6:38PM EDT
Early post before dinner... There's been a crazy 9/11 Truther in the background with a bullhorn chanting "9/11 was an inside job!" on MSNBC for the last 20 minutes.
7:21PM
Okay, so I had two grilled chicken-kebobs and a Sam Adams and I'm sitting here marveling at the scene at Invesco. The video tribute to Martin Luther King was breathtaking. Senator Obama goes on at 9:45 eastern.
7:26PM
I don't know that we'll see another Democratic acceptance speech like this one for a long time -- maybe not even Senator Obama's 2012 acceptance speech.
7:30PM
Word is that the RNC stage is going to be simple and understated. The stage itself is supposed to be only four feet off the floor. I can't imagine that's actually true. Then again, I suppose they need to scale it down to McBush hobbit size.
7:33PM
Will.i.am singing now. I'm flashing back to March.
Liveblogging continued after the jump...
7:35PMWho else is getting thrills up their legs?7:37PMSPOILER! From Senator Obama's address tonight.
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 presidency of George W. Bush.
And...
“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 just like the last eight. On November 4th, we must stand up and say: “Eight is enough.”
7:41PMOlbermann is saying that the McCain campaign is having trouble filling the 10,000 seat theater for tomorrow's VP rollout. YAAARRRR!7:47PMOn CNN... Sikhs love Sheryl Crow.8:01PMAnother SPOILER:
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 to restore that legacy
8:02PMHoly crap -- Invesco is packed.8:14PMHere's Governor Richardson. He's always so happy.8:16PMGovernor Richardson: "John McCain might pay hundreds of dollars for his shoes, but we'll be the ones paying for his flip flops!" YAAARRRR! Of course the cable news networks won't cover it.8:18PMBuchanan said something like, "Folks in central Pennsyvania want to know that even though he's black is he American?" From anyone else, that's a fair enough observation of the more racist voters among us. Coming from Buchanan, I can't help but to think that there's some of himself in that one.8:26PMOkay, MSNBC just aired Governor Richardson's "flips flops" line. I stand corrected.8:29PMCNN lower-third graphic: "FACT: CNN's convention coverage will continue momentarily." Thanks for that nugget, CNN. I was worried that you'd go to commercial and never come back. [Time stamp corrected. Thanks, Broadway Carl.]8:32PMStevie Wonder is eternally from 1983. He hasn't aged since I was 12.8:33PMNow that I've seen a lot of the stage, there are technically only four pillars. The rest are just borders between the brown and white door-like window things. FACT: President Bush had six pillars in 2004. FACT: There were like four-ish pillars in Iraq when Magoo didn't know who the Sunnis were. So bugger off, Malkin and Drudge.8:39PMStevie: "I know Barack Obama gonna set this country on fire!" Don't SAY that. Sheesh. The Hoo-sane people just plotzed.8:40PMNorah, Rachel and Gene dancing. And Pat wearing cooler shades than Stevie. Weird.8:44PMGore!8:46PM"Let the sunshine in." Cute.8:48PMGore on McCain continuing Bush's policies: I support recycling, but this is ridiculous.8:50PMWhy is the election so close? "The forces of the status quo are afraid of the change Barack Obama represents." So true. Adding to Al Gore's though... it's not just the oil interests and the polluters. Check the media owners, too.8:54PMI just can't help but to think that the last eight years are an alternate reality that never should have happened -- a tangent in the space-time continuum in which Biff Tannen is the mayor of Hill Valley. Al Gore should be wrapping up his second term today.8:58PMYeah, both Richardson and Gore have mentioned a woman's right to choose.9:06PMJust listening to Michael McDonald performing America The Beautiful on CSPAN. What an awesome day to be an American. After such a long dark ride through these eight years, how sweet is a moment like this?9:10PMJesse Jackson on MSNBC. Watch out for your balls, Senator!9:12PMQuick break. Keep going in the comments...9:23PMKeith questioning the conventional wisdom as dispensed by Brokaw who brought up "presumptuous." So glad Keith is in the trenches to call bullshit on this stuff.9:24PMSurprise visit from Joe Biden.9:27PMHere's a great example of how ass backwards Malkin commenters are. On Malkin's post about the pillars, a sane commenter wrote:
What hypocracy. Republicans used the Greek Temple motif at their 2004 convention. They were for it before they were against it. It’s only elitism if Democrats do it? Got nothing better to talk about? No rebuttal to Democratic campaign themes? The Republicans clearly are a party of no ideas.
To which a wingnut replied:
Bush had four fluted columns. BFD. I’ve got more than that on my front porch…and last time I checked it doesn’t look like a Greek tragedy. Quite antebellum actually.
Antebellum Greek tragedy? Is this guy watching Troy or is he looking at the coverage? What a dink.9:32PMSPOILER! Awesome line from Senator Obama's address:
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.
9:33PMSorry. I couldn't resist. No more spoilers.9:38PMOn FOX News McCain staffer Nancy Pfotenhauer is being interviewed by Hannity about whether the VP selection will leak. Historical! And now that stupid American Carol commercial. HOO-HOO! A slap in the face joke! Republicans are so funny.9:42PMceu wrote in the comments: "Where has this side of Matthews been hiding?!" He's been dropping pro-Obama remarks since Iowa. When you pull away the layer of 'Politics as Sport' and some of the esoteric weirdness and the infuriating 'Osama-Obama' gaffes, Matthews has a good Democratic heart. And credit where credit is due, he was the only cable news guy who came close to questioning the run-up to Iraq.9:45PMBuchanan complimenting the advance text of Senator Obama's speech? Whoa. I think I'm tripping. I can taste colors.9:50PMFlashback to December 2006:9:55PMI never thought in a million years I would see politics elevated to this level. When I was an editor on my high school newspaper, I remember discussing -- this was 1987 or so -- how apathetic young people were about politics. Not any more.9:57PMHere comes Senator Durbin. Olbermann: "Here. We. Go."10:01PMListen to that. 75,000 people chanting 'yes we can'!10:02PMThe bio video. "I knew my father for a month when I was ten."10:11PMHere's the next president of the United States. And now we watch history.10:16PM"ENOUGH!" This could be his strongest, greatest address to date.10:41PMHe said "temperament" to be commander in chief. Hoo-hoo! Take that, St. McAnger.10:48PM"So I've got news for you, John McCain. We all put our country first."10:58PMWow. I'm floored.11:01PMI'm seriously speechless. Extraordinary. It was smart, bold, strong, a lot eff-you-McBush. After so many years of despair -- we're on our way out of the dark.11:09PMLike it matters, but Bill Kristol just said "Obama exceeded expe
ctations" and went on to praise it for a number of reasons including Obama's love of America. Finally, Kristol is right about something.11:23PMBrian Williams comparing the speech to Sorkin, The West Wing, and Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas in The American President). And to take a moment to pat myself on the back -- I called the Sorkin tip in my endorsement back in December.11:25PMVia Brokaw, the McCain campaign says in a snit: "He's still not ready to be president."11:27PMChuck Todd: The McCain campaign doesn't know how to react to this. YAAARRRRR! I know how they're respond: by scaring Americans and painting Senator Obama as a gay terrorist. But it won't work this time.11:30PMIf the Obama campaign can prep for the debates the way they prepped this convention, McBush is toast.11:31PMHow can you be an American and deny this candidate? Everything you and I have talked about -- the things the Democrats ought to be doing to start winning again, and winning big -- in part by making the Republicans look small... Senator Obama is doing it.11:40PMSenator Biden was really making me smile tonight -- again. I really feel good about him now that I've given him a chance this week. His exuberance and his big toothy smile reveal an almost childlike joy to be a part of this movement.11:44PMOlbermann read an excerpt of a very negative piece about the speech from the AP written by Charles Babbington. Quote:
But instead of dwelling on specifics, he laced the crowning speech of his long campaign with the type of rhetorical flourishes that Republicans mock and the attacks on John McCain that Democrats cheer. The country saw a candidate confident in his existing campaign formula: tie McCain tightly to President Bush, and remind voters why they are unhappy with the incumbent.
Babbington viewed a very different speech -- perhaps delivered by his imaginary friend "Poop Head." Fortunately so far, the article only appears on the -- you guessed it -- the FOX News website.11:55PMBuchanan: "It was a genuinely outstanding speech. It was magnificent. It is the finest -- this is the greatest convention speech and probably the most important. This came out of America and went right at the heart of America." How about that, eh?12:01AMNext week... Dwarves, comb-overs and Cialis on a mini stage. McBush fever! Catch it!12:04AMMarkos reveals that Babbington posted his AP article before the speech even ended.
The piece is 603 words. So we are to believe, that Babington watched the speech, gave it due consideration, wrote it, turned it in, went through editing, when through copyediting, was then posted online -- all in 26 minutes?
12:14AMElvis in the comments: "Can't wait for the Republican convention, Mr. Bob Cesca. I assume we're liveblogging that one, too? (Oh how much fun it will be. Christ I can't wait.)" Yeah, I think I'm liveblogging all four nights at Huffington Post, but I'll open up liveblogging threads here for everyone else. And yes, it's going to be fun. Lots of Republicans to make fun of from a place of uncontrollable contempt.12;17AMI'm easing up now. Another Sam Adams has been opened (maybe they'll start sending me free beer if I keep mentioning them). I'll be online for a while longer in case something crazy or outrageous happens. But meanwhile, thank you once again for making this liveblogging thing fun and entertaining. And thank you for sharing this historic experience with me. You're awesome. Cheers!