, "So I've got news for you, John McCain. We *all* put our country first."

He even had a response to “Gays, God, and Guns” outlining the areas of agreement and cooperation that exist between the parties even on the most divisive issues and proclaiming that we must not make a big election about small things.

And after all this, he pivoted back to his unmatched, stunning rhetoric, painting a picture of America as it has been, as it is, and as it always will be, saying, “it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.”

After the speech was over and his family and running mate came out on stage to greet the crowds, the physical environment was nearly overwhelming. The music and the confetti and the fireworks, just like on the Fouth of July these were metaphors for patriotism, righteousness, celebration, and joy. I was trying to take pictures as if my camera or any camera could capture that moment.

None of us really wanted to leave. We stayed, watching the last of the confetti drift around the perfect evening, watching a group of streamers that got caught on the skycam blowing in the breeze, watching television reporters giving their wrap-up reports in colorful suits and running shoes. One woman said to me, “this was so special, so historic. The only thing I have seen to match it was being at the March on Washington.” Which got me thinking about the history of the moment in terms of the Civil Rights Movement.

The battles of the Civil Rights Movement were, and are, critical to African Americans in very real terms of stretching horizons – making the opportunities of citizenship in our country real to them and their families. The progress has meant freedom from violence and freedom to participate in civic life. To white Americans, I had perhaps formerly thought that the victories of the Civil Rights Movement were more abstract. All people of any color who value social justice, fairness, and peace celebrate the progress in our country in the past fifty years. But tonight, a much more tangible benefit has become obvious. In an unequal, segregated society, we rob ourselves and our communities of the gifts and talents inborn in every child of God. Without the Civil Rights Movement, our country would not have recognized and elevated the amazing intellect and leadership of Barack Obama. Which would be a shame indeed.

And then again, back to thinking about the Civil Rights Movement in a more abstract fashion, the Movement was and is a brilliant metaphor for the larger human struggle to create the kingdom of God on earth: “on earth as it is in heaven.” The injustice is perceived by individuals as physical and emotional blows, denial of access to education and opportunity. And collectively, the injustice separates us from the beloved community. Therefore, while Barack Obama represents a massive milestone in a specific 50-year long struggle in our country, he is also a symbol for all of us testifying to our ability as a human family to walk, imperfectly, toward a higher state of being.
Still looking around, I saw two very young women. White, college age. They were hugging each other and sobbing earnestly. While it was easy to understand the tears of older African Americans, who had experienced decades of struggle and two steps forward, one step back progress, what was the explanation for this weeping? What was the explanation for my own? I am sure John McCain would cynically call it part of the shallow celebrity worship he sees. But that’s so unlikely, given the substance of the evening – a speech about policy and history not a rock concert! And I also don’t know if I quite buy into the idea that the Obama campaign is a “movement” though I am sure it feels like that to some participants. Rather, I think that Obama has tapped into something deep and old. It’s an instinctive optimism, definitely American, but probably bigger than that. It’s a primal knowledge of the world as it should be. And an awareness that we in the United States have it in our power to achieve that world in a way that perhaps no other country in the world ever has. He is tapping into the grief that we have not achieved it and the hope against hope that it’s not too late.

At the end of his speech, Obama invoked the anniversary of the I Have a Dream speech. And what he said was, in his singular way, just perfect.

"And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.

The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.

But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one."

What Barack reminded us is that in a time of deep division, our most heroic people turn from the anger and toward unity.

This campaign season, many of my good friends were reluctant at first to support Obama because, in essence, they were still too angry for his “post-partisanship.” After the incredible wounds inflicted by the Bush administration and Republicans in general over the last eight years, wounds to the Constitution, our institutions, our economy, our sense of civic unity and purpose, wounds to the city of New Orleans, wounds to our international alliances, our international standing, wounds to our soldiers, wounds to civilians in Iraq and elsewhere – after all these wounds, people were too angry to just forgive and move on. And believe me, I understand the anger.

But what Barack reminded us was that 45 years ago, the people gathered to hear that speech had reason to be angry, too. The persecution, the segregation, the limiting of travel, opportunity, education, the scorn, the violence, the threats, the lynchings, the dogs, the firehoses. Yes, as Barack said, they could have heard words of anger and discord. They would have been justified.

But instead, Dr King and Senator Obama both chose the path of non-violence. They chose to look higher, towards a vision of unity rather than division. They knew, and they told us, that our paths lie together, and that anger and revenge are destructive in the end. They diminish rather than deliver those who act on those emotions.

I have heard the question asked, “is he too good to be true?” And I think about what he said in his speech, “What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.” It’s not about whether he’s too good to be true because it’s not about him. John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr were imperfect men. But that didn’t stop them from inspiring others to be their best, to do their best. To be better than they ever imagined they could be. Like you most brilliant teacher, he will set a high bar and do everything he can to help us achieve it. But in the end, it is the student, not the teacher, who takes the test. So the question may be, are WE good enough? Are we up to the challenge? Senator Barack Obama clearly believes we are.

Friday, August 29, 2008

I Am Still Without Words

It may take me several days to sort through the very strong emotions and reactions I have about the experience last night. So don't expect my full readout here. I just can't quite get my head around it.

I was so thrilled to be a witness to history. And this was historic, there is no doubt about that in my mind. I was so moved, and so proud to be American.

Please check back because as I mull this all over, I will definitely share some thoughts and definitely some really amazing pictures.

Sarah Palin? Really? First term Governor of Alaska? Really?

Wow. Really?

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Georgia getting the love

utterz-image
We hear that john lewis has prime time slot and therefore georgia has AWESOME seats. We are between delaware and illinois if you can believe it.

Mobile post sent by schuniore using Utterzreply-count Replies.

The Vote

One of the main things I learned in the last 24 hours is that you cannot sleep and blog at the same time. Wow, we are all getting really tired – it’s been a long week and the emotional pinnacle is yet to come.

Some of you may have read my twitter last night when I tired to put this into 140 characters. Well, forget it – here’s what happened.

I’ll post later about the speeches, but the most exciting moments were right after gavel down. To set a bit of background, at 1:15 local, Hillary had a highly private meeting at which she released her delegates. She told them that she intended to vote for Barack Obama, and they were free to do whatever they needed to do. Apparently she then said something very strong, along the lines of, “make no mistake – no matter what those of you in this room decide, we WILL be nominating Barack Obama for president at the end of the day.”

So, there was still some drama. I had seen New Jersey Governor and Hillary backer John Corzine speak on CNN and he said that the New Jersey Hillary delegates had a morning meeting and voted unanimously to all support Obama. So the New Jersey delegation was going to give every vote to Obama. The outcome has been clear all along, but the question still hanging in the air was, would there be enough Hillary votes to put a blemish on the nomination of Obama?

So – the roll call vote was about to begin. There were some slightly lackluster nomination speeches. When my phone rang. It was Gregg, our delegation page, and he told me they needed me to come vote! I couldn’t believe it! This was of course my official role as an alternate, but I had never imagined that I would actually get to cast my vote for Barack Obama. Gregg said, “you need to be walking RIGHT NOW.” So, of course, I RAN. I flew down the stairs and met Will Fawkes at the top of the portal where the Georgia delegation was sitting. He gave me a floor credential and I ran down the steps to the Georgia section. Gregg and Jane Kidd, our State Party Chair, were waiting for me. They told me I was voting for Tommy Irvin, our state’s Commissioner of Agriculture! For some reason, he was delayed and could not get there to vote. He had originally been a Clinton delegate, but had told Gregg and Jane that he intended to wait and vote on the floor in case Hillary released the delegates, in which case he would vote for Obama. So there I was, to make history. Somewhat disappointingly, our delegation whip, Senator Gloria Butler, had already checked the Obama box, but I wrote out my signature, thereby making it official. One more for Senator Barack Obama!!! The floor was chaos as every state got all their votes and tallies organized. I lingered for just a few moments to soak in the history and snap a few photos, and then went back to my seat to watch and listen as we learned how the other 5000 delegates voted.

I got back in plenty of time to see Nancy Pelosi introduce the DNC Secretary, Alice Germond, who took over the podium to run the vote. Ms. Pelosi stayed on stage, along with a gal who tallied the votes on a laptop as each state was called.

The process worked like this: the secretary called each state in alphabetical order, announced how many votes they had, and asked how they would cast them. Each state then responded with a clever statement that included some state history or state point of pride, joke, etc. Alabama was the first state to vote. Though they were first, they pretty much set the trend. In most states there was a very small handful of Hillary votes with the vast majority going to Obama. After the first few went that way, I started to breath a big sigh of relief. Clearly, a few people were determined to cast their votes for Hillary, but by a huge margin, her delegates seemed to be following her lead. Arkansas was very interesting. In their introduction speech, they mentioned that they had been the state which gave Hillary Clinton her largest margin of victory in any primary. And then they proceeded to cast all of their votes unanimously for Barack Obama. Huge cheers from the crowd!

When we got to California, they got up and simply said, “we will pass.” I was not sure what that meant, but my friend Page who was on Boston four years ago explained that many big states would pass because everyone wants to be the one to put the nominee over the top with enough votes to claim the nomination.

So then we got to Georgia. I should have mentioned that each state’s spokesperson was usually a political star from the state – Jane Kidd, our party chair, and Shirley Franklin, our mayor, gave our presentation. They were very cute but I honestly can’t remember what they said. But Georgia cast 82 votes for Obama (one of them mine!!) and 18 for Clinton. I found myself wondering which 18 Hillary delegates had held out.

When we got to Illinois, they also passed.

Kentucky was, I think, the closest state. Obama still got a majority, but it was close to even. No cheers for Kentucky. But they did have a cute line about turning the Bluegrass Blue.

New Hampshire and New Jersey were both notable since they both voted unanimously for Obama. New Hampshire being the state where she made her comeback, and New Jersey being the state next door to her home state.

OK, where am I going with this, you may be wondering….

Well, I wasn’t keeping a tally, but someone was. We got to New Mexico. They gave their introduction, which was great, and then said, “but today, we are pleased to yield to the land of Lincoln. We yield to the great state of Illinois!”

Murmur – murmur – murmur in the crowd. We all realized that he must be on the very verge of locking it down. New Mexico only had 38 total votes, so it had to be really close. And they were going to let his home state put him over! How cool! How poetic!

So the Secretary recognized Illinois again. The cameras and attention shifted back to Illinois, and they stood up and said, yes, we are the proud land of Lincoln and the proud home of Senator Obama….but WE yield to the great state of New York!

More murmuring!!! Illinois was going to let New York put him over the top! And who was New York’s spokesperson? Yes, all the dominos starting falling into place and what was going to happen dawned on all of us nearly simultaneously to the camera shots of Senator Clinton making her way to the microphone stand in the New York delegation. And when she spoke, it was to make a motion to suspend the roll call vote and move to accept by acclamation the nomination of Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic Party presidential nominee. It was so incredible. Ms. Germond yielded the stage back to Nancy Pelosi, who looked like she was about to levitate off the stage with joy and excitement. She asked for a second to the motion and then we voted, in one loud strong voice, we said AYE! The gavel went down, and the cheers went up. The band struck up a song, and all the delegates were dancing in the aisles. Page turned to me and said, “and that’s how we make history.”

(Cross-posted at bluetrueblog.com)

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Top 5 Speeches from Tuesday Night

So, what else happened last night?

Here are my awards for the top five speeches (my comments already rendered on the Hillary speech, I took her out of the running since hers was arguably in a different plane than the rest of the speeches last night):

Number 5: Dennis Kucinich “Wake Up America:” the first really rambunctious speech of the day. A much needed “wake up” for the delegates, and vintage Kucinich. “Wake up America!” he told us over and over. And the cheers grew every time. “Contractors want war…the drug companies have taken over the drug pricing…etc”

"They can tap our phones, but they can’t tap our creative spirit, they can open our mail, but they can’t open up economic opportunities."

Then he said – we don’t need to go from right to left, we need to go from down to UP! “Up with workers, up with wages! Up with healthcare for all, Up with education for all!”

Great rhetoric! Well-delivered! Bravo, Dennis.

Number 4: Ed Rendell

This was the energy speech of the night. First he laid out the terrible record of Bush and McCain on the environment:

And if you look past the speeches to his record, it’s clear: John McCain has
never believed in renewable energy and he won’t make it part of America’s
future. For all his talk, here’s the truth: John McCain voted against
establishing a national renewable energy standard. He voted against tax
incentives for renewable energy companies. And for all his talk of drilling, he
refused to endorse a bipartisan effort to expand domestic oil production because
that bipartisan proposal would end tax breaks for big oil.

It’s
clear: the only thing green in John McCain’s energy plan is the billions of
dollars he’s promising in tax cuts for oil companies. And the only thing he’ll
recycle is the same failed Bush approach to energy policy. We can’t afford more
of the same. We need a strategy that puts America on a path to end the age of
oil once and for all.

Then he goes on to describe Obama’s energy plan, drawing a sharp distinction between Obama’s plan and the Bush/McCain record:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden are committed to producing enough homegrown fuel to
replace every drop of the oil we import from the Middle East and Venezuela in
just 10 years. An Obama administration will invest $4 billion to keep America in
the car-making business and give you a tax cut so you can buy a fuel-efficient
car or truck. And it will commit to getting 1 million 150-mile-per-gallon cars
on our roads within six years, and make sure they are built right here in
America.

It will require that within four years, at least 10
percent of our nation’s electricity comes from alternative energy, and by 2025
we hit 25 percent. It will move immediately to make the renewable energy tax
credit permanent and double the amount of energy that comes from renewable
sources over the next four years.

It will invest $150 billion over
the next decade to grow our energy supply and put 5 million Americans to work
building solar and wind farms, clean coal gasification and geothermal plants,
the kind of jobs that can’t be outsourced to India or China. It will bring
everyone to the table-business, government and the American people-to reduce our
demand for electricity 15 percent by the end of next decade. That’s the kind of
change we need.

Of course he had more jokes and more stories but bottom line – here’s the specifics that the pundits keep clamoring for. Obama/Biden understand the full impact of the energy situation on our national security and they have a plan to address the crisis. Bush/McCain do not understand and will not address this critical issue.

Number 3: Deval Patrick

I thought this was a dynamite speech. I am told that the arrival of Bill Clinton interrupted the experience for the delegates on the floor, so here was one example of the nosebleed seats being an advantage.

He started by telling his own personal story of growing up in poverty in Chicago – about how he and his mother and sister shared a room and set of bunkbeds. They rotated through on a nightly basis – top bunk, bottom bunk, floor – so that every third night, one of them slept on the floor. And he contrasted his own childhood experience with that of his own daughter who has her own room in a beautiful house in a safe neighborhood:

One generation and the circumstances of my life and family were profoundly
transformed. And though that story is still not told as often as we’d like, it’s
told more often in this country than any other place on earth. That is the
American story. It is who we are. It is also what we stand for as
Democrats: the simple notion that through hard work, tenacity, preparation and
faith each of us has a chance at the American story.

He went on to say that the American dream is in jeopardy these days, but if we work together, we can restore the promise of our beloved country. He describes it as improving our “vision:”

When I was growing up on the South Side of Chicago in the ‘50s and ‘60s,
everything was broken. Playgrounds, schools, families and lives—all broken. But
we had a community. Those were days when every child was under the jurisdiction
of every single adult on the block. So if you messed up in front of Ms. Jones’
stoop, she would straighten you out as if you were hers and then call home, so
you would get it twice. What those adults were trying to get across to us was
that they had a stake in us. They wanted us to understand that membership in a
community is seeing the stake that each of us has in our neighbor’s dreams and
struggles, as well as our own.
Barack Obama has challenged us to rebuild our
national community. To focus not on the things that tear us apart, but on those
that bring us together; not on the right or the left, but right and wrong; not
on yesterday, but tomorrow. These are the possibilities Barack Obama asks us to
reach for. This is the kind of leadership he offers to bring to the
presidency—not because government can solve every problem in everybody’s life;
but because “government,” as Barney Frank likes to say, is simply the name we
give to the things we choose to do together.

Great, great, great.

Number 2: Brian Schweitzer

This was also an energy speech, but in this one, the delivery was more important than the content. On a night when we were running behind instead of ahead of schedule, there was very little time for the band to play between speeches. The crowd was not as loose, and many times it was a bit hard to hear. So here comes Governor Schweitzer totally SELLING IT. He was great. You just have to watch the video if you missed it last night.

Here was the laugh line from the speech:

Even leaders in the oil industry know that Senator McCain has it wrong. 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.

Good times.

And the Number 1 Speech of last night: The US Senate Women

I give the honors for “best speech of the night” to the platoon of eight Democratic Women Senators. They were amazing! Every single one of them absolutely nailed it. They each had a short, pithy theme focusing on domestic policy and they drove it home. After hit or miss speeches from the men all night, it was so fun to see each and every one of the women absolutely sparkle.

The link gives their remarks individually, but they were presented as a package deal – and what a dynamite package they were.

For all the depressed Hillary supporters who think she was the one and only chance to put a woman in the White House, I got eight people who said strongly last night, “Don’t you fret – we got this one.”

Bravo to:

The Honorable Barbara Mikulski
US Senator, Maryland
The Honorable Barbara Boxer
US Senator, California
The Honorable Mary Landrieu
US Senator, Louisiana
The Honorable Blanche Lambert Lincoln
US Senator, Arkansas
The Honorable Debbie Stabenow
US Senator, Michigan
The Honorable Maria Cantwell
US Senator, Washington
The Honorable Claire McCaskill
US Senator, Missouri
The Honorable Amy Klobuchar
US Senator, Minnesota

So there you have it! I am VERY late to shower and get down to the Pepsi Center to see this roll call vote happen. Expect twitter updates all night long.

(Cross Posted to trueblueblog.com)