No way Hillary hit a home run with her speech. No how!

If you've heard that used as a metaphor for Senator Clinton's speech on August 26th in Denver, you've been misled (as so often happens with metaphors) and the Senator from New York's been done a disservice. While pundits love sports metaphors, and admittedly America loves a home run, in the rarefied, thin air last night what Hillary engineered and delivered was much, much more.

I spent the evening in one of the 30 precious seats reserved inside the arena for bloggers approved and credentialed though the Democratic National Committee. Not great seats, bloggers are not by any means treated with the same respect as established commercial media, and our access is controlled by well-meaning volunteers who don't seem to have the same answer one moment to the next, but one can measure and sense the crowd - and this crowd was ready for Hillary's night in the spotlight.

On the heels of a moment of silence for recently deceased U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones of Ohio and a review of other friends no longer with us, from Ladybird Johnson to Shirley Chisolm, Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont took the stage and started the process of looking forward. "From the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, to the Green Mountains of Vermont," the man who lives at the end of a dirt road in a community of fewer than 2000 people, the Senator who clearly understands what it means that 8 million rural Americans now live in poverty told us he's ready for the United States to "turn the page."

The crowd was totally involved and excited a short while later when Congressman Dennis Kucinich, earlier a candidate for the very nomination the Democrats are gathered in Denver to proclaim this month, talked about the reality of not moving the country from right to left (as political pundits tend to opine in sound-bites,) but rather from down to up. Governor Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, after reminding us that he'd been in the Peace Corps himself decades previously, said his family had endorsed Senator Obama, "about five minutes in to the keynote speech in 2004." He called on the country to "Revive the spirit of [President John F.] Kennedy."

Steny Hoyer of Maryland listed the accomplishments that Democrats could take credit for with even the narrow majorities they'd attained in the U.S. House and Senate in the previous election, despite the fact that Senate Republicans remain in a position to frustrate progress. Janet Napolitano struggled to avoid berating McCain, but she did find that she could say something positive when McCain talked about the economy - she's "positive he doesn't understand the economy." Kathleen Sebelius advanced that point, noting that McCain favors renewing the Bush~Cheney agenda for another four years. Signs waved, and the increasingly packed house was full of a sense of anticipation during a series of well-crafted speeches. Massachusetts Governor Devall Patrick, noted for his association with Senator Obama, cited the progress his family had made in just one generation rising from such poverty that he didn't recall ever even owning a book as a child on the south side of Chicago. He segued into testimony for Obama's commitment to education, and fiscal responsibility to contrast and repair the effects of the largest expansion in Federal Government paired to the largest run-up of the Federal Debt in history under the present administration.

Perhaps the real high point before Senator Clinton took the stage was the animated, crowd-pleasing performance by Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, clearly enjoying his rapport as the crowd responded with enthusiasm, at times chanting, "Four more months" to describe their readiness to see new faces in the White House. The excitement mounted amid rumors that the Denver Fire Marshall had decided to close the floor...

Then along came Hillary, greeted with thunderous applause and a sea of white banners bearing just her first name.

No way; no how; no McCain!

Senator Clinton's much anticipated speech was much more than a home run. Not only did she touch all the points that analysts told us she needed to as part of healing the rifts, she crafted and delivered a masterful endorsement built to make it clear to those who aren't fully behind Obama's candidacy that not only is she herself committed to getting him elected, but she expects them to participate whole-heartedly as well. Hillary reminded the delegates - and her supporters not present in Denver - that too much is at stake, from health care to basic human rights, to let this moment pass. A home run is a single moment that comes together serendipitously, often unexpectedly. Hillary Clinton built and unveiled an epic monument to the power of a unified party to change the course of the United States of America.

Watch the speech

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At Blogger Lounge After DNC Convention - Hillary Clinton's Great Speech

I'm in the middle of uploading videos from being on the floor of the Democratic National Convention, or what we've come to know as the "DNC Convention". I used that term as a throw-away line but it was certainly less than accurate.

Being on the floor of the DNC while someone like Hillary Clinton is giving the speech of her life is a total blood-rush. The reason I go back to the Super BOwl year after year is for the rise of emotions at kick-off. It's a drug like no other -- well, not true.

This. The Clinton speech. In that arena. Equalled the Super Bowl at kickoff.

What was special about Clinton's speech -- what is the hallmark of any wonderful speech -- is the moment. It's that timing we only dream about. A matting of need and action. Of volume and hearing. Of energy and sprit. I have to admit, I've never thought of Hillary Clinton as a great speaker until today. It's not what she said -- there are transcripts to be had of course. But a transcript can't communicate the inflection or the expression or the crowd -- especially the crowd -- that listened and reacted to that speech.

How an audience reacts to any speech in my view is the measure of the greatness of the work. It makes total sense. Words move people. From that perspective, Senator Clinton moved a nation tonight. She gave a great speech that will go down in history as one of the greatest speeches because it met the moment and defined it.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer

Wasn't I just saying how much I love Gov. Brian Schweitzer of Montana? He just hit it waaaaayyyy out of the park with his speech at the DNC. Wolf Blitzer called it, "rousing." That may be an understatement.

Governor's Round Table

On Monday, I had the pleasure of sitting in on a roundtable led by three members of the Democratic Governors' Association:

Gov. Joe Manchin, WV, Chair of the DGA
Gov. Brian Schweitzer, MT, Vice Chair of the DGA
Gov. Martin O'Malley, MD, Finance Chair of the DGA

While it's always important to the DGA to capture more Governors' seats, it's especially important in the 2010 elections when we head into redistricting. Right now, Democrats hold a majority of Governorships, at 28, for the first time since 1992. Gov. Manchin seemed quite confident that that number could rise to 29 or maybe even as high as 31 by the end of the election cycle in 2010.

While the importance of redistricting seemed to be the overall take away from the round table, my overall take away was how fantastic Gov. Schweitzer is. I love how he uses language, saying that the race between Obama and McCain in his state is, "dead danged tied right now." Talking on the issue of oil as it relates to the energy corridor in the Rocky Mountain West, Schweitzer said, "Obama realizes that the most important barrel of oil is the one you don’t use and the one you don’t import." Finally, when asked about the possibility of McCain picking a Republican Governor as his running mate, Schweitzer let loose this gem, "Boy, that would shake up the world if McCain picked another white guy to be the vice president." I love Gov. Schweitzer.

Thank you, Denver

Here's a quick shout out to the fantastic folks at Denver Health who took care of me today after a kidney stone left me unable to do more than put one foot in front of the other. From the security folks to the nurses to the EMT staff to radiology to the doctors, everyone was professional, kind, and caring. They also managed to get me in and out in five hours or so, which seems like some kind of record.

Another shout out to the folks at the Hyatt Regency at the CO Convention Center who, though I wasn't a guest there, realized my need and got me into a taxi cab in record time. And, finally, a huge shout to the cab drivers who cared for me today. I have never run into three tax drivers who took such good care of their riders.

Thanks, Denver. You guys rock.

Lou Gossett .Jr at The DNC Convention

An intense Lou Gossett Jr. Talks about a new foundation that he did
not want to talk with me about on camera. Weird!!

DNC Convention - Rep. Rahm Emanuel Speaks

It is 6pm and Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel has just given a great speech with a clear voice especially since he was the lead of an awesome party last night.

Now, having taken the large group photo, the crowd chanted Obama! Obama! All this while Hillary Clinton waits .