Login Here-- Elijah Cummings speaking now. This place is packed full tonight.
-- Cool thing of the evening: getting to see the vote for the roll call go over the top with New York -- Sen. Clinton casting the final votes -- to put Sen. Obama over the top. I got to watch it live -- very cool.
-- Have now walked by the DNC Finance Committee luxury lounge several times. Spotted at least one Chanel suit, some Gucci heels, and no bloggers inside. Imagine.
-- Had two panels earlier today -- one on Netroots and one on legal issues and the election. Sen. Ben Cardin started off our legal panel with a good speech about the rule of law challenges we face. Just ran into him and his lovely wife in the hallway, and we stopped to talk some legal shop -- he's conversant on the issues without having to rely on staff. Nice.
Updates as I get them. The DNC set us up with ethernet hook-up inside the hall -- so I'm sitting here, looking out over the stage and blogging as I watch the proceedings live. All around me are the folks in the private boxes, some are union folks, some family members of delegates, but a whole lot of these folks are the well-heeled and well-connected. It's a little odd being here, I have to say -- but I'm so glad to help you all see this firsthand rather than through a filtered media lens.
Much more to come this evening...
UPDATE: Jay Rockefeller up now. He's really proud this evening. No AT&T logo behind him, though...
Holy shit! Melissa Ethridge is singing God Bless America live! Woo hoo -- love her! Awesome...hope they are showing this instead of bobbleheads.
Harry Reid speaking now -- no one really listening until he says Barack Obama. Huge buzz of chatter from the floor otherwise.
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Hey Christy!
Heya CC — how’s it going? Boy, is it loud in this convention hall. Holy moly…
I’m glad you’ve got a seat in the hall tonight!
Great. We have a nominee!
Christy! I am thrilled to know you are there for all of us!
for McBush
no more years!
no more years!
They are really cool seats — we’re up high, but we have a decent view of the stage and an almost full view of the delegate area. For a political junkie like me, this is really, really cool.
Afternoon Christy Happy you can Blog LIVE from the Convention Hall!
Here is your opening DIGG!
Now it’s up to the Pups to push the Digg over the Top!! I mean how often do you get live Blogging from the Convention Hall???
Go Christy and keep up the great work (:>))
So I take it that the DNC Finance Committee is not open to all?
Christy,
Don’t know if you’ve seen the story but AP via MSNBC (not linking to AP just because) had a story on ATT at the convention and how they were rewarding their supporters, and especially Steny with ATT saying the party the other night was in honor of Steny.
Steny had his staff denying that he was the guest of honor though. Even though ATT was claiming he WAS the guest of honor.
it’s so fun that you are there for us
Just for you, I scoped out more protest stuff on the way over to the hall today. My sightings: someone was driving around with a Bipartisan Porn float that was, oddly, a large blow-up elephant on the back of a trailer. The other was Code Pink right at the security entrance for delegates.
Your Senator, and ATT’s, is up now, Christy.
Jello Jay!
wooNot!
Jello Jay
Go F* yourself you turncoat.
Christy - could you boo Rockefeller for me?
Oh lord, Jay Rockefeller: faith in god, fight for good jobs, and ability to spy on you all.
Wow, who needs Ambien with this guy at the podium?
He says he’s learned a LOT as Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Nope, but looking through the plate glass windows, it looks like they serve super-awesome cocktail weenies…
grammar police, main post: “him and his lovely wife” not he.
Terrorist sleeper cells, biowarfare, loose nukes.
Is he speaking in Saint Paul as well?
We’ve been digging on that — no confirmation as yet.
Jello still flinging The Fear.
Sit down, you miserable fuck!
St. Paul is next week.
Shorter Jello Jay: Be afraid. Be afraid. Loose nukes, sleeper cells, bioterrorism, they are all out there to get you.
just got my prescription refilled today. Don’t need it.
At least it’s gone generic so it’s not so expensive, though I bet pharma fought that tooth and nail—with the help of Jello and his corpo DINOs.
bbq’d quail wings, too?
I’ll bet I serve better ones.
Shorter Jello Jay redux: We need more and better wars.
he said he has what?????
oh, yeah
money in his wallet at all times from his good friends at AT&T et.al.
why is he even there????
in my book,
he should be delegated to that special place next to joe lie,
down the hall from KKKarl.
what a pig!
what uber hypocracy from on high!
sorry bout the spelling, i’m a tad p.o.’d here!
mini cheesy souflé kinda thingies.
Mostly hot air like the people eating them.
I think it is stupid to say, “shouldn’t we have captured Osama bin Laden by now?” because you just know that’s likely to be the October surprise.
Ooops — trying to type, answer my cell phone, talk to other bloggers and listen to the convention at the same time means you type badly. *g* Will fix it — thanks for the heads up!
anyone with the price for a ticket.
Thorazine Jay could beat the terrorists into submission with this sleep speech!
clean coal
hissssssssssssssss
“Clean coal” gets major boos!
CLEAN COAL!!!!!!!!
WTF?????????
What an ass!
and how the hell did a rockefeller get into the dem party anyway???
from VA?????
need to do my homework, cause i just don’t GET IT!
just trying to help.
W VA Coal country.
He’s Christy’s senator, poor dear.
Well if we are going all grammatical and everything. It’s luxury not luxary.
he reminds me of actors who played SS in old movies.
Hitler’s SS, maybe it’s the glasses
but this person disgusts me.
TOTALLY
now Jello is pimping coal. *s*
now pimping more Fear.
Obama is his man, because “he understand the use of force.”
I think I’m switching back to MSNBC - I can’t take this guy.
Sounds like vitamin fortified cigarettes.
there is no way i could listen to this creep (jello jay) without moral support. thanks to all here.
rockefeller = blech
Christy what was the feeling in the convention hall when Hillary came in and moved for a acclamation?
Rockefeller may be the first speaker to put himself to sleep.
No, I appreciate it — I’m sure there will be more as the night goes on. I’m absolutely exhausted. Had two panels today and my brain is fried!
jello jay is full and comfortable from his meets and treats at the Brown, no doubt.
and that will be better?
thank you Sen Rockefeller - now please get the fuck off our stage.
Huge applause, lots of adulation — everyone was on their feet and cheering. It was a really great moment, frankly. I can’t believe I was here to see it live…very cool moment for me, truly.
Yay Melissa Ethridge
and that will be better?
well, I *am* a fight fan… *g*
We feel ya Redd.
SO glad you were there for it. Sorry you have to endure Jello. Really sorry.
Then again, I’ve now got Casey and Snarlin’ Arlen. Barf.
hey - Melissa Etheridge - cool!
we out here live through you, you know that Christy.
I for one want to say “Thank you!”
it’s like i have a personal friend there for ME.
cause i couldn’t be.
awesome!
I appreciate ya.
(((Christy!))) Thank you so much!
you are truly belssed to have witnessed history in person. I’m so happy you are there to see and report back to us.
Thanks for taking time away from your family to be there for us, Christy.
Melissa!
Holy shit — Melissa Ethridge is singing live right in front of me. So awesome! I’m so glad I get to share this with all of you. :) Wish you were here!
MELISSA!
far way awesome.
and can we hear some gay rights words from ANYONE?
PLEASE?
I really love this…I know there are so many other wonderful and important stories from the Convention so far: Kennedy, Kucinich, Hillary, etc. etc. but this business of the attendees going into the ATT party, and yet at the same time being embarassed and ashamed enough to refuse to say their names or what they do…and now ATT says it was all a tribute to their very very good friend Steny Hoyer(Jay Rockefeller must be supremely pissed)…and Hoyer and his people are saying, ‘No, no..it’s not about us at all…” I think this is just a terrific story and I’m hoping it grows some legs and just gallops over the countryside like some sort of headless horseman. I love this. They should all feel a load of shame.
Carter/Olbermann now.
Jimmy Carter on MSNBC with KO and Tweety
OT but important to this community:
Mel’s makin me cry.
wow
Christy, I’ll remember you for being there for me for evah!
:)
Melissa singing “Give Peace a Chance”
Jello shoulda stayed a few more minutes.
thanks Loo Hoo.
i’m there!
hate missing Melissa tho.
Can someone explain Melissa Etheridge to me? Does she actually get paid for singing?
cocktails with Big Pharma down on the mall, or something similar.
I feel it!
The Peanut started kindergarten today. Momma was at the DNCC. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I have massive mom guilt over being here. *sniffle* But this is too cool this evening — this is the first time I’ve gotten a seat to blog inside the hall itself and I have to say, this is an amazing thing to watch up close.
Although the creepy hallway money, slick feel is a little oozy. But the blogger area is really awesome. Am sitting here by Jonathon Singer of MyDD, Atrios and Mrs. Atrios, Josh Orton, a whole bunch of really cool state bloggers who are just so thrilled to be here to witness this, too.
where’s ES? music has gotten a whole lot better.
lol!
Oh, dear… You must feel so conflicted, but heaven knows we’re all SO glad you’re being our eyes and ears there.
say hi to Duncan and the Mrs. for me.
Too little time, too many terrorists.
You mean you don’t like her?
she is a DYKE ICON and yes, millions of fans adore her.
I wonder if there’s any official word on The Boss showing up?
Casey did have a few zingers last night, you have to admit, dull as dishwater as he is.
Potty break time everyone. Harry Reid is next.
Etheridge had a long-term partnership with Julie Cypher, which made headlines. During this partnership, Cypher gave birth to two children, Bailey Jean, born February 1997, and Beckett, born November 1998, fathered by sperm donor David Crosby.
I was just turning up the stereo.. a whole lot better!
His abetting the lie that daddy didn’t get to speak in 1996 because of his anti-choice position doesn’t wash for me, good lines or not. He sucks.
Dang. Missing the first day is rough, but I’m sure Mr. Smith got lots of pics for you. She’ll always remember her first day with daddy. Not to worry, she’ll remember her first day in many ways, but not because mommy missed it.
Crowd chanting “Harry” for the majority leader. Quiets quickly, though….
bleccch
people are ACTUALLY cheering for Harry?
I’m not wild about him
I wonder who will provide musical entertainment at the Republican Convention…
Pat Boone?
Lawrence Welk?
Reid is up.
Brooks on PBS just repeated the meme about Obama will have problems with Pelosi and Reid because they are so hyper partisan.
Not so much, although maybe she’s having an off night? I’m an old fart, so maybe her voice just doesn’t appeal. Although, as a “DYKE ICON” (thanks for the info, jacqrat!) I’m in favor of her being there.
And gawd knows, I’d MUCH rather hear her than [gag] Harry Reid who’s up now…
that club gets bigger by the day—the people NOT wild about him that is.
in our dreams perhaps.
The sound for the hall is not made for TV, none of the music has been worth a tinkers damn.
indeed! indeed!
Related …
Reddit served National Security Letter
From Backstreets.com
DNC-WATCH: ANOTHER NAY
As Marc Ambinder blogs today at theatlantic.com: “An Obama aide e-mails: ‘Since there have been some inaccurate reports out there, wanted to make sure you knew that Bruce Springsteen will not, in fact, be performing at the convention.’ An accompanying statement from Springsteen’s manager, Jon [Landau]: ‘Bruce has been and continues to be an ardent supporter of Barack Obama’s.’”
- August 27, 20
Hey Christy- OT but Matt Ortega who did the wonderful series of war profiteering posts for FDL is at the convention (or, last time I checked he said he would be there). DNC blogger now. Give him a hug for me if you see him!
I really like that husky voice Melissa has.
My hero is up - Harry Reid s/
heh. Since McSprinkles has the endorsment of Daddy Yankee, I was thinking x-rated reggaeton LOL
I thought having Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Wonderful (or whatever the title is) after Michelle’s speech was, well, Wonderful!
oh, for the sake of all the fdl folks, i hope so.
jeebus. i just realized the first time i saw him live was the end of aug or maybe september, 1978. 30 years? yikes.
Harry is doing much better than I expected.
Geez, Harry, if Bush and Cheney were so bad, why didn’t you think to do something, like, I don’t know, oppose them or something?
Geeze, Marion I hope I didn’t offend you - I yelled Dyke Icon and when I read it, it seemed like I was angry or upset.
Not at all! DYKE Pride is all..
and I truly enjoy your breakfasts and getting the columnists from the NYT for us. SO, sorry …
And Christy? You are the Bestest thing in the WHOLE wide WOrld for the peanut. She’ll get over it - and be soooo proud of her mommy (as are we all) that you are doing all you can to make the world she grows up in a more fair and just World. XOXOXOXOXOXOXOX
Love,
Jacq
Hey Harry, I have an idea
Why don’t YOU speak truth to power?
oh right you are teh power
EPU’d.
Buchanan victory speech in 1996: “Mount your horses and ride to the sounds of the gun.”
Spoken like a true frustrated night rider
-G
Wobbly, McCain’s rap name is MC Dirty Mac.
Eggcitment
thanks. Bummer though.
As I recall - Howie reported they will enjoy Daddy Yankee and the Racist/homophobe guy from Big & Rich.
Heh, heh. ((((ES))))
Lovely
Misogynist Daddy Yankee?
well, how hard is that, imagining what you expected :)
Harry calls McCain a snake oil salesman and a demagogue!
Why not? he and Daddy Yankee both throw around the c word (in different languages)
shit.
notice. No applause.
No, no, no — no offense at all. I was truly glad for the information because I’m such an old fart I’d never heard her, and I’m all in favor of “dyke icons!” I’m just more familiar with older ones… like the Indigo Girls!