Tonight the DNC takes the party outside where Barak Obama will spread hope and feed the multitudes at Invesco Field with just five loaves and two fishes. Yes, this blog just got blasphemous.
Live blogging starts 8:00 PM-ish EST.
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FYI Introduction to the PBS broadcasting team
When I speak of Jim Lehrer, I mean this guy. He is the anchor/moderator.
When I speak of Mark Shields and David Brooks, I mean these guys. They are the left-wing and right-wing leaning pundits, respectively.
When I speak of Michael Beschloss and Edward Norton-Smith, I mean these guys. They are political historians.
If I speak of Peniel Joseph, I mean this guy. He is an African-American studies historian.You got that? Now let's start live blogging!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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8:00 PM 75,000 people stand around waving flags in the Colorado sunshine inside a football field.
8:01 Turns out those 75,000 people are there "to be part of history."
8:03 I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled. Some guy I know is out there in that crowd.
8:03 First up on the podium in primetime: Mark Udall. He's running for senator? governor? Anyway, he's got on a bolo tie and a $50 haircut, and I can't see them, but I bet he's wearing expensive cowboy boots.
8:07 Next up, Tim Kaine the governor of Virginia (a truly beautiful state, with a sadly hap-hazard road system, especially in the north).
8:08 Tim Kaine was on Obama's almost-veep short list.
8:10Waoh, watch out, he's quoting scripture (Matthew 17:20 -- For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you). He's sort of telling the Rocky Mountains in the background to move. Now he's speaking Spanish. This guy's all over the place.
8:11Now he's talking about "putting faith into action." Wow, it's like I'm in a time warp to 2000 and watching GW Bush speak at his convention.
8:12 Oh my. It's like a church revival speech. The crowd's not sure what to do with it. Mr. Kaine should try this out next week in Minnesota, he'd get a much better reaction.
8:14 Warning. Bill Richardson is approaching the podium. Out of safety concerns I explained last night, I will be shutting down my brain temporarily.
8:15 You know, SNL actor Horatio Sanz does a dead-on Bill Richardson impersonation, because looking and listening at the screen (and not comprehending the words...safety first) I want to laugh. It feels like a parody of what a Latino politician should sound like.
8:19 By the way, Richardson (I've put him on mute now...newly imposed safety precaution) is still sporting his " Obama and Hillary totally kicked my ass in the primaries and I had to drop out" beard, but he's shaved it to make himself look like someone from the 1800's. Seriously, it dips down to show off clean-shaven cheeks.
8:23 Whew. It's over. I'm turning the sound back on.
8:25 Bon Jovi is playing in the background. Not live. But Lehrer tells me that Stevie Wonder is going to perform LIVE in a few minutes.
8:27 Hilarious! Lehrer is rushing Shields. "Hurry up and finish because Stevie Wonder is coming out," he says!!! Who knew Jim Lehrer was such a Stevie Wonder fanboy.
8:30 Stevie Wonder comes out. Fanboy Lehrer is gushing.
8:31 Awh, Stevie says he loves me. You know, he just doesn't say that enough.
8:32 Stevie Wonder and his back-up singers sing. I'm gonna think about what snack I want from the kitchen.
8:37 Stevie hits the second song on his set list: Sing, Sealed, Delivered (Stevie is ours!)
8:40 Uh oh. PBS Correspondent Ray Suarez is talking to some academics who have written books on Obama. One of them has a very distracting lazy eye.
8:42 They've looked at excerpts of Obama's speech tonight (as have I) and say it will be more nuts and bolts and less big uplifting themes.
8:45 Oh Dear, they invited that other loser. The Emmy, Oscar, Nobel Prize winning loser. Seriously, he was that big a loser the world gave him all those awards for that. Al Gore, ladies and gentlemen.
8:46 And I say big loser, because to lose by that small a margin (when you should have won. who doesn't win their HOME STATE? if your neighbors won't vote for you, why should we?) makes the loss that much bigger.
8:47 Al Gore's speech is presented to you in If-Then form. "If I had been President, then the world would be full of puppies and daisies." "If I had been President, then this country would be exporting organic bunnies and putting pumpkin spice enhanced fuel in its cars."
8:51 In contrast to Bill Richardson, Al Gore is NOT wearing his "I lost so I can feel free to let myself go" beard. He's clean shaven.
8:57 Al Gore's speech summarized for your convenience: Environment! blah, blah, blah, blah, Special Interests! blah, blah, blah, blah, Eight Years Ago! blah, blah, blah, blah, Time For A Change! blah, blah, blah, blah, Inconvenient Truth* blah, blah, blah Elect Barak Obama.
(*) Yes. He just plugged his own Oscar winning movie.
9:01 Mark Shields says he isn't sure why Gore lost the presidential race. Uh... Cause HE LOST HIS HOME STATE. Eleven electoral votes. That's all he needed to put himself over the top.
9:04 Ooh. Historian round table time!
9:05 They're talking a lot about Adlai Stevenson. I remember him from history classes.
9:10 More Who's McCain gonna pick talk.
9:10 Awesome! David Brooks almost swore. The idea of McCain picking Mitt Romney as a running mate scares the.......[searches for PBS appropriate word]...heck out of him. Heh.
9:11 Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of President Ike, speaks on stage. She grew up in Gettysburg, PA. (Remember Pickett's Charge!!)
9:12 Oh wow. She really just name checked "Pickett's Charge." Get out of my head, Lady.
9:15 Tribute to high ranking military veterans. A lot of Generals and Admirals walk out on stage. Woah, the Navy has an African American Woman Admiral. Cool. Did I mishear or does one of those generals have the last name "Fignewton?" I swear I heard the announcer say "General Fig Newton."
9:17 The general selected to speak for them says he's a Missionary Kid. My dad always told me there were two types of people I couldn't trust in this world: Preacher Kids and Mish Kids.
9:21 I checked. I heard right. General "Fig" Newton is on stage. You can't see it, but I'm shaking my head in shame.
9:23 Biden's back on stage.
9:24 Biden explains for the slow people that they are in a stadium in the OPEN AIR at an OPEN CONVENTION. Get it?
9:28 Roy Gross, delegate from Michigan speaks on stage. He's part of a series of delegates who will speak about the grass roots campaigning they've done and how Obama inspires them. Do we need tissues for this? Are these going to be inspirational tear-jerking stories?
9:30 Nope. Roy Gross is done. I did not cry.
9:30 Monica Early from Cuyohoga Falls (read: Cleveland, OH) is inspired by Obama because he's a fighter. She's pretty good for a (alleged) newbie.
9:34Janet Lynn Monaco. She's from Florida by way of a New York/New Jersey accent. Just like 1/3 of Florida. She's very angry with GW Bush and John McCain. She's sort of intimidating.
9:36Sweet little Latina lady, Teresa Asenapp, from New Mexico speaks. Her grandma couldn't read or write, but little Teresa has a degree in education. She's cute and peppy.
9:39 Pam from Pittsboro, NC. I love the North Carolina accent, mostly because I used to have one. Pam and her hubby had health insurance problems. She's a nurse who didn't earn much and thus could not afford health insurance. I just do not understand! You work in the health care industry and don't budget for health insurance? I'm assuming she worked part time. And that she and her hubby had some seriously expensive pre-existing health conditions. Still, a nurse without health insurance! She should have the knowledge and resources to find something, without needing the government to hold her hand. Sorry? Did I reveal my position on national health insurance? Oops.
9:40 Barney Smith from the Indiana heartland. He used to be a Republican. (Turn-coat!). His job got sent overseas. He gets a big reaction out of this line: "We need a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney." Did Barney Smith just insult my broker? I think he sort of did?
9:42 Lehrer, Shields, and Brooks, like me, think these salt-of-the-earth people were pretty awesome speakers. Much better than the slick politicians.
9:49 Brooks grades tonight so far as B/B+. Shields thinks the crowd is joyful and full of smiles. The people are dancing. Heh. David Brooks says the dancing is better than usual because the delegates are younger than usual. Them young kids got more rhythm. (I'm wondering if some of those people are drunk. Young people in a football stadium in the beer commercial capital of the U.S.....some of them must have indulged.)
9:54 The PBS Patented (not really) Panel of Historians speak about today's connection to MLK, Jr's "I have a dream" speech, which happened 45 years ago this very day.
9:55 Beschloss says this in the stadium thing has been done before by FDR in a field, but FDR's leg brace broke and he fell climbing the podium. Thank goodness for no cameras.
9:56 Back at Invesco field, Illinois Senator Dick Durban introduces Illinois Senator Barak Obama.
9:58 Wow, the little Obama daughters are all fired up, screaming like they are at a pep rally (which they sort of are). They really are cute.
10:02 Ode to Obama DNC obligatory PR video. Narrated by David Strathairn! I love that guy's voice.
10:05 Gotta say, I really do enjoy Obama's life story. It's a heck of a story.
10:11 Here he comes, Mr. American Dream, Barak Obama. On stage. Wow, that stadium really is completely full.
10:13 My father would like me to emphasize that Obama's full name is Barak Hussein Obama. Not because my father is a jingoist Republican, but because my father's middle name is also Hussein.
10:15 He accepts the nomination. Great. Are we done here? Can we go?
10:17 Check it. He's wearing a flag pin. Good going America, way to force a man to accessorize.
10:19 Woah. He vehemently spit out GW Bush's name there. Pent-up aggression much?
10:20 Oooh, he's getting angry again. This is new. You're black Obama. You aren't allowed to get angry. It scares us sensitive white people.
10:21 Whew. He smiled. Angry Obama is gone for now.
10:22 Frickin' digital signal just blipped out again.
10:23 We now enter the rip on John McCain portion of the speech.
10:25 Have they learned nothing from the Republicans? Instead of the same-old, same-old McCain is out of touch riff, call McCain a flip-flopper. Much more effective. (Of Course then Obama would have to justify his flip flop on accepting federal campaign funds....which he justified poorly the last time he tried).
10:30 This speech is sort of boring...for Obama.
10:32 Obama is finally going to tell us what CHANGE means: (1) CHANGE how tax breaks are distributed; (2) CHANGE how tax incentives are distributed; (3) CHANGE our dependence on oil from the middle east within 10 years. (Gotta say, this list of specific changes is sort of interesting)
10:35 Education. He's not really going to CHANGE it. I think he's going to try and make it better.
10:39 Hmm. Obama speaks on family morals, specifically individual responsibility of parents to their children.
10:42 He called McCain stubborn. He should say that more often. I think that could stick.
10:43 New Obama drinking game: every time he says "change America needs"
10:45 Obama pronounces Iran properly.
10:46 Next test: can he pronounce Ahmadinajad correctly?
10:47 He's gettin' loud again. Well done. He subtly addresses the "patriotism" issue by addressing the camera and forcefully saying WE ALL put America first.
10:49 Oh. He's returning to his element, talking about how Americans can UNIFY on issues, while using specific examples. Well done.
10:50 Shoot. He must be doing well now. I've run out of snarky things to say.
10:51 And here comes the HOPE portion of the speech. Obama says "this election is not about me it's about you." Mr. Obama, if this election is about me, could I please get a DOJ job when you become president? Thanks much.
10:55 Obligatory MLK Jr. "I have a dream" anniversary reference.
10:56 Obama concludes by blessing me and the United States of America. I do, I feel so blessed. You remember that bit about a DOJ job, won't you, Obama? Thanks.
10:58 Michelle and the girls (all dressed in shades of pink) join him on stage.
10:59 Fireworks. Confetti. Streamers. But no balloons. Save the fishes, spare the balloons. At least the Republicans will have balloons.
11:00 Wouldn't it be fun if they brought a live donkey on stage? Rally around the mascot? Maybe if they had a better mascot they'd do it.
11:02 Historian Richard Norton-Smith thinks the speech sacrificed eloquence for electability. Beschloss really liked the speech because it coherently explained who he was and where he is going.
11:05 Pundit Shields likes how Obama addressed the patriotism issue and how he got specific with "promises." Now for the lone conservative in the house: David Brooks. Brooks was underwhelmed. His words "emotionally diffident." He thinks holding it outside is a mistake because it disconnected Obama from the audience.
11:08 Oooh fight, fight, fight. Historian Richard Norton-Smith disagrees with David.
11:09 PBS coverage of the 08 DNC is over and so is mine.
Thanks for reading. Visit the blog next week when the Republicans have their big party. I promise to vote for McCain if they bring out a live elephant. Do you hear me, GOP? I want live elephants!!!!!
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