WisPolitics Dem Convention Blog

Photos from Denver

2008-08-29T09:31:00.000-05:00

Denver Police presence

Ostrich-based critique of John McCain

Anti-abortion protester

Wisconsin bloggers react to Obama's speech

2008-08-29T07:50:00.002-05:00

Steve Hanson: Obama hits the right notes

Sean Hackbarth: Obama's ordinary politican acceptance speech

Mike Plaisted: Enough! Obama undresses McCain

Christian Schneider: Obama's speech: clean, articulate

Greg Kowalski: Obama's speech aims for the hearts of Americans and Wisconsinites

See more at www.wisopinion.com

Delegate Diary: Time to go to work

2008-08-29T01:03:00.002-05:00

Stan Davis

I am writing this final entry just a few minutes after getting back to my hotel room after watching Senator Barack Obama give the speech of his life. I came to Denver thinking that I had a good grasp on the importance of what I would see here and the impact that it would have on me and the country. I now think that I underestimated the impact it would have on me and most likely on the country as well.

As I sat on the floor of Invesco Field before Sen. Obama's speech, I kept reminding myself to take it all in and appreciate the fact that I was so fortunate to be where I was at that moment. I also realized that it was very likely that my grandchildren would be reading about what I was about to see in their history books years from now.

I have been thinking a lot about how Barack's nomination alone will change what many young people perceive as the limits of what they can achieve in life. I have been thinking a lot about what his election would mean to children in America who now may think that certain professions or accomplishments are reserved for "other people." I have been thinking a lot about the impact that the election of Barack Obama as pesident of the United States will have on the lives of people across Africa and other struggling societies around the world. I have thought a lot about the fact that an entire village of Africans took AIDS tests that they had previously refused because Barack and Michelle Obama traveled to their village and set the example by taking the tests themselves. This is an example that gives you an idea of the impact that a President Obama could have not just at home, but across the globe.

Well, all of that thinking that I had done did not prepare me for what I saw tonight would mean to me. I know it meant the same to others as well, because I saw the tears in the eyes and on the cheeks of people all around me. For me personally, the fact that Barack Obama just accepted the nomination of the Democratic Party represents many things. It represents an acceptance by mainstream society that has not been achieved in the country's history for people who don't look "like the president on the dollar bill," to borrow a phrase. It also represents hope for the future that we really are moving toward a society that judges people by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. It represents hope that my daughters will not have to live in a society where they are treated differently than their friends just because they may look different than their friends.

There is no question that we have a long way to go. If you don't believe me, just wait to see what types of code word laden attacks will be coming Obama's way for the remainder of this campaign. Obama is arrogant? It used to be described as uppity. Obama is out of touch with "working class Americans"? You mean like the ones he turned down the big bucks to advocate for on the streets of Chicago? Those working class Americans? Obama is an elitist? I think we can agree that both members of the United States Senate who are running for president of the United States can fairly be described as members of the elite class.

I can't really do much of an analysis of the speech at this point. It kind of washed over me as it was happening in real time. As I alternated between watching the big screen in the stadium and remembering that I was actually there and could watch the man with my own eyes a couple hundred feet in front of me. It was a surreal experience. I do remember being at first nervous, and then excited, that Obama was being stern, aggressive and critical of John McCain. Because he did it with his usual grace, I think that he can get away with going on the attack a bit. Before tonight, I did not think that he had that luxury for fear of being perceived as too scary to some Americans. Tonight he did it expertly.

The energy throughout the crown was electric. At one point I looked at the big screen when they had an overhead view of the full stadium with the floor covered with people as well. It was an awesome sight. You also have to realize that many of those people stood in line for up to five hours to get into the arena. I got to the arena at about 1 p.m. and then sat there until the speech started seven hours later. There was a level of engagement and sincere commitment to Obama and the country that you could feel as the speech went on and Barack got better and better.

At the end of the speech, I watched an African-American woman from Milwaukee who was in the row in front of me just start to shake her head and weep. She stood there for several minutes like she was the only one in the stadium. The NPR reporter who had interviewed me earlier was still standing next to me and we both noticed her at the same time. To my surprise, he did not point his camera at her to capture what must be considered a money shot in his business. He left her to have that private moment for herself while standing among 75,000 other people. I tried to talk to her after the speech was over and she just couldn't. She was overcome by the situation.

As people left the stadium after the speech, I really did not want to go. I wanted to stay there until they turned off the lights and forced me to leave. Even when most of the people were gone, the energy was still there. The awareness that I had just been part of history was becoming more real. Milton Bond and I just kept looking at each other and shaking our heads. Crying people were still walking by every once in a while. A text message from Patrick G. and the group that watched the speech at Jill's house briefly snapped me out of it long enough to respond and then call and talk to Patrick.

Our second congressional district delegation of myself, Francis Huntley Cooper, Mary Lang Sollinger, Roberta Gassman and Celia Jackson (I'm not sure where Bryan was at the time) had a series of little huddles and I said to each of them that this is where the real work begins. The goal of the campaign was not to get Barack nominated. The goal was to elect him president. This week has been a celebration. The time to celebrate ends when we leave Denver. It's time to go to work.

YES WE CAN!

-- Davis is a government relations partner at Axley Brynelson LLP.

New convention-related content from WisOpinion.com

2008-08-28T21:05:00.000-05:00

In the latest "WisOpinion: The Show," Dave Zweifel of the Capital Times and Brian Fraley of the Wisconsin Institute for Leadership parse the Democratic National Convention and Joe Biden and how they're playing in Wisconsin.

Watch the show

In the newest edition of Battleground Banter, the AFL-CIO's Sara Rogers debates with lobbyist and former Commerce Secretary Bill McCoshen over the significance of Barack Obama's selection of Joe Biden as his running mate.

Read their thoughts

Youngest delegate inspired by "history making" convention

2008-08-28T15:58:00.002-05:00

Twenty-one-year-old Jason Rae of Wisconsin is the youngest superdelegate in Denver. A senior at Marquette University, he has looked forward to the Democratic National Convention for months.

"Being here is absolutely fantastic," he said. "There is so much energy in the city, it is hard to really describe."

Like so many of the other delegates, he said he is honored to be a part of the "history making" 2008 convention. Rae said he is particularly honored to be the youngest superdelegate in attendance because he doesn't think his age is a fluke, rather an indication of what future party events will look like.

"This is a trend you're going to continue to see in coming years," he said. "Younger and younger people will be assuming roles in the party leadership."

Rae said listening to the speeches on the floor of the convention each night has been an experience he will never forget. U.S. Senators Ted Kennedy and Joe Biden stood out to him as being the best speakers thus far.

"When Kennedy walked out onto the stage we were left speechless," he said. "Hearing Biden deliver such a passionate speech while accepting the vice presidential nomination was inspiring and made me all the more confident in the ticket."

-- By Matt Clark

Thompson: Wisconsin will go for McCain

2008-08-28T14:46:00.004-05:00

Contrary to the current Wisconsin governor's prediction this morning that strong turnout means Barack Obama will win the state "in a walk," former Gov. Tommy Thompson said John McCain will carry Wisconsin.

"Jim Doyle is drinking some Kool-Aid that is not very relevant to this election," Thompson said this afternoon in a conference call with reporters.

"Whoever motivates their base and gets voters to the polls on Election Day is going to win," Thompson said.

Thompson acknowledged that this appears to be a good year for Democrats, but he said that Obama is seeing his fortunes decline in the polls while McCain is rising. He said that may be due to Obama's "tremendous liberal positions" on abortion, or his tax plan.

"The more Barack Obama comes out with extremist views on taxation, on pro-choice and so on its going to lead to a Republican victory in November," Thompson said.

The experience factor also is in favor of McCain.

"Who would you like to have in the White House at 3 a.m. if Russia decides to invade another country? No question it's John McCain," said Thompson, who left Wisconsin to serve as Secretary of Health and Human Services in the first George W. Bush Administration.

Thompson, who waged his own early campaign for president, said he's firmly behind the GOP nominee now.

"No question John was not my first choice. But I'm a Republican," Thompson said.

He said he has worked with McCain on a number of tasks, and called him "truthful, hard-working, patriotic and an individual you can talk to."

-- By Greg Bump

Wineke has no regrets over dumping Clinton delegate who's backing McCain

2008-08-28T13:50:00.003-05:00

Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Joe Wineke said he has no regrets about how the party handled a former Clinton delegate-turned-McCain supporter.

The party revoked Debra Bartoshevich's credentials as a Clinton delegate for the state after she publicly stated she was supporting McCain. She showed up at the convention this week anyway to appear at a McCain news conference and is now featured in a TV ad designed to appeal to former Clinton backers.

"How can you say you are a strong Hillary Clinton supporter and life-long Democrat and then make an argument that John McCain -- who is completely opposed to Hillary's agenda -- is a better candidate?" Wineke said this morning, adding there is "universal support for our action" to revoke her credentials.

Wineke said he was not worried that Bartoshevich's appearance in a new McCain ad would cause other Clinton supporters to follow suit.

"People here are united. If she wants to be in the McCain camp; go for it," he said. "I think that the McCain campaign thinks that they're going to fool all of the Clinton supporters and it isn't going to happen."

Wineke also spoke about former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman's appearance in front of the delegation Thursday. He said Siegelman's story is an important one because it highlights failings of the U.S. Justice Department.

"It's overzealous prosecutors perusing what -- by all indications -- is a political prosecution," he said. "How can you be handcuffed and put in jail for nine months because you appointed somebody who gave you a contributing to an unpaid board?"

Calling it a "clear case of Karl Rove trying to change the political process," Wineke said there was no doubt about the similarities between Siegelman's situation and that of Wisconsin's own Georgia Thompson.

Thompson was convicted of steering a state contract to executives who gave to Gov. Jim Doyle's re-election campaign. But it was overturned on appeal in a case that one judge said was "beyond thin."

"The parallels with Thompson are identical," he said.

-- By Matt Clark

Former Alabama guv calls charges politically motivated

2008-08-28T13:37:00.002-05:00

Wisconsin's delegation heard from former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman today. He spoke about being indicted on charges of bribery and mail fraud for allegedly trading government appointments for campaign donations, a charge he said was politically motivated -- put together by Karl Rove and his allies to oust the Democrat from office.

"I was convicted of something that has never before been considered a crime -- appointing a contributor to a non-paid board," he said.

Siegelman said he was speaking out about the circumstances around his conviction because they have implications for the entire country, not just him or his home state.

"This is about restoring justice and preserving our democracy," he said. "It's about finding out who hijacked our Justice Department and used it as a political tool to go after a list of political enemies."

See a 60 Minutes report from February on his case

A New York Times editorial compared Siegelman's case to that of Georgia Thompson, the Wisconsin civil servant whose conviction on bid-rigging charges was thrown out on appeal.

See background on the Thompson case from the WisPolitics CourtWatch blog

-- By Matt Clark

Barrett, Nelson say Obama would be more receptive to urban concerns

2008-08-28T12:55:00.000-05:00

Addressing the Wisconsin delegation's final breakfast meeting of the national convention, Mayors Tom Barrett and Larry Nelson, of Milwaukee and Waukesha, respectively, spoke about the need for greater federal emphasis on urban issues. They both outlined ways to improve the way the federal government doles out money and expressed a belief that an Obama administration would be more receptive to their ideas.

"Energy block grant programs would allow individual communities to decide what is the best energy-efficient practice," Nelson said.

"Mayors who have gathered together say that if John McCain wins this election we don't feel like we can pick up the phone and call or have a meeting with the White House about issues facing urban America," Barrett said.

Former Missouri Senator Jean Carnahan spoke to the Wisconsin delegates about the need to elect Obama. She said "too much has gone wrong" during the eight years of the Bush administration not to go in a different direction.

"There's a question we can be asking ourselves that Reagan posed back in his day. He said 'Are you as well off as you were four years ago?' We are paying more for gas today, homes are being foreclosed on, jobs are being shipped overseas, and we have spent $1 trillion on the war," Carnahan said. "We are definitely headed in the wrong direction."

Wisconsin Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton and Tom Woodruff, executive vice president of the Service Employees International Union, also spoke at the morning meeting.

-- By Matt Clark

Doyle says young voters are over race issue

2008-08-28T11:20:00.007-05:00

Gov. Jim Doyle said the impact of race on this presidential election is an "interesting generational issue," and that it might be a factor in some voters minds.

But, he said, those who would vote against Barack Obama because he is black aren't Dem voters.

"Most people who would make that judgment based on race were never going to vote for a Democrat anyway," he said this morning during a conference call from Denver.

Doyle said younger voters are less likely to hold those attitudes. Obama's campaign has been about getting past the race issue, and that mirrors younger voters feelings about it, he said.

"For older people that may be an issue. For younger people it's just totally not an issue," Doyle said.

Doyle said he's confident that with a strong voter turnout, Obama will win in Wisconsin. He also ripped Republicans for what he said are campaign tactics to discourage voting, "Karl Rove kind of stuff," as he termed it.

He said Republicans have employed the tactics to great effect in winning elections, but have found that dividing the country makes it difficult to govern.

Obama's acceptance speech tonight will include his plan to bring the troops out of Iraq "in a way that is responsible," his plan for an energy rebate and to invest in renewable energy, and making higher education more affordable, Doyle said.

When Obama made a stop in Eau Claire Sunday, Doyle said he and Obama had an opportunity during some quiet time to talk about the speech.

"He made it very clear that there would be some great emotion to it obviously on the 45th annivesary of Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech," Doyle said.

"I have never seen Barack Obama not rise to the occasion, so I think we are going to see a really remarkable speech tonight," Doyle said.

The governor said despite the 67-21 split of Wisconsin delegate votes for Obama and Clinton, the state party is fully unified behind Obama. He praised the Clintons for their "spectacular" speeches in support of Obama.

"If the story line much of the media looking at coming into this was that this party is divided. clearly everybody honestly looking at what happened in this convention has to complete that story line by saying that this party is coming out incredibly unified," Doyle said.

Doyle appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" program this morning. He said he normally catches it when he's exercising in the morning, and called it "the best political show."

He also commented on being a punchline in David Letterman's "Top 10 List" this week. Doyle said his son sent him the clip.

"I don't know if it's good or bad. Nobody laughed -- nobody kind of understood the joke and nobody even laughed at it. So I'm not sure why I got singled out, but I did."

-- By Greg Bump

Black business leaders anticipating Obama's speech

2008-08-28T10:55:00.002-05:00

The Small Business Times is reporting that Milwaukee-area black business leaders are eager to see Obama's speech tonight.

Dextra Hadnot, external affairs director at AT&T Wisconsin in Milwaukee, has been watching Obama's ascension closely.

"I've always been optimistic in my lifetime that our country could or would elect a person of color or even a woman president of the United States, and Barack Obama, not just because he is an African-American, he's the right person at the right time," Hadnot said. "And I'm especially proud of our country and our ability to put people like Barack Obama in position to lead our country."

See the full story here.

Brief disappointment gives way to elation over nomination

2008-08-28T10:08:00.007-05:00

Gov. Jim Doyle celebrates Obama's nomination. (Photo courtesy of Uppity Wisconsin)

The abbreviated nomination process at yesterday's Democratic National Convention in Denver cut off before Gov. Jim Doyle got the chance to announce Wisconsin's vote tally, leaving some state delegates briefly disappointed.

A state Dem Party official says the final tally was 67 votes for Obama and 21 votes for Clinton.

"For a minute I was upset, but then being the political monster that I am, I understand that these things often happen," Obama delegate Martha Toran said this morning. "More important than the vote was the message. Both Clintons did what they needed to do and that's what counts."

Other Wisconsin delegates said they would have liked their votes to be announced to the convention, but also said that presenting a unified front was more important than hearing from every state.

"It was kind of a bummer that Wisconsin couldn't be a part of the official announcement, but the overall thing was prety well scripted and amazing to listen to," said Obama delegate J.D. Wine of La Crosse. "The magnificent unification of this week has overshadowed any little details like who speaks when or how things are technically recorded."

Bethany Ordaz of Madison said "the entire thing was really incredibly exciting."

"I was a little sad that we didn't see the governor give a quirky announcement to everyone, but I guess that doesn't really matter when you think of the overall process," she said.

Elizabeth Kai Smith, a non-delegate visitor to the convention from Wisconsin, said Obama fans "aren't going to lose any sleep over who said what when."

"I just think this week has been incredibly amazing. It's not every day that you see democracy come to life like this," she said. "If it weren't for Obama, this vivacious spirit would not have overtaken Denver."

-- By Matt Clark

Delegate Diary: History has been made

2008-08-28T09:08:00.003-05:00

Stan Davis

Before I get started, I want to take a moment to say a couple of things that I do not want to forget. I want to salute Dem Party Executive Director Jessica Erickson and her team for taking great care of us and making sure that we were in the right place and knew what to do when we got there. Things have been well organized, despite the fact that the size of this event lends itself to mass chaos. Nice job Jess and crew.

On Wednesday morning, the big question was what would happen in the afternoon. When would we vote? How would we vote? Would there be a roll call vote? Would that be a bad thing for Obama? Was Bill Clinton going to come through? We didn't know the answers to the process questions because the DNC had not told anyone yet. We didn't know what the political outcome would be because we just didn't. We would have to wait and see like everyone else.

One thing that I can say is that the things that the public has been reading at home about anxious Obama supporters and tension between Clinton and Obama delegates were pure fiction. I have seen no examples of that since I have been here. The anxiety that I have heard about has been from delegates when they make the mistake of watching the TV coverage and realize that the event being depicted usually bears no resemblance to what they are experiencing in real life.

At about 1:45 on Wednesday afternoon, I was having lunch with several people including fellow delegate and DWD Secretary Roberta Gassman. We had all agreed to walk down to the Cheesecake Factory for a little dessert when we got an urgent text from Doyle aide Jordan Primakow saying that the DNC needed all delegates to the Pepsi Center by 3:15. It was a tough call to make. Get our cheesecake or start making our way to Pepsi? We had no idea why we were being called there, because we had already voted that morning in the hotel. We obviously decided that the cheesecake would have to wait, and Roberta and I started heading for the shuttle which was a couple of blocks away.

With Roberta in her heels and me still recovering from knee surgery, we started a slow-speed pursuit of the shuttle that was sitting at its stop about a block away. There were a couple of times that we both started something that vaguely resembled a trot, but settled on waving our hands in the air to attract the attention of the DNC volunteer that was standing outside of the bus. We didn't want to miss the shuttle because the ride can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 90 minutes depending on the traffic at the time, and the shuttles only come about every 30 minutes.

During the ride to Pepsi, we speculated on why we had been summoned. We also checked the web on our Blackberries for any news that might help us figure things out. Had something gone wrong with the vote? Had people who had pledged for Barack switched sides? After a few minutes, we actually got it right. What made the most sense was that we were being called there for a voice vote to nominate Sen. Obama. It was actually a pretty quick trip and we headed in to meet the few members of our delegation who had beaten Roberta and me to the scene. After we had sat there in the still largely empty arena, we started making fun of ourselves for rushing over there like we had seen our own personal Batman spotlights.

The voting was to be closed at 4 p.m. and the roll call would begin. Word started to get around that the plan might be to start the roll call and at some point move that the full convention be asked to nominate Sen. Obama by acclamation. I watched as Jess Erickson and Joe Weinike and their staff tallied the votes and prepared to give the DNC Wisconsin's official final numbers. If I remember correctly, Sen. Obama received 67 of Wisconsin 92 delegates. Some Clinton delegates from Wisconsin decided to vote for Obama following the speech of Sen. Hillary Clinton, so the margin was larger than the result of the primary vote in February.

After some speeches, the third session of the Democratic National Convention was called to order. Shortly thereafter, the roll call of the states started with Alabama. At that point, it was a mystery as to how states would vote. It became evident early on that many delegates from other states had moved toward party unity because states which had been won by Sen. Clinton during the primary actually ending up with more votes being cast for Obama. Several state delegations made strong statements by voting unanimously for Obama. The roll call vote that the media and others thought would be a disaster for Obama was becoming a real time testament to the degree to which the Democratic Party had come back together to support its nominee.

When it was California's time to vote, it passed. A few minutes later, Illinois passed as well. About 20 minutes later, another state passed and yielded its position to New York. We were trying to figure out what was going to happen next when Sen. Clinton was shown on the big screen in the arena making her way to New York's podium with Gov. David Patterson. As she reached the microphone, she made what had to be a very difficult statement for her given how tough the primary was. She called on Democrats to rally behind Obama, made it clear that he is our candidate, and then moved to suspend the rules of the convention and called for a vote to nominate Obama by acclamation.

Speaker Pelosi took the podium and received about 5500 loud seconds to the motion and the motion passed. In classic Robert's Rule of Order form, Pelosi called for the nays, pounded the gavel, and declared that the ayes had prevailed almost simultaneously. For the record, I was listening for any nays being yelled out and did not hear any. Had there been any, I'm sure we would have heard about it in the media by now.

Well, it had been done. History had been made. Senator Barack Obama had been nominated to be the Democratic Party's candidate for President of the United States. As I just heard congressman and civil rights hero John Lewis of Georgia say in an interview, a down payment had been made on the dream that had been set forth by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. almost exactly 45 years ago on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. Our Governor had been standing by preparing to announce Wisconsin's vote total and probably make some of those comments like, "from Wisconsin, the real home of the happiest cows in America ..." Instead, we were all able to exhale, shake hands, and congratulate each other on what had been a long but ultimately successful journey.

After more speeches, the time for Bill Clinton to address the convention was approaching. We knew that he could seal the deal as far as party unity was concerned if he picked up where Sen. Clinton had left off. I was personally nervous because people seated near him during Hillary's speech had told me that he was getting very emotional while she was speaking, and he had not turned over a copy of his speech to the Obama team to review.

Well, the pre-South Carolina primary Bill Clinton was back. He gave an incredible speech that did everything anyone could have asked. If Hillary hit a home run, Bill hit one of those Barry Bonds shots that went way out of the park and into the waters of McCovey Cove. He showed his usual great timing and ability to play off of the reactions of the crowd. The energy in the arena was building until there was a permanent buzz. Everyone was standing, cheering and clapping as he finished. I found myself wanting him to keep going. It was a great speech.

The next featured speaker was someone who looked just like Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts. He spoke with a passion and intensity that caused many in the crowd to remark that he would probably be president right now if he had been so passionate four years ago. Mary Lang Sallinger was sitting next to me and made a great observation about Kerry's performance. Mary said, "Barack just brings out the best in people." Mary's statement sums up much of what his campaign has been about and why it has been so successful. Having gotten to know Mary, her dedication to Obama, and her ability to get others involved, I can say that Mary brings out the best in people as well. I don't call her "Force of Nature" for nothing.

After Kerry, Joe Biden's son Beau came out to introduce his father. He started to tell the tale of Biden and his family, what he has been through and how their family has supported each other through tough times. We will probably be hearing more from Beau in the future if Obama/Biden wins because I think it is very likely that Beau, now attorney general of Delaware, will be appointed to replace Joe in the U.S. Senate.

Joe Biden gave a very good speech and introduced himself to America as an everyman who was not a creature of Washington despite serving for over 30 years in the Senate. He also gave a preview of his role as attack dog as he listed the many times where John McCain has been wrong on important issues but Obama has been right. Expect to see Biden blasting away at his "good friend of almost 22 years" for the next 70 days or so. Biden's time on stage ended with him being joined by a family which seemed to number about 85 people. It was a family values snapshot that you love to have in politics. Showing that the apple has not fallen far from the tree, they had to literally drag Biden's little grandson off of the stage. He was still trying to get back to the podium as the lights went down.

The energy and excitement as we left the arena and walked back toward downtown Denver was palpable. I won't spend much time on the Wisconsin party that took place because I didn't stay long. I was out of gas and managed to get to bed by 1:15 a.m. That's early in convention time. I am writing this at 7:42 a.m. Mountain Time and will be heading down soon to get my credentials for the day and attend the last delegation breakfast of the convention.

One last thing. Wednesday's celebrity sightings included will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, actor Blair Underwood, and TV Judge Greg Mathis.

-- -- Davis is a government relations partner at Axley Brynelson LLP.

Analysis: Democrats ready for the fight

2008-08-28T09:07:00.001-05:00

Chris Micklos
Commentary

Four years ago, the first commandment of John Kerry's Democratic National Convention was "speak no evil." Translation: There was to be no criticism of President Bush and the Republicans. Every now and then a speech managed to slip by the censors (clearly, President Carter didn't get the memo), but overall, it was a gentle convention that left the Republican candidate unscathed. Then, when the Republicans took the stage at their own convention, they destroyed Kerry, who never recovered and never effectively fought back. For those who may have missed it, Kerry lost.

Democrats in Denver have been worried over the past couple of days that Barack Obama hadn't learned a lesson of the Kerry campaign and would let John McCain off the hook, as well.

After three days of Barack Obama's DNC, Democrats are starting to feel good about a candidate -- and a campaign -- willing to fight back.

I don't expect Obama himself to use his acceptance speech to blast away at John McCain, but after a slow start earlier in the week, this convention has featured a line-up of speakers who have stepped up to the microphone and taken McCain to task. On Wednesday night, in primetime, that lineup included President Bill Clinton, Sen. John Kerry (apparently he learned a lesson, too), and Obama's vice-presidential nominee, Sen. Joe Biden.

Their collective take on John McCain was a lacerating indictment of McCain's campaign, his judgment, and his pledge to bring America four more years of President Bush's foreign and domestic policy.

None of the speakers was more effective than Joe Biden, and his performance bodes awfully well for the next two months of the Obama-Biden campaign.

Simply put, Biden showed why Obama picked him as his running mate. He was down to earth and plain spoken. His story was moving and demonstrative of working-class values and concerns. And his criticisms of John McCain were backed up by his own stature and credibility.

Biden questioned McCain's judgment on foreign policy.

Biden criticized McCain's failure to support an increased minimum wage.

Biden took McCain to task for his support for tax breaks for the corporate special interests.

And through it all, Biden came off as reasonable, credible, and a voice of working-class families around the country. By comparison, when Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty -- two of McCain's potential VP picks -- criticize Obama, they seem petulant and petty.

More important, though, than the effectiveness of Biden was the willingness of the Obama campaign to take the gloves off and get into the fight. This marks a dramatic change from the last presidential election and makes an Obama victory more likely than it would otherwise be.

Voters won't believe that a candidate will fight for them if he's not willing to fight for himself, and Barack Obama is starting to show voters that he's a fighter.

-- Micklos is partner and senior strategist at Visuality, a Madison-based media consulting firm. Contact him at chris@visuality.com.

Roll call begins

2008-08-27T17:08:00.004-05:00

The roll call is underway.

The only question is how many of Clinton's three dozen delegates decided to back Obama for the roll call.

Wisconsin delegates began casting their ballots at their hotel this morning, but the results won't be official until later. It's unclear if Wisconsin will get the chance to announce its tally publicly before the roll is cut off.

UPDATE: The roll call is cut off at the New York delegation, when Hillary Clinton moves that the convention rules be suspended to nominate Barack Obama. Speaker Pelosi presided over the motion, approved by a voice vote of the full delegation.

-- By JR Ross

Doyle makes Letterman's top 10 list

2008-08-27T14:10:00.002-05:00

Gov. Jim Doyle made David Letterman's list of the "Top Ten Things Overheard At The Democratic National Convention" on last night's Late Show.

No. 5 was "Shut up! I'm trying to listen to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle!"

After the line got a tepid laugh, Letterman repeated "Jim Doyle" before moving onto No. 4.

No. 1?

"Hey, it's a giant Al Gore balloon! Oh, wait. That's Al Gore."

Watch it here.

-- By JR Ross

Delegate Diary: Day three kicks off

2008-08-27T11:07:00.003-05:00

Stan Davis

This morning's delegation breakfast had three really outstanding speeches. The first was given by Sen. Russ Feingold. He took us inside of his experience with Barack Obama as the pair worked members of both parties to pass the strongest government reform law in history following the Jack Abrahmoff scandal. He talked about how Obama took on members of his own party who were not very excited about losing the ability to hop on a private jet and other goodies that Feingold and Obama sought to take away.

Feingold also reminded us of the good judgment that Obama has shown in the past and that bringing someone with the experience of Joe Biden onto the ticket is not an indication of weakness, but a sign of maturity, strength and leadership.

Next up was Gov. Jim Doyle. There are few more impassioned supporters of Barack Obama than the governor, and it shows. Today, the governor started by praising the efforts of Sen. Feingold in working with the Doyle administration to get things done every day for the people of Wisconsin. He then talked about what a profound change it would be to have an Obama administration in Washington to actually work with him on issues like providing health care to children instead of working against him.

The Governor then introduced the morning's final speaker. She was Cecile Richards of NARAL. Ms. Richards is the daughter of the late Gov. Ann Richards of Texas. In her speech, Richards recited the records of both candidates on women's health issues and issues generally. She told us that 50 percent of Sen. McCain's female supporters are pro-choice and many do not know that he is not. I was also surprised to learn that while Joe Biden was the author of the Violence Against Women Act; John McCain actually voted against it.

In about 20 minutes, I will actually go cast my delegate vote for Sen. Obama. After that, I may head to a caucus meeting or two before heading to the Pepsi Center for another night of speeches. Tonight features Bill Clinton, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, and V.P. Nominee Joe Biden. After the speeches, Wisconsin has a delegation party on the top floor of the Hyatt, which is all glass and apparently provides incredible views of the scenery and landscape of the Denver area.

-- Davis is a government relations partner at Axley Brynelson LLP.

Delegate Diary: Day Two

2008-08-27T02:54:00.000-05:00

Stan Davis

This morning's delegation breakfast featured two members of Wisconsin's Congressional delegation. Ron Kind from La Crosse did a nice job of getting the day started. A lot of people talk about him as one of the next Dems in line to be strong gubernatorial candidates whenever Gov. Doyle is done, of course. Although I regrettably missed it, Congresswoman Gwen Moore reportedly blew the doors off the room and had the delegation in a frenzy. Having seen he speak in the past, this does not surprise me.

After lunch, I went to the floor to watch Gov. Doyle address the convention. He did a great job, and the members of the delegation were vocal in their support and appreciative of the fact that Wisconsin was recognized by having our governor chosen to make the address.

What took place during the rest of the day made this my favorite day of the convention by far. I returned from the floor at about 6 o'clock having given my floor credentials to someone else and expecting to watch the speeches of Mark Warner and Hillary Clinton from my room. Instead, I ended having a great time for the next seven hours enjoying great company, dinner and music.

While I would love to get into great detail, as a temporary pretend journalist, I have to follow certain standards. Therefore, I will say that I had a great dinner with some very distinguished people, did return to the Pepsi Center to see Sen. Clinton's speech in person and attended an incredible concert by Grammy winning singer John Legend.

Regarding Clinton's speech, I thought that she did a great job of talking about her own campaign and marrying the issues that she championed to the message and strength of Sen. Obama. While she did not explicitly direct her supporters to vote for Obama as I and many others would have liked, she certainly got the point across that what matters most is winning this election. She seemed to be sincere in her support of Obama, and I hope that her supporters follow her lead and get behind him from here forward as many already have.

I have been present in person for the two best speeches I have ever heard Sen. Clinton give. The first was this February at Founder's Day. While I was not a big fan of the tone of that speech, it was still well conceived and delivered. Tonight's speech hit every point that it needed to hit to continue to unify the party and also acknowledged what Clinton accomplished during the primary campaign.

The highlight of the night was the John Legend concert. It was hosted by the Democratic Leadership Council and its chairman, former Congressman Harold Ford of Tennessee. It was in a small club, and Legend performed 14 songs and performed them well. The audience was made up primarily of people who are involved in Democratic politics, and Legend commented several times about his support for Obama and encouraged the members of the audience to remember why they got into politics in the first place and what it means to the people they serve.

Today was a lot of fun, and I think it was successful from a political standpoint. Senator Clinton hit a home rune with her speech and picked up right where Sen. Kennedy and Mrs. Obama left off. Now we will see if President Clinton and Sen. Joe Biden can keep the momentum going on Wednesday.

-- Davis is a government relations partner at Axley Brynelson LLP.

Speech pushes Clinton backers toward Obama camp

2008-08-27T01:02:00.003-05:00

Picture courtesy of Uppity Wisconsin

A pair of Hillary Clinton-backing Wisconsin delegates turned to sports analogies to describe their reactions to her Tuesday night convention address.

"I thought it was a home run, grand slam, a touchdown, whatever sport analogy you want to insert -- it was a win," said delegate Shawn Pfaff. "She was magnanimous, confident, and put the team first."

"She really hit it out of the ballpark," said Heather Colburn, the delegation whip.

But Colburn said she and others were waiting to hear more from Clinton before deciding how to cast their votes during Wednesday's roll call. But overall she said "there is not a consensus at this point about how to move forward" among Wisconsin's Clinton backers.

"Some people feel like they were sent here to be a Hillary delegate and that means they will vote for her," Colburn said. "There are others who think this is Barack time and may vote for him. We really will have no idea how the vote will turn out until Hillary talks to us tomorrow and we actually cast our votes."

Saying she was "weighing the decision very carefully in my mind and heart," Colburn said, "I still feel like this is a second chance for me to show her my support by casting my vote for her."

There was no such hesitation for Clinton supporter Brett Hulsey.

"I will be voting for Obama," Hulsey said. "I've become an Obama guy. The drama is over and it's time for us to move on from here, focusing on beating McCain."

Hulsey said he was hearing similar sentiments from other Clinton backers.

"Just in talking to a few people on the way back from the Pepsi Center it seems people are comfortable with the idea of voting for Obama. I don't know how everyone feels, but I am not aware of any overwhelming lingering hostility. Everyone seems to be on board with the idea of an Obama/Biden ticket."

Both Hulsey and Pfaff praised Clinton's selflessness and her regard for the party.

"She unified the party tonight, no doubt," Pfaff said. "Most politicians only think about themselves and are generally pretty selfish. She was clearly thinking about Barack Obama becoming president, putting him before herself."

Adding another sports analogy into the mix, Hulsey said, "Nobody who wins the silver medal likes to stand up and congratulate the gold finisher. That said, she was very gracious and I do believe sincere."

Hulsey also said he wished Clinton's magnanimous side had shown through a little earlier in the process.

"I thought it was a great speech. I wish she would have made it months earlier," he said. "Throughout the campaign both Clinton and Obama found their voice, and obviously hers is a very confident one, but I think there was definitely something in her tone tonight that a lot of people appreciated and maybe would have been helpful during the primary season."

Overall, Hulsey was pleased with the result: "I think the speech helped us realize there is a common mission here, and that we are all after the same thing, which is to put a Democrat in the White House."

-- By Matt Clark and Mike Schramm

Analysis: McCain's record in the crosshairs

2008-08-27T00:25:00.001-05:00

Chris Micklos
Commentary

Hillary Clinton took to the podium tonight, and she delivered a phenomenal, inspiring speech that will easily rank as the best she has ever given. There will be a lot of words written and spoken about her performance tonight, but her full-throated endorsement of Barack Obama and stinging indictment of John McCain will no doubt go a long way toward bringing her supporters over to Team Obama. It was exactly what she needed to do, and the convention hall could not have been more enthusiastic and responsive.

However, for those wringing their hands over recent polls and concerned about Democratic defections to the Republican in November, the key comments to watch were not made from the Pepsi Center tonight but from a small press conference off-site on Monday.

Turncoat Wisconsin Democrat (and deposed DNC delegate) Deb Bartoshevich has gotten a bunch of publicity in recent days for starring in an ad for the McCain campaign. In fact, for all the attention she has gotten, her new-found Republican friends might even dub her a "celebrity".

But during a press conference to promote the ad, Bartoschevich was asked if she was concerned about McCain's anti-choice voting record. Her response: "Going back to 1999, John McCain did an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle saying that overturning Roe v. Wade would not make any sense, because then women would have to have illegal abortions."

Now, that doesn't really sound like something said off the top of her head, does it? That sounds like something straight out of campaign talking points. In fact, that sounds like just the kind of bad information that the McCain campaign would put out to obscure their candidate's real record.

Of course, it may well be true that McCain said that nearly ten years ago, but that is not the John McCain who is running for president today.

This is the man who has gone on bended knee to embrace the right-wing ideologues whom he once called "agents of intolerance." This is the guy who will not commit to supporting as president the immigration bill that he himself authored in the Senate. And this is the committed anti-choice candidate who has this to say on his own campaign website: "John McCain believes Roe v. Wade is a flawed decision that must be overturned".

For the record, that's the exact same web site where you can also view the Bartoshevich ad.

The point isn't to embarrass Bartoshevich. The point isn't to make her feel absolutely ridiculous about basking in her 15 minutes of fame while demonstrating complete ignorance of McCain's position on such a fundamental Democratic issue.

The point is that many, many of those Democrats and independents who are still resisting Barack Obama don't actually know the real John McCain. And in Wisconsin, school starts after Labor Day, so over the next two months, you can be sure that Democrats will make sure that those voters learn who John McCain is, what he stands for, and what the stakes of this election will be.

For example: a John McCain presidency means the end of Roe v. Wade.

So, while Hillary Clinton's unity speech was very important and equally effective, the key to unifying Democrats and bringing independents on board for Obama will be to draw the contrast between both candidates and make sure that voters know the real John McCain. That process began tonight in Denver, and it will gain steam over the next several weeks.

If the sad Bartoshevich episode is instructive of anything, it demonstrates that a lot of McCain support is built on misperceptions and deliberate deceptions. That's the kind of foundation that the Democrats can really hammer away at.

Expect to hear a lot more hammering coming from Denver during the next couple of days.

-- Micklos is partner and senior strategist at Visuality, a Madison-based media consulting firm. Contact him at chris@visuality.com.

Clinton: 'Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president'

2008-08-26T23:19:00.001-05:00

Excerpts from New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech to close Tuesday night:

I am honored to be here tonight. A proud mother. A proud Democrat. A proud American. And a proud supporter of Barack Obama. ... I haven't spent the past 35 years in the trenches advocating for children, campaigning for universal health care, helping parents balance work and family, and fighting for women's rights at home and around the world ... to see another Republican in the White House squander the promise of our country and the hopes of our people.

And you haven't worked so hard over the last 18 months, or endured the last eight years, to suffer through more failed leadership.

No way. No how. No McCain.

Barack Obama is my candidate. And he must be our president. ...

To my supporters, my champions -- my sisterhood of the traveling pantsuits -- from the bottom of my heart: Thank you.

You never gave in. You never gave up. And together we made history. ...

I want you to ask yourselves: Were you in this campaign just for me? Or were you in it for that young Marine and others like him? Were you in it for that mom struggling with cancer while raising her kids? Were you in it for that boy and his mom surviving on the minimum wage? Were you in it for all the people in this country who feel invisible? ...

We need to elect Barack Obama because we need a president who understands that America can't compete in a global economy by padding the pockets of energy speculators, while ignoring the workers whose jobs have been shipped overseas. We need a President who understands that we can't solve the problems of global warming by giving windfall profits to the oil companies while ignoring opportunities to invest in new technologies that will build a green economy. ...

when Barack Obama is in the White House, he'll revitalize our economy, defend the working people of America, and meet the global challenges of our time. Democrats know how to do this. As I recall, President Clinton and the Democrats did it before. And President Obama and the Democrats will do it again. ...

John McCain says the economy is fundamentally sound. John McCain doesn't think that 47 million people without health insurance is a crisis. John McCain wants to privatize Social Security. And in 2008, he still thinks it's okay when women don't earn equal pay for equal work.

With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they're awfully hard to tell apart. ...

We are Americans. We're not big on quitting.

But remember, before we can keep going, we have to get going by electing Barack Obama president.

We don't have a moment to lose or a vote to spare.

Nothing less than the fate of our nation and the future of our children hang in the balance.

Read the full text of Clinton's speech

Walker focuses on taxes in response to Doyle's address

2008-08-26T20:25:00.007-05:00

Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker criticized Gov. Jim Doyle's and Barack Obama's records on taxes in response to Doyle's speech before the convention this evening.

Walker, who's widely expected to challenge Doyle for governor in 2010, pointed out that tonight's convention theme was "Renewing America's Promise" and accused Doyle of breaking a promise to voters.

"Before the last election, Jim Doyle said to the voters of the State of Wisconsin, specifically, 'we should not, we must not and I will not raise taxes," Walker said, before accusing him of proposing raising taxes and fees by nearly $3 billion after the election.

Walker then highlighted Obama's record on taxes, saying he's voted either against tax cuts or for tax increases 94 times in the Senate and, despite professing support for the middle class, voted to raise taxes on those making $42,000 per year.

"I don't know about you, but that's what I consider to be middle class," Walker said.

Walker said Obama wants higher taxes on income, investments, savings, businesses, Social Security and energy.

"He promises a better economy," Walker said, "but we know that taxing our way to prosperity is no way to grow the economy in Wisconsin and across this country."

Walker made his comments at a McCain campaign office in West Allis. As Walker spoke, about 15 campaign volunteers made calls to potential voters.

In a Q&A with reporters, Walker said McCain's maverick character will help him attract the support of Reagan Democrats and win Wisconsin.

He called Obama's choice of Joe Biden as a running mate "one of the weakest choices possible."

"He's been in the United States Senate for nearly four decades," Walker said of Biden, who was elected to the Senate in 1972. "He's a creature of Washington."

Walker said he expects McCain will pick an outsider to share the ticket with him.

"I think he's going to pick somebody's who's just as much as a maverick and an outsider as him," Walker said, adding he would likely look outside of Washington, D.C., for his pick.

-- By David Wise

Baldwin: Obama will bring 'health care to all'

2008-08-26T18:55:00.004-05:00

U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin of Madison returned to a speaking role at a Democratic National Convention Tuesday evening to discuss health care reform, praising Barack Obama as "the change we need to bring health care to all."

"I had the privilege of speaking to this convention four years ago," Baldwin said, lamenting a continued increase in the number of uninsured Americans following the 2004 election. "Today, the number of uninsured has risen to 47 million people."

Baldwin said that number included more than 9 million children, but did not include millions more Americans who are underinsured. She related the story of a constituent from Beloit who was forced to declare bankruptcy after losing her savings and available credit in a failed attempt to treat her husband's cancer.

"For millions of Americans, many of them women, illness also means crushing debt," Baldwin said.

Baldwin, who supported Hillary Clinton in the Wisconsin primary, called the current election a historic opportunity to change the course of the American health care system.

"For eight years we've had a president who's more concerned about the health of insurance companies than the health of the American people, and John McCain is more of the same," Baldwin said. "Barack Obama believes that investing in the American people restores the American Dream."

-- By Andy Szal

Doyle promotes Obama's clean energy job plan

2008-08-26T18:08:00.000-05:00

Gov. Jim Doyle followed U.S. Sen. Ted Kennedy's lead during his turn at the podium of the Democratic National Convention Tuesday evening, evoking former President John F. Kennedy when discussing Barack Obama's economic initiatives.

"Democrats, this is our time to revive the spirit of Kennedy that brought so many of us into public service and together here in this great hall," Doyle said. "We are ready to move past eight years of an economic doctrine that favors the rich and ignores the rest."

Doyle took the stage in the Pepsi Center just before 5 p.m. MDT to address Tuesday's convention theme, "Renewing America's Promise." Doyle said Americans, and Wisconsinites in particular, continue to work hard despite "finding their dreams further and further out of reach."

Doyle illustrated the potential for Obama's commitment to "green economy" jobs by relating his trip to Antigo-based Merit Gear, which received a $250,000 grant from the state Department of Commerce during Doyle's "Up North" tour last week.

The company has announced plans for a $23.6 million expansion in Antigo. Doyle praised the transition Merit Gear has made to manufacturing gears for windmills in his speech.

"Their largest and most highly-engineered gears are turning inside the generators of windmills," Doyle said. "The boom at Merit Gear can happen in factories and towns everywhere. But that will only happen if we have a president committed to investing in education, job training and low taxes for clean energy innovators."

Doyle quipped that his family was among the first to endorse Obama -- "about five minutes into the keynote speech he delivered four years ago" -- and pledged to work his hardest for the Illinois senator over the remainder of the campaign.

"I'll work for Barack Obama so that all of our children and grandchildren know what it means to have a president who works for us," Doyle said.

Read Doyle's prepared remarks

-- By Andy Szal

Sponsors line up for delegate celebrations

2008-08-26T14:29:00.003-05:00

The Wisconsin delegation shared the Rochenge Skybox Conference Center at Coors Field with the delegations of Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and host Colorado following the conclusion of Monday's convention agenda.

The event, featuring some of the largest and most critical states on the electoral map, was sponsored by four labor groups (Airline Pilots Association PAC, United Pilots PAC, the Association of Flight Attendants, and the Chicago Federation of Labor), along with Vets & Military Families for Progress.

For the rest of the week, the Wisconsin delegation will largely be on its own in Denver's hotels after the evening's speeches.

The delegate celebration tonight will be at the Marriott, hosted by We Energies, Pfizer, 3M and MillerCoors. On Wednesday night, the delegation moves to the Hyatt Grand with sponsorship from AT&T, Chrysler and the Potawatomi Tribe. AT&T is sponsoring the final night's celebration at the Marriott, which will be co-hosted by Wisconsin and Illinois.

Sponsors of the convention's delegate breakfasts at the Marriott are the Democratic Governor's Association, Xcel Energy, the National Association of Community Financial Institutions, and the campaign of U.S. Sen. Herb Kohl.

See the full delegate itinerary