Denver Pictures! Finally!

CLICK HERE

The Speech.

As the final hour of my time in Denver comes to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to write about my experience yesterday witnessing history.

On the 45th Anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream Speech," the Democratic Party nominated the first person of color to their ticket - the first major party to do so in the United States. Not only that, but Sen. Obama accepted his nomination in front of the biggest crowd (and viewers) in the history of political convention. Over 80,000 in the stadium and 38 million watching. It was simply remarkable.

So here is my experience:

I woke up bright and early, took a shower, and prepared myself - physically and mentally - for the day ahead. It was in the mid-80's and sunny (okay, this is starting to sound like it came out of a fairy tale...). Anyhow, I went down to INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium in order to pick up my volunteer credential, get my t-shirt and my food pass. On the way down I received a call from Alec of the College Democrats, saying I have a credential waiting for me back downtown at the Colorado Convention Center (effectively exempting me from my volunteer duties). Obviously I bolted down to the center to pick it up. After that, I met up with some members of the high school wing of Students for Barack Obama, and had lunch at Jason's Deli (which apparently is a chain out here in the west). 

After lunch, I made my journey to the stadium. Little did I know I was going to encounter a line 10,000 people deep. It was about 2PM when I got there - the convention started at 3PM with major speakers later during prime time. Seeing blocks upon blocks of people, I decided to take my chances and try entry on the other side (west entrance). This was a brilliant idea,  except for the fact that 10,000 other people thought of the exact same thing.

I traveled at least 3/4 to a mile before I actually found the end of the line. Then the people started flooding in and the line wasn't moving. The medical marijuana protesters were a background noise to the murmur of the people in line. So we waited. And waited. About 40 minutes into the wait, I made a venture to Burger King to try and buy some water for the group of people I was with. Of course, they were out of water bottles, so I bought a case of water from a street vendor for $40. Desperate times called for desperate measures. Luckily, I was able to sell them to pay myself back. 

I traveled the line with a five other people - a couple from Colorado in their mid-twenties, and three middle-aged men. It was an experience to say the least. At about the two hour mark, the police started organizing the line (which by now filled up a parking lot) and things started moving along. After that point we moved fairly quickly and got in within an hour. It was 6PM when I finally got into the stadium and took my seat.

I arrived just in time to see speeches by Bill Richardson, Al Gore, a performance by Stevie Wonder, and of course Sen. Barack Obama himself. I was in the nosebleeds, but I was able to see the stage and the other 80,000 people in the stadium. What a sight. Soon the rest of the stands filled and I was in a sea of supporters. After Sen. Durbin spoke (at about 8PM), Sen. Obama took front and center.

What a speech. You can see my observations and commentary in the previous post, so I will not write of that. Instead I will write of what I observed around me. People from all races and ages were on the edge of their seats, listening to every word that came from the Senator. I remember the middle-aged Texan couple sitting a couple seats to the right of me. They were literally shedding tears as the final words were being spoken. People cheered. People cried. People laughed. People clapped. People were energized. And people hoped. When Barack Obama closed out his speech and the fireworks went off with the camera on Sen. Obama and his family, I don't think there was one person in the stadium who wasn't proud to be not only a Democrat, but an American. Only in America could the story of Barack Obama happen.

I have about twenty minutes left before my flight takes off for New York. I honestly have to say this has been one of the best experiences of my life, and being able to share that moment with the millions of other supporters, and with history, is mindblowing.

DNC Observations: Obama's Speech

In the final days and hours running up to the final day of the Democratic National Convention, Sen. Obama had worked up large expectations for his speech - he is famed for his speaking abilities, and he needed to top the expectations at INVESCO at Mile High Stadium. At about 8:00PM, Sen. Obama took the stage and in my opinion, he knocked it out of the park. 

He opened with talk of some of the problems plaguing the U.S. and the importance of this election. He then went and attacked Pres. Bush and his policies, saying "America, we are better than these last eight years.  We are a better country than this." He went on to talk about how people's jobs have been shipped over seas, how people don't have health care, how veterans don't have the care they deserve and how more and more people are slipping into poverty.

Obama hit McCain multiple times, the first of which stemmed from his voting record:

"But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time.  Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time?  I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time.  Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time?  I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change."

I think hitting McCain - and hard - was a smart move by Obama. He has essentially been in a war with McCain, and up until the DNC, it seemed as though McCain was winning most of the battles. For the first half of the speech Obama hit McCain multiple times, and it was evident. I think the name "John McCain" was mentioned over twenty times. He also hit on McCain being out-of-touch and oblivious:

"Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans.  I just think he doesn't know.  Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year?  How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans?  How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement? It's not because John McCain doesn't care.  It's because John McCain doesn't get it."

Obama talked taxes, he talked foreign policy, he talked the environment, he talked oil, he talked jobs and outsourcing, and he talked about the scope of government. Obama has been criticized for not laying out specifics and not attacking McCain enough, and I think yesterday night he was able to do both effectively and in a tactful way. I am hoping it will put to rest some of the concerns people have and set the tone for the rest of the election. Towards the end of his speech, his speech moved into the more territory where he is most comfortable - his rhetoric of idealism and optimism for the country. It was nice to see that light shine through. I think this speech should easily go down as one of the best in recent history.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Here are a couple quotations I selected from his speech:

"You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington.  Change comes to Washington. "

"But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring.  What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me.  It's been about you."

"America, we cannot turn back.  We cannot walk alone.  At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. "

"So I've got news for you, John McCain.  We all put our country first."

"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."

"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."

"That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper."

DNC Observations: Pres. Clinton's Speech

President Clinton did exactly what he needed to do at the DNC. He verified he does in fact support Sen. Obama, and believes Obama is the best candidate for the job. He acknowledged the success his wife, Hillary Clinton, and vocalized his hope for all 18 million supporters to vote for Barack Obama.

President Clinton did not hesitate to draw a clear contrast between Barack Obama and what he called the "Republican alternative." He said the race comes down to two essential issues that the next President will have to handle: rebuilding the American Dream and restoring our standing in the world. On the issues, Clinton showed how the Republicans have destroyed the prosperity of the past:

"They took us from record surpluses to an exploding national debt; from over 22 million new jobs down to 5 million; from an increase in working family incomes of $7,500 to a decline of more than $2,000; from almost 8 million Americans moving out of poverty to more than 5 and a half million falling into poverty - and millions more losing their health insurance."

It was clear he believes Sen. Obama is the man for the job, no doubt.

Here are a couple quotations from his speech which I found important:  

"People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power."

"...when he (Barack Obama) cannot convert adversaries into partners, he will stand up to them."

You can read the transcript here.

DNC Observations: Biden's Speech

He opened with this:

"For every American who is trying to do the right thing, for all those people in government who are honoring the pledge to uphold the Constitution, no longer will you hear the eight most dreaded words in the English language: the vice president's office is on the phone"

He is alluding to the VP office (Cheney's Office) being an office of backroom power, deception, and embarrassment. Joe Biden would not be such a VP. He has led a different life, a different career. Biden spoke of family and the values he had instilled in him - thanking his mom and dad for those values. Biden stuttered, wasn't as well dressed, and had his fair share of setbacks, but the mentality of (in the words of Sen. Biden's dad) "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up. Get up." has governed his work ethic.

Biden, a man of the blue-collar spirit, spoke of the troubles of the average American - financial setbacks, the struggles with the price of oil, health care, and retirement. He showed how the American Promise is slowly slipping away - something that Sen. Obama later echoed in his acceptance speech at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium.

Sen. Biden went on to attack Sen. McCain on his record - opposing alternative energy investment, voting against minimum wage increases, tax breaks for oil compainies, and a voting record in which he sided with Pres. Bush 95% of the time. This exactly the role I believe the Obama Campaign chose Biden for. They needed someone who know's McCain's record and who do a good job attacking it. On the issue of foreign policy (specifically on the War on Terror),  Sen. Biden said "John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right." This is the frank, straight-forward tone that I find appealing about Biden, and I think he utilizes it well.

"Folks, remember when the world used to trust us? When they looked to us for leadership? With Barack Obama as our president, they'll look to us again, they'll trust us again, and we'll be able to lead again."

This is very true and exactly what I think he heart of what this election (in terms of foreign policy) will be about. This drew a huge positive response. 

Biden closed his speech with:

"Millions of Americans have been knocked down. And this is the time as Americans, together, we get back up. Our people are too good, our debt to our parents and grandparents too great, our obligation to our children is too sacred."

Wow. People were literally shedding tears by the end of this performance. Being a longtime supporter of Sen. Biden, I can say the Democrats made the right choice.