Another delirious day in Charlotte. The precious hours of sleep that teeter between the wee hours on either end of the workday; and chasing down the protests that somehow manage to disappear quicker than the capricious cousins of Isaac that have been raining down for five-minute downpours since Saturday.
It is fever. Not fever pitch, not feverish. It is fever. You can feel it in your bones: not the ache of influenza, but a viral adverturism: the product of knowing that, for all its ostentation, the Democratic National Convention is a truly mind-blowing confluence of interests, logistics and populist politics.
After some haggling and blurry confusion–I recall running down Tryon Street after credentials; the rain saturating my suit and tie and hair, its power out in full force with the sun’s departure a few hours prior….
Passes, though, eventually came my way, and I found myself sitting high up in the Arena. The view of the delegates, the pandemonium and unadulterated joy rising from the floor, the color bursting off the stage….unforgettable sights and sounds.
And there was even some discussion of policy, at least early on–Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Human Health Services, and even Deval Patrick spoke of the specific things they claimed Obama has done to navigate this country through rocky seas..
Deval and Booker directly, and the other speakers indirectly resurrected a theme I thought was long ago buried under the rubble of lofty promises, high expectations and political dogmatism: Change. Regarding Obama’s ending the war in Iraq; his successful passage of a universal healthcare mandate; and a few pieces of more forgettable policies were all “change we could believe in.”
Early on there was also a brief attempt to rebut the “faithless Democrat” charge–Nathan Davis, a vet and Director of Veteran Affairs at Xavier U, was presaged by his disembodied voice speaking of the importance of faith in his life decisions.
As would be expected, many of the speakers–Keenan, Sebelius, Rep. Duckworth, Michelle and the average citizen-mothers peppered in between them all praised Obama’s, and vilified Romney’s policies. Shock of the century…though Obama does not have the female vote on lockdown, as a few of my previous tweets, and later posts (when my brain has regained some of its mass and matter) addressed.
Perhaps most exciting, though not out of the blue, was the change of political emphasis by the campaign. Looks like Obamacare is, after all, going to be employed as a major war drum in the upcoming weeks. Understandably, Patrick led the charge there, simultaneously vilifying his predecessor, but also asking him to please, please take credit; say “oh, that ain’t me, bro..” Too bad 98 percent of state’s population is unemployed.
So, while Romney may have been a bad “CEO” of the state, he certainly, so the Dem attack line goes, knows how to insure lots of people. C’mon Mitt, don’t be shy–credit’s coming your way. Much to his chagrin, I’m sure.
Anyway, more on this and other Convention details later…