Obama Needs More Than Change
By Philip Klein - The American Spectator - Aug. 27, 2008

DENVER -- Tuesday was a great night -- for Hillary Clinton. Unfortunately for the Democrats, the evening didn't do much to advance the candidacy of the man who will actually be their party's nominee.

It's true that Clinton helped to unify the party after a protracted primary by declaring herself "a proud supporter of Barack Obama" and saying, in as many ways as she could, that "he must be our President." But her speech was weak in explaining why Obama must be elected.

This was not an isolated example. Throughout the night, one after the other, Democratic speakers came on stage and made a case for Obama that could have been made for any generic Democrat

.

Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer ... fired up the crowd with a rousing call for change, but when it came to pitching the man who will be the party's nominee, he couldn't do much better than, "Can we afford four more years? Is it time for a change? When do we need it? And who do we need as the next President of the United States of America? That's right. Barack Obama is the change we need!"

Mark Warner, former Virginia governor ....

His meandering speech talked about "the race to future" and declared that, "we need a president who understands the world today, the future we seek and the change we need. We need Barack Obama as the next President of the United States." The argument for why we specifically need Obama never got more substantive than that.

It's true that this is a change election and that an overwhelming majority of Americans disapprove of President Bush -- which is why Democrats went into this year as the favorites to win the White House.

Obama's challenge is not to convince Americans that they need change, but to overcome the public's reservations about whether he is the man to deliver it. The Democratic National Convention could have been a four-day infomercial to convince skeptics why Barack Obama is ready to be president. So far, other than a successful speech by Michelle Obama, the convention has largely failed to present a case that will sway undecided voters

...

The fact that Democrats are having such a difficult time making the case for Obama without attacking President Bush cuts to the underlying problem facing Obama's candidacy -- that he's a freshman Senator who hasn't accomplished anything of significance.

In the Democratic primaries, the tale of how Obama gave up a high-paying Wall Street job to become a community organizer in Chicago made liberal audiences swoon, but it doesn't resonate as deeply among the general electorate.

Next week, by contrast, Republicans in Minneapolis will have four days to highlight McCain's character, heroic war record, and decades of experience.

Read more in the American Spectator
Philip Klein is a reporter for The American Spectator.

Credentialing process amok. So what else is new?

Chaos on the Convention Floor
By Paul Kane - Washington Post - Aug. 26, 2008
DENVER -- The convention floor has turned into an overstuffed pinata, as staff have told delegates the floor is essentially shut down.

Staff are informing delegates no one else is allowed on the floor, meaning no one will leave the floor and risk losing their place.

Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) had to beg to be allowed to cut across the floor to find the Maryland delegation. "Jesus Christ," Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) just yelled, denied access to finding the delegates from the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

Police yelled at delegates behind the New York section to move in one direction, only to have security on the other end send them back the way they came.

Hundreds of delegates are cordoned off under the stands, denied entry into the hall.

The confusion comes on the heels of a day's worth of complaints from delegates and party insiders about a credentialing process run amok.
Read more in the Washington Post

Democratic Convention Monday Night Links

Democraitc Convention - LOGISTICS - SET AND PODIUM

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE by Eliseo Roqaues=Arroyo, Co Chiar Credentials Committee, Former Executive Director, Democratic Party of Puerto Rico

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE by James Roosevelt Jr. Co Chair Credentials Committee Announces full voting status for MI and FL delegates.

CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE by the Hon. Alexis Hermann, Credentials Committee Co-Chair and Former Secretary of Labor

RULES COMMITTEE by Sunita Leeds Announces appointment of Democratic Change Commission to address role of unpledged delegates in future nomination process.

RULES COMMITTEE by Mary Rose Oakar Salute to Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones and nomination of permanent officers of convention.

RULES COMMITTEE by David Walters

Today in Denver from Carol Alvarado

Posted by Carl Whitmarsh for Carol Alvarado - Sun Aug 24, 2008 1:32 pm (PDT)
Convention Report from Carol Alvarado from the Democratic National Convention, a member of the Convention's Rules Committee:

Today the Rules Committee (one of one only 3 standing committees of the convention), approved a resolution establishing The Democratic Change Commission. In no later than 60 days after the November election, the DNC will establish the commission to review:

1. Timing of the Primaries and Caucuses (for 2012 presidential election)- possibly requiring that all caucuses/ primaries will be held prior to first Tuesday in March of the election year and that no caucus /primary will be held before Feb 1st of the calendar year. The commission will also review the sequence and scheduling of primaries/ caucuses. This year we had 22 primaries on the same day!

2. Delegates- possibly reducing the number of unpledged party leader and elected official delegates in order to enlarge the role and influence of primary and caucus voters in the presidential nominating process.

3. Caucuses- the use of caucus/convention system for any stage of the delegate selection process by any State Democratic Party shall be approved by the DNC Rules & Bylaws Cmte. The goal is to ensure that at each stage, any caucus or convention will be adequately planned, organized and staffed!

The commission will consist of 35 members and 2 co-chairs, Membership will be divided equally between men and women and shall be geographically and demographically diverse. Members will be appointed by the Chair of the DNC.

We approved the permanent officers of the convention:

Permanent Chair: Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Co-Chairs:
Governor Kathleen Sebelius
State Senator Leticia Van de Putte (a Tejana!)
Mayor Shirley Franklin

Vice Co-Chairs;
Governor Christine Gregoire
Congressman Robert Wexler
Mayor Michael Coleman
Maria Elena Durazo

Secretary:
Alice Travis Germond

We also approved the rules for the convention. No controversy, just a lot of unity.

Carol Alvarado, a former Houston City Council Member, the Democratic nominee for State Representative, District 145 in Harris County, and a National Delegate is one of 25 members that are appointed to the Rules Committee by the Chairman, Governor Dean. Each standing committee of the convention consists of 186 members. (25 appt by chair and the remainder come from states and Dems Abroad).