Democratic National Convention

When Barack Obama finished his historic speech, I stood looking up, staring at the fireworks, and crying as thousands of people stood around me cheering. I had spent the last four hours cheering, singing, dancing and yelling. I was surprised to learn that hope could lead to tears, that joy could be so quiet, that a week of activity could leave me so still.

I came to the 2008 Democratic National Convention not knowing what to expect out of the final night’s big event. I was unsure whether Sen. Obama could meet the high standards of the occasion. I thought that his speech would have to harness fire and send fireworks. While Obama certainly showed his fire, the speech was more measured than I expected. In some ways, it was more presidential. When I could finally speak after its conclusion, I turned to Orange County Democratic Party Chairman Jack Sanders and said, “We have to go home and do this.”

More below the fold...

This is my final mutual interview from the convention. It's kind of a human interest story.

Joan Tao was a law student at the University of Chicago in the mid-90's (I was at the social work school there about the same time), and she took a constitutional law seminar with Barack Obama. Now she's a lawyer in Greensboro, and one of the Obama campaign's top fundraisers in the state.

Watch these clips to hear us talk about Barack Obama the professor, our experiences with fundraising, Joan's hopes for an Obama Presidency, and my connection between practicing social work and supporting Barack Obama.

Here's part 1:

Not all of my conversations at the convention were about issues. On Wednesday night, I sat with George Chunn from Raleigh. We ended up having a great conversation about integrity in politics. Specifically, we talked about what it means to see Barack Obama as a husband and father. Just as my conversation with Jan Roller reminded me of how important it is for white people to talk about race, this conversation reminded me of why men need to talk with each other about fidelity. We tried to recapture some of that here.

You'll also get to hear George talk about what's happening to organize Raleigh. He asked me about what I've been doing in Chapel Hill (hint: we have great parties for Obama!). And he got personal, so I had to tell him some about why my kids like Barack Obama and what I think about a political future for myself. That's a little bit more than I expected to share about myself in these vlogs, but anything is possible in a mutual interview!

Here's part 1:

On Wednesday night at the Convention, there was some time to kill after the Roll Call Vote and before Bill Clinton’s big speech. I wandered over to the Ohio delegation and found an old family friend.

Jan Roller is delegate from Cleveland and one of Ohio’s leading Democratic Women. She seemed like perfect person for an interview about what’s happening in Ohio. As we all know, they’re a battleground state. Ohio also has some striking similarities to North Carolina. Ohio has three major metropolitan areas and lots of rural land. For the most part statewide democratic victories rely on strong turnout from a relatively small number of the state’s 88 counties, especially those with a heavy African-American population. Sound familiar?

Jan told me about what’s happening in Ohio to organize a democratic victory, how Democratic women are organizing, how work is being done across urban-suburban-rural divides , and why she hopes an Obama presidency will positively impact American race relations.

Jan asked me about the role that race is playing in the election in North Carolina, what I enjoyed about the convention, and how tough the race is going to be in North Carolina.

Here’s part 1:

The political pundits, press, pols and critics who claim that Barack Obama's speech was great because he made all the right points, gave policy specifics and came out swinging at John McCain while at the same time praising his service to our country, have completely missed on their analysis. They paid too much attention to the words and not enough attention to the promise these words hold for America.

The beauty of Barack Obama's speech is found not only in the promises made, but the promise kept. All along Barack Obama has promised a new kind of politics. He has promised the politics of Hope. On Thursday, August 28, 2008, Barack Obama delivered on that promise.

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.

That’s the promise we need to keep.

Yes, that promise of a new kind of politics was delivered in the form of words, but I saw those words translated in the eyes of the men and women who heard them. I saw that promise delivered as tears of joy streamed down the faces of young and old, black and white, male and female, gay and straight - faces that came to Denver from every corner of this country.

I felt that promise as I watched some reach for the heaven's opening themselves up, reaching for joy and hope and goodness - those feelings and qualities we find when we take care of one another.

At the Spiritual Progressives meeting I was interviewed by Kelly Nuxoll, a freelance writer with some great NC connections who is here writing for the Huffington Post. She posted an article about that meeting which quoted me. I reposted the article here and she linked the HuffPost article to BlueNC so people could see my vlog!

We reconnected on Wednesday to talk about new media and old media at the Democratic National Convention. Doing a mutual interview with a real journalist meant I had to step up my game! It turned out to be a fascinating conversation about outsider stories at the DNC, how new media is changing the convention, and the role that young people can play in our political landscape.

Here's part 1:

A masterpiece, fierce, strong, meaty, best convention speech since Kennedy, 44 minutes of fireworks, were the reactions of pundits immediately following Obama’s historic acceptance speech, “America’s Promise.”

Obama Accepts the Nomination

If anyone thought that Bill Clinton alienated himself from party members during the primaries, they thought wrong. Last night, he more than redeemed himself. The “come back kid” did it again.

“The world is more impressed with the power of our example than the example of our power,” resonated Bill’s oh so easy to listen to voice. Through the convention hall, his words captured both the hearts and minds of Democrats.

As Ezra Klein notes,

James Andrews is the president of the AFL-CIO. He got us riled up at Monday's breakfast with a great speech. Then on Tuesday morning I heard him talking with a reporter. His answers were so good, I knew I had to get him on tape. Our interview went so well that it stretches 14 minutes. So I split it in two.

Watch the clips to hear his take on the impact of race on the issue and how we're going to engage white voters across North Carolina. He also asks me some great questions about how young people look at labor organizing, social security, and health care.

Here's the first video:

Part 2 is below the fold.

I hadn't met our North Carolina delegation until I walked in Monday night. I asked all the people in charge where the North Carolina delegation was sitting so I wouldn't have to walk in and trudge around the floor looking for them. I finally found our delegation. Thinking back, I don't know why I didn't spot them from across the floor. They were the only delegates who were on their feet, dancing, singing, waving signs and cheering and that was at the beginning of the night before any of the big name speakers were on.

Their energy and enthusiasm are infectious. The first night we had more camera crews hanging around our area than any other delegation. They just kept coming and the energy of our delegates never waned.