Bill, Barack, and the Excitement of Being There

Bill, Barack, and the Excitement of Being There

The last two nights of the convention found us delegates excited and totally fatigued. The transportation was cumbersome, with the 20-minute distance from the hotel to the city taking up to two hours. This, along with the wining and dining of late night parties, meant operating on two or three hours sleep. No complaints, but this does remind me that politics is a young persons game!

Michelle Obama further humanized her husband, as though that were needed! Bill Clinton did a superb job of responding to republican charges from their convention, and of detailing successes under President Obama. Clinton is one of those very rare speakers who make you feel that of 40,000 people in the room, his eyes are seeking out just your eyes. He is a political wonk yet can lay out arguments in clear English. He is humorous but doesn’t come across as mean spirited.  In person he is electric.

Since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by the roll call by which the states announce their votes for a candidate. On Tuesday night, I had signed my name on the PA state ballot, thus giving my official vote for Barack Obama. It felt great! Here I am, in a democracy, exercising not just my own vote, but also being able to represent my congressional district in a vote at the convention. On Wednesday, the states announced their votes, with Ohio being given the chance to put the President over the top. I watched as Senator Casey handed over the privilege of casting the PA vote to our youngest delegate. Yes, this campaign is all about how to make a better world for the next generations.

On Thursday night, we were treated to the incredible voice of Marc Anthony leading us in the National Anthem, and to the Foo Fighters, Mary J Blige, and James Taylor. 

The President was in no way subdued, yet did not rise to the soaring rhetoric of 2008… nor did he need to. He needed to lay out a clear sense of his goals for the next four years, which he did. He is a dynamic speaker, who gave a speech grounded in reality.

Other reactions to the last two days of the convention: I cried unashamedly when Gabrielle Giffords came onto the stage, helped by Debbie Wasserman-Shultz. I grew up as the son of a quadriplegic parent, so my emotions were partly personal.  Many of us in the hall were crying. Here was a congresswoman who almost died by gunfire and who is working so hard, and so publically, to get back to functioning.  She struggled to walk, and then she stood and recited the pledge of allegiance. We cried for her, for ourselves, and for our country. I also realized how disappointed I was that our party was not brave enough to talk about gun control at all during this convention. We proudly stood up for women’s rights and LGBT rights and the rights of the middle class, but did not have the courage of our convictions to work toward reducing the slaughter brought about by unfettered access to guns.

Check out the Guest Post in Esquire by Tom Junod, written after President Clinton’s speech.  He talks of how places like water parks and Disney World now have a two-tiered system. You can pay regular price and stand in long lines seeing the preferred payer cut in front of you, or you can pay varying amounts extra to obtain preferential treatment.  Junod puts forth the idea that Democrats believe we should all have an equal chance in the “line” that is our society. He then states that “Romney was born with a Flash Pass on his wrist, and he can’t help but conceive opportunity as the opportunity to walk to the front of the line—to either pay for it or to dream of being able to pay for it one day.”

Conventions do reveal what a party stands for. By clear design, the delegates at the Democratic convention reflected the melting pot that is America. The platform stands for fairness and justice in meeting the needs of our diverse population as a country. It was a privilege to be a part of it.