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Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention

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Opinion

Filler: Obama's speech 'schooled' Romney's

Filler: Barack Obama's speech 'schooled' Mitt Romney's

obama dnc - crop

CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Reaching the soaring finale of his 22 minutes on a stage in a white hotel wedding tent -- miles from the Democratic convention hall -- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo boomed, almost preacher-style: "DO YOU BELIEVE THAT, AMERICA?"
He demanded of those listening Thursday if they believed in taking care of seniors' health care, in shared success in education, in affordable college loans, and moreover, if they believed that a cord of community binds us, and "when one of us is raised, we are all raised, and when one of us is lowered, we are all lowered." If so, of course, you had to re-elect <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a>, and his audience shouted and cheered on cue.
But there was much more to this hybrid national-state address -- delivered amid a ton of speculative blah-blah-blah about a 2016 presidential run of his own. Made before a couple of hundred <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> delegates and guests, the speech did seem well-suited to a downtime television slot between the night appearances of former President Bill <a href="/topics//Hillary_Rodham_Clinton">Clinton</a> and <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">Obama</a>.
To reach its pinnacle, Cuomo's speech took an interesting tour through standard greetings, cheerleading, sarcasm, righteous indignation, self-promotion, satire and New York promotion. As oratory, you had to wonder if its intensity would have better fit a cavernous convention hall. But what would the governor have gained from his talking to a thin gathering of rump state delegations in the off hours of the first or second day of a three-day convention?
Inevitably, a convention-hall speech would have been compared to his father's DNC speech in his second year as New York governor. That was during the ill-fated presidential bid of <a href="/topics//Walter_Mondale">Walter Mondale</a>, and fueled the kind of Cuomo-for-the-White House speculation for which this governor has already said he has no use.
There were clear parallels in the text of the speeches, in the broad sense that both Cuomos -- like Clinton on Wednesday night -- argued the existence of a big philosophical difference between the parties. But in his appearance Thursday, Andrew M. Cuomo seemed more to be channeling the late <a href="/topics//Texas">Texas</a> Rep. Barbara <a href="/topics//Jordan">Jordan</a> by invoking for New Yorkers -- just as she did in her 1992 keynote address for Clinton -- "E Pluribus Unum" (Out of Many, One).
Cuomo and his delegation seemed to have the most fun as he mocked last week's <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">GOP</a> theatrics in <a href="/topics//Tampa">Tampa</a>, Fla. "Watching them made my day," he said. Cuomo launched into the eerie voice of a stage magician as he tweaked those who would cut taxes on the rich to "release the great American entrepreneurial spirit. . . . The American spirit has a special wand, and he will wave the wand. And everything will be OK."
Cuomo hailed Clinton's speech and Obama's efforts, and projected indignation when he spoke of the precarious condition of American financial institutions when Obama took office. "Frankly," he said, "it is absurd that the party that created the problem now wants to present themselves as the solver of the problems of the American people."
Over the stage hung a talismanic banner proclaiming "New York State: Progressive Capital of the Nation" -- a signal that the governor would, of course, emphasize in-state accomplishments. He suggested New York has paved a progressive path for the United States in Medicaid and education reform, attention to infrastructure and marriage equality.
It was a distinctly Cuomo-esque speech in other ways, too. "I hear there was a rumor that a few of you were up late last night touring Charlotte," he told the guests. "By the looks of some of you, it was true. Charlotte will never be the same."

Columnists

Dan Janison

POJANI07

Cuomo, at DNC, delivers hybrid address

poJANI -- cropped

After two weeks of convention immersion, several things are clear. 
 On the political trail, for example, there's no such thing as enough clean socks or ibuprofen. And beware the shortcomings of second-tier cities. Tampa and Charlotte handle massive conventions like an Oompa-Loompa would handle playing center for the Knicks -- they just can't execute. 
 Most of all, though, what became clear were the ways in which the parties are alike, and the ways in which they are very, very different. 
 For instance, both conventions pose a dilemma for speakers, who stand in front of ferocious partisans while trying to woo the undecideds watching at home. Most speechifiers in both parties decided not to appeal to swing voters, likely because they feared attendees would respond to moderate messaging by hurling placards and cold chicken fingers. 
 So most of the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> speakers aimed at the true believers, saying basically: "<a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> want a government so powerful it can make you watch <a href="/topics//PBS">PBS</a> documentaries on folk music, wear hemp and force your children to view gay porn during sex-ed class. We, though, will lower your taxes so much you'll be getting paid to be American, and still provide a live-in physician for every senior. Under the <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a>, Medicare will soon consist of only Band-Aids, fluoridated water, mandatory Zumba classes and nutrition seminars. Is that what you want? IS IT?" 
 Many Democratic speakers wrote their sermons for the choir too. Essentially, they said, "We are the party of abortion. And condoms. For free. And we really don't want being a woman to be a pre-existing condition. OK, we know it's a pre-existing condition, like being human, but we don't want insurance companies to bill based on it. Government should actively encourage <a href="/topics//Same-sex_Marriage">gay marriage</a>, by sending newlywed gays a china place setting or <a href="/topics//George_Foreman">George Foreman</a> Grill. You should be able to vote by showing election workers a lottery ticket with your name written on it in pencil. Under <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a>, Medicare will be reduced to nothing but leeches and whiskey. But with us at the wheel, seniors will get daily massages on Uncle Sam, every joint replaced, and, of course, free abortions and condoms." 
 Any swing voters glued to <a href="/topics//C-SPAN">C-SPAN</a> may well end this process by looking harder at Canadian immigration options than American presidential candidates. 
 But what stood out most is that attendees at these two galas don't just differ in their politics. They appear to hail from two different nations, or galaxies. 
 There is, of course, the race and ethnicity thing. The <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> delegations were so white that the few minority members stood out like . . . there's no analogy that won't get me in trouble. The <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> had a lot more minorities, and a lot darker hair and skin even among the white attendees. 
 Clothing-wise (and obviously there were exceptions), the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> wore suits and dresses, ties and high heels, makeup and monogrammed shirts. The Democrats wore jeans and, for the ladies , jeans. They rocked flip-flops and flats, sneakers and T-shirts, granny dresses and ironic eyeglasses. 
 The <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> women and Democratic men looked far more stylish than the Republican men and Democratic women, which is odd. A national dating switch may be called for. 
 So where are we Americans, post-convention, in this quadrennial election process? Right where we were two weeks ago, except for swing voters at home who really paid attention. They're on their way to <a href="/topics//Toronto">Toronto</a>.

Lane Filler

OPFIL07

Filler: Conventional wisdom from Tampa and Charlotte

US NEWS CVN-DEMOCRATS 13 ABA

<a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a> personally intervened to order <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> to change language in their party platform to add a mention of God and declare that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, campaign officials said Wednesday. 
 Scrambling to end the furor, <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> abruptly changed the platform early Wednesday evening to reinstate language from the 2008 platform that said "we need a government that stands up for the hopes, values and interests of working people and gives everyone willing to work hard the chance to make the most of their God-given potential." Mitt <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> and other <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> had seized on the omission to criticize the <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a>. 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> also restored 2008 language on Jerusalem, declaring the city "is and will remain the capital of Israel. The parties have agreed that Jerusalem is a matter for final status negotiations. It should remain an undivided city accessible to people of all faiths." 
 Campaign officials said Obama's reaction on the omission of God from the platform was to wonder why it was removed in the first place. 
 The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about private discussions. 
 The platform changes did not sit well with some Democratic delegates gathered in Charlotte, N.C., for the party's three-day convention. Many in the audience booed after the convention chairman, Los Angeles Mayor <a href="/topics//Antonio_Villaraigosa">Antonio Villaraigosa</a>, ruled that the amendments had been approved despite the fact that a large group of delegates had objected. He called for a vote three times before ruling. 
 The revisions came as Obama struggles to win support from white working-class voters, many of whom have strong religious beliefs, and as <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> try to woo Jewish voters and contributors away from the <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democratic Party</a>. <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> claimed the platform omissions suggested Obama was weak in his defense of Israel and out of touch with mainstream Americans. 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> had approved a platform on Tuesday that made no mention of God or Jerusalem. Instead, it expressed "unshakable commitment to Israel's security." <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> quickly pounced. 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">GOP</a> officials argued that not taking a position on Jerusalem's status in the party platform raised questions about Obama's support for the Mideast ally. <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> said omitting God "suggests a party that is increasingly out of touch with the mainstream of the American people." 
 "I think this party is veering further and further away into an extreme wing that American's don't recognize," <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> said. 
 The <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democratic Party</a>'s decision to restore the mention of Jerusalem reflected what advisers said was the president's personal view, if not the policy of his administration. The administration has long said determining Jerusalem's status was an issue that should be decided by Israelis and Palestinians in peace talks, but has been careful not to state that Jerusalem is Israel's capital. 
 <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a>'s campaign quickly sought to capitalize on the slight, but important difference. 
 "<a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Mitt Romney</a> has consistently stated his belief that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel," said Andrea Saul, <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a>'s spokeswoman. "<a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Obama</a> has repeatedly refused to say the same himself. Now is the time for <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Obama</a> to state in unequivocal terms whether or not he believes Jerusalem is Israel's capital." 
 The White House wouldn't say whether the change in the Democratic platform language reflected a change in administration policy. 
 <a href="/topics//Democratic_National_Committee">Democratic National Committee</a> chairwoman <a href="/topics//Debbie_Wasserman_Schultz">Debbie Wasserman Schultz</a> said the reinstated party language reflected "the policy of both <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> and Democratic administrations for decades." 
 Following the decision, former <a href="/topics//Ohio">Ohio</a> Gov. <a href="/topics//Ted_Strickland">Ted Strickland</a> told reporters, "It was an effort to bring clarification." 
 Sen. <a href="/topics//Bob_Casey,_Jr.">Bob Casey</a>, D-Pa., said the move was a "reasonable adjustment" because many Democrats felt the platform should reflect the party's belief that Jerusalem should be capital of Israel. 
 "I felt pretty frustrated that a lot of us who have a very strong point of view on this weren't given a heads up, weren't given a briefing on this, it was just kind of sailing along," Casey said. 
 But the decision to amend the platform upset some delegates. 
 Noor Ul-Hasan, a Muslim delegate from <a href="/topics//Salt_Lake_City,_UT">Salt Lake City</a>, <a href="/topics//Utah">Utah</a>, said she felt it went against the principle of the separation of church and state. 
 "There are people who don't believe in God and you have to respect that as well," Ul-Hasan said. She also questioned whether the convention had enough of a quorum to even amend the platform. "There was no discussion. We didn't even see it coming. We were blindsided by it." 
 Angela Urrea, a delegate from Roy, <a href="/topics//Utah">Utah</a>, said she felt it was sprung on the convention without any discussion. 
 "The majority spoke last night," Urrea said, referring to Tuesday's vote. "We shouldn't be declaring Jerusalem as the capital of Israel." 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> declared Jerusalem the capital of Israel in the platform the party approved last week at its convention in Tampa, Fla.

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Sources: Barack Obama intervened to add God, Jerusalem to Democratic platform

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11:34 p.m. - Overall, the evening was a good one for the Democrats. The industry leaders were weak as speakers but convincing as people. Elizabeth Warren made a lot of friends with a heartfelt speech that preached nothing more than looking out for the little guy and trying to control the natural tendency of big concerns to become voracious. 
 Clinton was wonderful, as he always is, but he would have been far more wonderful if he stuck to the 28 minutes he was supposed to take rather than going on for a full 48 minutes. 
 I'd say an A-, if only because so many of the assertions Clinton made are going to be so hard for the Republicans to repudiate. They're mostly just facts, or as Clinton would say, "arithmetic." 
 11:29 p.m. - The crowd is still fired up as Villaraigosa returns to finish off the evening. No one watches it at home, but there is always a benediction, and the retiring of the color guard. 
 The LA mayor gets the whole crowd cheering as he asks them to second the nominations of Obama, along with him. 
 And they're going to the roll call of the states. 
 11:26 p.m. - The two walk off together, first with Obama's arm around Clinton, then they separate to wave to the crowd. 
 And the crowd continues to cheer, as Tom Petty's "I won't back down," plays, as if the two men could be convinced to do an encore if they cheer loudly enough. 
 11:24 p.m. - Clinton is getting exhausted, too. His delivery is faltering a bit, but he's trying to get the energy back. 
 "Double down on trickle down" is a fairly effective slam on Romney/Ryan. 
 Want a "We're all in this together society," Clinton asks. Support Obama. 
 And he's going to end not on Obama, but on America, its resilience, and its strength. Now he's going for the peak and he has it. 
 And as Obama appears the audience goes truly wild. 
 11:18 p.m. - Is it possible the audience is getting a bit exhausted? Do they have visions of martinis and cigarettes dancing in their head. Clinton probably needs to wrap this up. 
 But will he? This is the man who spoke for so long at the 1988 DNC that people were falling alseep. 
 11:17 p.m - Clinton seems personally offended by the Republican assertion that Obama is trying to strip the work requirement from the welfare rules Clinton signed. 
 So he's parsing it for the audience. 
 Well, not parsing exactly. He says it's just a flat lie, and that the recipients are working more. 
 Turning the Republicans "We're not going to let our campaign be run by fact checkers" back at them, and he's doing it well. 
 And on to the debt, and problems it will bring when the economy improves and interest rates go up. 
 Bobbles the math a bit, but he got his point across on the ratio of cuts to tax increases in the Obama deficit reduction plan. 
 What did Clinton bring to Washington to balance the budget? "Arithmetic." Instant tweet fodder. 
 11:11 p.m. - Clinton just hates not being president. He's done the best he can to move past it, but you can tell he just wants to grab the wheel and drive this sucker, rather than just giving directions from the backseat. 
 And in the great William Jefferson Clinton tradition, he's going to go long with this speech. This time it's all right, they don't want him to stop. 
 11:08 p.m. - Clinton seems to be starting his build to the finish of the speech. 
 He's making a fascinating point about how Obama's changes on student loans could convince bright people to take important jobs with mediocre pay. 
 And now to health care. 
 Nobody can get people to listen to wonky policy facts like Clinton. It was always one of his great talents, and practically every other Democrat who's spoken over the past two days has failed at it. 
 Reduction in the rate of health care expense increases gets applause. 
 Clinton is now debunking the Ryan $716 billion Obama cuts to Medicare story. He's right that Obama never cut any services to Medicare in Obamacare. But it is worth pointing out no one has ever made any headway in getting the cuts in compensation to service providers that Obama says will pay the $716 billion. 
 So neither side is blameless. The Republicans are lying. The Democrats are just blindly optimistic. 
 "It takes some brass to attack a guy for doing what you did," Clinton says, referencing Ryan's own $716 billion Medicare cut. 
 Likely to be one of the top lines of the speech. 
 11:01 p.m. - The rest is just details: What Obama did succeed in doing, which is largely incremental but important. The auto bailout. The effect it had on related suppliers. 
 Getting into some audience call and response with the word "zero" in response to what Romeny would have accomplished in each situation, as opposed to Obama. 
 The Associated Press has confirmed Obama will join Clinton on stage, something most of the audience likely doesn't know. 
 It will be fascinating to see the level of response for the president. 
 When Romney joined his wife on stage in Tampa, the crowd response was surprisingly tepid. 
 10:56 p.m. - Clinton asks "Are we better off than when he took office," to tumultuous yeses. 
 And he's going to assess the Democratic challenge, dealing with the pain and anger of those who are still failing in this economy. 
 Clinton just can't resist patting himself on the back along the way. 
 And he makes the primary assertion Democrats will have to sell if they want to win this thing: that no president living or dead could have fixed the mess Obama inherited in just four years. 
 That, along with some sort of plan for how to govern going forward, has to be nearly the entire campaign for the Democrats. 
 10:52 p.m. - This crowd is constantly on the edge of a standing ovation. They can be set off by a well-placed comma at this point. 
 The really big moment, it's rumored, is going to be when Obama joins Clinton on stage at the end of the speech. 
 Now he's going to make fun of the Tampa RNC. 
 Clinton gets a laugh asserting that the GOP's platform is "We left Obama a mess, he didn't clean it up fast enough, put us back in." 
 And that he definitely learned they all love their families, and are proud to be Americans. 
 Borrows Ronald Reagan's famous line, saying "There they go again." 
 10:47 p.m. - Clinton says Obama is still committed to constructive cooperation, and points to Joe Biden, Obama's opponent in the 2008 primaries. As well as Hilary's appointment. Gets huge applause when he says his wife's name. 
 10:45 p.m. - Stressing the bipartisan nature of things, the good things the Bushes, Reagan and Eisenhower have done. The crowd doesn't love those names, but it's a good move to be gracious in that way. And it's moral to recognize those presidents did good things. 
 Clinton is so much more comfortable taking a really long pause than most speakers, he'll stand up there quiet all day until he gets the vibe he wants. 
 On a side note, his hands seem to be shaking a bit. 
 10:41 p.m. - Clinton is now on Tampa and the RNC. He calls the Republican narrative an alternate universe. 
 He's also so practiced at this that you could almost believe he was ad libbing if you didn't know better. 
 And now he's running the numbers on Democratic presidents versus Republicans, the track record. 
 As well as the moral argument for the Democratic platform, and the strong middle class. 
 10:37 p.m. - He's trying to settle this rowdy crowd so he can speak. 
 It's Obama idolatry to lead off. 
 You forget just how good a speaker he always was. Measured, manipulative, with flawless timing and an easy smile. 
 And he's smart enough to give a huge shout out to Michelle. 
 10:34 p.m. - Clinton looks great. 
 Clinton, 66, was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993-2001. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and Yale Law School and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar. Clinton, twice served as governor of Arkansas. He is married to Secretary of State Hilary Rodham Clinton. Although he was dogged by the Monica Lewinsky scandal while in office, he is revered for the budget surpluses generated during his presidency and his moderate ability to work with Republicans in Washington. Since he left office, he has pursued a series of social causes, fighting AIDS and global warming internationally through his William J. Clinton Foundation. 
 While the relationship between Clinton and President Barack Obama has not always been warm, particularly when Hilary was running against Obama for the Democratic nomination in 2008, insiders say they have since warmed to each other somewhat. Clinton’s popularity and fundraising prowess and considered necessities if Obama is to retain the White House in November.&nbsp; 
 10:33 p.m. - And it looks like it will be a Clinton video, followed by the man himself. 
 I think the crowd is ready to nominate Clinton instead of Obama. 
 10:32 p.m. - Antonio Villaraigosa is now on to do the whole nomination dance. 
 Villaraigosa, 59, is the mayor of Los Angeles, a job post has held since 2005. He previously served in the California State Assembly and on the LA City Council. Before that, he worked as a labor organizer. He attended UCLA and the “People’s College of Law,” but does not practice, as he has failed to pass the bar repeatedly. In the kind of move that makes conservatives smirk, he was born Antonio Villar, but changed his last name to Villaraigosa when he married Corina Raigosa. 
 10:31 p.m. - Warren seems to have hit her high point mid-speech, but maybe she can bring it back. 
 Now she's remembering Ted Kennedy, whose old Senate seat she is looking to take. Probably trying to resonate with her Massachusetts voters, which is a national priority for the Democratic Party. 
 And she ends with a clarion call to the audience to work, strive and fight to get Obama reelected. 
 10:26 p.m. - Warren's opponent, Scott Brown, spoke at the RNC, and did so-so. Warren is doing better, I think, because she so clearly is speaking from the heart, and on issues about which she has a great deal of knowledge. 
 It's like she's talking to her children across the kitchen table. She has no particular talent as a speaker, yet it works on sincerity alone. And because the government really does need to either oversee the big banks or make it clear they won't, so investors can wisely flee or force them to be more prudent. 
 Warren gets her biggest cheers outlining the differences between corporations and people. Which is great fodder, but doesn't make as much sense as people would like to think. Corporations aren't people, but their stockholders and employees are, and they have all the rights of people, of speech and all else, even when combined into a group of individuals called a corporation. 
 10:20 p.m. - It's her first DNC, which is kind of amazing. She can't speak for the chants of "Warren Warren Warren." 
 Finally gets the crowd settled down and starts talking about her specialty, consumers, average people, and says the game is rigged against them. 
 Says her family was "on the ragged edge of the middle class." Great line. 
 The theme that speakers only want to ensure people have the opportunities they have has been a constant, at both conventions. Both parties seem to be entirely convinced they are the ones who can guarantee that, via very different paths. 
 That's really what this election is about at the bottom, which vision people believe can deliver that. 
 10:16 p.m. - And now, it's not the one they've been waiting for, but it's the one they've almost been waiting for. Elizabeth Warren enters to raucous applause. 
 Warren, 63, is a Harvard Law School professor currently seeking Ted Kennedy’s old seat in the U.S. Senate (currently held by her opponent, Republican Scott Brown). Warren attended Brown University and Georgetown Law School. 
 She is an expert on bankruptcy law and personal finance and was instrumental in the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Warren also chaired the panel overseeing the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

Filler: Clinton runs long, but delivers strong message

Filler: Bill Clinton runs long, but hammers home the Democrats message

151132389MB00493_Democratic

Lane Filler's live blog of Elizabeth Warren and Bill Clinton's speeches <a href="/opinion/viewsday-1.3683911/live-blog-bill-clinton-and-elizabeth-warren-at-the-democratic-national-convention-1.3956029">continues here.</a> 
 10:12 p.m. - Sinegal has an impressive story. You rarely hear a bad word about Costco. They have great benefits and pay, great products, and great value. 
 And people do appreciate their corporate values. I can't count the number of people I know who switched from Sam's Club to Costco as soon as a Costco popped up close enough to shop at. 
 Sinegal, perhaps a little technophobically, is reading from notes rather than the teleprompter. It looks very odd to see a speaker looking down rather than at the camera. 
 But public speaking isn't really his gig, and who can blame him. 
 10:08 p.m. - Fluke is recalling panel on contraception before Congress that did not include a single woman. 
 Two possible futures, she says, one of which hearkens back to a darker past. 
 Fluke is getting good response from the floor, a bit less from the upper rows. This is her first time speaking in such a huge setting, and she's doing well, but she's not a natural. And the crowd is feeling more and more anticipation about the speakers soon to come, particularly Bill Clinton. 
 It is now the 10 o'clock hour, and primtetime conventioning will soon begin. 
 But first, Jim Sinegal must speak. he's now at the podium. 
 Sinegal, 76, is the co-founder and former CEO of Costco. That company is considered, in the retail world, to treat its employees unusually well, and generally be a great corporate citizen. I personally shop there all the time, for what that’s worth. 
 10:01 p.m. - And now, the recently and continuingly famous Sandra Fluke. 
 Fluke, 31, is an attorney and women’s rights activist who first found fame testifying before Congress on birth control and health insurance. 
 Really, she first found fame when conservative radio talk-show host Rush Limbaugh called her a “slut” in response to her testimony, and demanded that society, if Fluke is provided birth control via health insurance in response to Obamacare, should be able to watch videos of her having sex. 
 10:00 p.m. - This is an important speech, but a wonky one, and the crowd is so so on it. 
 Van Hollen says Romney/Ryan have an "obsession" with tax breaks for the wealthy. 
 And he hearkens back to George W. Bush as the reason things have gone so badly with the economy. 
 Growing the economy "from the middle out" is a theme that they're trying to get some traction with. 
 9:56 p.m. - Van Hollen is focusing on the Republicans and their statements at the RNC. 
 Says they should have pointed to the debt clock showing $16 trillion and proclaimed "We built that." 
 He's going down the line of where the bulk of thedebt came from, Medicare Part D, tax cuts and the wars. 
 It's actually fairly hard to argue with this line of Democratic reasoning. It's very hard to see how Obama could have reduced the annual deficit significantly in the current climate. 
 9:53 p.m. - Next up, Chris Van Hollen. 
 Van Hollen, 53, has represented Maryland in the House of Representative since 2003. He was the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (a position now held by Long Island’s own Steve Israel) when the party lost its majority in the House in 2010. 
 He also served on the 12-member bipartisan Committee on Deficit Reduction, which famously did not a darned thing to reduce the deficit. 
 9:52 p.m. - Three former employees of companies controlled by Bain Capital. "I like being able to fire people," continues to haunt Romney. 
 This fired guy is fired up. Says Romney "made money without a moral compass." 
 Now a middle-aged lady who worked at a Bain-owned company that fired 850 people, while Bain made $240 million on the deal. 
 Now David Foster, a steelworker for 31 years. 
 These three people are deeply emotional. No, they're pissed, even 20 years after their paths intersected with Bain. 
 His story is that Bain fired hundreds while pocketing $12 million, then the company went bankrupt. There is palpable anger in the arena at what happened to these people. 
 9:44 p.m. - Unions are an interesting question. Will we actually get to a point where wages have stagnated so much against corporate profits that they will rise again? Public service unions have advantaged themselves at taxpayer cost to the point where few non members have their backs, but what of private-sector unions? 
 I think if you see companies keep trying so hard to hold wages down, you could see a comeback someday. The companies would be better off treating their customers, stockholders and employees as equally valued constituencies. Treating employees well is a much better plan than casuing them to organize. 
 9:40 p.m. - "Let Detroit go bankrupt," Romney is accused of saying by King. I don't think that's exactly what he said, as I remember, but I could be wrong. I guess the sentiment if fairly close. 
 Obama has certain victories no one can reasonably argue with. Bin Laden and the auto industry are probably tops among them, and the Democrats are wise to punch them as much as possible. 
 9:37 p.m. - Either because of Obama or because of overcrowding, hundreds of delegates and journalists are locked out of the arena. 
 Now at the podium is Bob King, a bespectacled firebrand for organized labor. 
 King, 66, is president of the United Auto Workers union. He is a lifetime labor activist, as well as an attorney, whose work was critical to the auto industry bailout, beginning in 2008. 
 9:34 p.m. - The video is fine, and the nation is clearly better off with an auto industry than without one. I wonder just how much Obama is going to hit Romney's opposition to the bailout in the next eight weeks. 
 It's a very difficult charge for the Republican nominee to answer. 
 9:30 p.m. - Having business leaders here this week is clearly a way to combat the idea that said business leaders are terrified of Obama and won't hire because of "uncertainty." 
 Businesses aren't hiring because they don't need employees, because there is no demand for their products and services. 
 All the other reasons are just excuses, and don't really have anything to do with why there's no hiring. 
 And now, a video on the auto industry. 
 9:27 p.m. - Austin Ligon is now on the stage. 
 Austin Ligon, 61, is the co-founder and former CEO of Carmax. He now invests extensively in entrepreneurial start-ups. 
 I love Carmax and have bought and sold several cars there. It is one of the great regrets that when the company was first rolling out, I told my wife (then-girlfriend) we should invest in a few hundred shares, but didn’t. And those shares would now be worth fat cash. So I have no idea what he’s going to talk about, but I do love his work. 
 9:26 p.m. - Saralegui is one of those American anomalies, a woman who is wildly famous among Hispanics, and practically unkown to non-Hispanics. 
 She is also a great poster for the American Dream, writ large, and the story she's telling, of achieving massive success in media through nothing but hard work and guts, is inspiring. 
 Says "For the first time in her life, the American Dream is in danger." 
 Attacking Romney on health care, says he is backwards. Just hearing that Gabby Giffords will appear tomorrow night. Take that, Clint Eastwood. Saralegui is assailing Romney on his "self-deport" theory from the primaries, and well she should. It was so harsh, based on the idea you could make life so hard for 11 million people they would flee their homes and families, that it embarassed Newt Gingrich, and that's not easy. 
 She pleads with Hispanics to vote, to remember many of them come from countries where they cannot vote, and use this precious right. 
 9:18 p.m. - Veliz ends by introducing Cristina Saralegui, a Cuban-American journalist and entertainer. 
 9:17 p.m. - Benita Veliz, a DREAM Act activist, is now speaking. She is an undocumented student who has been successful in college and has been here nearly all her life. 
 The crowd is responsive to immigration talk, and they should be. The idea that there's some sort of an advantage to sending people like Veliz out of the nation is out of touch with everything this nation stands for. 
 9:14 p.m. - Harris is smooth, but she's delivering mostly platitudes. 
 When she's done she gets polite applause, and the segue is to another video. 
 9:10 p.m. - She is talking about the idea that Republicans will roll back advances that have been made. The arena has been blocked off to entrants for about 30 minutes. At first the rumor was that the place was over capacity for fire code, now people are saying Obama has arrived to hear Clinton speak, thus the hullabaloo. 
 9:07 p.m. - Kamala Harris is now at the podium. 
 Harris, 47, is the attorney general of California, and perhaps the greatest single hyphenated American in history. She is African-America, Asian-American and Indian-American. 
 She has been outspoken advocate of hate-crime legislations, where she’s wrong (the crime is the crime, the emotions are secondary, and these laws create a privileged class) and charging the parents of kids who consistently miss school with a crime. On that one, I think she’s probably right. 
 8:38 p.m. - This is not a huge military crowd, so theyre a bit lukewarm no most of what he says, except when he talks about dealing with social issues as they affect soldiers. 
 8:33 p.m. - Now retired Gen, Eric Shinseki is addressing the crowd on all things military. 
 Shinseki, 69, is the U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs. He was a four-star general who served as Chief of Staff of the Army. Part of one of his feet was blown off in combat in Vietnam. 
 He is considered to be one of the main architects of our modern armed forces, having foreseen that combat would require smaller and nimbler forces as battles became less about huge forces massed against each other and more about counterinsurgency and fighting terrorism. 
 Shinseki was, at one time, the highest-ranking Asian-American to have served in the U.S. armed forces, and his appearance is meant to bolster the defense credentials of the Democrats. 
 8:22 p.m. - And now it's Steny Hoyer, which does make you want to ask, what's a Steny Hoyer. It's a white haired guy in a suit, it turns out. 
 Hoyer, 73, has represented Maryland in the House of Representatives since 1981. He was the House Majority Leader from 2007-2011.He has traditionally been a tremendously successful fundraiser, both for himself and for other Democratic candidates, so the Democrats can use him here in Charlotte. 
 8:05 p.m. - Celia Richards is on now, talking reproductive freedom, to great effect. 
 Richards, 54, has been the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America since 2006.&nbsp; She is the daughter of former Texas Governor Ann Richards, and at one time worked on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s staff. 
 7:55 p.m. - Jim Hunt has taken the stage. 
 Hunt, 75, twice served two terms as governor of North Carolina. He attended North Carolina State and the University of North Carolina Law School, and now practices law in Raleigh. 
 Hunt is speaking because of his dedication to education reform, one of the key aspects of Wednesday evening’s program, having teaching standards in education and created the “Smart Start” program to get children ready for school before they arrive. He is the longest serving governor of North Carolina. 
 Hunt is a passionate advocate for education, and he has a lot of credibility. He's been fighting this fight for at least 30 years. 
 And North Carolina's education did improve massively under his tutelage. 
 After Duncan, he is far more to this crowd's liking, as he lauds teachers and says we should pay them well. 
 7:50 p.m. - Duncan exits, to a little applause, and, I think, a few boos, then it's time for a video about education. 
 7:46 p.m. - Arne Duncan is next up, and he starts off by saying he's here as a parent. It will be an education talk, to a crowd that often disagrees with Duncan. 
 He is not being particularly well recovered. The lack of attention is almost disrespectful. 
 Duncan, 47, is the U.S. Secretary of Education, and previously ran the Chicago public school system. He is an iffy figure in liberal circles, beloved by education reform advocates but not by the teachers’ unions. His support for charter schools and “Race to the Top,” the $4 billion federal competitive grant program meant to enhance competition and standards in schools and state education programs, has made him a lightning rod for controversy. Little-known fact: Duncan played basketball at Harvard, and then professionally for four years, mostly in Australia. 
 7:35 p.m. - And now Diane Feinstein, a speaker that had not been on the list. And all the Democratic women of the Senate are coming out. 
 Gillibrand gets big applause. 
 And speaking for the crowd is a woman who was scheduled, Barbara Mikulski. 
 Mikulski, 76, is a U.S. senator serving Maryland and is the longest-tenured woman in the Congress, having served in both houses since 1977. 
 Before entering politics, she was a social worker. She voted against the use of force in Iraq in both 1991 and 2002. She is the longest-serving senator to never have chaired a full committee. 
 7:33 p.m. - Pelosi is making a spirited defense of Obama's handling of the economy focusing particularly ohio's stemming job losses he inherited and moving the needle over to job creation, albeit a slight one. 
 This is straight policy, fair pay,Obamacare, the military etc. 
 Thus far the crowd is both looser and more subdued than last night. Attendees may have realized they don't want to sit here for 4 or 5 hours, and will come in later to hear the big guns. 
 Medicare now and Social Security, and the argument that only the Democrats will protect them. How will they protect them, though? Where is the plan on, for instance, Social Security, four years&nbsp; into this presidency? 
 Surprisingly loud cheers for overturning Citizens United. Kind of a wonky topic. 
 She's trying to get a call and response going with "It's just plain wrong." Kind of a flat rallying cry. 
 And with a down ticket and upticket plea for the White House and both chambers, she is off. 
 7:30 p.m. - Richard Trumbak spoke for a few moments, and his fiery pro-labor message electrified that component of the crowd that has already arrived. The arena is about half-full. But now on stage is Nancy Pelosi, the first big speaker of the night. 
 Pelosi, 72, is the minority leader of the House of Representatives, representing California. She served as Speaker of the House from 2007-2011. She is the first woman to have served as speaker. She has served in the House since 1987. Pelosi is one of the most controversial figures in politics today, despised by Republicans but revered by many Democrats. She is in nearly full lockstep with the Democratic Part’s views on social and fiscal issues, and has been a vocal advocate for women’s rights, reproductive and otherwise. Most sensationally, she was an outspoken advocate of Obamacare, which put her directly in the tea party’s sights over the past few years. 
 7:20 p.m. - Now it's Tom Vilsack. 
 Vilsack, 61, is the United States Secretary of Agriculture. He previously served as the governor of Iowa, and ran a three-month long, mostly ignored candidacy for president during the 2008 election cycle. 
 Vilsack is earnest but dull. Little energy, and he's off. 
 7:15 p.m. - There's a lot of killing about on the floor, a lot of chatter in the stands, a lot of fumbling with iPhones. Malloy is making an argument that Bush was a failure and Romney wants to return to it. 
 Tonight is all about Bill Clinton, of course, but there will be 3 1/2 hours of speakers before he hits the stage. Last night Michelle Obama did everything she needed to do and more. Tonight, we'll also see Elizabeth Warren and about 25 other luminaries, as the Democrats try to make their case for keeping the White House. 
 Now on stage, Daniel Malloy. &nbsp;

Blog: Early speakers stress growing middle class

Early DNC speakers stress growing the economy 'from the middle out'

Sandra Fluke

ap-BillClintonSpeech

Transcript of Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention

clinton dnc - 2

First lady <a href="/topics//Michelle_Obama">Michelle Obama</a> lovingly praised her husband Tuesday night in a prime-time Democratic Convention speech as a devoted husband and caring father at home and a "man we can trust" to revive the nation's weak economy as president, beckoning the country to return him to the White House despite agonizingly slow recovery from <a href="/topics//Economic_Recession">recession</a>. 
 "He reminds me that we are playing a long game here ... and that change is hard, and change is slow and it never happens all at once," she told a nation impatient with slow economic progress and persistently high <a href="/topics//Unemployment">unemployment</a> of 8.3 percent. "But eventually, we get there, we always do," she said in a speech that blended scenes from 23 years of marriages with the Obamas' time in the White House. 
 <a href="/topics//Michelle_Obama">Mrs. Obama</a>, given a huge ovation and describing herself as the "mom in chief," made no mention of <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> challenger Mitt <a href="/topics//Ann_Romney">Romney</a>. But those who preceded her to the podium on the first night of the president's convention were scathing. 
 "If Mitt were president, he'd fire the reindeer and outsource the elves," declared former <a href="/topics//Ohio">Ohio</a> Gov. <a href="/topics//Ted_Strickland">Ted Strickland</a> in one biting speech. 
 Tapped to deliver the keynote address, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro said <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> was a millionaire politician who "quite simply, doesn't get it" when it comes to the needs of the middle class. Referring to the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a>'s support for mandatory health insurance when he was governor of <a href="/topics//Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a>, he added, "Gov. <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> has undergone an extreme makeover, and it ain't pretty." 
 Polls made the race for the White House a tight one, almost certain to be decided in a string of eight or 10 battleground states where neither the president nor <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> holds a clear advantage. There was ample evidence during the day of an underperforming economy, including a report that said manufacturing activity declined for a third straight month and an announcement from the Treasury that the government's debt exceeded $16 trillion at the close of the business day. 
 There was no end to the appeals for donations to Obama's re-election campaign, falling further behind <a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Romney</a> in cash on hand with each passing month. "If you think Barack's the right man for the job, please show your support with a donation of $5 or more today," the first lady emailed supporters a little more than 90 minutes before her speech. 
 She walked out to the crowd's cheers as the band played <a href="/topics//Stevie_Wonder">Stevie Wonder</a>'s "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours," the song he sang onstage at Obama's Denver convention ifour years ago. 
 The president was back home in the White House after a campaign appearance in <a href="/topics//Virginia">Virginia</a> as delegates cheered every mention of his name from the convention podium. He promised he'd be watching on television when his wife spoke. 
 "Believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage," she told the convention. "We were so young, so in love and so in debt." 
 She confided that at family dinners in the White House with her and their daughters, the president joins in "strategizing about middle school friendships." 
 <a href="/topics//Michelle_Obama">Mrs. Obama</a>'s poll numbers are better than her husband's, and her speech was aimed at building support for him, much as <a href="/topics//Ann_Romney">Ann Romney</a>'s remarks at last week's <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> National Convention were in service to her husband's presidential ambitions. 
 "When it comes to rebuilding our economy, Barack is thinking about folks like my dad — who worked at a municipal water plant — and his own grandmother, a bank secretary," the first lady said. 
 Referring to her own children as well as those of others, she said, "If we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility, that belief that here in America there is always something better out there if you are willing to work for it, then we must ... stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward, my husband, our president, <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">President Barack Obama</a>." 
 The weak economy hung over the convention as it dominates the election. 
 Obama "knows better than anyone there's more hard work to do" to fix it said Castro. He said that after the deep <a href="/topics//Economic_Recession">recession</a>, the nation is making progress "despite incredible odds and united <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> opposition." 
 He declared that 4.5 million jobs have been created since the president took office — though that number refers only to private sector employment gains over the past 29 months and leaves out state and local government jobs that continue to disappear each month. 
 Castro, the first Hispanic chosen to deliver a keynote address, was unsparing in criticizing Romney, suggesting the former <a href="/topics//Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> governor might not even be the driving force on the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> ticket this fall. 
 "First they called it 'trickle down, the supply side," he said of the economic proposals backed by <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a>. "Now it's Romney/Ryan. Or is it Ryan/Romney?" 
 "Either way, their theory has been tested. It failed. ...<a href="/topics//Mitt_Romney">Mitt Romney</a> just doesn't get it," Castro said. Romney's running mate is Wisconsin Rep. <a href="/topics//Paul_Ryan">Paul Ryan</a>. 
 The divide over taxes goes to the core of the campaign. 
 Romney and the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> favor extension of all of the existing Bush-era tax cuts due to expire on Dec. 31, and also want to cut tax rates 20 percent across the board. 
 Obama, too, wants to keep the existing tax cuts in place — except for people with earnings of $250,000 a year or more. 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> criticized Romney last week for failing to offer a detailed plan to fix the economy. But nowhere in their own convention's first evening of speechmaking did anyone present proposals for reining in deficits that now exceed $1 trillion annually. 
 Delegates in the convention hall cheered whenever Obama's image showed on the huge screen behind the speaker's podium, and roared when the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was shown mocking Romney in their 1994 <a href="/topics//U.S._Senate">Senate</a> race. 
 "On the issue of choice, I am pro-choice, my opponent is multiple choice," the late senator said as cheers grew louder. 
 Romney supported abortion rights while serving as governor; he opposes them now. 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a> unspooled insult after insult as they took their turn the week after the <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> had their convention in Tampa, Fla. 
 Illinois Gov. Pat <a href="/topics//Pat_Quinn">Quinn</a> said that <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> had omitted mention of Romney's term as <a href="/topics//Massachusetts">Massachusetts</a> governor at their gathering. 
 "We already knew this extremely conservative man takes some pretty liberal deductions. Evidently that includes writing off all four years he served as governor," Quinn declared. 
 Said <a href="/topics//U.S._Senate">Senate</a> Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, speaking of Romney: "Never in modern American history has a presidential candidate tried so hard to hide himself from the people he hopes to serve." 
 "When you look at the one tax return he has released, it's obvious why there's been only one. We learned that he pays a lower tax rate than middle-class families. We learned he chose Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island tax shelters over American institutions." 
 Obama, by contrast, was lauded for helping win approval of health care legislation and for supporting abortion rights and gay marriage. 
 In his campaign trip to <a href="/topics//Virginia">Virginia</a> earlier in the day, Obama told an audience at Norfolk State University that the economy will get worse if Romney wins the White House this fall and that Election Day apathy was his enemy — and theirs. 
 <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republicans</a> are "counting on you, maybe not to vote for Romney, but they're counting on you to feel discouraged," he said. "And they figure if you don't vote, then big oil will write our energy future, and insurance companies will write our health care plans, and politicians will dictate what a woman can or can't do when it comes to her own health." 
 On the final stop of a pre-convention campaign circuit of several battleground states, the president also dropped off a case of White House-brewed beer at a local fire station. 
 The Republican challenger was in Vermont as the Democratic convention began, preparing for three fall debates with Obama almost certain to be critical to the outcome of the election. 
 There was no shortage of political calculation behind the program of the convention's first night — or for any other. 
 Democratic delegates bestow their nomination on Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday, the same night former President Bill Clinton delivers a prime-time speech aimed at voters disappointed with the results of the past four years yet undecided how to cast their ballots. 
 White men favor Romney over Obama in public and private polls, but a Gallup survey taken in July showed that 12 years after leaving office, Clinton was viewed favorably by 63 percent of the same group and unfavorably by only 32 percent. 
 Obama's acceptance speech caps the convention on Thursday night at the 74,000-seat Bank of America football stadium. Aides kept a wary eye on the weather in a city that has been hit in recent days with strong afternoon rains. 
 Republicans did their best to rain on Obama's convention, whatever the weather. 
 Vice presidential candidate <a href="/topics//Paul_Ryan">Paul Ryan</a> spoke in Westlake, <a href="/topics//Ohio">Ohio</a>, standing behind a lectern bearing a sign that read "Are you better off?" 
 Republicans released a web video that interspersed images of Obama and the economy's weak performance with slightly out-of-focus video clips of former President Jimmy Carter discussing the nation's economic woes when sat in the Oval Office more than 30 years ago.

Obama05

First lady Michelle Obama calls President Barack Obama 'a man we can trust'

michelle obama dnc - crop/lt

A transcript of first lady Michelle Obama's remarks Tuesday night at the Democratic National Convention, as provided by the Obama campaign: 
 ___ 
 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 going to walk again, they're going to run, and they're going to run marathons . in the young man blinded by a bomb in Afghanistan who said, simply, "I'd give my eyes 100 times again to have the chance to do what I have done and what I can still do." 
 Every day, the people I meet inspire me . every day, they make me proud . every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth. 
 Serving as your first lady is an honor and a privilege . but back when we first came together four years ago, I still had some concerns about this journey we'd begun. 
 While I believed deeply in my husband's vision for this country . and I was certain he would make an extraordinary president . like any mother, I was worried about what it would mean for our girls if he got that chance. 
 How would we keep them grounded under the glare of the national spotlight? 
 How would they feel being uprooted from their school, their friends, and the only home they'd ever known? 
 Our life before moving to Washington was filled with simple joys . Saturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandma's house.and a date night for Barack and me was either dinner or a movie, because as an exhausted mom, I couldn't stay awake for both. 
 And the truth is, I loved the life we had built for our girls . I deeply loved the man I had built that life with . and I didn't want that to change if he became president. 
 I loved Barack just the way he was. 
 You see, even though back then Barack was a senator and a presidential candidate . to me, he was still the guy who'd picked me up for our dates in a car that was so rusted out, I could actually see the pavement going by through a hole in the passenger side door . he was the guy whose proudest possession was a coffee table he'd found in a dumpster, and whose only pair of decent shoes was half a size too small. 
 But when Barack started telling me about his family — that's when I knew I had found a kindred spirit, someone whose values and upbringing were so much like mine. 
 You see, Barack and I were both raised by families who didn't have much in the way of money or material possessions but who had given us something far more valuable — their unconditional love, their unflinching sacrifice, and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves. 
 My father was a pump operator at the city water plant, and he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when my brother and I were young. 
 And even as a kid, I knew there were plenty of days when he was in pain . I knew there were plenty of mornings when it was a struggle for him to simply get out of bed. 
 But every morning, I watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself up against the bathroom sink, and slowly shave and button his uniform. 
 And when he returned home after a long day's work, my brother and I would stand at the top of the stairs to our little apartment, patiently waiting to greet him . watching as he reached down to lift one leg, and then the other, to slowly climb his way into our arms. 
 But despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of work . he and my mom were determined to give me and my brother the kind of education they could only dream of. 
 And when my brother and I finally made it to college, nearly all of our tuition came from student loans and grants. 
 But my dad still had to pay a tiny portion of that tuition himself. 
 And every semester, he was determined to pay that bill right on time, even taking out loans when he fell short. 
 He was so proud to be sending his kids to college . and he made sure we never missed a registration deadline because his check was late. 
 You see, for my dad, that's what it meant to be a man. 
 Like so many of us, that was the measure of his success in life— being able to earn a decent living that allowed him to support his family. 
 And as I got to know Barack, I realized that even though he'd grown up all the way across the country, he'd been brought up just like me. 
 Barack was raised by a single mother who struggled to pay the bills, and by grandparents who stepped in when she needed help. 
 Barack's grandmother started out as a secretary at a community bank . and she moved quickly up the ranks . but like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling. 
 And for years, men no more qualified than she was— men she had actually trained— were promoted up the ladder ahead of her, earning more and more money while Barack's family continued to scrape by. 
 But day after day, she kept on waking up at dawn to catch the bus . arriving at work before anyone else . giving her best without complaint or regret. 
 And she would often tell Barack, "So long as you kids do well, Bar, that's all that really matters." 
 Like so many American families, our families weren't asking for much. 
 They didn't begrudge anyone else's success or care that others had much more than they did... in fact, they admired it. 
 They simply believed in that fundamental American promise that, even if you don't start out with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do, then you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids. 
 That's how they raised us . that's what we learned from their example. 
 We learned about dignity and decency — that how hard you work matters more than how much you make . that helping others means more than just getting ahead yourself. 
 We learned about honesty and integrity — that the truth matters . that you don't take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules. and success doesn't count unless you earn it fair and square. 
 We learned about gratitude and humility — that so many people had a hand in our success, from the teachers who inspired us to the janitors who kept our school clean . and we were taught to value everyone's contribution and treat everyone with respect. 
 Those are the values Barack and I — and so many of you — are trying to pass on to our own children. 
 That's who we are. 
 And standing before you four years ago, I knew that I didn't want any of that to change if Barack became president. 
 Well, today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn't change who you are— it reveals who you are. 
 You see, I've gotten to see up close and personal what being president really looks like. 
 And I've seen how the issues that come across a president's desk are always the hard ones — the problems where no amount of data or numbers will get you to the right answer . the judgment calls where the stakes are so high, and there is no margin for error. 
 And as president, you can get all kinds of advice from all kinds of people. 
 But at the end of the day, when it comes time to make that decision, as president, all you have to guide you are your values, and your vision, and the life experiences that make you who you are. 
 So when it comes to rebuilding our economy, Barack is thinking about folks like my dad and like his grandmother. 
 He's thinking about the pride that comes from a hard day's work. 
 That's why he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act to help women get equal pay for equal work. 
 That's why he cut taxes for working families and small businesses and fought to get the auto industry back on its feet. 
 That's how he brought our economy from the brink of collapse to creating jobs again — jobs you can raise a family on, good jobs right here in the United States of America. 
 When it comes to the health of our families, Barack refused to listen to all those folks who told him to leave health reform for another day, another president. 
 He didn't care whether it was the easy thing to do politically — that's not how he was raised — he cared that it was the right thing to do. 
 He did it because he believes that here in America, our grandparents should be able to afford their medicine . our kids should be able to see a doctor when they're sick . and no one in this country should ever go broke because of an accident or illness. 
 And he believes that women are more than capable of making our own choices about our bodies and our health care . that's what my husband stands for. 
 When it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack knows that like me and like so many of you, he never could've attended college without financial aid. 
 And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage. 
 We were so young, so in love, and so in debt. 
 That's why Barack has fought so hard to increase student aid and keep interest rates down, because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt. 
 So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political — they're personal. 
 Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. 
 He knows what it means to want something more for your kids and grandkids. 
 Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it . and he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we're from, or what we look like, or who we love. 
 And he believes that when you've worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity . you do not slam it shut behind you . you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed. 
 So when people ask me whether being in the White House has changed my husband, I can honestly say that when it comes to his character, and his convictions, and his heart, Barack Obama is still the same man I fell in love with all those years ago. 
 He's the same man who started his career by turning down high paying jobs and instead working in struggling neighborhoods where a steel plant had shut down, fighting to rebuild those communities and get folks back to work . because for Barack, success isn't about how much money you make, it's about the difference you make in people's lives. 
 He's the same man who, when our girls were first born, would anxiously check their cribs every few minutes to ensure they were still breathing, proudly showing them off to everyone we knew. 
 That's the man who sits down with me and our girls for dinner nearly every night, patiently answering their questions about issues in the news, and strategizing about middle school friendships. 
 That's the man I see in those quiet moments late at night, hunched over his desk, poring over the letters people have sent him. 
 The letter from the father struggling to pay his bills . from the woman dying of cancer whose insurance company won't cover her care . from the young person with so much promise but so few opportunities. 
 I see the concern in his eyes...and I hear the determination in his voice as he tells me, "You won't believe what these folks are going through, Michelle . it's not right. We've got to keep working to fix this. We've got so much more to do." 
 I see how those stories — our collection of struggles and hopes and dreams — I see how that's what drives Barack Obama every single day. 
 And I didn't think it was possible, but today, I love my husband even more than I did four years ago . even more than I did 23 years ago, when we first met. 
 I love that he's never forgotten how he started. 
 I love that we can trust Barack to do what he says he's going to do, even when it's hard — especially when it's hard. 
 I love that for Barack, there is no such thing as "us" and "them" — he doesn't care whether you're a Democrat, a Republican, or none of the above . he knows that we all love our country. and he's always ready to listen to good ideas . he's always looking for the very best in everyone he meets. 
 And I love that even in the toughest moments, when we're all sweating it — when we're worried that the bill won't pass, and it seems like all is lost — Barack never lets himself get distracted by the chatter and the noise. 
 Just like his grandmother, he just keeps getting up and moving forward . with patience and wisdom, and courage and grace. 
 And he reminds me that we are playing a long game here .and that change is hard, and change is slow, and it never happens all at once. 
 But eventually we get there, we always do. 
 We get there because of folks like my dad . folks like Barack's grandmother . men and women who said to themselves, "I may not have a chance to fulfill my dreams, but maybe my children will . maybe my grandchildren will." 
 So many of us stand here tonight because of their sacrifice, and longing, and steadfast love . because time and again, they swallowed their fears and doubts and did what was hard. 
 So today, when the challenges we face start to seem overwhelming — or even impossible — let us never forget that doing the impossible is the history of this nation . it's who we are as Americans . it's how this country was built. 
 And if our parents and grandparents could toil and struggle for us . if they could raise beams of steel to the sky, send a man to the moon, and connect the world with the touch of a button . then surely we can keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids. 
 And if so many brave men and women could wear our country's uniform and sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights . then surely we can do our part as citizens of this great democracy to exercise those rights . surely, we can get to the polls and make our voices heard on Election Day. 
 If farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire . if immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores . if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote . if a generation could defeat a depression, and define greatness for all time. if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream . and if proud Americans can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love . then surely, surely we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great American Dream. 
 Because in the end, more than anything else, that is the story of this country — the story of unwavering hope grounded in unyielding struggle. 
 That is what has made my story, and Barack's story, and so many other American stories possible. 
 And I say all of this tonight not just as first lady.and not just as a wife. 
 You see, at the end of the day, my most important title is still "mom in chief." 
 My daughters are still the heart of my heart and the center of my world. 
 But today, I have none of those worries from four years ago about whether Barack and I were doing what's best for our girls. 
 Because today, I know from experience that if I truly want to leave a better world for my daughters, and all our sons and daughters . if we want to give all our children a foundation for their dreams and opportunities worthy of their promise . if we want to give them that sense of limitless possibility — that belief that here in America, there is always something better out there if you're willing to work for it . then we must work like never before . and we must once again come together and stand together for the man we can trust to keep moving this great country forward . my husband, our president, President Barack Obama. 
 Thank you, God bless you, and God bless America.

ap-mobama

Transcript of Michelle Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention

Michelle Obama - Cropped

Filler: Michelle Obama carries the night

Filler: Michelle Obama carries the night, Democrats more exuberant than RNC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. 
Change has come, all right -- to the early tone of the Democratic convention.
<a href="/topics//North_Hempstead,_NY">North Hempstead</a> Supervisor Jon <a href="/topics//Jon_Kaiman">Kaiman</a>, a delegate here, acknowledged "something different in the air" from the party's historic 2008 gathering in Denver.
For one thing, Kaiman, like most of the state's other elected <a href="/topics//U.S._Democratic_Party">Democrats</a>, was chosen four years ago as a delegate for failed candidate Sen. <a href="/topics//Hillary_Rodham_Clinton">Hillary Rodham Clinton</a>. 
She'd already conceded in the primaries to fellow Sen. Barack <a href="/topics//Barack_Obama">Obama</a>. But even in Denver, symbolic questions lingered over how <a href="/topics//New_York_(state)">New York</a> would cast its delegate votes -- which "created a little bit of tension and electricity," Kaiman recalled.
"Now we're in a different role. We're defending what's happening," Kaiman said.
Another delegate, State Sen. Bill Perkins, sat Tuesday on a couch at a Hilton Hotel, waiting for a bus to the convention hall about 10 miles away. He, too, was at the last DNC, as the only Harlem elected official who hadn't first endorsed <a href="/topics//Bill_Clinton">Clinton</a> before switching to Obama.
Re-election races are different, he noted. "He's kept the ship from sinking and I think he gets credit for that," Perkins said of Obama, noting <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">GOP</a> efforts to "cripple his presidency." Perkins added that, "There's more to be done. We have not had the change that we ultimately want, but we are on the right road." 
Hope-and-change mantras seemed to have sky-high potential in 2008. 
Now it's a narrower hope that the White House won't change hands.
"There's a recognition that this is a tougher political climate than Democrats would like to have," said state Comptroller <a href="/topics//Thomas_DiNapoli">Thomas DiNapoli</a>, who recalled the excitement of the <a href="/topics//Hillary_Rodham_Clinton">Hillary Clinton</a> presence. "But there's also the value of coming together, getting energized from hearing from folks in other states."
The former U.S. senator, of course, is now Secretary of State -- and is in <a href="/topics//China">China</a> for high-level meetings this week. Tonight, former President <a href="/topics//Bill_Clinton">Bill Clinton</a> addresses the convention on Obama's behalf, which is for partisans one of the more anticipated moments of the week.
The convention of the 'in' party has convened second, as is traditional, and this has given the Democrats a target to attack, based on last week's GOP rhetoric in <a href="/topics//Tampa">Tampa</a>, where the "hope" and "change" cant of four years ago came in for vigorous mocking.
Sen. Charles <a href="/topics//Chuck_Schumer">Schumer</a> said he was glad that Romney picked Rep. <a href="/topics//Paul_Ryan">Paul Ryan</a> (R-Wis.) as his running mate for vice president because it "draws the lines" between the parties more clearly.
"In 2008 it was a new candidate, obviously the first African-American, a lot of hope, a lot of excitement," Schumer said. "But I think in a certain sense this convention's more important . . . I don't think we'll get a huge bounce out of this convention, but I think it will predicate that we are the party much more able to . . . convince the middle class that we will make life better for them."
"The tone is a little more defensive than it was the last time," said <a href="/topics//Jay_Jacobs">Jay Jacobs</a>, Nassau party chairman and former state chairman. "But I think we're seeing a growing sense of enthusiasm."
Dismissing <a href="/topics//U.S._Republican_Party">Republican</a> descriptions of the United States as worse off than four years ago, <a href="/topics//Jay_Jacobs">Jacobs</a> said: "Are they kidding? Do they remember what it was like in the fall of 2008 when the economy was collapsing? . . . We have survived a near-catastrophe because of the actions of this president."

POJANI05

Sizing up why DNC is different this year

DNC - cropped

Charlotte, N.C. — One of the great joys of covering big news events is the “swag bag” — the collection of free stuff organizers hand out to attendees. Planned events, anyway. You rarely get good swag covering a 27-car collision or a three-alarm fire. 
 Since the Democratic National Convention is the second one we’re covering in a short span, and Walt Handelsman and I have been sharing a room for 164 consecutive days now (OK, 10) I had hoped the goodies would include fresh undergarments and industrial strength air fresheners, but no such luck. Instead, we got a mixed collection of mundane items and oddities that the New York Democratic delegation apparently feels are must-haves for the Charlotte celebration. 
 There’s the standard water bottle, sponsored by Pitta Bishop Del Giorno &amp; Giblin LLC, a consulting and government relations firm, and its corporate cousin, Pitta and Giblin LLP, Attorneys at Law. The message, I think, is “It’s important to stay hydrated, but it’s really important to know who to call when you get in trouble.” 
 There are the two notepads, sponsored by former Republican Sen. Alfonse D’Amato’s mega-powerful consulting and public relations firm Park Strategies LLC. Since there are two, delegates can use one for the list “1,000 reasons I love President Barack Obama” and the other for the list “1,000 Reasons I’m Terrified to Cross Alfonse D’Amato.” 
 There’s antibacterial spray from Yahoo! (so, so much handshaking), a poncho (in case God is cheeky enough to let it rain on this parade) and a squeezy yellow ball from the good folks at Sprint — good for Democrats who need to relieve tension while watching new reports on jobs and spending. 
 Seemingly included just to induce columnist-penned jokes about the “liberal East Coast elites” are the Kenneth Cole clutch for carrying everything and the two sweet-and-salty almond-flavored “Odwalla Chewy Nut Bars,” which contain no high fructose corn syrup but are instead sweetened with brown rice syrup, organic dried date syrup and evaporated cane juice syrup. 
 You don’t really appreciate high fructose corn syrup until it’s gone. These things taste like Styrofoam packing peanuts, but without all that rich Styrofoam goodness. 
 Then there are the two pedometers. Are they a warning about how far we’re going to have to hoof it to the convention once we clear the security perimeter? A plea to embrace the active lifestyle, to turn off our favorite reality show (“American Sloth” for me) and go for a brisk walk? Is there any way I can get one of mine to Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan, along with a working stopwatch? 
 Then there are the really odd gifts, the puzzlers. 
 The tire pressure gauge, sponsored by the Rubber Manufacturer’s Association, seems a cryptic messaging device at best. What jingoistic slogan should pop to mind as we hold this instrument? Are we “Floating On Air With Obama?” Seeking “Four More Years of a Smooth Ride With Barack?” Or is it a dire warning? “Mitt Romney Will Put this Nation in a Ditch Faster Than a High-Speed Blowout?” “The Republicans Will Take the Air Out of This Great Nation’s Tires?” 
 But by far the wackiest bits of swag in the bags are the brand new copies of the DVD “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II.” Everybody got one. 
 It’s the story of how a wondrous boy wizard perseveres, overcoming great evil, to set things right in the world, and I suppose it’s possible that we are supposed to see President Obama as being a hero to rival the bespectacled teen all the world loves. 
 If so, I think it’s an unfortunate comparison. If Obama asked me how he measured up, I’d have no choice but to tell him the truth. “To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen in a long-ago campaign: I’ve read the Harry Potter books. I’ve seen the Harry Potter movies. And you, sir, are no Harry Potter.” &nbsp;

Filler: What's in the DNC swag bag?

Filler: What's in the swag bag? The perks of being a delegate to the Democratic National Convention

DNC Swag Bag

Democrats in Charlotte are all about labor. &nbsp;Republicans in Tampa were all about business ownership. That difference in perspective has always been a political fault line, but now it has become a gaping, Grand Canyon of a divide. 
 It is Labor Day, and at breakfast for the New York delegates to the Democratic National Convention more than than a little union tub-thumping was de rigueur. But it wasn't perfunctory. 
 Stoked by labor leaders such as Michael Mulgrew, president of the United Federation of Teachers; Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union; and a line of New York City and upstate elected officials, it was unselfconscious and enthusiastic -- even though attention to the podium waxed and waned as the speeches went on and on. 
 Apparently no one in this crowd got the message from Tampa that entrepreneurs are the be-all-and-end-all of the U.S. economy. But the nation's politics has to be more than a union-management stand-off. Bridging the gap is crucial. Each side has to recognize the indispensable value of the other. 
 For the nation's economy to work the way it should, there has to be something in it for everybody.

Democrats kick off convention with nod to union base

Bessent: On Labor Day, Democrats kick off convention with nod to union base

Convention Charlotte

Complete coverage of the Democratic National Convention

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