My Notes of Sept. 5th Democratic National Convention Day, Part II

N.B.: I have not run a fact check on some of the Democratic speakers' claims. If I'll do, I'll amend these 'minutes.'

6:04 p.m. Delegate Pedro Pierluisi of Puerto Rico, with a lovely Italian? flow of tongue, speaking about the economy and now about immigration reform. Obama is striving to "reduce the deficit in a balanced way." He adds that he knows that Obama will stand with his people (Puerto Ricans, I think), and he concludes, "God bless America."

6:08 p.m. Congressman Steve Israel, New York's 2nd District. I'm taking a break for the sake of nourishment.

6:14 p.m. Patty Murray, senator from Washington State. Very enthusiastic contingent of her fellow statespeople. Had military father with multiple sclerosis, family relied on mother for income. She (her mother) was in a worker training programme, had to raise them on food stamps, and sacrifice. President Obama has seen similar experiences. 'Middle class and everyone working to get into it': second reference. Somewhat labyrinthine analogy of middle class to the hapless dog who had a long and uncomfortable ride on top of the Romneys' car to Canada in the 80s. [A somewhat TMI account in the Boston Globe: "Journeys of a shared life", June 27, 2007.]

Short film about energy. Oil, wind, geothermal. Definitely prefer listening to Obama speech clips, because of their kind of snappier and more immediate nature compared to Romney's, I think. Wind industry represents 75,000 jobs. Ryan-Romney budget would shut down much of green energy industry? 'Home-grown energy. That's what we're fighting for.'

[Here is a much better article on the Republican Party's platform for green energy and science generally than I could write:

"Republican Party Platform Has a Lot to Say About Science," by David Malakoff, August 29, 2012, from Science Magazine's website.

The platform itself isn't clear, as far as I can interpret, about how the alternative energy industry is to be fostered by the government; it does sound like it wants to let the industry alone so that the free hand of market can sort it out like God sorts us out at the Pearly Gates, and it does tentatively suggest that 'partnerships between traditional energy industries and emerging renewable industries can be a central component in meeting the nation's long-term needs.']

6:23 p.m. The Democratic convention definitely has more eclectic music to introduce the speakers. Tom Steyer, of Farallon Capital Management. Criticism: dependence on foreign oil and effluence of taxpayer monies to oil companies, which would be promoted by Romney. He believes in long-term thinking, to out-think and out-hustle and out-innovate other countries. 'Let's embrace the vision of a clean, healthy Earth, which God gave us' instead of 'scorched Earth.' He seemed kind of nice.

6:29 p.m. Official photograph. Everyone has to stand really still for a time lapse photo, for a minute. A very long minute. The instructions to the audience made it sound like the beginning of a mass hypnotism session.

6:33 p.m. Senator Chuck Schumer, New York State, refers to Bill Clinton. Schumer's father ran a small business, namely an exterminating company, 'which may explain why we always associated the smell of roach spray with love.' All right? :) Lots of digs against G.W. Bush. His tax cuts for millionaires 'exploded our deficits.' Schumer himself had, I think, $360,000 in personal wealth (this excludes houses and any "asset that does not generate income"), according to Roll Call, at the outset of the 111th Congress (January 3, 2009 - January 3, 2011). So I guess he is qualified as a speaker on not being a millionaire. Now he is hammering Mitt Romney for having a life experience that is too "rarefied" and 'narrow,' and for sending jobs overseas. Hailing Obama's security arrangements provided to Israel, 'toughest sanctions ever' in history against Iran to counter threat of nuclear weapons development.

Speaking on behalf of Congressional Black Caucus to protest against Voter ID laws.

6:44 p.m. (roughly) Texas's 9th District Representative Al Green. Leads cheers of "U-S-A." I feel happier imagining myself in the days where U-S-A was something that Homer Simpson said in what I thought was a sports stadium chant, not so much nationalist as vaguely triumphant.

6:48 p.m. Missouri's congressional representative Emanuel Cleaver, talking about bickering, rather too late for much of the convention, which has had much bickering regarding Romney et al. and amongst it also some enjoyable bickering. But he is criticizing Congress and disdain for Democrats and 'progressives' and 'liberals.' '[. . .] make no mistake: I am proud to be a Democrat!' He says that Obama should not be 'lampooned' for having hope. "Hope on!" he yells, and repeats the chant. If hope inspires and powers us, we should welcome it. He jokes about the Democrats' reputation for finicky inclusiveness: a caucus for small congresspeople, a caucus for tall congresspeople, and a caucus for congresspeople who don't really fit into other categories. He will probably have an incredibly sore throat after this. "We are one!" he concludes, no matter how we look like or anything else. The crowd is happily roaring along.

6:59 p.m. Connecticut's governor Dan Malloy. Arguing against Romney-Ryan budget again. 'It isn't conservative. It's harsh, it's radical, and it's wrong.' It will unravel the economic policies of every president back to FDR, thus leading to summary demise of this fair nation. He contrasts voter ID laws to Connecticut's expansion of the franchise by making registration easier or something. He also brings up women's rights, especially since his wife has worked for a rape crisis centre. 'Your sister, your mother, your daughter — let's stand for them!' Paints picture of America which does not discriminate against women, immigrants, gay people, or anybody.

7:05 p.m. Rich Trumka, President of AFL-CIO, 3rd-generation coal miner from Nemacolin, Pennsylvania. Declares that 'Romney doesn't know anything about hard work and responsibility.' When we get home from the convention, he points out, workers will be cleaning things up; we should thank them and it will leave us feeling good afterwards. "Shared prosperity is the only kind that lasts" (uh-oh, kind of socialist!). Republican convention failed to give credit to the workers who helped build their businesses (by my reckoning, this is in fact true). The "old-fashioned way" to enter the middle class: "hard work, fairly rewarded."

7:11 p.m. Denise Juneau from Montana: superintendent for public instruction, "first Native American woman in history to win a statewide election" — Wikipedia says, first in her state. Thanks her teachers, for helping her to go to Harvard and get a law degree at university in Montana. Touches on Native American status in the US, says that American Dream is sought by Indians, too. Obama became adopted member of Crow nation, she reminds us, named "One who helps people throughout the land."

American Dream film, which nods to House of Representatives Democrats, represented by the following speaker Nancy Pelosi. She says that jobs are an integral part of the American Dream, and "President Obama has focused on job creation from Day One." She mentions the military, and says that 'we must build the nation into one that is worthy of their sacrifice.' Besides she is setting up the election as a moral choice: for or against Medicare, for or against Social Security, for or against the rights of women, etc. Allusion to unhallowed influence of Citizens United in political campaign advertising. Vote for democracy . . . or for Romney and the Republican Party. !

7:27 p.m. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, talking about rural Americans: agriculture, military service, inspirational spirit of community. Refers to Obama's grandparents from Kansas. Says 'folks.' Believes that Obama is promoting agricultural exports and investing in the industry, also in biofuels and solar and wind power — 'not in the Middle East, but in America.' As the Agriculture Secretary, I guess he'd be reasonably informed. Jab at 'opportunists.'

Short film introducing lady congresswomen as a lady sings about the 'voice of women' and "the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rocks the world." Dianne Feinstein, Barbara Boxer, Patty Murray, Debbie Stabenow, Amy Klobuchar, Jeanne Shaheen, a congresswoman from North Carolina, Kirsten Gillibrand, etc., and Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, who takes to the microphone and is endearingly tiny. "As you can see, we come in different sizes," she quips. "We build families, businesses, and communities," she says, mentioning that she used to be a social worker in Baltimore. Job creation, affordable quality child care, growth of middle class are women's issues and priorities. "We know that every issue is a woman's issue," and equal pay "is an all-American issue." Thanks to President Obama, being a woman is "no longer a preexisting condition" for health insurance.

7:42 p.m. Arne Duncan, parent of children at public school (and Education Secretary), talking about education. Talking about rewarding good teachers, rather than firing bad ones as the Republican speakers I think did more or less directly. Trying to describe the effects which cuts in education would have, and describes these as financing tax cuts for the upper tax brackets if the Romney/Ryan budget comes to fruition. Education spending is an investment.

Film with Pell Grant recipient, who was enabled to go to college with it. It "changes my life in a way that people can't imagine."

7:49 p.m. (roughly) The recipient, Johanny Adams, comes to speak. "Gracias, Mami, por todo," she says (her mother held three jobs to pay for her children's living expenses). She is studying in Florida and is a newly naturalized citizen.

7:50 p.m. Jim Hunt of North Carolina, governor in 1977-85, and in 1993 to 2001. Talks about desegregation, building up the education system for instance by paying teachers more. "We should appreciate, we should respect them, and we should pay them well." Led to 'highest graduation rate in our history.' And 'in Obama we have a great leader who is rebuilding America.' Mentions specific education spending initiatives, for instance for historically black colleges, Pell Grants, keeping schools open through stimulus money. Cutting taxes and regulations will create jobs 'like magic' according to the Republicans' proposals, he says, nodding to the unflattering label "voodoo economics." North Carolina wasn't built up 'by magic' and 'magic' is not what America needs now, he concludes.

7:59 p.m. Jessica Sanchez and God's Appointed People choir. Snappy beat. Vibrato kind of interferes with in-tuneness. People besides the young people in the crowd are also dancing! Gentleman who is signing the lyrics for the hearing-impaired lip-synchs along rather endearingly. Jessica takes her leave, looking very pleased.