Left in Alabama is a community blog for progressive politics, ideas and current events in Alabama. Register now to join to the conversation and become a part of the Alabama netroots community.
Y'all sit down, we've got to get on with the show! Come on! (They only gave him 8 minutes for the speech and the applause is going to take up the whole time.) Yeah, Democrats still love Bill.
We have important work to do. I'm here first to support Barack Obama.And 2nd I'm here to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden. I love Joe and America will too.
Campaign generated so much heat it increased global warming. My candidate didn't win, but I'm proud of the campaign she ran. Grateful for the chance to go all over America and tell people about Hillary.
Hillary said she is going to do everything she can to elect Barack Obama. Applause. That makes two of us. Huge applause. Actually, that makes 18 million of us. Applause. I want all of you who supported her to vote for Barack Obama in November.
Our nation is in trouble on 2 fronts. The American dream is under seige at home. Middle class and low income Americans are hurting. Mortgages, gas, health care, etc. Our position in the world has been weakened by too much unilateralism, dependence on foreign oil, foreign lenders, backsliding on nonprloliferation, refusal to use diplomacy. Clearly, the job of the next president is to rebuild the Americand dream and to restore American leadership.
Everything I learned in my 8 years as president and my travels since has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for this job. Ability to inspire, rally. Policies are far superior to GOP alternative.
Unique capacity to lead our increasingly diverse nation. The long, hard primary tested and strengthened him and in his 1st presidential decision, selection of a running mate, he hit it out of the park.
Joe Biden has experience and wisdom.
Barack Obama is ready to lead America and to restore American leadership in the world Barack Obama is ready to honor the oath to preserve, protect and defend the Constitution. Barack Obama is ready to be President of the United States.
Diplomacy first and military force as a last resort. But in a troubled world, when he cannot convert adversaries into partners, he will stand up to them. Barack Obama won't allow world's problems to obscure its opportunities.
America cannot be strong abroad unless we are first strong at home. more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power. Applause. Look at the example the Republicans have set. American workers have given rising productivity. In return they get declining wages, fewer jobs, smaller benefits, rising poverty, the biggest increase in income inequality since the 1920's.
What about favors for the well-connected. What about Katrina and cronyism. America can do better than that. Barack Obama will do better than that. Crowd chants Yes we can! Yeshe can but first we have to elect him.
Republicans will nominate a good man who has served, suffered, loves his country. But he still embraces extreme philosophy that has defined his party for more than 25 years. We did not see what happens when this philosophy is implemented until after 2001. Disastrous consequences. Candidate is promising more of the same. More tax cuts for the wealthy, swell the deficit. More going it alone. They actually want us to reward them for the last 8 years by giving them 4 more.
Let's send a simple message: THANKS BUT NO THANKS. IN THIS CASE THE THIRD TIME IS NOT THE CHARM.
My fellow Democrats, 16 years ago you gave me the honor to lead our party and our nation. Together we prevailed whan Republicans said I was too young, too inexperienced. Sound familiar. It didn't work in 1992, because we were on the right side of history and it will not work in 2008 because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.
Obama's life is a 21st century incarnation of the American dream.
Barack Obama will lead the way back to unity and hope. If like me you believe America must always be a place ... hope, then join me in supporting Barack Obama.
I posted a Green Technology/Alt Energy story a couple of days ago which, inexplicably, featured a bunch of comments that went way off track from the diary topic. I'd love for this one to generate comments that actually relate to Green Technology and Alternative Energy.
This afternoon, on the second floor of The Big Tent, a capacity crowd of about 300 people gathered to listen to John Podesta, President & Chairman of the Center for American Progress, T. Boone Pickens, bijillionaire Oil Tycoon, and Carl Pope, Executive Director of The Sierra Club, advocate, with an intense urgency, for an immediate and comprehensive change in the way the U.S. fuels itself, and in a crash retrofitting of our homes and office buildings and plants to conserve the 40% of energy that's leaked to the outside.
Left to Right: John Podesta, T. Boone Pickens, Carl Pope. :
T. Boone Pickens.
Now I don't really need to go into everything they said, as you can click onto The Pickens Plan here.
A couple of things that stand out. Pickens made a point of saying that he was non-partisan and that this transcended, or at least should transcend, political parties. This brought applause.
He noted that we send almost $700 billion/year to "PetroDictators."
Pickens said that he was wealthy enough and wasn't doing this for the money and that all of his money would go to philanthropic causes when he died.
Pope said that he'd come around to the belief that the whole Off Shore Drilling kerfuffle was a huge, Rovian "head fake" because (and Pickens agreed) little of the tracts open to Off Shore Drilling now are even being used and that what leases were being bought by oil companies were not bringing top dollar. In other words, not even the oil companies really want to drill offshore: it's too expensive and (according to Pickens, "an old geologist", he loved saying) there's not a lot of oil out there any way. So, according to Pope, the more we argue about Off Shore Drilling, the less we concentrate on formulating and implementing a concrete plan to get off of oil.
Regarding Natural Gas (for fueling some % of our vehicles, with electric, bio-diesel, and other technologies powering the rest), Pickens admitted that it was a greenhouse gas, but said that, to him, the first priority was to get out from under the thumb of the "PetroDictators". I'm not sure that all those assembled agreed, but I felt a sense of resignation in the room that we (the U.S.) had whistled past the graveyard for so long that all we had left were Hobson's Choices.
I was working on this story when, a little while ago, Montana Senator John Tester walked into The Big Tent. He made his way through many handshakes and backslaps to the corner about 25 feet from where I'm seated today and took questions for about 5 minutes. At first he answered general questions about the Presidential Campaign and spoke passionately about the emergence of the Mountain West as a new Democratic stronghold, and his respect for Barack Obama and the need for Obama to be elected President. Then, for two or three minutes, he spoke about the need to embrace a wholly new Energy Policy, focusing on Renewable Energy and receiving the added bonus of an increase in Green Technology jobs.
Senator Jon Tester.
:
Senator Jon Tester.
An interesting and, if I my, energizing group of very passionate advocates for a 180 degree change in our Energy Policy.
According to Countrycat who spoke to sources in attendance, at a reception this afternoon at the Colorado Convention Center, Hillary Clinton thanked a standing room only crowd of supporters and released her delegates. This clears the way for Barack Obama to be nominated by acclamation.
Moderator - Senator Obama. What would you do about the oil and gas crisis? Obama - First, I'd have the oil companies either drill in the 64 million acres that they already have leases to or lose them. Secondly, I'd pass legislation giving tax breaks for new technology, be it wind, solar or alternative fuels. I would further add a windfall profit tax to the profits that the oil companies are currently getting off of the backs of working families. I would use these windfall profit taxes to give $1000 relief checks to the people who are currently hurting from this last administrations policies.
Moderator - Senator McCain. Same question. McCain - Well, I'd drill.... right here, right now!! Of course, I didn't have to worry about prices of any kind while I was being held in captivity during my service in Vietnam.
Moderator: Senator Obama: What would you do to make America's borders safer? One of the problems that we face with illegal immigration is the NAFTA. It was supposed to help us share the wealth with our poorer neighbors to the South. Unfortunately, all it has done is create a third world economy that can be used for exploiting Mexican workers. If we can make NAFTA work the way that it was supposed to work, illegal immigration would no longer be a problem. These workers are here because they feel there is no opportunity to live a decent life in their own countries.
Moderator - Senator McCain. Same question. Trust me. I know about borders. I believe we should build a fence to keep illegals out. I, myself, was kept behind a fence for 5 1/2 years when I was shot down while heroically running a bombing mission over Vietnam.
Moderator - Senator Obama. What in your past can help you identify with the feelings of futility that many Americans now feel? Obama. I was raised by my grandparents and a single Mother. I know the pain, struggles and sacrifices that they made to raise me and to give me the opportunity to reach my potential. Unfortunately, many of those opportunities have been erased by the past administrations failed economic policies. I know the hard work needed to restore those opportunities.
Moderator - Senator McCain. Same question. I know the feeling of futility. Futility is spending 5 1/2 years in captivity recalling the names of the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive front.... I meant the Green Bay Packers... (to himself: Wait, this is Mississippi isn't it?) I meant the names of Archie Mannings sons.... except that turncoat Peyton, of course.
(45 minutes more of blah-blah captivity blah-blah later)
One final question for each of you.
Senator Obama. Could you tell us what you have learned on the campaign trail? Obama - America is hurting. I hear it from the inner cities to the few family farms that are left. It's a universal problem. The American dream seems to be slipping away for all but the wealthiest among us. I am determined to restore that American dream.
Senator McCain. Could you tell us how your time in captivity has affected you personally? McCain - Well, that is a period of time that I don't have fond memories of and that I don't like to talk about.
Not much time to post today... I have a caucus at the Convention Center soon and then head to the Pepsi Center (aka... political nirvana) for the evening's festivities.
But I've gotten some cool photos as I've walked about. The most interesting encounter was with a member of the British House of Lords. I met her on a bus. She's a baroness. Sheand her assistant noticed my press badge and asked me where I was from.
Oddly, everyone on Earth seems to know where Alabama is.
They are in town for the convention and the MP actually had her own buttons made that say: "Obama for leader of the free world." Her name is on the back, but it's smudged on the one she gave me.
But how many members of the House of Lords wear saris? If it can dig up her name, I'll add it to the diary later.
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer delivered a great smackdown of John McCain's energy policy (or lack thereof) last night at the Democratic Convention. Surprisingly, the media hasn't been playing this clip on an endless loop.
"Even the leaders in the oil industry know that Senator McCain has it wrong. We can't simply drill our way to energy independence. If you drilled everywhere, if you drilled in all of John McCain's backyards -- even the ones he doesn't know he has (applause). That single answer proposition is a dry well.
And here's why: America consumes 25% of the oil but has less than 3% of the reserves. You don't need a $2 calculator to figure that one out. There just isn't enough oil in America -- on land or offshore -- to meet America's full energy needs. Barack Obama understands that the most important barrel of oil is the one that you don't use."
Schweitzer just left the Big Tent a few minutes ago. BenGoshi took the photos below. He's pressed for time and asked someone else to post them. I trust he or someone else will have more on what Schweitzer told the bloggers there.
Alabama Congressman Artur Davis is having an excellent week. He's in Denver for the 2008 Democratic Convention, along with a few hundred other Alabamians and 10,000 or so members of the media and he's getting the kind of exposure you just can't buy.
First, Davis hosted an episode of Countdown to America's Future, a webcast hosted by "rising political stars" that is a kind of behind the scenes preview of each day's Convention activities.
Davis also appeared on the PBS Newshour discussing nonexistent party division with host Gwen Ifill and former Clinton advisors Maria Echaveste and Geoffrey Garin. Here's Rep. Davis:
This convention is going to make the case about the urgency of the choice. And to go back to the Democratic side, one point needs to be made.
Clinton-Obama was not an ideological struggle. Carter-Kennedy was an ideological struggle, Humphrey-McGovern, even Hart-Mondale had an ideological character.
Obama and Clinton agreed on 90 percent of the public policy questions facing this country. There were personality differences and stylistic differences. But it's a lot easier to unify when they're together ideologically.
"Our state is going to be an enormous challenge for Obama in the general election. I have no illusions about that," says Davis, who endorsed Obama in the primary. "But just as Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice helped pave the way for Barack Obama, Barack Obama's candidacy is paving the way for other black candidates to run in their states." Davis' eyes are increasingly on the governor's mansion.
The Illinois senator's 31 primary and caucus victories show that ``a candidate, if he or she is good enough, can be taken seriously regardless of race,'' said Artur Davis, a black congressman from Alabama. ``That's why people like me can think about running for governor of Alabama now.''
The next big thing for Congressman Davis comes this afternoon when he will deliver one of the nominating speeches for Senator Barack Obama. It's only three minutes, but the audience is big and the vote of confidence from the Obama campaign is even bigger. The Convention picks up at 4 pm Central Time today and Davis' speech will come between 4 and 6 pm -- I'd guess it will be after 4:30. Schedule below the fold.
Tonight belonged to Hillary Clinton, and her orange pantsuit, as MSNBC is still going ga-ga over her speech, where she pledged her undivided support for Obama/Biden, and told her supporters to do the same. In addition, she gave some pretty good lines… “sisterhood of the traveling suitpants”… Bush and McCain in the Twin Cities… and the Chelsea Clinton-narrated video was outstanding.
Entertaining speech from Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer. Virginia Governor Mark Warner’s speech was pretty much a snoozer. Dennis Kucinich goes on a rant. Live streaming of Fox News’ Strategy Room, with Shepard Smith and other commentators wearing funny hats and talking over the primetime speeches a la Mystery Science Theatre 3000. Thank God we’re half way through this thing.
Once a year the professional golf community comes to visit my neck of the woods, in the form of the PGA’s Champion’s Tour.
It’s an event that changes the character of the community in several ways: spectators swell the size of the town, there’s a media focus that usually doesn’t exist…and an actual, no kidding, traffic jam might develop—on a weekend.
It’s a great economic barometer, as well. Despite the efforts of the Professional Golfers Association (the PGA), there is a lot more of an upper-income demographic attending the tournament than there is a Happy Gilmore kind of crowd.
Which brings me to the point of today’s examination: what can we learn about the state of the economy from the perspective of the tricklers, as opposed to how it looks from the point of view of the trickled upon?
Well, it's obviously a plus if the vice-presidential pick helps the ticket win, but the real importance of the VP choice is that this guy might someday end up being president. It's happened to over a third of American vice-presidents, either through succession or election.
Encarta says "The vice president’s most important role is to replace the president if the president dies or becomes unable to manage the country’s affairs. Under the Constitution of the United States, the vice president automatically assumes the presidency if the president dies." In a nutshell, the key function of the VP in our system is to act as a presidential backup.
Barack Obama said this about his vice-presidential selection process:
The most important question is is this person prepared to be president? Second most important question from my perspective is can this person help me govern? Are they gonna be an effective partner -- in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally. And the third criteria from me, I think, was independence. I want somebody who is gonna be able to challenge my thinking -- and not simply be a -- a yes person -- when it comes to policies.
The following vice presidents succeeded to the office of President because of the death or resignation of the President.
John Tyler (1841)
Millard Fillmore (1850)
Andrew Johnson (1865)
Chester Arthur (1881)
Teddy Roosevelt (1901, elected 1904)
Calvin Coolidge (1923, elected 1924)
Harry Truman (1945, elected 1948)
Lyndon Johnson (1963, elected 1964)
Gerald Ford (1974)
And then there's Dick Cheney (2001 to present) who simply absconded with the office when his President was clearing brush, choking on pretzels, or something of that nature.
The vice presidential nominee is the first real presidential decision a nominee makes -- it's the beginning of putting together an administration. George H.W. Bush picked Dan Quayle, possibly the least qualified man ever to hold the office. George W. Bush picked Dick Cheney, almost certainly the most secretive, power-hungry and venal Vice President ever. Neither Bush paid much attention to the fitness of their choice to succeed them -- perhaps they didn't want to tempt fate. Barack Obama didn't make that mistake. Joe Biden may not be the most exciting choice -- he sometimes puts his foot in his mouth, doesn't bring an important state or region with him and isn't a woman -- but he's sharp as they come and ready to step into the presidency in a heartbeat.
Joe Biden will speak at the Democratic Convention tonight. Bill Clinton, another Democrat who made a great choice for his vice president, will also speak tonight.
Tuesday was a big night for Democrats at the national convention in Denver. All day, everyone was talking about Hillary's long-anticipated speech. As the evening approached, I stopped by AlObama on Wazee to see how the party faithful were holding up.
I found District 5 Congressman Bud Cramer enjoying the crowd. He contributed to the festivities financially. I captured him with two of the smartest and hardest working women in his district: Elaine Lynch, president of the Alabama Federation of Democratic Women, and Pam Wallace, chair of Limestone County's Democratic Executive Committee. Elaine's organization now boasts over 650 members.
With just four hours to go until Hillary's speech, I headed to the Pepsi Center as the crowd was expected to be huge and the security tight. What an understatement, I discovered:
Security sent any line-cutters back to the end of the line. The tent in the background houses the seven sets of metal detectors that all packages and persons passed through before entering the perimeter of the Pepsi Center.
So, I believe I was telling you about Ted Kennedy. And I suppose you could tell I was a little bit moved by his speech. I am really letting myself enjoy the feelings and emotions of this experience. There will be time to go back to a more controlled style when this wonderful week is over. So, let's talk about Michelle Obama. If Ted Kennedy was an explosive force of nature in his time on stage, Michelle was a loving, expressive American woman, expressing her intense love for her family, her husband and her Nation.
Since there is a group of shameless political hacks out there who see a profit in portraying this fine American Christian woman and her excellent American Christian husband as something that they are not, it was necessary for her to once again, tell the whole story of her family of origin. She was introduced by her respectful,loving brother, who obviously holds her in something akin to awe. When she speaks of her brother, it is clear that the love and respect goes both ways. She again told about being raisied by a "larger than life" father and a determined and caring mother. Once again she described the experience of meeting, dating, and falling for the handsome and persistent young man with the funny name.
From the Big Tent, with about 200 other bloggers. Watching Hillary's speech: "We don't have a moment to lose, or a vote to spare."
"Were you in this campaign just for me, or for that young Marine and others like him . . . that mom . . . all the people in this country who feel invisible . . . we need leaders who can help us show the world that there are no limits to what's possible for America.
"This will not be easy. Progress never is.
"We need to elect Barack Obama.
"We need a President who understands that the genius of America has always depended on the strength and vitality of the middle class.
"Barack Obama understands that change must start from the ground up, not the top down...."
Hillary's getting cheered, cheered by the Obama faithful in The Big Tent.
"I cannot wait to watch Barack Obama to sign into law a health care law that covers every American."
Now she's laying into John McCain.
"It's no surprise that next week John McCain and George Bush will be together in the Twin Cities because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart."
(loud applause)
Well, I'll sign-off for now. Just to let you know that, even though we're a 10 minute walk from the Pepsi Center, we're watching Hillary's speech on TV, too. Well, many TVs.
You probably heard on the news that some demonstrators were arrested last night and there's a lot of controversy about how the altercation happened and whether the police overreacted.
Since I was miles away with BenGoshi happily eating at a wonderful, hole-in-the-wall Ethiopian restaurant, I only know what I heard on NPR this morning.
However, I can report that the police seem terribly on edge, armed to the teeth, and are packed on every streetcorner - even 6-8 blocks or more from where the convention and caucus meetings are.
I took this photo last night, about 5 blocks from the Colorado Convention Center and probably close to a mile from the Pepsi Center. There was a car load of these guys on all four corners of the intersection. The poor officers must have been sweltering in that riot gear because it was HOT in Denver yesterday!
Not surprisingly, they got quite a lot of attention and even some rude comments.
The non-police security people are equally vigilant. Sunday night, I was on my way upstairs at the hotel and a member of Artur Davis' staff waylaid me to say hello and ask if we needed anything. We stood talking at the elevators for a few minutes and suddenly we heard a commotion in the lobby. A security guard had noticed her unattended laptop and bag and had sounded the alarm. Not a literal alarm, but several burly people were standing there looking upset.
They spoke sternly to us both that "this wasn't the time" to be "leaving stuff lying around!"
So, the combination of heat (I get cranky when I'm hot. also when I'm cold...), swarming crowds of people - some of whom appear to have arrived looking for trouble, and police officers determined that nothing will happen on their watch, well, that's a combustible mix.
I hope that people remember that as they're protesting. I'm not criticizing them for being here at all. I love to hold picket signs myself. But this isn't the time or the place to be testing the police.
On the bright side, we all feel very, very safe as we walk the streets. A mugger couldn't grab a backpack and run without tripping over a police officer!
PART II When last we were together, I was just entering the "Hall" of the Convention Center, while my intrepid co-blogger Susan in Denver had gotten separated from me by the crush of the crowds and went... weill, I don't know where, as I never saw her again all night. But I know that we were in the same building, along with tens of thousands of our closest friends - and a few other folks, as you will hear later.
At seven o'clock, the heavy hitters stepped up to the plate, beginning with Representative Jesse Jackson, Jr. Rep. Jackson delivered a vigorous paean to Barack Obama, while reminding listeners not only of his enormous gifts, but also of the historic nature of his candidacy. It is impossible to hear Rep. Jackson without being reminded of the legacy of his father and, by extension, of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In fact, this was to be a night for the children, siblings, and assorted other relatives of more famous personages. Trying to get settled in a seat that afforded me both visibilty and good acoustics, I missed some of Jackson's talk, but heard a reference to Jackie Robinson, which I suspect we will hear rather a lot between now and the end of President Obama's second term.
It's almost 100 degrees and there's a guy dressed in a furry bear costume at the front of the protesters' line at Union Station. MSNBC's Chris Mathews is offering up special guests from the Denver area and a group called Recreate '68 is chanting, screaming, and otherwise attempting to disrupt the programming. One on-looker suggested that the protesters should instead try writing. I admire the dedication, though. Hotter than hades and you're working the crowd in a furry bear costume...
The Code Pink Alert ladies are quietly holding court at the perimeter, pink crowns and all. I love their slogan: "Make Out, Not War".
While these protesters are speaking out against the Bush Administration, the War, and society in general, I spotted this sign outside a Wells Fargo Bank building today:
I wondered if it was a security issue or do they just not like Democrats?
This is probably going to be a very personal, meandering kind of posting. It is my good fortune that my three co-bloggers are all over the substantive stuff, and I can spend some time on my feelings.
The excitement started to build on the plane from Houston to Denver. Most of the passengers showed some evidence of being involved in the Convention at some level. I was not the only person on the aircraft subject to breaking out in huge smiles for no discernible reason. As the plane started to settle down onto the tarmac, folks were looking at one another and exchanging smiles, very different behavior than the usual self-involved travelers we meet on business trips. The anticipation followed us off the plane and bonded with the general feeling that permeated the airport.
I joined an almost-full shuttle for the trip to town, and shared a seat with a Professor of Journalism from Germany. He told me that his countrymen are much more interested than usual in our election this cycle. He spoke warmly of America's promise and the belief of the Europeans that at last we are on the verge of electing the man who can keep that promise. It was an auspicious beginning for me.
(Jay Love is embracing John McCain and the National Republicans, even as the NRCC communications director urges GOP congressional candidates to distance themselves from the national party and run on local issues. - promoted by mooncat)
State Rep. Jay Love of Montgomery, who is running for Congress in Alabama's 2nd District, will be addressing the delegates of the Republican National Convention next Monday in St. Paul, Minn.
I got a call this afternoon from Patricia McCarter of the Huntsville Times, and they were looking for someone to blog for them about the convention. A non-delegate who could give some "life on the ground" perspective.
So I won't post here what I sent them because, well, they should get first post rights...
But I will say that I've never met a nicer bunch of people than the Alabama delegates and the state party staff. The morning meetings, the gatherings at the AlObama lounge, and yes, the parties are so much fun. Nobody is a stranger; black and white delegates sit together, compare notes, and share laughs.
It's the way the world would be if things were perfect. Or, dare I say... if Democrats were in charge????
But the most fun thing is how many of the Alabama folks just love talking about and hearing about our blog. Ha ha... they actually think that we have some influence and might be able to get them into the Pepsi Center. Editor's note:we're fighting for credentials ourselves!
Friendly reminder to the Chairman..... Left in Alabama gives the Alabama Democratic Party great coverage! Share the love?
'course, it won't affect our coverage.... ;-)
Naturally, we've had issues with transportation (buses? You don't need no stinkin' buses!) and other issues, but there's been no intra-party discord that I've seen.
We're here making contacts, learning about issues, and getting fired up for the fall campaign.
Ignore those putzes at CNN, Faux, etc. Our Obama and Clinton delegates aren't fighting. We're all putting together a fall strategy to sweep the elections in Alabama.