From the Convention

Denver, Friday, August 29 - Playing Offense and Moved to Tears

  Someone left the National Journal on the Hertz shuttle bus this morning.  Ron Brownstein concluded his column, written before Senator Obama’s acceptance speech, by saying:  “Many senior Democrats will be anxiously watching to see whether he plays mostly defense - or offense.” 

  Exactly the pivot that Obama made in his speech last night when he started to draw the policy distinctions between himself and Senator McCain.

——

  The pilot gave us the news.  Sarah Palin, now in her second year as Governor of Alaska, will be John McCain’s running mate. 

  The last Vice Presidential nominee with such limited governmental experience was Spiro Agnew.  Her appeal to pro-choice women still concerned about Hillary Clinton’s defeat will be nil. 

  Unilke Agnew, however, she rooted out corruption in her state.  “That means she’ll bring change to Washington” is today’s GOP talking point. 

  Come November, I doubt the American people will buy it.

——

  Many people were moved to tears these past four days. 

  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. cried when he heard President Johnson say, “We shall ove rcome.” 

  Johnson was announcing to a joint session of Congress that he would introduce the Voting Rights Act of 1965.  Robert Caro, a Johnson biographer, relates this story in an op-ed this week. 

    “Mr. Obama’s speech — and in a way his whole candidacy — might not have been possible had that other speech not been given,” writes Caro.  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/opinion/28caro.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=Caro&st=cse&oref=slogin

    I’ve tried to give you my personal and partisan take on the events of this convention. 

    Caro puts Denver in an historic context. 

Denver, August 28 - Biography to Policy

Barack Obama energized himself and the crowd when, midway through his acceptance speech, he declared, “Let me tell you exactly what I mean by change.”

He shifted from biography to policy. 

He stopped telling stories of how the problems of people he met on the campaign trail were similar to those he and his family had experienced. 

Instead, he provided specifics of how he differed from John McCain. 

The near capacity crowd was most responsive when Obama talked about ending our dependency on oil from the Middle East in ten years and providing equal pay for an equal day’s work, regardless of gender. 

He also used one of the Republicans’ tactics, going after his opponent on his perceived strength. 

“I welcome a debate with John McCain about who has the temperament and judgment to be our next Commander-in-Chief,” Obama declared. 

With an early plane to catch in the morning, I’ll save my closing thoughts for my return to the Eastern Time Zone.

Denver, Wednesday August 27 - Repairing the World and All Was Forgiven

“I’m in the tikkun olam (Hebrew for “repairing the world”)  business,” stated United States Senator Ron Wyden.

He was not speaking from the podium at the convention.  It was a panel discussion on “Practicing Politics With Jewish Values” that I attended this afternoon. 

“I show up every morning and say, ‘What can I do to make the world a better place?‘“

Senator Wyden said that, but I could have too. 

Sometimes the issues are big, such as embryonic stem cell research or the death penalty.  Sometimes, the issues are small, getting the government to respond to a constituent’s complaint. 

But I’m always trying to make the world a better place for someone else. 

Another panelist was Mike Levy, a friend since junior high school who worked for Lloyd Bentsen on Capitol Hill and at the Treasury Department. 

“One of the greatest malicious gossip campaigns in history is being waged against Barack Obama,” Mike stated. 

Combatting these Karl Rovian/Swift Boat slanders will be crucial to to the outcome of the election. 
——

Now we know how to nominate someone for President by acclamation. 

You move to suspend the rules.

Halfway through the roll call of the states, that’s the motion that Hillary Clinton made. 

The “ayes” clearly had it. 

A few hours later, the ovation that greeted Bill Clinton demonstrated that all was forgiven among Obama and Clinton supporters - at least within the Pepsi Center. 

Clinton’s speech made two points:

“Barack Obama is ready to be President.”

“Last night, Hillary said she would do everything she can to elect Senator Obama.  That makes two of us.”

The former President then stated, “That makes 18 million of us.”

Gaining the support of those 18 million, as well as millions of independent voters, will also be crucial to the outcome of the election.

Denver, Tuesday, August 26 - Avoiding a Roll Call

If we were in Annapolis, Wednesday’s roll call vote for President would go like this.

After the nominating speeches, Hillary Clinton would be recognized and say, “I withdraw my name from consideration and move that Barack Obama be nominated by acclamation.” 

There would be a voice vote, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the presiding officer of the convention, would declare, “The ‘ayes’ have it.”

In the House of Delegates, if ten members request a roll call vote - where every member’s vote is recorded, there is one. 

I am a political junkie, but I have absolutely no idea how many convention delegates must ask for a roll call vote for there to be one after a voice vote has been taken.

There’s another big difference between Annapolis and Denver. 

When you nominate someone for President of the United States, the whole world is watching.

Nonetheless, party unity would be better served if the divisiveness of a roll call, tallying the votes for Obama and Clinton, is avoided.

——

One of the classes that sharpened my writing skills was “Writing About the Law” in my last semester of law school. 

My professor was Jeff Greenfield, now a political analyst for CBS News. 

We had dinner tonight - a chance meeting over chicken tenders and a hot dog in the corridors of the Pepsi Center. 

Jeff was proud to add me to the list of his students who have chosen not to practice law. 

Since he worked for Robert Kennedy, I asked him what he thought of the Edward Kennedy film and speech last night.

“I did two pieces for CBS News to mark to 40th anniversary of Bobby’s death in June,” he replied.  “They took all of the emotion out of me.”

Denver, August 25 - Garish Sun and Why Not

I can still see Robert Kennedy standing at the rostrum.  The ovation from the delegates at the 1964 Democratic Convention in Atlantic City prevented him from introducing the film about John Kennedy’s presidency.  Bobby had the look of a little boy who had lost his best friend in the world - which he had.

The crowd finally let him speak, and he concluded with these verses from Romeo and Juliet:

“When he shall die take him and cut him out into stars
And he shall make the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.”

I wore my Shakespeare tie to the convention tonight.  When I showed it to Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, she understood why I had the moment I showed it to her.

Tonight, it was the film about Teddy Kennedy’s career, more than his speech, that brought tears to the eyes.  Especially when it mentioned his efforts on embryoinc stem cell research, an issue that I have worked on as well. 

But his speech had its moments as well.  When he pledged to be there on the Senatre floor next January to work with Barack Obama on “the cause of my life - decent, quality health care as a fundamental right,” you believed he would will himself to be there despite his cancer. 

But Michele Obama was the prime time speaker.  The theme: her families and the American dream.  Her father who worked at the water filtration plant in Chicago despite multiple sclerosis.  “He just woke up a little earlier,” she related, “and worked a little harder” so that Michele and her brother could “have opportunities he never had.” 

And there was also the summer associate who arrived late for his first day of work at her law firm.  He had a funny name, Barack Obama. 

She eventually said yes when he asked her out.  And now he sees “the world as it is and the world as it should be.” 

It reminded me of Ted Kennedy’s eulogy for his brother Robert:

“Some men see things as they are and say why.
I dream things that never were and say why not.”

Denver, Monday afternoon, August 25 - Better Instincts and Greatest Hits

        Eight years ago, the Jewish Times asked me to do a diary from the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles that nominated Al Gore and Joe Lieberman.  The word “blogging” hadn’t been invented yet.  This week, I will again share my experiences in this diary/blog.

        I endorsed Barack Obama last fall because he appealed to the better instincts in the American electorate. 
        John F. Kennedy broke down religious barriers to the White House - and the larger society as well.  His election made possible the historic candidacies of Geraldine Ferraro and Joe Lieberman for Vice President.  It’s no accident that these barriers were set aside by the Democratic Party. 
        Obama would do the same on the matter of race.
        And now we know who his running mate is.  Joe Biden is a solid, safe choice with appeal to Jewish voters because of his commitment to Israel.  He also appeals to working class Democrats who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primaries. 
        If you can judge a man by his opponents’ negative ads, the best McCain could do is a clip from a debate this past winter where Biden questions Obama’s readiness to be President.
        If Mitt Romney is the GOP nominee, you won’t see a single clip of negative comments from Romney about McCain.  You’ll get the greatest hits.