Day 4 at the convention

Today is the big day! I’m so happy as my wife has flown into Denver to share this historic day with me. We got our credentials and grabbed a quick lunch and rode the DNC shuttle over to Invesco field. Luckily, we were in the delegate line and security only took about a half hour to go through, and finally we were inside. The atmosphere was festive and on our entrance will.i.am was singing his famous “Yes We Can” song that swept the internet. I had just seen him yesterday at a forum sponsored by one of our Board Members, Victoria Hopper, at the Starz Green Room on viral videos and the impact they are having on electoral politics.

We settled in and saw many great speakers like Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Mark Udall – running for US Senate in Colorado, and Gov. Bill Richardson. Most interesting were the citizens who were not famous but who spoke eloquently about what happened to them – losing their health care or job being shipped overseas. One guy was Barney Smith, a displaced manufacturing worker from Indiana who brought the crowd to their feet when he said "We need a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney!" It was brilliant.

Finally, the historic moment arrived. A great video about Barack Obama played which let us learn more about his background. The photos of him as a kid, teenager, and young adult allowed us to get to know him better. A wedding picture of him and Michelle brought a collective “awwww” from the crowd. And then Obama came out on the stage and brought the 84,000 people in the stadium to their feet. You could feel the rafters shake as people stamped their feet.

Obama started out talking about what has gone wrong since George W. Bush took office and reminded us “America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this.” He declared “Enough!” I think this kind righteous indignation is a stark call to America to act now. We can’t afford 4 more years of neglecting working men and women and failing to solve the problems that plague our economy like health care and an unsustainable energy policy. He went on to say “Now is not the time for small plans” and went into detail on his agenda for education, energy, health care, equal pay, and the economy. I thought one of his most inspiring moments was when he said “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.” Finally he recalled the 45 year anniversary of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the promise of that day: “Let us keep that promise, that American promise, and in the words of Scripture, hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.” Obama underscored how this election was not about him – it’s about us. And he couldn’t be more right. Change in this country will not come from the top down, it will come from the bottom up. This has been the principle that has guided me – and guides 21st Century Democrats – to work harder than ever this year.

We can change America, yes we can!