Pam's House Blend - 2008DNC

Diego Sanchez Is Rep. Frank's New Legislative Advisor

Autumn Sandeen — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:00:00 GMT

I was very surprised to hear the news that my friend Diego Sanchez is going to by Rep. Barney Frank's (D-MA) new Legislative Assistant -- a senior policy advisor to the congressman. Mr. Sanchez is going to be taking over for Joe Racalto at Rep. Frank's Washington DC Congressional office -- Sanchez's new workplace is going to be a congressional office in Washington DC's Labor Building.

As Rep. Frank's Legislative Assistant, Sanchez will be responsible for tracking LGBT, healthcare, veterans, and labor issues, as well as issues regarding the 2010 census. The confluence of LGBT issues and the 2010 census will be if or how LGBT couples are counted -- is the federal government going to count how many same sex couples' have formed domestic partnerships, civil unions, or marriages within states that recognize these unions? Are they going to count the children of these relationships in a way that reflects these children's legal parentage? Sanchez will be the one tracking this particular concern for Rep. Frank and our LGBT community, and working to see that our LGBT families are counted in a manner that accurately counts our families.

Just looking at his LinkedIn profile, there is just no doubt that Sanchez's 30-years of experience in Healthcare, HIV/AIDS, press relations, communications, and LGBT issues, as well as his experience as being on the DNC Platform Committee and an At-Large Delegate at last year's Democratic National Convention, shows that he's extremely well qualified for his new position.

So why report on this new hire in Rep. Frank's Office? Well, not only is Diego Sanchez a well-qualified candidate applying for a congressional job, but Sanchez is also Latino; Sanchez is also a transman. As a transman, he'll be the first out trans person to ever work as a senior staffer in a DC congressional office.

And, Diego Sanchez's hire by Rep. Frank not only breaks the DC congressional office barrier for trans people, but he breaks that barrier for trans people of color:

As a Latino, formerly as a Latina woman, and now as a transman, I've been a lot of 'firsts' but it doesn't make me token. It makes me first to get a chance and it usually feels tardy, for me and many others who are capable but don't get a shot.
--Diego Sanchez

Perhaps surprisingly, Sanchez isn't the first trans person to ever work as senior staff for a congressperson. Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN) has employed Susan Kimberly as his Chief of Staff in his home district office.

[More below the fold.]
When I contacted Sanchez about what his hire by Congressman Frank meant, he responded that "Rep. Frank considers people on their qualifications, and he hires without discrimination." Now that's exciting to hear.

Well, Diego Sanchez's hire by Rep. Frank means more than Rep. Frank hires without discrimination to me. Besides sending a nondiscrimination message to his staff, Rep. Frank has given to my community a representative to Congress. Sanchez will no doubt send the message to congresspeople that trans people can be capable workers just like members of other minority groups and other protected classes. He also sends a pointed message that employment nondiscrimination protections for LGBT people -- such as with ENDA -- really is about giving equal employment opportunity to qualified job candidates, and not about restricting the free speech of conservative Christians.

This hiring action breathes a depth of meaning into Rep. Frank's recent words regarding federal employment and Diane Schroer's courthouse win in a way that means a hell of a lot to me, and no doubt will mean a lot to many of my trans peers. Rep. Frank didn't just speak the equal opportunity words -- he engaged in a visible, parallel action that says the words are more than words. If one is the best qualified, then one should get the job.

When I spoke to Sanchez on Tuesday night, I believe the thing that impressed me about him the most was his personal take on the Matthew Shepard act. Besides the obvious benefit of putting federal resources in the hands of local law enforcement agencies when LGBT people are the victims of bias crimes, Sanchez also sees hate crime legislation as a way to introduce people and issues to those who aren't completely comfortable with LGBT people.

And also, if it were up to Sanchez, he would rename the act the Matthew Shepard/Gwen Araujo Act. I hope Sanchez actually pushes for that -- In my mind that would go a long way to symbolically making hate crime legislation about the broad LGBT community, and point to the wider intersections of where race, gender, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation coalesce into crimes motivated hate against individuals that belong to multiple minority groups and already recognized protected classes. In other words, renaming the act to the Matthew Shepard/Gwen Araujo Act would be the diversity awareness thing to do.

Honestly, I'm quite pleased at this development. I don't expect miracles to happen with regards to federal gender identity and expression inclusive legislation because of this hire, nor do I expect Rep. Frank to completely embrace a fully inclusive ENDA just because he hired a Latino transman. However, my trans peers and I, as well as the broader LGBT community and our allies, can find progress and hope within Rep. Frank's hiring of Diego Sanchez. If nothing else, it's a strong statement about Sanchez's qualifications, as well as about Rep. Frank's commitment to equal employment opportunity -- at least within the federal workplace.

~~~~~
Photo of Diego Sanchez and Barney Frank by Bryan Parsons.

~~~~~
Different takes on this story in PHB diaries:
* Marti Abernathey's Diego Sanchez Named Senior Legislative Adviser To Barney Frank
* Diana CT's Diego Sanchez joins Congressman Barney Frank's DC Legislative Staff

~~~~~
Further reading:
* Bay Windows: Mr. Sanchez goes to Washington

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America: Yours, Mine and Ours - Pt. 1

TerranceDC — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 19:44:34 GMT

Part One: Yours, Mine...

One of the things I hoped for when Michelle Obama spoke at the Democratic convention, was that she would introduce people to the America that she came from, and that was the setting of her story. One of the biggest shames in the campaign - aside from the fact that political realities required this intelligent, accomplished woman to effectively bite her tongue for the last couple of months - is the lack of any honest discussion about the reality that we don't all live in the same America. It's one reality that both progressives and conservatives must grapple with between now and November, and beyond

Delivered on a night that carried the theme "One America," her speech should serve as a reminder that if we are to be America, we have to first acknowledge that what we have are three America's: yours, mine, and ours.

In speech after speech at the convention, love of country was invoked. Hillary Clinton spoke of reclaiming "the country we love." John Kerry declared "you don't decide who loves this country." And Michelle Obama, after having to stay silent for so long, had to step on to the stage Monday night and declare what shouldn't have been questioned in the first place: "I love this country."

And then she spoke of the America she loved, the America she grew up with - the America that she saw get up every morning, get up, struggle, and triumph, just like children in families across America right now. Just like I watched my father sometimes work two jobs to support us, pushing forward despite facing discrimination, and going to night school in an effort to extend his education and become an even better provider.

Right now, children like I was and like Michelle Obama was are growing up in a different America. Not an an America where people own seven homes, but where more and more people are losing theirs to foreclosure, and in neighborhoods darkened by blight - encroaching where it had once been pushed back - as their neighbor's homes are foreclosed upon. They're growing up in an America where some who still have them will find it harder to heat their homes this winter. And not just because of the rising cost of fuel, but because their employers - attempting to stay ahead of the rising cost of doing business - have cut full-time employees down to part-time or implemented part-time layoffs in hopes of cutting payrolls.

They live in an America where parents who aren't merely underemployed may be among the growing numbers of the unemployed, and where the employed are increasingly insecure, concerned that the reality of globalization makes it likely their jobs will be shipped overseas. Theirs is an America in which stimulus checks are long since spent and their temporary effects faded, leaving behind the reality that household incomes haven't grown during our so-called economic boom. Despite that, in their America people still spend ever more on on basic necessities like household utilities and groceries; where more and more families rely on food stamps, and where those food stamps buy less and less, leaving a growing number of families facing "food insecurity" - a condition we used to call "hunger."

They aren't likely to fare much better at school, where rising food costs have hit school lunches, leading to more families requesting reduced lunches. And even them, some can only look forward to school lunches four days out of five, as more schools cut back to four-day weeks in an effort to save costs. In their America, grandparents are chipping in on back-to-school bills, to help defray costs. That is, if they can. Some grandparents may be too busy working, as they've put off retirement to deal with falling home values and rising. Some grandparents are facing bankruptcy, due to increasing medical bills.

Theirs is an America where prescription drug costs and health care costs are cutting into stagnant wages, and where people tap into their savings accounts, home equity and credit cards, going into debt to pay for health care. Those 47 million without health insurance, contrary to popular belief, pay $30 billion collectively for health care - and typically get less than they pay for when it comes to the quality of that care.

It's a world away from the America where the rich have gotten richer in the past seven years, but just around the corner from the America where the poor have indeed gotten poorer, and more of them crowd into poverty-stricken neighborhoods - reversing a trend of upward mobility that began in the previous decade and ended around the time this one began. It's light years away from the America where and income of $5 million qualifies as "rich" and $250,000 annually is solidly middle class, but down the street from the America where wages are decades behind prices. And it's nowhere near the America where a CEO can keep a "compensation package" worth over 18$ million, even his company loses $841 million and requires a tax-payer funded bailout. It's light years away from the America where the economy is basically sound, but smack in the middle of an America full of "whiners" squeezed by that same economy, and most say it's getting worse.

Of course, the concept of "two Americas" isn't new, but it doesn't merely speak to economic injustices and inequality. There has been more than one America for as long as there has been an America. Sojourner Truth gave voice to it in her famous "Ain't I a Woman" speech. W.E.B. Du Bois named it when he wrote of a "twoness of being" in Souls of Black Folk.

As I've written before, I grew up in - and still reside in - a different America than the one that my friends grew up in or that even my next door neighbors reside in. I grew up knowing, because my parents knew and knew that I needed to know, that I lived in a different America than my white classmates; one where I couldn't get away with the same things they might get away with, and where I could expect harsher punishment if caught because of my race. I reside today in, and am raising two African American sons in, an America where I am still held suspect because I am an African American man; and where they most likely will be held suspect too.

It's an America where a woman I'd spoken to on the phone several times in a previous job exclaimed aloud upon meeting me, "I didn't realize you were black. You're so articulate!" And because I'd grown up in the America I grew up in, I could answer her "Is there some reason I shouldn't be?", without anger or resentment, and even with a smile, and get my message across. It's an America where the host of a baby-sitting co-op social we attended after our oldest son was born assumed that, because my son was (a) African American and (b) had two gay dads, that (c) he must have been a "crack baby." That time, my spouse spoke up while I was silent with rage.

My America is one where a friend of ours - whose wedding we attended, and with whom we celebrated when he and his partner adopted their son after several disappointments - was turned away from the hospital emergency room where his husband lay suffering a brain aneurysm. He was told that the hospital wouldn't give him any information or allow him to see his husband until he could show legal proof of their relationship, because he was "not net of kin." He drove all the way home to retrieve the documents - will, advance directives, medical powers of attorney - and all the way back to the hospital, not knowing if his husband would be dead or alive when he returned. He was lucky. He got the chance to see his husband before he passed away days later. Bill Flanagan and Robert Daniel weren't as fortunate. Neither were John Crisci and Michael Tartaglia, or Janice Langbehn and Lisa Pond.

Because of those stories, my America is one where my family does not travel without those same documents - wills, advance directives, and medical powers of attorney - as well as our children's birth certificates and adoption decrees. (We started carrying those documents after Oklahoma passed a law banning recognition of adoptions by same-sex couples, and carry them still even though a federal court overturned the law.) My spouse and I each keep copies of all these documents in our desks at work, just in case. Even with those documents, there's no guarantee our relationships as a family will be recognized if we're somewhere far from home, but we're better off with them than without them.

Just down the street, my neighbor - whom I told the story of what my friend went through - lives in an America where she walked into a hospital when her husband was rushed to the emergency room, and said just three words to hospital staff: "I'm his wife." In response she got - not a request for documents or proof of their relationship - three words as well: "right this way." I don't know, but I'd hazard a guess that - in their America - my neighbors probably don't travel with their marriage license at hand, and probably don't need to.

It's not an America that Michelle Obama inhabits, but neither do she and her husband deny it's existence - or insist upon the primacy of their America. Probably because they know there's another America that considers them "uppity." And coming from a white, Georgia congressman, that word should carry all the old historical implications. Born and raised in Georgia, I'm hard pressed to believe Rep. Westmoreland - who grew up in Georgia during the 1950s - had never heard the term used in a racially derogatory sense and had no idea just how his comment would be heard.

I've never heard that term used in a racially derogatory sense. It is important to note that the dictionary definition of 'uppity' is 'affecting an air of inflated self-esteem -- snobbish.' That's what we meant by uppity when we used it in the mill village where I grew up.

A white man who grew up in Atlanta in the 1950s never heard of a "uppity nigger"?

Well, I was raised by parents who married in 1955, and lived in Georgia almost all of their lives; parents who grew up in the Georgia of the 1930s and 1940s, where the country's last mass lynching took place in 1946. They grew up in an America even more different than the one I grew up in, and almost certainly different than the one Rep. Westmoreland grew up in; where an entire social system was dedicated to keeping them, their families, and their communities "in their place." Or, more succinctly, to keep them from getting too "uppity." That dog-whistle is easy to hear, if you've had a lifetime to recognize its tone.

I've heard it before, and I hear it still. That's my America.

To hear all of the above, you might not believe that I love it - and even question whether or not I do - but I do. When I am proud of it, it is because of the times it lives up to its promise, and at other times in spite of its failure to do so. Sometimes I am less proud of it than at others. But that is the context of my America and my loving it.

Too often, when some of who have seen America fail to live up to what it promises to be on paper - and seen it finally coaxed and cajoled doing so after some time - give voice to that experience, first our love of country is questioned. Then, soon after, we're told how to love America.

Main thought. Hillary Clinton is not Barack Obama's problem. America is Mr. Obama's problem. He has been tagged as a snooty lefty, as the glamorous, ambivalent candidate from Men's Vogue, the candidate who loves America because of the great progress it has made in terms of racial fairness. Fine, good. But has he ever gotten misty-eyed over ... the Wright Brothers and what kind of country allowed them to go off on their own and change everything? How about D-Day, or George Washington, or Henry Ford, or the losers and brigands who flocked to Sutter's Mill, who pushed their way west because there was gold in them thar hills? There's gold in that history.

John McCain carries it in his bones. Mr. McCain learned it in school, in the Naval Academy, and, literally, at grandpa's knee. Mrs. Clinton learned at least its importance in her long slog through Arkansas, circa 1977-92.

Mr. Obama? What does he think about all that history? Which is another way of saying: What does he think of America? That's why people talk about the flag pin absent from the lapel. They wonder if it means something. Not that the presence of the pin proves love of country - any cynic can wear a pin, and many cynics do. But what about Obama and America? Who would have taught him to love it, and what did he learn was loveable, and what does he think about it all?

Another challenge. Snooty lefties get angry when you ask them to talk about these things. They get resentful. Who are you to question my patriotism? But no one is questioning his patriotism, they're questioning its content, its fullness. Gate 14 has a right to hear this. They'd lean forward to hear.

Most often, this comes from someone who doesn't live in our America. And of course, whether they know it or not, they are really telling us how to love their America, demanding that it be our America, and that we love it their way. Not to put too fine a point on it, but do note what the examples from Peggy Noonan's Wall Street Journal column - the Wright brothers, George Washington, and Henry Ford among others - have in common. And then ask why it is preferable that Barrack Obama get "misty-eyed" over them instead of Americans whose strivings made his life and his candidacy possible, or by Michelle Obama must get "misty-eyed" over the same rather than the father whose strivings made it possible for her story to happen?

And why is it assumed that love of that America cannot be commuted to the America that made possible the strivings of so many, strivings that lead to not only to civil rights movement, the womens' movement, and all the other progressive movements that - when others were "standing athwart history yelling Stop!'" - pushed of forwards into a present that has seen historic candidacies not dreamed of at the nation's founding?

In one sense, Noonan is right, it's not actually the patriotism of progressive Americans that's being called into question. It's the content of that patriotism that's questioned by some because its context is not their America. What's demanded, in the guise of questions about flag lapel pins, is what Michael Berube once astutely defined as contentless patriotism.

I'm familiar with Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the U.S.A.," of course. We all are - it's been inescapable for twenty years. Or so I thought. It turns out, instead, that I somehow have managed to escape hearing the intro and the first verse until just this past month, when the song was used as part of Jamie's fifth-grade graduation video (as the background music for his school's visit to Fort Robideau). That's no doubt because, as a paid-up member of the latté-drinking liberal cultural elite, I tend to avoid social occasions and gatherings in which the song is played and sung along to.

And needless to say, I think the song is odious almost beyond measure. That's not because I'm a paid-up member of the latté-drinking liberal cultural elite who sneers at my fellow citizens' simple, heartfelt expressions of patriotism; it's because the song's version of patriotism is completely contentless. Two verses and three choruses, and Mr. Greenwood couldn't find a single reason to love the U.S.A.? Yeah, yeah, I know, pride, pride, freedom, freedom: "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free." But free to do what? To fire employees without cause, thanks to the at-will employment doctrine? To abolish the estate tax? To hold up a sign saying that Matthew Shepherd got what he deserved? Or to protest foolish wars, march for civil rights, and support the right of kids with Down syndrome to be educated in regular classrooms where they can go to visit Fort Robideau with their nondisabled peers? "God Bless the U.S.A." doesn't say, and that's what makes it such a perfect emblem of a certain kind of right-wing contentless patriotism, the kind of patriotism that supports the troops by flying flags from cars while supporting a President who leads the troops off to needless slaughter and then cuts their veterans' benefits. Had Greenwood said anything about that freedom - "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free of all taxes on my estate of $36 million," or "I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free to fight for the right to register Mississippi's black voters in the face of murderous right-wing opposition" - one imagines that his song would be a good deal less popular.

Less popular because an honest account of my America or yours calls into question the context of someone else's? In that equation, whose America has both authenticity and primary? Or are there as many ways of being an American and loving America as there are Americans, each as authentic as the other? Must one - and only one - have primacy?

Whose?

Crossposted from The Republic of T.

Video break: interview for PBS's Tavis Smiley's Young Voices

Pam Spaulding — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

As I mentioned last week, while we were in Denver at the DNC it seems as though I was the subject of interviews by media outlets almost as many times as I conducted ones for the Blend. Must be that novelty factor...

The latest one up is by broadcast-turned-online journalist Tamika Thompson of Tavis Smiley's Young Voices on PBS. She approached me while I was at The Big Tent and shot this for the series "African American Bloggers: Beyond What you See on TV." I am glad that I had a chance to bring LGBT perspective to a program with a large POC following. Visibility does matter.

Pam's House Blend editor and publisher Pam Spaulding tells us how DNC access for bloggers changes the political landscape and discusses how LGBT issues have been addressed this election season.

More videos of black bloggers at the convention are at the PBS web site.

Also, catch Tamika's latest coverage of the police violence at the RNC, complete with photos of law enforcement pepper spraying and arresting anti-war protestors.

Open thread - convention pix and flix

Pam Spaulding — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 22:00:00 GMT

Discuss anything and everything. Here is an album from the Blend's convention coverage. It's a slideshow, but you can watch the videos in total or skip through at your leisure.

And here is the link to all of the 2008 DNC posts.

McCain Veep meltdown - he's unqualified to serve

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 17:46:28 GMT

If the first decision a presidential candidate makes about who will succeed him/her in an emergency is an indication of overall judgment, John McCain is unelectable.

"But as for that VP talk all the time, I'll tell ya, I still can't answer that question until somebody answers for me, what is it exactly that the VP does every day?"
- former Miss Alaska runnerup Sarah Palin, 8/1/08, on CNBC, "Kudlow and Company"

Mayor of a tiny town, two years as governor, and she is a promising addition to the ticket if you want a...

-- Womb control advocate
-- an anti-LGBT activist
-- religious right fembot
-- creationist.

I am sorry, this is such a slam to women everywhere if McCain thinks the mere fact one has a vagina (and is a hottie in his book) is a qualification to run the country and "attract the women and youth vote". I don't want to hear one whit about the GOP slamming Hillary Clinton all during this campaign season.

I want to see how they spin this utterly absurd pick.

Highlights/lowlights of her record are below the fold.
Via HRC:

Prior to being elected governor, Palin supported the 1998 constitutional amendment barring marriage for same-sex couples and has said she would support a ballot measure overturning a state supreme court decision mandating benefits for domestic partners of state employees
· She is close to "traditional values" groups, like Family Research Council, because she is strongly anti-choice
Marriage and Relationship Recognition
· Palin told the Anchorage Daily News that she supported the 1998 constitutional amendment on marriage.
· In addition, she told the Daily News that she would support a ballot question that would deny benefits to the domestic partners of public employees, which were ordered by an October 2005 decision of the Alaska Supreme Court, because, she said "honoring the family structure is that important." http://dwb.adn.com/news/politi...
· While she followed the Court's decision and he also signed legislation ~~her first legislative act as Governor of Alaska~~to put the issue on the April 2007 ballot for a nonbinding advisory vote. This was the only issue on the ballot and that election cost the state taxpayers $1.2 million. This measure passed, but the legislature did not follow the public's advice and it chose not to take any further action to overturn the court's decision.
· She did, however, veto legislation passed by the state legislature in 2006 that would have prohibited providing DP benefits to state workers, in defiance of the Alaska Supreme Court's ruling. She did this after the Supreme Court had already ruled and the Attorney General (Republican) advised her that the legislation was unconstitutional. Palin went on to state that, as a matter of policy, she was in favor of the bill.
Ties to Anti-LGBT Groups
· She will be honored alongside anti-gay Representative Michelle Bachman (R-MN) at an event at the 2008 Republican Convention, the "Life of the Party," sponsored in part by long-time opponent of GLBT rights, Phyllis Schlafly.

So, as we wait for McCain's Veep choice...

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 14:05:58 GMT

UPDATE: 8:35 AM MT: CNN confirms that it's one-term Alaska Governor Palin. This will be fun. What a desperate Hail Mary.

7:30 AM MT: I leave Denver around noon, and I'm up trying to get my bleary eyes fully open with a diet Pepsi. My head cold is horrid, and I'm sore all over, but wouldn't have missed last night for the world. Use this as an open thread.

* Veep watch: so who's out?
-- Tim Pawlenty: CNN reports his office confirmed that he received the "nay" call from McSame this AM.

-- Mittles: He's out. WCVB-TV, channel 5, Boston just confirmed that he got the thumbs down.

-- Huckabee: ruled himself out on his blog. He was never vetted by the campaign.

-- Sarah Palin (Alaska Gov): there are conflicting reports on whether she is in her state or in Ohio where McCain will announce the VP. She's been in office for only 2 years, so that would take the air out of any GOP argument about why experience is the end-all, be-all, particularly for McCain, since he turns 72 today.

* Aren't the Republicans just f*cked with the horror of hurricane Gustav heading for the Gulf Coast as they hold their convention? Autumn will have more to say about the predictions and prayer by Focus on the Anus for rain at Invesco that went bust. Why does God hate America (and has bad aim)?

* Another blogmistress interview. The WaPo's Jose Antonio Vargas did a profile of me that is in today's paper. It's below the fold.I include the pic only because it shows you how tired I was when he did the interview. It was at 11PM, just after I got off the shuttle bus from a long day at the Pepsi Center, reporting on the goings-on. The whole death-warmed over thing.

Blog Talk
By Blog Talk
Thursday, August 28, 2008; A26
DENVER, Aug. 27 -- Here in Confab City, you can't swing a messenger bag without hitting a blogger; the place is lousy with them. Hundreds are credentialed; here's one worth clicking on.
Your blog: Pam'sHouseBlend.com, born July 2004.
Your real job: IT manager at Duke University Press.
Your blogger name, and why: Pam Spaulding. "Yes, I blog under my name. Boring, right? But this is who I am. I don't blog under a handler. I don't do that. I'm Pam."
Your real name: Pam Spaulding.
Other deets:45, married (to a woman, whom she wed in Vancouver, Canada, in 2004), lives in Durham, N.C.
We're dying to know -- do you actually brew any of that hazelnut-vanilla flavored junk?
In the blog or in real life?
Both.
[Laughs.] I don't drink coffee, actually. [Laughs again.] I know, I know. That's the irony right there. [Laughs some more.] I drink tea. English Breakfast tea with half-and-half.
English B reakfast? A little uppity, don't you think?
[Laughs.] That's my favorite. But let me make this clear: I call the blog Pam's House Blend to evoke the imagery of a coffeehouse, where discussions, casual discussions, about politics, about anything, really, take place.
So you happen to a black lesbian blogger . ..
Who's also a native Southerner . . .
So you happen to be a blogger who's black, who's a lesbian and who's a native Southerner. Anything else before we go on ?
[Laughs.]
Who is your audience?
I never really think about that -- and, in a way, that's the beauty of blogging. You don't look for an audience. The audience finds you. I inhabit many universes. Sometimes it's wonderful. Sometimes it's a real pain. And in any given community I inhabit, I don't seem to be entirely in sync with them. Maybe that's what the appeal is of my blog. Maybe even though we categorize ourselves or people categorize us as "black," "lesbian," "Southerner" -- whatever -- what we experience is somehow always universal.
Isn't there conflict, though, within those universes?
Well, a lot of black bloggers don't identify with me, because I write about gay issues. When I write about race-related issues, a lot of my readers -- predominantly white, half [of them] gay, half [of them] straight -- find it hard to read. This election has really shown how uncomfortable people are when it comes to talking about race. Like, people, especially people in the mainstream media, keep talking about how this is the first post-racial election and Obama is a post-racial candidate.
Wait! That's not true?
No! No! And I just laugh hysterically when I hear it. Think about it: How can we be post-anything if we haven't gotten past talking about race? If we haven't really confronted it head-on? If we keep on getting defensive, both blacks and whites, whenever we hear something that makes us uncomfortable? There's a certain amount of self-segregation going on in both sides.
What was it like to watch Michelle Obama give her prime-time speech live?
An amazing moment is all I can say. She's the full realization of a woman, a black woman, who has risen through the ranks. She's the image of a professional black woman who, aside from Oprah, we usually don't see. The Cosbys, in effect, were not fiction. There are black families like that. My family is like that. But you rarely, rarely ever see them.
-- Jose Antonio Vargas

Pigs are flying - pundits on Obama's speech

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 08:42:30 GMT

The bacon gained speed trotting down the runway and improbably soared, aloft in the clouds -- the reaction to Barack Obama's acceptance speech earned glowing reviews all across the political spectrum:

MSNBC Pat Buchanan - "It was a genuinely outstanding speech. It was magnificent. It is the finest - and I saw Cuomo's speech, I saw Kennedy in '80, I even saw Douglas MacArthur, I saw Martin Luther King - this is the greatest convention speech, and probably the most important because unlike Cuomo and the others this is an acceptance speech. This came out of the heart of America and he went right at the heart of America..."
FOX Bill Kristol - "Barack Obama faced very high expectations tonight and honestly I think he met them and I honestly think he exceeded them...He eloquently explained America's promise. He explained why the Bush Cheney administration had fallen short of that...I thought it was an awfully impressive performance."
CNN David Gergen - "In many ways it was less a speech than a symphony...It was a masterpiece"
MSNBC Tom Brokaw - "It was a wonderfully crafted political speech and the Republicans I'm sure were looking in and wondering what they're going to be able to do next week to match it"
CNN Paul Begala - "He went fearlessly at John McCain's greatest strength, national security. He went proudly into the social issue terrain that Democrats are usually so afraid of. He went boldly attacking the status quo of George Bush, Dick Cheney and John McCain, and then he went very comfortably in your living room...This is my ninth convention, it was as very nearly a perfect convention speech as I can imagine..."
MSNBC Chris Matthews - "I thought it was amazing - I've written speeches all my life, of course nothing like this...It was a great way of throwing back the other side's best shot and saying it's full of crap"

Speeches, speeches... including Barack Obama's

Pam Spaulding — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:23:06 GMT

(NOTE: The live blog of the events at Invesco, along with photos, video, and my personal thoughts are here. )

And the pull quote, a very public one that he could have easily left out because of the red meat the Republican Sexual Hypocrites love to chew on:

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

What I said in the other thread...

It's a statement that will tick off those who want it all, and want it now -- after all, separate is not equal, but the reality is that, on this national stage, a call for equality in this way is groundbreaking because it was purposefully present -- and the crowd responded -- and a nation watched a presidential candidate in a close race (that shouldn't be close), put himself out there.

***

I can hardly believe we are finally at this moment. It is a shining moment of promise, as 75,000 people have traveled far and wide, they stood in impossibly long lines to usher in a new day, as Sen. Durbin said, to work can move beyond the destructive and failed policies of the last eight years.

I want to savor this moment in history (I certainly never expected to live to see this day when we would elected a person of color). I will savor it because I know that the new day that has so much promise can be dimmed and damaged by a raging storm of dark political tactics, deeply embedded fear of change, and the long-ignored legacy of not being able to see beyond the color of one's skin, and the difficult work that we have to do as a nation. We can get there, but post-racial we are not.

But we can dare to dream.

I'm posting some of the speakers' speeches as I receive the dispatches. They are below the fold.

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
"The American Promise"
Democratic Convention
Thursday, August 28th, 2008
Denver, Colorado
As Prepared for Delivery
To Chairman Dean and my great friend Dick Durbin; and to all my fellow citizens of this great nation;
With profound gratitude and great humility, I accept your nomination for the presidency of the United States.
Let me express my thanks to the historic slate of candidates who accompanied me on this journey, and especially the one who traveled the farthest - a champion for working Americans and an inspiration to my daughters and to yours -- Hillary Rodham Clinton. To President Clinton, who last night made the case for change as only he can make it; to Ted Kennedy, who embodies the spirit of service; and to the next Vice President of the United States, Joe Biden, I thank you. I am grateful to finish this journey with one of the finest statesmen of our time, a man at ease with everyone from world leaders to the conductors on the Amtrak train he still takes home every night.
To the love of my life, our next First Lady, Michelle Obama, and to Sasha and Malia - I love you so much, and I'm so proud of all of you.
Four years ago, I stood before you and told you my story - of the brief union between a young man from Kenya and a young woman from Kansas who weren't well-off or well-known, but shared a belief that in America, their son could achieve whatever he put his mind to.
It is that promise that has always set this country apart - that through hard work and sacrifice, each of us can pursue our individual dreams but still come together as one American family, to ensure that the next generation can pursue their dreams as well.
That's why I stand here tonight. Because for two hundred and thirty two years, at each moment when that promise was in jeopardy, ordinary men and women - students and soldiers, farmers and teachers, nurses and janitors -- found the courage to keep it alive.
We meet at one of those defining moments - a moment when our nation is at war, our economy is in turmoil, and the American promise has been threatened once more.
Tonight, more Americans are out of work and more are working harder for less. More of you have lost your homes and even more are watching your home values plummet. More of you have cars you can't afford to drive, credit card bills you can't afford to pay, and tuition that's beyond your reach.
These challenges are not all of government's making. But the failure to respond is a direct result of a broken politics in Washington and the failed policies of George W. Bush.
America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.
This country is more decent than one where a woman in Ohio, on the brink of retirement, finds herself one illness away from disaster after a lifetime of hard work.
This country is more generous than one where a man in Indiana has to pack up the equipment he's worked on for twenty years and watch it shipped off to China, and then chokes up as he explains how he felt like a failure when he went home to tell his family the news.
We are more compassionate than a government that lets veterans sleep on our streets and families slide into poverty; that sits on its hands while a major American city drowns before our eyes.
Tonight, I say to the American people, to Democrats and Republicans and Independents across this great land - enough! This moment - this election - is our chance to keep, in the 21st century, the American promise alive. Because next week, in Minnesota, the same party that brought you two terms of George Bush and Dick Cheney will ask this country for a third. And we are here because we love this country too much to let the next four years look like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: "Eight is enough."
Now let there be no doubt. The Republican nominee, John McCain, has worn the uniform of our country with bravery and distinction, and for that we owe him our gratitude and respect. And next week, we'll also hear about those occasions when he's broken with his party as evidence that he can deliver the change that we need.
But the record's clear: John McCain has voted with George Bush ninety percent of the time. Senator McCain likes to talk about judgment, but really, what does it say about your judgment when you think George Bush has been right more than ninety percent of the time? I don't know about you, but I'm not ready to take a ten percent chance on change.
The truth is, on issue after issue that would make a difference in your lives - on health care and education and the economy - Senator McCain has been anything but independent. He said that our economy has made "great progress" under this President. He said that the fundamentals of the economy are strong. And when one of his chief advisors - the man who wrote his economic plan - was talking about the anxiety Americans are feeling, he said that we were just suffering from a "mental recession," and that we've become, and I quote, "a nation of whiners."
A nation of whiners? Tell that to the proud auto workers at a Michigan plant who, after they found out it was closing, kept showing up every day and working as hard as ever, because they knew there were people who counted on the brakes that they made. Tell that to the military families who shoulder their burdens silently as they watch their loved ones leave for their third or fourth or fifth tour of duty. These are not whiners. They work hard and give back and keep going without complaint. These are the Americans that I know.
Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?
It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.
For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.
Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.
You see, we Democrats have a very different measure of what constitutes progress in this country.
We measure progress by how many people can find a job that pays the mortgage; whether you can put a little extra money away at the end of each month so you can someday watch your child receive her college diploma. We measure progress in the 23 million new jobs that were created when Bill Clinton was President - when the average American family saw its income go up $7,500 instead of down $2,000 like it has under George Bush.
We measure the strength of our economy not by the number of billionaires we have or the profits of the Fortune 500, but by whether someone with a good idea can take a risk and start a new business, or whether the waitress who lives on tips can take a day off to look after a sick kid without losing her job - an economy that honors the dignity of work.
The fundamentals we use to measure economic strength are whether we are living up to that fundamental promise that has made this country great - a promise that is the only reason I am standing here tonight.
Because in the faces of those young veterans who come back from Iraq and Afghanistan, I see my grandfather, who signed up after Pearl Harbor, marched in Patton's Army, and was rewarded by a grateful nation with the chance to go to college on the GI Bill.
In the face of that young student who sleeps just three hours before working the night shift, I think about my mom, who raised my sister and me on her own while she worked and earned her degree; who once turned to food stamps but was still able to send us to the best schools in the country with the help of student loans and scholarships.
When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.
And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.
I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.
What is that promise?
It's a promise that says each of us has the freedom to make of our own lives what we will, but that we also have the obligation to treat each other with dignity and respect.
It's a promise that says the market should reward drive and innovation and generate growth, but that businesses should live up to their responsibilities to create American jobs, look out for American workers, and play by the rules of the road.
Ours is a promise that says government cannot solve all our problems, but what it should do is that which we cannot do for ourselves - protect us from harm and provide every child a decent education; keep our water clean and our toys safe; invest in new schools and new roads and new science and technology.
Our government should work for us, not against us. It should help us, not hurt us. It should ensure opportunity not just for those with the most money and influence, but for every American who's willing to work.
That's the promise of America - the idea that we are responsible for ourselves, but that we also rise or fall as one nation; the fundamental belief that I am my brother's keeper; I am my sister's keeper.
That's the promise we need to keep. That's the change we need right now. So let me spell out exactly what that change would mean if I am President.
.
Change means a tax code that doesn't reward the lobbyists who wrote it, but the American workers and small businesses who deserve it.
Unlike John McCain, I will stop giving tax breaks to corporations that ship jobs overseas, and I will start giving them to companies that create good jobs right here in America.
I will eliminate capital gains taxes for the small businesses and the start-ups that will create the high-wage, high-tech jobs of tomorrow.
I will cut taxes - cut taxes - for 95% of all working families. Because in an economy like this, the last thing we should do is raise taxes on the middle-class.
And for the sake of our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, I will set a clear goal as President: in ten years, we will finally end our dependence on oil from the Middle East.
Washington's been talking about our oil addiction for the last thirty years, and John McCain has been there for twenty-six of them. In that time, he's said no to higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars, no to investments in renewable energy, no to renewable fuels. And today, we import triple the amount of oil as the day that Senator McCain took office.
Now is the time to end this addiction, and to understand that drilling is a stop-gap measure, not a long-term solution. Not even close.
As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest 150 billion dollars over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy - wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced.
America, now is not the time for small plans.
Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And I will not settle for an America where some kids don't have that chance. I'll invest in early childhood education. I'll recruit an army of new teachers, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.
Now is the time to finally keep the promise of affordable, accessible health care for every single American. If you have health care, my plan will lower your premiums. If you don't, you'll be able to get the same kind of coverage that members of Congress give themselves. And as someone who watched my mother argue with insurance companies while she lay in bed dying of cancer, I will make certain those companies stop discriminating against those who are sick and need care the most.
Now is the time to help families with paid sick days and better family leave, because nobody in America should have to choose between keeping their jobs and caring for a sick child or ailing parent.
Now is the time to change our bankruptcy laws, so that your pensions are protected ahead of CEO bonuses; and the time to protect Social Security for future generations.
And now is the time to keep the promise of equal pay for an equal day's work, because I want my daughters to have exactly the same opportunities as your sons.
Now, many of these plans will cost money, which is why I've laid out how I'll pay for every dime - by closing corporate loopholes and tax havens that don't help America grow. But I will also go through the federal budget, line by line, eliminating programs that no longer work and making the ones we do need work better and cost less - because we cannot meet twenty-first century challenges with a twentieth century bureaucracy.
And Democrats, we must also admit that fulfilling America's promise will require more than just money. It will require a renewed sense of responsibility from each of us to recover what John F. Kennedy called our "intellectual and moral strength." Yes, government must lead on energy independence, but each of us must do our part to make our homes and businesses more efficient. Yes, we must provide more ladders to success for young men who fall into lives of crime and despair. But we must also admit that programs alone can't replace parents; that government can't turn off the television and make a child do her homework; that fathers must take more responsibility for providing the love and guidance their children need.
Individual responsibility and mutual responsibility - that's the essence of America's promise.
And just as we keep our keep our promise to the next generation here at home, so must we keep America's promise abroad. If John McCain wants to have a debate about who has the temperament, and judgment, to serve as the next Commander-in-Chief, that's a debate I'm ready to have.
For while Senator McCain was turning his sights to Iraq just days after 9/11, I stood up and opposed this war, knowing that it would distract us from the real threats we face. When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.
And today, as my call for a time frame to remove our troops from Iraq has been echoed by the Iraqi government and even the Bush Administration, even after we learned that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus while we're wallowing in deficits, John McCain stands alone in his stubborn refusal to end a misguided war.
That's not the judgment we need. That won't keep America safe. We need a President who can face the threats of the future, not keep grasping at the ideas of the past.
You don't defeat a terrorist network that operates in eighty countries by occupying Iraq. You don't protect Israel and deter Iran just by talking tough in Washington. You can't truly stand up for Georgia when you've strained our oldest alliances. If John McCain wants to follow George Bush with more tough talk and bad strategy, that is his choice - but it is not the change we need.
We are the party of Roosevelt. We are the party of Kennedy. So don't tell me that Democrats won't defend this country. Don't tell me that Democrats won't keep us safe. The Bush-McCain foreign policy has squandered the legacy that generations of Americans -- Democrats and Republicans - have built, and we are here to restore that legacy.
As Commander-in-Chief, I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will only send our troops into harm's way with a clear mission and a sacred commitment to give them the equipment they need in battle and the care and benefits they deserve when they come home.
I will end this war in Iraq responsibly, and finish the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan. I will rebuild our military to meet future conflicts. But I will also renew the tough, direct diplomacy that can prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons and curb Russian aggression. I will build new partnerships to defeat the threats of the 21st century: terrorism and nuclear proliferation; poverty and genocide; climate change and disease. And I will restore our moral standing, so that America is once again that last, best hope for all who are called to the cause of freedom, who long for lives of peace, and who yearn for a better future.
These are the policies I will pursue. And in the weeks ahead, I look forward to debating them with John McCain.
But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.
The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America - they have served the United States of America.
So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first.
America, our work will not be easy. The challenges we face require tough choices, and Democrats as well as Republicans will need to cast off the worn-out ideas and politics of the past. For part of what has been lost these past eight years can't just be measured by lost wages or bigger trade deficits. What has also been lost is our sense of common purpose - our sense of higher purpose. And that's what we have to restore.
We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country. The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don't tell me we can't uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals. I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination. Passions fly on immigration, but I don't know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers. This too is part of America's promise - the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.
I know there are those who dismiss such beliefs as happy talk. They claim that our insistence on something larger, something firmer and more honest in our public life is just a Trojan Horse for higher taxes and the abandonment of traditional values. And that's to be expected. Because if you don't have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare the voters. If you don't have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as someone people should run from.
You make a big election about small things.
And you know what - it's worked before. Because it feeds into the cynicism we all have about government. When Washington doesn't work, all its promises seem empty. If your hopes have been dashed again and again, then it's best to stop hoping, and settle for what you already know.
I get it. I realize that I am not the likeliest candidate for this office. I don't fit the typical pedigree, and I haven't spent my career in the halls of Washington.
But I stand before you tonight because all across America something is stirring. What the nay-sayers don't understand is that this election has never been about me. It's been about you.
For eighteen long months, you have stood up, one by one, and said enough to the politics of the past. You understand that in this election, the greatest risk we can take is to try the same old politics with the same old players and expect a different result. You have shown what history teaches us - that at defining moments like this one, the change we need doesn't come from Washington. Change comes to Washington. Change happens because the American people demand it - because they rise up and insist on new ideas and new leadership, a new politics for a new time.
America, this is one of those moments.
I believe that as hard as it will be, the change we need is coming. Because I've seen it. Because I've lived it. I've seen it in Illinois, when we provided health care to more children and moved more families from welfare to work. I've seen it in Washington, when we worked across party lines to open up government and hold lobbyists more accountable, to give better care for our veterans and keep nuclear weapons out of terrorist hands.
And I've seen it in this campaign. In the young people who voted for the first time, and in those who got involved again after a very long time. In the Republicans who never thought they'd pick up a Democratic ballot, but did. I've seen it in the workers who would rather cut their hours back a day than see their friends lose their jobs, in the soldiers who re-enlist after losing a limb, in the good neighbors who take a stranger in when a hurricane strikes and the floodwaters rise.
This country of ours has more wealth than any nation, but that's not what makes us rich. We have the most powerful military on Earth, but that's not what makes us strong. Our universities and our culture are the envy of the world, but that's not what keeps the world coming to our shores.
Instead, it is that American spirit - that American promise - that pushes us forward even when the path is uncertain; that binds us together in spite of our differences; that makes us fix our eye not on what is seen, but what is unseen, that better place around the bend.
That promise is our greatest inheritance. It's a promise I make to my daughters when I tuck them in at night, and a promise that you make to yours - a promise that has led immigrants to cross oceans and pioneers to travel west; a promise that led workers to picket lines, and women to reach for the ballot.
And it is that promise that forty five years ago today, brought Americans from every corner of this land to stand together on a Mall in Washington, before Lincoln's Memorial, and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.
The men and women who gathered there could've heard many things. They could've heard words of anger and discord. They could've been told to succumb to the fear and frustration of so many dreams deferred.
But what the people heard instead - people of every creed and color, from every walk of life - is that in America, our destiny is inextricably linked. That together, our dreams can be one.
"We cannot walk alone," the preacher cried. "And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back."
America, we cannot turn back. Not with so much work to be done. Not with so many children to educate, and so many veterans to care for. Not with an economy to fix and cities to rebuild and farms to save. Not with so many families to protect and so many lives to mend. America, we cannot turn back. We cannot walk alone. At this moment, in this election, we must pledge once more to march into the future. Let us keep that promise - that American promise - and in the words of Scripture hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.
Thank you, God Bless you, and God Bless the United States of America.

***

The Honorable Bill Richardson
Democratic National Convention
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
Fellow citizens-I am not known as a quiet man. But I hope you will allow me, for a moment, to bring quiet to this great hall.
Because at a time when young men and women are dying for our country overseas, America faces a question worthy of silent reflection. And the American people are watching to see how we answer it. What is the best measure of a person's capacity to protect this country? There are often moments of great importance that go unnoticed in the unruly course of history.
And six years ago, there was a moment of great clarity and foresight. And if the world had known to listen, perhaps today there would be less heartache and sorrow. In October 2002, on a small stage before a small crowd, Barack Obama gave a speech that was barely noticed at the time.
In the midst of great fervor-brought about by an administration that questioned the patriotism of anyone who disagreed with it-Barack Obama called the coming war what it was: "a war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics." He was right!
Barack's words were prescient and brave. "I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East-and strengthen the recruitment arm of Al- Qaida." He was right!
He said: "a successful war against Iraq would require a U.S. occupation of undetermined length, at undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences." He was right!
Instead, Barack Obama urged President Bush-who's never in the mood to be urged in a direction other than his own folly-to finish the fight with bin Laden and Al-Qaida. He was right!
Six years ago, in this simple but forceful speech, Barack Obama did more than just challenge President Bush. He offered a detailed vision for foreign policy-including the vigorous enforcement of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty-condemnation of human rights abuses even among our allies-and a commitment to reconciliation between Pakistan and India. He was right!
At the same time, there was another voice. After 9/11, John McCain turned his sights toward Iraq-a country that had nothing to do with 9/11-and called for a full-scale invasion. Barack Obama foresaw chaos. John McCain said we'd be welcomed as liberators, and that Iraq would pay for its own rebuilding. John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right!
Barack Obama was among the first to call for a timetable for responsible withdrawal. But John McCain, to this day, condemns the idea. The Iraqis are calling for a withdrawal timetable, but John McCain would keep us in Iraq for 100 years. John McCain is wrong. Barack Obama is right.
And Barack Obama saw the foolishness of embracing Pakistan's Musharraf. John McCain thought we should support the dictator and let him take care of the Pakistani terrorists. Musharaff is now gone, and the terrorists are stronger than ever. John McCain was wrong. Barack Obama was right.
With America fighting two wars, the 9/11 terrorists still at large, Iran pursuing nuclear weapons and Russia in Georgia, America needs a president who gets it right the first time. That president will be Barack Obama. With a vision of foreign policy that has ranged far beyond Iraq, Barack Obama has found a kindred spirit in another leader of great strength and wisdom-Joe Biden.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe we must fight the terrorists-not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be-like Afghanistan and Pakistan. We must lead a global effort to secure loose nuclear materials, not where we imagine them to be, but where we know them to be, in Russia, and the countries of the former Soviet Union.
It's time we had a president committed to fighting poverty in the Third World and ending the genocide in Darfur; who leads international efforts to stop global warming, strengthens our friendship with Mexico and Latin America, and stands behind Israel with full-time diplomacy to achieve peace in the Middle East; a president who ends the global scourge of AIDS in our time and sets an example of moral leadership by following our constitution, shutting down Guantanamo, and ending torture.
We must do all of this, not because we imagine these are American ideals, but because we know they are.
And ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe it's time to finish the job and get bin Laden. We don't need another four years of more of the same. It's time for the change America needs. This is the judgment and vision of Barack Obama. This is the preparation he has to be President of the United States. And this is the man we need to return our country into the goodwill of other nations and the grace of history. Thank you, and God bless our country.

Al Gore received a rousing welcome and actually invoked "sexual orientation."

The Honorable Al Gore
Democratic National Convention
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Remarks as Prepared for Delivery
One of the greatest gifts of our democracy is the opportunity it offers us every four years to change course. It's not a guarantee; it's only an opportunity. The question facing us is, simply put, will we seize this opportunity for change? That's why I came here tonight: to tell you why I feel so strongly that we must seize this opportunity to elect Barack Obama President of the United States.
Eight years ago, some said there was not much difference between the nominees of the two major parties and it didn't really matter who became president. Our nation was enjoying peace and prosperity. Some assumed we would continue both, no matter the outcome. But here we all are in 2008, and I doubt anyone would argue now that election didn't matter.
Take it from me, if it had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq, we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him. We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis; we would be fighting for middle- income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we'd be protecting the rights of every American regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. And we would not be denying the climate crisis; we'd be solving it.
Today, we face essentially the same choice we faced in 2000, though it may be even more obvious now, because John McCain, a man who has earned our respect on many levels, is now openly endorsing the policies of the Bush- Cheney White House and promising to actually continue them. The same policies all over again?
Hey, I believe in recycling, but that's ridiculous. With John McCain's support, President Bush and Vice President Cheney have led our nation into one calamity after another because of their indifference to fact; their readiness to sacrifice the long term to the short term, subordinate the general good to the benefit of the few and short-circuit the rule of law.
If you like the Bush-Cheney approach, John McCain's your man. If you want change, then vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Barack Obama is telling us exactly what he will do: launch a bold new economic plan to restore America's greatness; fight for smarter government that trusts the market, but protects us against its excesses; enact policies that are pro-choice, pro-education and pro-family, establish a foreign policy that is smart as well as strong; provide health care for all and solutions for the climate crisis.
So why is this election so close? Well, I know something about close elections, so let me offer you my opinion. I believe this election is close today mainly because the forces of the status quo are desperately afraid of the change Barack Obama represents.
There is no better example than the climate crisis. As I have said for many years throughout this land, we're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the future of human civilization. Every bit of that has to change. Oil company profits have soared to record levels, gasoline prices have gone through the roof and we are more dependent than ever on dirty and dangerous fossil fuels.
Many scientists predict that the entire north polar ice cap may be completely gone during summer months in the first term of the next president. Sea levels are rising, fires are raging, storms are stronger. Military experts warn us our national security is threatened by massive waves of climate refugees destabilizing countries around the world, and scientists tell us the very web of life is endangered by unprecedented extinctions.
We are facing a planetary emergency which, if not solved, would exceed anything we've ever experienced in the history of humankind. In spite of John McCain's past record of open mindedness on the climate crisis, he has apparently now allowed his party to browbeat him into abandoning his support of mandatory caps on global warming pollution.
And it just so happens that the climate crisis is intertwined with the other two great challenges facing our nation: reviving our economy and strengthening our national security. The solutions to all three require us to end our dependence on carbon-based fuels.
Instead of letting lobbyists and polluters control our destiny, we need to invest in American innovation. Almost a hundred years ago, Thomas Edison said, "I'd put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don't have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that." We already have everything we need to use the sun, the wind, geothermal power, conservation and efficiency to solve the climate crisis-everything, that is, except a president who inspires us to believe, "Yes we can."
So how did this no-brainer become a brain-twister? Because the carbon fuels industry-big oil and coal-have a 50-year lease on the Republican Party and they are drilling it for everything it's worth. And this same industry has spent a half a billion dollars this year alone trying to convince the public they are actually solving the problem, when they are in fact making it worse every single day.
This administration and the special interests who control it lock, stock and barrel after barrel, have performed this same sleight-of-hand on issue after issue. Some of the best marketers have the worst products; and this is certainly true of today's Republican Party. The party itself has on its rolls men and women of great quality. But the last eight years demonstrate that the special interests who have come to control the Republican Party are so powerful that serving them and serving the national well-being are now irreconcilable choices.
So what can we do about it? We can carry Barack Obama's message of hope and change to every family in America. And pledge that we will be there for Barack Obama-not only in the heat of this election, but in the aftermath as we put his agenda to work for our country.
We can tell Republicans and Independents, as well as Democrats, why our nation needs a change from the approach of Bush, Cheney and McCain. After they wrecked our economy, it is time for a change. After they abandoned the search for the terrorists who attacked us and redeployed the troops to invade a nation that did not attack us, it's time for a change. After they abandoned the American principle first laid down by General George Washington, when he prohibited the torture of captives because it would bring, in his words, "shame, disgrace and ruin" to our nation, it's time for a change.
When as many as three Supreme Court justices could be appointed in the first term of the next president, and John McCain promises to appoint more Scalias and Thomases and end a woman's right to choose, it's time for a change.
Many people have been waiting for some sign that our country is ready for such change. How will we know when it's beginning to take hold? I think we might recognize it as a sign of such change, if we saw millions of young people getting involved for the first time in the political process. This election is actually not close at all among younger voters - you are responding in unprecedented numbers to Barack Obama's message of change and hope.
You recognize that he represents a clean break from the politics of partisanship and bitter division. You understand that the politics of the past are exhausted, and you're tired of appeals based on fear. You know that America is capable of better than what you have seen in recent years. You are hungry for a new politics based on bipartisan respect for the ageless principles embodied in the United States Constitution.
There are times in the history of our nation when our very way of life depends upon awakening to the challenge of a present danger, shaking off complacency to rise, clear-eyed and alert, to the necessity of embracing change.
A century and a half ago, when America faced our greatest trial, the end of one era gave way to the birth of another. The candidate who emerged victorious in that election is now regarded by most historians as our greatest president. Before he entered the White House, Abraham Lincoln's experience in elective office consisted of eight years in his state legislature in Springfield, Illinois, and one term in Congress - during which he showed the courage and wisdom to oppose the invasion of another country that was popular when it started but later condemned by history.
The experience Lincoln's supporters valued most in that race was his powerful ability to inspire hope in the future at a time of impasse. He was known chiefly as a clear thinker and a great orator, with a passion for justice and a determination to heal the deep divisions of our land. He insisted on reaching past partisan and regional divides to exalt our common humanity. In 2008, once again, we find ourselves at the end of an era with a mandate from history to launch another new beginning. And once again, we have a candidate whose experience perfectly matches an extraordinary moment of transition.
Barack Obama had the experience and wisdom to oppose a popular war based on faulty premises. His leadership experience has given him a unique capacity to inspire hope, in the promise of the American dream of a boundless future. His experience has also given him genuine respect for different views and humility, in the face of complex realities that cannot be squeezed into the narrow compartments of ideology. His experience has taught him something that career politicians often overlook: that inconvenient truths must be acknowledged if we are to have wise governance.
The extraordinary strength of his personal character - and that of his wonderful wife, Michelle - is grounded in the strengths of the American community. His vision and his voice represent the best of America. His life experience embodies the essence of our motto - e pluribus unum - out of many, one. That is the linking identity at the other end of all the hyphens that pervade our modern political culture. It is that common American identity - which Barack Obama exemplifies, heart and soul - that enables us as Americans to speak with moral authority to all of the peoples of the world, to inspire hope that we as human beings can transcend our limitations and to redeem the promise of human freedom.
Late this evening, our convention will end with a benediction. As we bow in reverence, remember the words of the old proverb: "when you pray, move your feet." Then let us leave here tonight and take the message of hope from Denver to every corner of our land, and do everything we can to serve our nation, our world-and most importantly, our children and their future-by electing Barack Obama President of the United States.

Thursday's CoverItLive Blend DNC coffeehouse is open

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 23:45:00 GMT

Home base baristas Daimeon and Julien are ready to party hard in the coffeehouse tonight as the convention moves to Invesco field; join them! Click the icon below to participate.

Autumn and I are sitting in the Blogger's Lounge taking in the ceremonies. I'm adding commentary to the earlier post.

The run of show is below the fold.

2008 Democratic National Convention Podium Schedule
Thursday, August 28, 2008

"Change You Can Believe In"

Time Shown as local – Denver, Colorado MST

3:00 PM – 5:00 PM (LOCAL)

Live Performances (before gavel)
Yonder Mountain String Band Performance
Jeff Austin, Adam Aijala, Ben Kaufmann, Dave Johnston

Voter Registration Presentation

Remarks
The Honorable Luis Gutierrez
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois

David Plouffe
Obama Campaign Manager

Ray Rivera
Obama State Director, Colorado

Call to Order
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Permanent Chair, Democratic National Convention
Member and Speaker of the US House of Representatives, California

Invocation
Rabbi David Saperstein
Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism – Washington, DC

Presentation of Colors
Disabled American Veterans

Pledge of Allegiance
Shawn Johnson
US Olympic Gymnast

National Anthem
Jennifer Hudson
Academy award-winning singer and Broadway performer

Welcome
Elbra Wedgeworth
President/Chair, Denver Host Committee

Presentation of Resolutions
Democratic National Committee Vice-Chairs
Mark Brewer
The Honorable Linda Chavez-Thompson
The Honorable Mike Honda
The Honorable Lottie Shackelford
Susan Turnbull

Remarks
Honorable Bill Ritter, Jr.
Governor of Colorado

The Honorable Ed Perlmutter
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable John Salazar
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable Diana DeGette
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM (LOCAL)

Video & Remarks
The Honorable Howard Dean
Former Governor of Vermont
Chair of the Democratic Party

Video & Remarks: Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King
The Honorable John Lewis
Member of the US House of Representatives, Georgia
Rev. Bernice King
Daughter of the late Dr. King
Martin Luther King III
Oldest son of the late Dr. King

Remarks
The Honorable Bill Richardson
Governor, New Mexico

Live Performances
will.i.am
Accompanied by John Legend (piano), Agape Choir, and band

Sheryl Crow
Singer/songwriter

Remarks
Ray Rivera
Obama State Director, Colorado

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM (LOCAL)

Remarks
The Honorable Jan Schakowsky
Member of the US House of Representatives, Illinois

The Honorable Mark Udall
Member of the US House of Representatives, Colorado

The Honorable Tim Kaine
Governor of Virginia

Live Performance
Stevie Wonder

Remarks
The Honorable Al Gore
Former Vice President of the United States

7:00 PM - 8:00 PM (LOCAL)

Remarks
John Kuniholm
Wounded Iraq veteran

Live Performance
Michael McDonald
Singer/songwriter

Remarks
Susan Eisenhower
Granddaughter of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Retired Generals Tribute
Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration (Ret)
Accompanied by additional generals

American Voices Program
Roy Gross
Monica Early
Wes Moore
Janet Lynn Monacco
Nate Flick
Teresa Asenap
Pamela Cash-Roper
Barney Smith

Remarks
The Honorable Dick Durbin
US Senator, Illinois

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM (LOCAL)

Video/Remarks
SENATOR BARACK OBAMA
DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

Benediction
Pastor Joel Hunter
Senior Pastor of Northland in Central Florida

Adjournment
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Permanent Chair, Democratic National Convention

Finally at Invesco, feeling like a sardine (but happy to be here to witness history)

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 22:37:06 GMT

4:30 PM: What an adventure getting into here this was. After meeting up with Chris Rabb of Afro-Netizen, we waited in line outside of the Hyatt to catch a delegate bus to the stadium. The line was massive and it was hot out there. All of a sudden an "out of service" city bus pulled up on the adjacent corner and the door opened and a cop stepped out and waved us over and we hopped on and were taken to Invesco.

Driving in, the number of people lined up in the hot sun to get in was enormous. I saw Dan Rather get off a bus and he got to ride a golf cart into a VIP area, I'm sure.

Members of the press could bypass the long line, but, at least in our case, it wasn't clear where the press needed to go in through security. It took several misdirections from staff, a couple of friendly Secret Service men, and a lot of walking to finally get in.

Then the adventure of finding where bloggers/media needed to go was equally confusing. Press have several areas to blog from -- the field level (outdoors, in the sun, no internet access), any regular seat in the stadium, or the heralded blogger's mini-lounge (and I mean MINI, as you see in the pic on the right. I am sitting in a marked space on the floor that supplies corded internet access, and limited access to power. We are packed in like sardines, but we at least have A/C.

Terrance is somewhere in the stadium (I'm not sure where, he texted me), Autumn just called and is trying to get on an elevator to get up here, but there's no place for her, even on the floor. I guess she'll have to get in line or switch out with me, although there's no way she'll be able to blog on the floor of this lounge with her large ergo keyboard.

4:45: We were just notified that there will be a lottery to dole out "seats" at 7:45 to allow some of us back in here to blog Obama's speech, since there's no other reliable internet access here. Oh, that will be fun. If we're down waiting for the elevators and don't make it in time, the seat will be given away.

4:50: Autumn finally got here, and joined me on the floor. She said that she rode up the elevator with Willie Brown (the former mayor of S.F. and former Speaker).

Below the fold, more commentary and videos.
An enthusiastic crowd outside Invesco.

A look at the scope of the crowd waiting to get in (shot from the fourth floor atrium).

5:37: Will.i.am and crew performed "Yes We Can."

6PM: I just got a seat at the front window, as the admins here decided to give ~~those of us with the butt burn~~ me the space with a view. Here is what the stands look like now. Most folks are seated in the shaded parts of Mile High Stadium; I don't know how those folks in the upper deck in the sun are surviving:

A look at the stage from the blogger's lounge. Sheryl Crow was performing at the time.

Autumn just got a seat as well.

6:30 PM: Stevie Wonder is onstage:

6:45: Al Gore takes the stage and received a rousing welcome and he actually said this:

Take it from me, if it had ended differently, we would not be bogged down in Iraq, we would have pursued bin Laden until we captured him. We would not be facing a self-inflicted economic crisis; we would be fighting for middle- income families. We would not be showing contempt for the Constitution; we'd be protecting the rights of every American regardless of race, religion, disability, gender or sexual orientation. And we would not be denying the climate crisis; we'd be solving it.

7:07: Michael McDonald sang America the Beautiful.

Also just heard a rumor that the RNC is going to delay its convention because of the impending landfall of hurricane Gustav. The reason given is that they don't want to look as though they are "uncaring." OMG. Oh, you mean, like the last time around?

7:15: The straws were drawn and PHB can stay in the Bloggers Lounge to cover the Obama speech. Autumn and Terrance graciously have allowed me to stay, since only one of us can remain.

7:30: Joe Biden is up, and is introducing "everyday people" to talk about their lives -- from the American Voices Program: Roy Gross, Monica Early, Wes Moore, Janet Lynn Monacco, Nate Flick, Teresa Asenap, Pamela Cash-Roper, Barney Smith.

Pamela Cash-Roper, from Pittsboro, NC (shoutout), told her story of she and her husband suffering under the Bush economy. She couldn't afford health insurance, and then both needed heart surgery and were financially destroyed. F Bush.

7:58: Senator Dick Durbin is introducing Barack Obama. Autumn is back in the room, standing behind me (Secret Service locked down everything, so she is in, but offline). Nearly every seat is filled now, as the sun has set.

I love this nugget from his speech about McCain and the mindset of the Republicans who have been in charge of this sinking ship:

Now, I don't believe that Senator McCain doesn't care what's going on in the lives of Americans. I just think he doesn't know. Why else would he define middle-class as someone making under five million dollars a year? How else could he propose hundreds of billions in tax breaks for big corporations and oil companies but not one penny of tax relief to more than one hundred million Americans? How else could he offer a health care plan that would actually tax people's benefits, or an education plan that would do nothing to help families pay for college, or a plan that would privatize Social Security and gamble your retirement?
It's not because John McCain doesn't care. It's because John McCain doesn't get it.
For over two decades, he's subscribed to that old, discredited Republican philosophy - give more and more to those with the most and hope that prosperity trickles down to everyone else. In Washington, they call this the Ownership Society, but what it really means is - you're on your own. Out of work? Tough luck. No health care? The market will fix it. Born into poverty? Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps - even if you don't have boots. You're on your own.
Well it's time for them to own their failure. It's time for us to change America.
...When I listen to another worker tell me that his factory has shut down, I remember all those men and women on the South Side of Chicago who I stood by and fought for two decades ago after the local steel plant closed.
And when I hear a woman talk about the difficulties of starting her own business, I think about my grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle-management, despite years of being passed over for promotions because she was a woman. She's the one who taught me about hard work. She's the one who put off buying a new car or a new dress for herself so that I could have a better life. She poured everything she had into me. And although she can no longer travel, I know that she's watching tonight, and that tonight is her night as well.
I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks that celebrities lead, but this has been mine. These are my heroes. Theirs are the stories that shaped me. And it is on their behalf that I intend to win this election and keep our promise alive as President of the United States.

And how about this -- oh, snap!

When John McCain said we could just "muddle through" in Afghanistan, I argued for more resources and more troops to finish the fight against the terrorists who actually attacked us on 9/11, and made clear that we must take out Osama bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights. John McCain likes to say that he'll follow bin Laden to the Gates of Hell - but he won't even go to the cave where he lives.

The blogging lounge, which has been full of folks studiously tapping away, erupted at that one.

***

And the pull quote, a very public one that he could have easily left out because of the red meat the Republican Sexual Hypocrites love to chew on:

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

***

But we can dare to dream.

Noam Chomsky on the Election Coverage

Julien Sharp — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:50:17 GMT

"The campaign is run by the same people who sell toothpaste, exactly the same PR agencies. And when they sell a candidate they do it the exact same way they sell a lifestyle drug. You don't put up information about the candidate, what you do is create delusional images that delude and deceive. The population knows it. A very small number of the population, about 10% of the voters, literally, knew (in 2004) the stands of the candidates on the issues. And it's not because they are stupid or uninterested. It's just like you don't know the characteristics of toothpaste."

Rove pushing Romney for VP; called to stop Lieberman nod

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:07:23 GMT

The dark tentacles of Karl Rove are deep into the McCain campaign, it's not just a little light consultation. He's trying to strong-arm the VP selection, first to ensure that the Arizona senator does not pick Holy Joe under any circumstances.

Republican strategist Karl Rove called Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.) late last week and urged him to contact John McCain to withdraw his name from vice presidential consideration, according to three sources familiar with the conversation.
Lieberman dismissed the request, these sources agreed. Lieberman "laughed at the suggestion and certainly did not call [McCain] on it," said one source familiar with the details.
"Rove called Lieberman," recounted a second source. "Lieberman told him he would not make that call." Rove did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Who is the veep apple of Rove's eye? The Ken doll, Mitt "Multiple Choice" Romney. McCain is to announce his choice tomorrow, so if it's Romney, we know that it's confirmation of more of McBush.

Speaking of McCain - have you heard about his $2 million parking lot?

In the blogger's lounge - and Joe Biden's speech

Pam Spaulding — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:05:18 GMT

I spent a couple of hours in the Blogger's Lounge at the Pepsi Center tonight. I never managed to get in to see my state delegation (sigh). It was another security mess this evening. I also twisted my ankle on an uneven stretch of pavement, but thankfully, I can still walk. I hate to think what I'll feel like in the AM.

You can see Bill Clinton's speech here. So do you think it was a convincing performance in support of Obama? When the nominee took the stage and called out Bill, the former president looked like he had agita, as if he was still thinking to himself "I should be up there with Hillary." By contrast, Hillary seemed comfortable and enjoying herself.

Joe Biden was nominated tonight, and he delivered an awkward, clunky, yet oddly moving speech. He went off-script a lot (I received a copy of the speech as prepared, and as delivered, it was, well, he probably could use a speechwriter's touch, lol.

I wasn't surprised that Barack Obama made a surprise appearance at the end of the evening, joining Biden on stage with his family. Security was extraordinarily tight because of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, so that complication was one of the reasons I never got to the NC delegation tonight. A number of bloggers I spoke to were ambivalent about going to the Invesco field for the final night, considering all of the less-than-optimal logistics and security that will make getting around extremely difficult.

It looks like Daddy D won't get his wish - no rain is expected, but we sure could use some cloud cover so people don't bake out there.

BTW, Biden's remarks as delivered are below the fold.

You know, folks, my dad used to have an expression. He'd say: "you know you're a success when he turns and looks at his son or daughter and knows that they turned out better than he did." I am a success. I am a hell of a success.
Beau, I love you. I am so proud of you. I'm so proud of the son you've become. I'm so proud of the father you are. And I'm so proud of my son Hunter, my daughter Ashley, and my wife Jill, the only one who leaves me both breathless and speechless at the same time.
It is an honor to share this stage tonight with President Clinton. A man I think brought this country so far along that I only pray that we can repeat it. And last night, it was moving to watch Hillary, one of our great leaders of our party, a woman who has made history and will continue to make history: a colleague, my friend Senator Hillary Clinton.
And I am truly honored to live in a country with the bravest warriors in the world. And I'm honored to represent our first state--my state-- the state of Delaware.
Since I've never been called a man of few words, let me say this as simply as I can: Yes. Yes, I accept your nomination to run and serve with Barack Obama, the next President of the United States of America.
Let me make this pledge to you right here and now. For every American who is trying to do the right thing, for all those people in government who are honoring their pledge to uphold the law and honor the Constitution, no longer will you hear the eight most dreaded words in the English language: "The Vice President's office is on the phone."
Barack and I took very different journeys to this destination, but we share a common story. Mine began in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and then Wilmington, Delaware. My dad, who fell on hard economic times, always told me: "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up. Get up." I was taught that by my dad, and God, I wish that my dad was here tonight, but I am so grateful that my mom, Catherine Eugenia Finnegan Biden, is here tonight. Mom, I love you. You know my mom taught her children--all the children who flocked to our house--that you are defined by your sense of honor, and you are redeemed by your loyalty. She believes that bravery lives in every heart and her expectation is that it will be summoned.
Failure at some point in your life is inevitable, but giving up is unforgivable. As a child I stuttered, and she lovingly would look at me and told me: "Joey, it's because you're so bright you can't get the thoughts out quickly enough." When I was not as well dressed as the other kids, she told me: "Joey, you're so handsome honey, you're so handsome." And when I got knocked down by guys bigger than me, and this is the God's truth, she sent me back out the street and told me: "bloody their nose so you can walk down the street the next day." And that's what I did.
After the accident, she told me, "Joey, God sends no cross that you cannot bear." And when I triumphed, my mother was quick to remind me it was because of others.
My mother's creed is the American creed: No one is better than you. Everyone is your equal, and everyone is equal to you.
My parents taught us to live our faith, and to treasure our families We learned the dignity of work, and we were told that anyone can make it if they just try hard enough.
That was America's promise. For those of us who grew up in middle-class neighborhoods like Scranton and Wilmington, that was the American dream.
But today that American dream feels as if it's slowly slipping away. I don't have to tell you that. You feel it every single day in your own lives.
I've never seen a time when Washington has watched so many people get knocked down without doing anything to help them get back up. Almost every night, I take the train home to Wilmington, sometimes very late. As I sit there in my seat and I look out my window and I see the flickering lights of the homes we pass by, I can almost hear the conversation their having at their kitchen table after they put their kids to bed. Like millions of Americans, they're asking questions as ordinary as they are profound. Questions they never ever thought they'd have to ask themselves:
* Should mom move in with us now that dad is gone?
* Fifty, sixty, seventy dollars just to fill up the gas tank?
* How in God's name with winter coming, how're we gonna heat the home?
* Another year, no raise?
* Did you hear? Did you hear they may be cutting our health care at the company?
* Now, now we owe more on the house than it's worth. How in God's name are we going to send the kids to college?
* How are we gonna retire?
You know, folks, that's the America that George Bush has left us, and that's the America we'll continue to get if George--excuse me if John McCain is elected president of the United States of America. Freudian slip! Freudian slip! And folks, these are not isolated discussions among families down on their luck. These are common stories among middle-class people who've worked hard their whole life, played by the rules on the promise that their tomorrows would be better than their yesterdays.
That promise is the promise of America. It defines who we are as a people. And now it's in jeopardy. I know it. You know it. But John McCain doesn't get it. Barack Obama gets it though. Like many of us in this room, like many of us in this hall, Barack worked his way up. His is the great American story. You know, I believe the measure of a man is not the road he travels; it's the choices he's made along that road.
And ladies and gentlemen, Barack Obama could have done anything after he graduated from college. With all his talent and promise, he could have written his own ticket to Wall Street. But what did he choose to do? He chose to go to Chicago. The South Side of Chicago. There--there in the South Side of Chicago he met men and women who had lost their jobs. Their neighborhood was devastated when the local steel plant closed. Their dreams had to be deferred. Their self-esteem gone. And ladies and gentlemen, he made their lives the work of his life. That's what you do when you're raised by a single mom, who worked, went to school and raised two kids on her own. That's how you come to believe, to the very core of your being, that work is more than a paycheck. It's dignity. It's respect. It's about whether or not you can look your children in the eye and say: we're going to be all right.
Because Barack made that choice, 150 more children and parents have health care in Illinois. He fought to make that happen. And because Barack made that choice, working families in Illinois pay less taxes and more people have moved from welfare to the dignity of work. And he got it done.
And when he came to Washington, when he came to Washington, John and I watched with amazement how he hit the ground running, leading the fight to pass the most sweeping ethics reform in a generation. He reached across party lines to pass a law that helps keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of terrorists. And then he moved Congress and the president to give our wonderful wounded veterans the care and dignity they deserve.
You know, you can learn a lot about a man campaigning with him, debating him, seeing how he reacts under pressure. You learn about the strength of his mind, but even more importantly, you learn about the quality of his heart. I watched how Barack touched people, how he inspired them, and I realized he had tapped into the oldest belief in America: We don't have to accept a situation we cannot bear. We have the power to change it. And change it--and change it is exactly what Barack Obama will do. That's what he'll do for this country.
You know, John McCain is my friend, and I know you hear that phrase used all the time in politics. I mean it. John McCain is my friend. We've traveled the world together. It's a friendship that goes beyond politics. And the personal courage and heroism demonstrated by John still amazes me.
But I profoundly--I profoundly disagree with the direction that John wants to take the country, from Afghanistan to Iraq. From Amtrak to veterans. You know, John thinks, John thinks that during the Bush years "we've made great economic progress." I think it's been abysmal. And in the Senate, John has voted with President Bush 95 percent of the time. And that is very hard to believe. And when John McCain proposes $200 billion in new tax breaks for corporate America, $1 billion alone for just eight of the largest companies, but no, none, no relief for 100 million American families, that's not change; that's more of the same. Even today, as oil companies post the biggest profits in history--nearly a half trillion dollars in the last five years--John wants to give them another $4 billion in tax breaks.
That's not change, that's the same. And during the same time John voted again and again against incentives for renewable energy: solar, wind, biofuels. That's not change; that's more of the same. Millions of Americans have seen their jobs go offshore, yet John continues to support corporations that send them there. That's not change. That's more of the same. he voted 19 times against raising minimum wage for people that are struggling just to make it to the next day. That's not change. That's more of the same. And when he says to continues to spend $10 billion a month when the Iraqis have a surplus of nearly $80 billion, that's not change. That's more of the same.
The choice in this election is clear. These times require more than a good soldier. They require a wise leader. A leader who can change, change the change that everybody knows we need. Barack Obama is going to deliver that change. Because I want to tell you. Barack Obama will reform our tax code. He will cut taxes for 95% of the American people who draw a pay check. That's the change we need. Barack Obama, Barack Obama will transform our economy by making alternative energy a national priority and in the process creating 5 million new jobs and finally finally freeing us from the grip of foreign oil. That's the change we need.
Barack Obama knows that any country that out teaches us today, will out compete us tomorrow. That's why he'll invest in the next generation of teachers and why he'll make college more affordable. That's the change we need. Barrack Obama will bring down health care cost by $2,500 for the average family and at long last deliver affordable, accessible health care for every American. That's the change we need. Barack will put more cops on the street, put security back in social security and he'll never ever ever give up until we achieve equal pay for women. That's the change we need.
As we gather here tonight, our country is less secure and more isolated that it has been any time it has in recent history. The Bush foreign policy has dug us into a very deep hole, with very few friends to help us climb out. And for the last seven years, the administration has failed to face the biggest the biggest forces shaping this century. The emergence of Russia, china and India's great powers, the spread of lethal weapons, the shortage of secure supplies of energy, food and water. The challenge of climate change and the resurgence of fundamentalism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the real central front in the war on terror.
Ladies and gentlemen in recent years and in recent days we once again see the consequences of the neglect of this neglect of Russia challenging the very freedom of a new democratic country of Georgia. Barack and I will end that neglect. We will hold Russia accountable for its action and we will help Georgia rebuild. I have been on the ground in Georgia, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and I can tell you in no uncertain terms, this administrations policy has been an abysmal failure. America cannot afford 4 more years of this failure.
And now, now despite being complacent in the catastrophic foreign policy, John McCain says Barrack Obama, Barrack Obama is not ready to protect our national security. Now let me ask you this. Whose judgment do you trust? Should you trust the judgment of John McCain when he said only 3 years ago, "Afghanistan-we don't read about it anymore in the papers, because it succeeded" or do you believe Barack Obama who said a year ago "we need to send 2 more combat battalions to Afghanistan."
The fact of the matter is, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban- the people who have actually attacked us on 9/11, they've regrouped in the mountains between Afghanistan and Pakistan and are plotting new attacks. And the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has echoed Barack's call for more troops and John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama was right. Should we trust John McCain's judgment? When he rejects- when he rejected talking with Iran and asked what is there to talk about? Or Barack Obama who said we must talk and must make clear to Iran that it must change.
Now, after 7 years of denial, even the Bush Administration recognizes that we should talk to Iran because that the best way to ensure our security. Again and again John McCain has been wrong and Barack Obama has been right. Should we trust John McCain's judgment when he says- when he says that we can't have no timelines to withdraw our troops from Iraq-that we must say indefinitely or should we listen to Barack Obama who says shift the responsibility to the Iraqis and set a time to bring our combat troops home. Now, after 6 long years, the administration and the Iraqi government are on the verge of setting a date to bring our troops home. John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama was right.
Again, again and again on the most important national security issues of our time, John McCain was wrong and Barack Obama has been proven right. Folks, remember when the world used to trust us, when they looked to us for leadership? With Barack Obama as our president, they'll look at us again. They'll trust us again and we'll be able to lead again. Folks, Jill and I are truly honored to join Michelle and Barack on this journey.
When I look at their young children--and when I look at my grandchildren--I realize why I'm here. I'm here for their future. I am here for everyone I grew up with in Scranton and Wilmington. I am here for the cops and firefighters, the teachers and assembly line workers--the folks whose lives are the very measure of whether the American dream endures.
Our greatest presidents--from Abraham Lincoln to Franklin Roosevelt to John Kennedy--they all challenged us to embrace change. Now, it's our responsibility to meet that challenge.
Millions of Americans have been knocked down. And this is the time as Americans, together, we get back up. Back up together. Our debt to our parents and grandparents too great, our obligation to our children is too sacred.
These are extraordinary times. This is an extraordinary election. The American people are ready. I'm ready. Barack is ready. This is his time. This is our time. This is America's time.
God Bless America, and may God protect our Troops! Thank you!

House Blend for the House Blend, Pam interviewed by everybody, Autumn gets a scoop

RadicalRuss — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:07:47 GMT

Day three of the Democratic National Convention began with Autumn and Pam joining me and my sister* Karri for breakfast at a restaurant down the block from the Big Tent. We were quite impressed with the coffee...

We left Pam at the Big Tent, for she had to give her presentation on being a straight ally. Autumn had a number of transgender activists she wanted to interview and I hustled along to be her videographer. It was a little weird that of all the panels a scheduling conflict would keep me away from, it was the one on being a straight ally.

The event Autumn and I attended was the LGBT Caucus. San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom took the podium just literally minutes after learning of the death of Del Martin. He was visibly shaken and took a couple of minutes to compose himself. The room fell silent, but as Mayor Newsom spoke, he expressed the feeling of many that it was a blessing that Del was able to finally marry her partner of 5+ decades.

Next, Governor Dean addressed the caucus. I have the whole speech on video, which you know I can't upload until I get my DV tapes back to the home studio. Here's a select quote:

People for a long time believed their vote didn't matter, because politicians are all corrupt, blah blah blah. The fact of the matter is that over history that's been proven to absolutely not be true. To absolutely not be true!

And we can kvetch, and we do, about "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", and we'd like to change it and both candidates in the Democratic Party said they would.

But let's not forget that "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" at the time was an improvement over what we had before. So you need to push hard for getting everything, but by pushing hard to get everything we need to make sure we get something because we'll take that something and the next time we'll get something more and then after that we're going to get something more and then we're going to get something more and after that we're going to get everything, and that's how it works.

(Hmm. What a delicious bit of foreshadowing this is, in retrospect.)

In between speakers, Autumn would grab me for quick interviews with the transgender activists. I'll let her take care of the names and topics (feel free to edit here, Autumn) because I really didn't catch them.

Rep. Barney Frank also addressed the caucus, but I missed that speech. Later on, as most of the people were inside the ballroom listening to the speeches, Autumn and I were in the hallway doing one of these interviews. Suddenly, she taps my arm and says, "Russ, you've got to get this!"

...and that's where I have to leave that discussion because a) Autumn gets the scoop and b) until I can edit the video and scrub the audio we're embargoing the story. Stay tuned - I get home Sunday and this will be the first video I edit and post. Let's just say I captured a provocative conversation with someone on his controversial stance on a complicated civil rights issue. (And damn me for bringing a digital video tape camera with no way of capturing the digital video to my laptop!)

I caught the hybrid bus on 16th and rode back down to the Big Tent. Pam was on a panel about the future of the federal courts with Christy Hardin Smith from Firedoglake. Glenn Greenwald was also supposed to be there but was ill. After that, Pam was interviewed by many news outlets and bloggers, including the Washington Blade.

It's really pretty cool shadowing Pam at this convention. She's like a niche celebrity and for the past three days we've seen familiar faces from other blogs (Bilerico Project, Towleroad, etc.) running over to say hi, but also just regular passers-by who recognize her and come to pay a compliment. One person even brought Pam a copy of her New York Times story, which to this point she hadn't seen in print.

The Night of My Life

The Bilerico Project — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 22:55:40 GMT

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows I've been a die-hard Hillary Clinton supporter since day one. This was supposed to be her year and I believed. So last night was very emotional for me, but the story of how I got to the floor for her speech is nearly as good as her speech.

I scored a floor credential from Marti Abernathey. She is an Obama delegate and was not interested in seeing the speech. She knew I was and in the interest of unity and friendship, she gave me her credential for the night - but that left a good friend who is also a Hillary supporter (whom I won't name, but most Indiana folks will know) without a floor pass.

I was determined to get her onto the floor and the comedy of errors that ensued almost cost me seeing the speech. We tried to find our friend a floor pass, but it just wasn't panning out. So, my friend and real Indiana Clinton delegate Lori, and I cooked up a scheme to take Lori to the floor and then I would take Lori's pass back out to our friend and bring her back with me. It was a great plan, but the execution was less than flawless.

Lori and I made it to the floor easily, scored 3 seats in the Indiana delegation area, and all was going great. (We even met Donna Brazille on our way through.) We swapped credentials and I headed back out to fetch our friend. Due to security closings, I had to take the long way around to meet back up with her, so it took me longer than I expected.

On our way back around, we ran into the Delegates for Peace and stopped to speak with them and take their materials. Laura Flanders was there taking pictures and I recognized her immediately. We'd never met, but the consulting company Bil and I own, Bilerico Media, contracted with Laura to do her business card design and printing. It was really cool meeting Laura in person.

When we returned to our entrance, it had been closed - Hillary Clinton was entering the arena from that direction. We turned around and headed back to the entrance near the CNN area, which is all the way across the arena from the Indiana delegation.

Just as we got to the rope line, they closed the floor. We were, literally, the first people they stopped from entering. I was incensed. At first, we couldn't get a clear answer as to what was going on. They told us that "leadership" was on the floor and therefore Secret Service had closed it temporarily. We knew this was BS because leadership is ALWAYS on the damned floor.

In actuality, it was the Fire Marshall who had shut down the entire arena due to overcrowding. There was unbelievable interest in Clinton's speech.

So we stood at the front of the line as more and more people gathered trying to get in. Some were successful claiming they had interviews with CNN, or that they were with so-and-so's staff. It really started pissing people off.

Some jerks started heckling the guards and Secret Service (not the best of ideas) and at one point the action hit a fever-pitch that nearly erupted into a riot. About 15 people rushed the line and broke through and made it onto the floor. Some of them were caught by Secret Service, but others made it. Suddenly there were a LOT more Secret Service and police.

We watched as speech after speech went by and the clock ticked closer and closer to 8:30, which was Hillary's scheduled speaking time. We were told that it may be possible to get in on the higher floors, but we weren't going to give up our chance to be on the floor until there was no hope.

Just 5 minutes before Chelsea walked on stage to introduce her mother, they announced that voting delegates would be allowed through. Well, it just so happens we both had delegate passes and we made it in.

But our troubles didn't end. We were, of course, half-way across the arena from where we needed to be, so we started heading toward the Indiana sign. It was standing room only on the floor and the aisles were so full that passage was impossible.

Then the Fire Marshall came through. When we saw him, we asked if we could tag along behind him and he said sure. People were moving for him, so we made it part-way around.

We got stuck behind the New York delegation, who had to be the rudest goddamned people on the planet.

One asshole kept kicking me in the back of my knees and nearly caused me to fall. My friend is very short, so she was stuck between a bunch of tall people and had to watch the first part of the speech on a monitor opposite the stage.

When no one would move to let the Fire Marshall continue through, he ordered the Secret Service to clear the aisles - so we got ran out off the floor in the chaos.

We hustled up the stairs and out into the concourse and started walking closer to the Indiana delegation. When we got to the entrance, the nice ladies manning that entrance let us back in and we were able to join the Indiana delegation for the last part of the speech.

Hillary was amazing, gracious and electric. She hit every note and said all the right things. It was likely the best speech she's ever delivered. I wept and so did most everyone around us.

I came here to see that speech from the floor and I did. I was even able to sneak in a friend, who probably deserved to be there more than half the people there.

It was impossible to Twitter from the backstage area where we were stuck for 45 minutes waiting to get back in. The reception was terrible, my battery nearly drained and the crowd wasn't cooperating, so I apologize for the abrupt end to updates last night.

By the time I got out, my phone battery was at 10% and I still had to track down Bil. He went to the HRC Rock to Win event, which he'll cover in-depth, but I was able to make it to the venue for part of the show.

You see, I was really torn last night. I love Cyndi Lauper. Since I was a child, I've wanted to see her on stage, but the HRC event was at the same time as the Clinton speech. I'm sorry Cyndi, but I went through way too much to get here to miss Hillary's speech, so I chose the convention.

Here's what is truly amazing - I made it just as she started her set. I joined Bil in the VIP seating courtesy of Joe Solmonese and his partner Jed Hastings (a truly extraordinary guy, I might add.) I watched her entire set from the HRC box seats and it was just overwhelming for me.

You see, I ran (seriously) the nearly 3 miles to the venue (though I did stop along the way and buy a Hillary t-shirt.) Running in the Mile-High City when you're asthmatic and out of shape isn't a good idea, but I made it.

What a night. I got to see two special women in my life give two amazing performances (one political, one musical) and I couldn't have been happier. I will remember this night for the rest of my life. It was, truly, the night of my life.

For daily queer commentary and gobs and gobs of DNCC coverage, visit The Bilerico Project. This post was by Jerame Davis.

Remembering Del Martin

TerranceDC — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:25:05 GMT

I walked into the convention hall today, on my way to the LGBT Caucus (and on my way to pick up a credential to get me into the Pepsi Center today), when I saw San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsome. After what he did in San Francisco, and what came of it on the California Supreme Court, I couldn't just pass him by. (It didn't hurt that he was taller and more handsome in person than he is in his pictures.) I had to stop and thank him.

I told him, I was just on my way to the LGBT caucus and that just wanted to stop and thank him. To which he responded "Thank you!" One of his aides overheard me say where I was going, and invited me to walk with them since they were going to the LGBT caucus too.

And then we stepped into the hall, and heard the announcement that Del Martin just passed away. She died quietly, surrounded by her family and friends. There was a gasp, and a moment of stunned silence.

And as I thought about Del, I realized that before she died she got to do something that perhaps she never thought she would: after 55 years together, she got to marry the woman she loved. Something Gavin Newsome helped happen, and something that some people with deep-pockets want to keep us from doing.

Mayor Newsome had only just heard of Del's passing himself, and spoke of his experience meeting Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, and helping them get married. I was typing as fast as I could, but I didn't manage to capture of his words. Still, they are paraphrased below.

...They are two people who defined love and constancy, and defined — to my mind — what marriage is supposed to be about.

...They were able to ultimately live their life out loud. Now the questions is will we be able to offer the same chance to thousands of couples in California. They will do everything in their power to stop us.

[Now we face a vote on] whether [Del and Phyllis'] lives matter, and whether their marriage matters as much as mine. Let me assure you their lives matter as much, and so do the lives of millions of Americans like them.

...Let me just end by saying, we need your help. Massachusetts and its leadership, the LGBT community and its leadership ... we need your help to defeat proposition 8 in California. We can't afford to think about waking up disappointed the day after the election. This would be a monumental setback in our community.

...I believe this is the second most important election in the country, and some will argue that it may even be more important. This is bout basic human dignity.

Sitting here at the convention, I feel good knowing that there are people who are on our side, and — I dare say — have done more to prove it than John McCain and/or the Republicans have ever thought about doing. After her big speech at the convention, Michelle Obama's next stop was to speak at the LGBT delegates luncheon. Last night I sat and listened to Hillary Clinton include gay rights in her speech.

And in Barrack Obama, we have a nominee who stood with the majority in the Senate, and opposed attempts to bring a constitutional amendment against marriage equality to a vote. We have a nominee who supports a full repeal of DOMA. We have a candidate who opposes constitutional amendments like the one on the ballot in California. We have a candidate who supports full recognition of our relationships, and support adoption for our families.

Our other choice is a candidate who proudly led the effort to ban marriage equality in his state, and supports the amendment in California. Our other choice is a candidate who voted for DOMA. Our other choice is a candidate who opposes civil unions and full legal recognition of our relationships. Our other choice is a candidate who opposes adoption for our families. Our other choice is a candidate who would appoint justices to the Supreme Court who would almost certainly overturn Lawrence v. Texas.

Compare them for yourself, and the choice is clear.

And then ask yourself what I asked myself. What's the best way to remember Del between now and November? How can we best honor and continue the work that she started and carried on for longer than I and some of the rest of us have been alive?

Again, I think the choice is clear.

Video: Michelle Obama at the LGBT delegate luncheon

Pam Spaulding — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:17:23 GMT

Here is the future First Lady's speech (Blend coverage of yesterday's event is here; it was hat tipped by the Obama blog). Michelle Obama spoke yesterday in a surprise visit to the lunch for LGBT delegates hosted by Rep. Barney Frank, with Rep. Tammy Baldwin, the Gay and Lesbian Victory Fund and Human Rights Campaign.

Barack believes that if we come together, and work together, we can build the world as it should be.
In the world as it should be:
We work together to repeal laws like DOMA and Don't Ask Don't Tell, and we oppose divisive constitutional amendments that would strip civil rights and benefits away from LGBT Americans--because discrimination has no place in a nation founded on the promise of equality.
Anyone willing to put in an honest day's work can make a good living and support their family--and employers are held accountable for discrimination against LGBT Americans.
The federal government fully protects all of us--including LGBT Americans--against hate crimes.
In the world as it should be, we recognize that equality in relationship, family, and adoption rights isn't an abstract principle, but goes directly to whether all Americans can lead lives of dignity and freedom.

In which I receive an email...

Julien Sharp — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:00:00 GMT

...from my very good friend Mario. He is a kick a*s guy, did all the photography for my NYC cabaret last year, is right with me in supporting everything about Radical Russ's favorite platform, and a progressive's progressive. We met four years ago right around this time, when I was blogging on Julien's List. After last night's coverage he sent me this:

Great speech by Hillary tonight...the Dems are 2-2 this convention..can't wait to see what the Cleanup hitter (Obama ) will do.

My friend and I came up w/ the perfect Obama campaign slogan today:

OBAMA:
ONE WIFE
ONE HOUSE
ONE NATION

UPDATE: Was informed in the comments that this slogan is already thought of and selling on T-shirts! Great idea!

Love it!

Where Is Our Hubert Humphrey?

cindik — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:30:20 GMT

Sixty years ago, Hubert Humphrey "urged the Democratic Party to 'get out of the shadow of states' rights and walk forthrightly into the bright sunshine of human rights'" (wikipedia).

Humphrey's minority plank was contentious, and the walkout by Southern states (who nominated Strom Thurmond for president as part of the States Rights party) nearly cost Harry Truman the re-election.

In 1948, there was little risk in allowing states to continue to marginalize people of color. No one was going to lose an election because the "coloreds" weren't being treated as fully human. Yet Humphrey saw an issue that didn't necessarily translate into political power, and decided it was important anyway.

Today, there are quite a few human rights issues being discussed - mostly around gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and other people. And what the Democratic party seems to have learned is "be timid".

We hear Democratic Party leaders talking about what's "expedient". Even an openly gay representative buys into this timidity.

We have few bold leaders. Instead, we have people who bow to the tyranny of the majority so they can keep or gain their own positions of power.

To those who would wish to be called leaders, I plead:

Lead! Take a stand! You cannot be a leader by following the safe path of mediocrity.

Risk! You cannot be great by playing it safe.

Believe in the rights of all human beings! We cannot be free while allowing some to be deprived of freedom for reasons of expediency.

See the text of Hubert Humphrey's speech here: American Rhetoric

Good Morning Again from "Radical" Russ

RadicalRuss — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 17:10:48 GMT