Archive for Democratic National Convention
Barack Obama stepped triumphantly into history Wednesday night, the first black American to win a major party presidential nomination, as thousands of Democrats transformed their convention hall into a joyful, shouting celebration.
“I think the convention’s gone pretty well so far, what do you think,” called out the Democrats’ man of the hour in a surprise late-night visit to the hall. The crowd thundered its approval, and he and running mate Joe Biden basked in the cheers
Earlier, former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton asked the convention to interrupt its roll call of the states and make its verdict unanimous “in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory.” And they did, with a roar.
Obama will face McCain, who will accept the Republican nomination next week in St. Paul, Minn.
The polls show a close race ahead with McCain, a former Vietnam prisoner of war a few days shy of his 72nd birthday, and Obama was hoping Democrats would leave their convention united despite the hard feelings remaining from a bruising primary campaign that stretched over 18 months.
Former President Bill Clinton did his part, delivering a strong pitch for the man who defeated his wife for the nomination. “Everything I’ve learned in eight years as president and the work I’ve done since, in America and across the globe, has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job,” he said, to loud cheers.
Michelle Obama, watching from her seat in the balcony, stood and applauded as the former president praised her man.
And Obama, delighting the crowd with his appearance on stage, praised both Clintons as well as his wife for their prime time speeches this week.
“If I’m not mistaken, Hillary Clinton rocked the house last night!” he shouted.
Apparently delegates to the Democratic National Convention are casting ballots for the party’s presidential nominee at their hotels this morning. Huh?
This story is directly from HotAir.com:
Expect to see a roll-call vote at the Democratic convention tonight? Be prepared for disappointment, as Hillary Clinton’s delegates will have to do. Instead of a normal floor vote, the tallies will be taken before delegates arrive at the Pepsi Center:
Delegates to the Democratic National Convention are casting ballots for the party’s presidential nominee at their hotels this morning.
The vote, negotiated by the campaigns for presumptive nominee Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, is expected to speed proceedings from the floor of the Pepsi Center tonight, when totals will be read from the floor as part of a roll call vote.
But it is also leaving many delegates perplexed.
Some delegates were confused because Sen. Clinton was not expected to release her delegates until the afternoon.
“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” said Mary Sullivan, a Clinton delegate from Albany, N.Y. “I’m gonna vote for Hillary. I’m a Clinton delegate and she hasn’t released me yet.”
What happened? Why has the DNCC suddenly decided to cast these votes away from the cameras and the television audiences? It’s almost as if someone expects people to cause problems for the smooth and unifying election of Barack Obama as the party’s presidential nominee.
Think this shows unity? Some of Hillary’s delegates want outside observers to ensure that the vote isn’t rigged:
Some of the Clinton supporters in the delegation raised questions about how the process would work and said they wanted an observer there to ensure that the ballots were counted accurately.
“I think it sucks,” said Blanche Darley, a Clinton delegate from El Paso.
Yeah, maybe they could have ACORN provide disinterested observers. Or if Jimmy Carter hasn’t left, he could lend his expertise in monitoring banana-republic elections. And after the Democrats go to all this trouble to hide the voting process, they can then explain their support for card-check legislation.
Flashback: Most unified party in 30 years? Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.
Update: Politico now reports that the process is a muddle, but they’re trying to conduct this in a traditional manner:
Barack Obama’s campaign has reverted to plans for a traditional roll call on the convention floor, and the Denver Post reports that delegates are voting this morning in their hotels.
There’s a bit of confusion about the plans for a roll call, and some Democrats say they’re dissatisfied by a process that has them voting in private, by state. But that’s the old-fashioned way, says my colleague Andy Glass, who’s covered these for years. The roll call is a roll call of states, not of delegates, and there was never the prospect of a one-by-one show of hands on the convention floor.
If this is business as usual, as Ben Smith now reports, is Politico retracting its earlier story? And why were Hillary delegates so upset by the earlier change?
So my question is very simple, why? Why the vote at the hotel and why the change up?
Hillary Clinton stands by her man, Barack Obama. In a speech Democrats hoped would erase any lingering bitterness Clinton supporters had toward the Obama campaign, Clinton made it clear that Obama is a better candidate than McCain and Democrats needed a united front to win the White House for the first time in eight years.
My friends, it is time to take back the country we love and whether you voted for me or you voted or Barack the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose,” Clinton said after a rehearsed hug with daughter Chelsea as her husband Bill teared up.
This is a fight for the future and a fight we must win together,” Clinton said.
No way, no how, no McCain,” Clinton said, to loud applause.
[...]
The New York senator used her headlining address in Denver to call for party unity after her tense primary fight against Obama. She attempted to leave no doubt that she is 100 percent behind the presumptive nominee.
“We don’t have a moment to lose or a vote to spare,” the former first lady said at the close of the speech.
It was for her campaign a dramatic moment of closure. The crowd, waving signs emblazoned with “Unity” and both Democratic candidates’ names, rose to its feet as flashbulbs fired at the end of the address.
Clinton urged Democrats to back Obama for the sake of health care, the economy and all issues Democrats hold dear.
“It is time to take back the country we love,” Clinton said, declaring herself a “proud supporter of Barack Obama” within minutes of walking on stage. “And whether you voted for me or you voted for Barack, the time is now to unite as a single party with a single purpose. …
“We are on the same team, and none of us can afford to sit on the sidelines,” she said. “No way, no how. No McCain.”
I can’t wait to see what Bill Clinton has to say tomorrow night…
…or so that is what the Plains Feeder is talking about. That dead person would be Mary Joe Kopechne, who wasn’t honored by the Democrats for anything at the DNC Convention last night while they were going gaga over Teddy Kennedy.
Senator Edward Kennedy, the Hero of Chappaquiddick, was put on display at the Democrat National Convention yesterday. Certainly the old-school fellow traveler has half a mind to support the Marxist changes Barack has in mind for America, but who really cares what Teddy K thinks these days? I can’t imagine what Barack Obama could possibly hope to gain by this grotesque stunt, except perhaps to draw public attention away from something else. There is nothing like a car accident to divert attention.
Isn’t it wonderful to be so wealthy that vehicular manslaughter is but s speedbump on the road of life.
The Obama campaign conceded prime time speaking rolls for BIll and Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention which begins today in Denver CO. Additionally Obama is allowing Hillary’s name to be placed in nomination. This blogger speculates that the Clintons, who many believe are Clintons first, and Democrats second are up to something.
Hillary Clinton is supposed to release her pledged delegates to vote for Obama when she addresses the convention at 10 PM EDT on Tuesday August 26th. Rumors have it that some Hillary delegates are still upset over the Obama campaign’s treatment of the first woman candidate for President and will still vote for her.
BIll Clinton is scheduled to speak on Wednesday August 27th at 9PM. It is not clear what his role will be but BIll generally likes to talk about Bill and is capable of sucking all the air out of a room even as large as the Pepsi Center.
Obama’s failure to gain anything but a statistical lead over John McCain in the polls (and is lagging behind in some) and the growing perception that Obama is too far left for main stream America might be the Clinton’s que to attempt a Party coup and secure the nomination for Hillary.
So this morning I am having a conversation about our presidential presumptive nominees with Sacto Dan and the topic of Hillary crashing the Democratic National Convention came up. Sacto Dan was pretty adamant that she would show. I thought, wow, what a concept. Would she really do that? Well guess what…
Sen. Hillary Clinton told a gathering of supporters last week that she’s looking for a “strategy” for her delegates to have their voices heard and “respected” at the Democratic National Convention — and did not rule out the possibility of having her name placed into nomination at the convention alongside Sen. Barack Obama’s.
“I happen to believe that we will come out stronger if people feel that their voices were heard and their views were respected. I think that is a very big part of how we actually come out unified,” Clinton, D-N.Y., said at a California fundraiser last Thursday, in a video clip captured by an attendee and posted on YouTube.
“Because I know from just what I’m hearing, that there’s incredible pent-up desire. And I think that people want to feel like, ‘OK, it’s a catharsis, we’re here, we did it, and then everybody get behind Sen. Obama.’ That is what most people believe is the best way to go,” she said.
“No decisions have been made. And so we are trying to work all this through with the DNC and with the Obama campaign.”
