Ah, Now I Remember What I Liked About Bill Clinton

photo, tlg, 8/27/08 click on photo for large size

Another crazy, busy, topsy, turvy day in Denver. But tonight It was a great joy and honor to hear Bill Clinton the way I remembered him. Human, funny, charismatic- Not the angry-bitter-bill of recent months. It was a joy to hear him speak.

I thought the speech was just about perfect.

He drew on his past to highlight why Obama is perfect in 2008. "We are on the right side of history."

When I heard about the line-up for this week I had some pretty big concerns but so far I think it has been pretty damn good. I think it has been a real human view of these larger than life politicos and I feel that they have done a good job trying to change the narrative.

Biggest thing for me though is my absolute anger and frustration at how different the convention is from the "News" about the convention. The corporate media just lie, and then lie some more.
I have so much more to say, will try to catch up on the pile of content I have to post.

It's been a whirl wind. Great to have LM here now.
Tomorrow is going to be historic.

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Fired Up; TV Viewers in Higher Numbers

photo of the DNC, by TLG, 08.26.08 click on photo for larger version.

Lots of eyeballs, great chance for Obama team to make the case.

For the top 3 Cable News networks, CNN, Fox News and MSNBC, the ratings for the first night of the 2008 Democratic Convention were substantially higher than the first night in 2004, with prime-time viewership up as much as 88% and adults 25-54 viewership up as much as 127%.- by Bill Gorman, TV By the Numbers

Great to see that so many people are interested. And the increase is in a great age demographic for us. I just wish we could really present this to regular non blogosphere folks through some other lens than the corporate media, but hopefully people are trying to listen, learn and make up their own minds.

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Packin Up, Getting Ready to Go

Well, we are getting ready to move part of this show to Denver. Mrs. R and Evan are on the road. Various Overseas Dems are catching flights today. And we are DENVER bound!

My question to you, GNB family, is

Has anyone been to Denver before? And what should we do/see/eat while we are there. Hoping that there will be loads of suggestions by the time I touch down.

Getting ready to Rumble!

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Headliner Program Announced for the DNCC in Denver

The 2008 Convention will highlight Americans coming together to change the course of this nation," said Kansas Governor and Convention Co-Chair Kathleen Sebelius. "We are at a critical moment in our nation's history. The politics and policies that have divided us will not allow us to achieve the change we need. Barack Obama is a leader to move America in a new direction and bring us together to turn moments of great challenge into moments of great opportunity. This year's Democratic Convention is the story of people from across the country who believe it is time for change.

2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION HEADLINE SPEAKERS

Monday August 25th's headline prime-time speaker will be Michelle Obama.

Senator Hillary Clinton will be the headline prime-time speaker on Tuesday August 26th.

The headline prime-time speaker on Wednesday August 27th will be Barack Obama's Vice Presidential nominee.

On Thursday, August 28th, the DNCC will move to INVESCO Field at Mile High so that more people can take part in the fourth night of the Convention as Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination.

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Democratic Party Platform Approved

Keystone/Getty Images photo from the 1908 Denver Democratic Party Convention

Yes, I am hopelessly earnest, an optimist and still a romantic.

I believe that laying down our dreams, ideas, and principals on paper is an important step even if we consistently fall short from our ideals.

We need something to shoot for. We need to discuss and put forth our plans and decide as a party what we will work toward. We will not all be happy or agree all of the time, but we can decide on some common ground and goals. I have not read the approved platform yet, saw the highlights in the article linked to below and I am eager to read the whole thing.

And so, I was happy to read the news today that that platform has been finished. And I was also happy to see strong movement toward party unity though I wish it did not have to come so decisively through identity politics.

PITTSBURGH — Democrats adopted a party platform Saturday that attempted to appease Hillary Rodham Clinton supporters through strong language against sexism and a nod to her health care plan.

But the 51-page document, which sets out the party's basic stance on issues, reflects the priorities of Barack Obama, the presumptive nominee. From his call to draw down American forces in Iraq over 16 months to an energy plan that emphasizes less oil and more renewable energy sources, the platform calls for a major change in direction for the government.

Other highlights of the platform included a call to repeal the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, support for tying the minimum wage to inflation and new language addressing the use of federal lands.--

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Though it calls for change, the platform harkens to a New Deal-era style of government, mentioning Franklin Roosevelt three times and calling for greater civic participation.

"Today, we pledge a return to core moral principles like stewardship, service to others, personal responsibility, shared sacrifice and a fair shot for all," the platform reads. "Today, we Democrats offer leaders — from the White House to the statehouse — worthy of this country's trust."

The biggest departure from 2004 was on the issue of the war in Iraq. The 2004 platform said "people of goodwill disagree about whether America should have gone to war in Iraq."

The 2008 platform, though, calls Iraq an "unnecessary war" and a "strategic blunder."By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post

There is a lot to like in the highlights I've read so far. It is, however, weak on particulars about how we are going to actually deliver healthcare, but does make a commitment to work toward a better system. Lots more to do in the real world. But writing ideas down and visualizing our goals does indeed often help make them a reality.

P.S. I also thought it was pretty cool that Obama kind of made an effort to crowd source the platform. read here.

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Vote for the Best Video for the Denver Convention

The DNCC has been running a contest. Americans from across the country were encouraged to post videos to youtube answering the question "Why I am a Democrat in 2008."

The 5 finalists have been choosen by the DNC and the winner will be chosen by voters on youtube. Take a look and pick your favorite.

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Win a Trip to the Convention

Win a day in the campaign press pool and a trip to the 2008 political conventions by creating a video answering the question,
"Why are you a Democrat in 2008?"

For more details or to submit your video, go to
www.youtube.com/demconvention Take a look around the channel at other videos posted about Denver, the convention and about our party.

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