A Liberal In The Midst

Michelle, I love you. The other night, I think the entire country saw just how lucky I am. Malia and Sasha, you make me so proud…but don’t get any ideas, you’re still going to class tomorrow. And Joe Biden, thank you for being the best Vice President I could ever hope for. Madam Chairwoman, delegates, I accept your nomination for President of the United States. The first time I addressed this convention in 2004, I was a younger man; a Senate candidate from Illinois who spoke about hope – not blind optimism or wishful thinking, but hope in the face of difficulty; hope in the face of uncertainty; that dogged faith in the future which has pushed this nation forward, even when the odds are great; even when the road is long. Eight years later, that hope has been tested – by the cost of war; by one of the worst economic crises in history; and by political gridlock that’s left us wondering whether it’s still possible to tackle the challenges of our time. I know that campaigns can see...

Fellow Democrats, fellow Americans, good evening. On behalf of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee, welcome to Charlotte and welcome to the 46th Democratic National Convention. For over a year, we've been preparing to welcome you all here. It's been a journey marked by the devotion, grit and hard work of hundreds of people whose names you may never know but whose work will shape your entire experience this week. I speak for all of us when I say what a privilege it's been to work on this convention and how thrilled we are that you're here with us. President Obama wanted this convention to be different—to be the most open, accessible gathering of its kind; to engage Americans in a conversation about moving our country forward and building an economy that creates opportunity for all. I'm happy to report we've done just that. For the first time, this convention begins and ends with events open to the public. We've nearly 6,000 delegates—more tha...

The 46th Quadrennial National Convention of the Democratic Party will now come to order. Welcome delegates, alternates, standing committee members, special guests, friends, members of the news media, guests from around the world and fellow Americans to our deliberations. Over the next three days, we will hold the most open and accessible political convention in history. Viewers from across the country and around the world can watch the entire convention gavel-to-gavel live-streamed on the democratic convention's website and through our mobile app. In addition, the entire program is also being streamed simultaneously in Spanish. During our National convention we will clearly demonstrate why we need to keep Barack Obama and Joe Biden in the White House! But this convention is about more than re-nominating President Obama. It's about Americans coming together to build one economy—not from the top down, but from the middle class out and the bottom up. This convention's suc...

Our platform, crafted by Democrats, is not about partisanship but pragmatism; not about left or right, but about moving America and our economy forward. Our platform—and our president—stand firm in the conviction that America must continue to out-build, out-innovate and out-educate the world. This platform is a clear choice between economic pathways: forward or back, inclusion or exclusion, grow together as a nation or be a country of savage disparities that favor the fortunate few over the greatest driving force of any economy—a large and robust middle class. We choose forward. We choose inclusion. We choose growing together. We choose American economic might and muscle, standing strong on the bedrock of the American ideal: a strong, empowered and ever-growing middle class. Our platform emphasizes that a vibrant, free and fair market is essential to economic growth. We also must pull from our highest ideals of justice and protect against those ills that destabilize...

The American dream—it's built not with words or speeches, but from sweat and tears. Its heart and soul reside not in the boardrooms on Wall Street, but in the shops and factories on Main Street. Its promise is simple: work hard, play by the rules, and you can make it in America. That's Barack and Michelle Obama's story. Like so many of you, that's my parents' story, too. My father was a construction worker who dug the ditches and laid the pipe and concrete to build our highways. My mother arrived in this country as a newlywed with no money, no English and no family of her own. Together they realized their dream of sending their four children where no man or woman in our family in America had ever gone before—college. El sueño Americano—the American dream! In any language, that's what this election is about. We need President Obama for four more years to keep that dream alive. When President Obama was elected, the American dream was on life support. The middle ...

I am so pleased I had a role in drafting this remarkable document. It embodies the values we hold dear as Democrats and as Americans, and it sets forth our great president's vision for our future where together we will reignite the American Dream for all. Because the reality is: Four years ago, the American Dream had slipped out of reach for too many, and it had turned into a nightmare for millions. President Obama changed our course. He invested in our future and put men and women back to work rebuilding our roads and bridges. He raised educational standards, invested in early childhood education, and worked to make higher education more affordable for everyone. He invested in clean energy and enacted the broadest tax cut in history, reducing taxes on the middle class to near-historic lows. He saved the American auto industry. He produced historic health reform. And he put forward a balanced deficit reduction plan that will put us on sound fiscal footing. Today, our economy is gr...

Thank you so much, Elaine…we are so grateful for your family’s service and sacrifice…and we will always have your back. Over the past few years as First Lady, I have had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. And everywhere I’ve gone, in the people I’ve met, and the stories I’ve heard, I have seen the very best of the American spirit. I have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth that people have shown me and my family, especially our girls. I’ve seen it in teachers in a near-bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay. I’ve seen it in people who become heroes at a moment’s notice, diving into harm’s way to save others…flying across the country to put out a fire… driving for hours to bail out a flooded town. And I’ve seen it in our men and women in uniform and our proud military families…in wounded warriors who tell me they’re not just goi...

Hello, my name is Doug Stern. I am an Ohio firefighter and an unlikely choice to be addressing you tonight, because for the vast majority of my voting life I have been a Republican. So why am I here? Well, something happened recently. The Republican Party left people like me. As a member of the middle class, they left me; and they certainly left me as a public employee. Somewhere along the way, being a public employee—someone who works for my community—made me a scapegoat for the GOP. Thank goodness we have leaders like President Obama and Vice President Biden who still believe that public service is an honorable calling. When I go to work, when there is an emergency, I want someone on my crew who has my back, someone who helps me get the job done, someone who is willing to go through hell with me. I expect the same out of my elected leaders. And that's what we get with Joe Biden and Barack Obama. From maintaining grant programs so fire departments nationwide have safe sta...

I awoke had breakfast at my hotel. I ate ceral for I am doing nothing white until November. Changing my life man. Changing my life. I received my credential for the convention hall. At this point I should mention this is my first convention. Those at my table were still reeling from the meltdown at the RNC. We were amazed at how much the republicans on program did not care for a Mitt Romney presidency. It felt good to be a delegate at the DNC where we loved our candidate. The good feeling stayed with me all day. I attended African-American and Jewish cheerleading sessions. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz was the main cheerleader at both events. People clamoring for Hillary need to see Debbie. She is Hillary without Bill. She just lays the facts on the line without fear. She will be president 2016 or 2020. I then returned to my room for a quick nap. I hitched a ride to downtown Charlotte for a party for off the chain bloggers. I met very interesting people. I also met the ...

My getting to the DNC was a miracle. I waited too late to get plane tickets ($800). Hurricane Isaac also packed the bues and trains with those getting out of the way. I spent more on the travel to the bus station than the actual cost of the trip to North Carolina. However I still love my small town. I did meet someone from my state on the last leg of my journey to the convention. We had an engaging conversation on the state of our state. We also spoke about the hateful billboards that peppered the Charlotte area regarding President Obama. The billboards desgined to offend Presisdent Obama actually were more offensive to us because of the lies and hyprocrisy being promoted. After a two day delay, I finally made it to my hotel. The phone did not work in my room. The showerhead was fixed and set very high. As a short person, "Raindrops Falling on My Head". However, I was here. Oh happy days.

Day 1 is the day of travel. Instead of composing this post on the bus headed to North Carolina, I am home on my couch. Hurricane Isaac's evacuees are pushing farther north into Mississippi. The bus was packed with no room and no second bus arriving. I should note I live in rural Mississippi. Getting to the bus station was not cheap. Returning home was not cheap either. Welcome to why we need high-speed rail. President Obama was not off-base by speaking of the need for high-speed rail in America. I have met Democrats who put down the idea. Everyone quotes it will not make money. The governmenet is not designed to make money; none profit. It helps to keep certain public services (water, prisons, etc) honest. Are we such a shallow nation that only money moves us? High-speed rail would allow those of us in rural areas to have better access to metropolitan areas. It would also ease the congestion in metropolitan areas. Finally it would do much to reduce our dependance on f...