12 DAY CONVENTION PHOTO RECAP DAY 5 of 12

1. Obama Supporter Devoting Full Attention to Barack’s Address:

What can one say? It was quite a site to witness 80,000+ mesmeriized and dedicated Obama supporters devoting their attention to the man many trekked for miles, on foot, too see and hear. I spoke to supporters who flew in the night before from Pheoniz, AZ, from Baltimore, MD, from Fresno, CA — and all points in between.

For the moment, I’ll defer my cynical nature so that you can view the first few minutes of this CNN sourced video to get even a basic idea of the intensity for those whose vested interests trumps that of someone who is simply there to report on an historical event. Check this:

For the moment, I’ll defer my cynical nature so that you can view the first few minutes of this CNN sourced video to get even a basic idea of the intensity for those whose vested interests trumps that of someone who is simply there to report on an historical event. Check this:

2. Al Sharpton Glances to the Stage As Obama Speaks

Stupid me, sloppy with the camera. I was multitasking (ie working there for radio, print, indie TV, photo stills, and as a stringer), and got befuddled as to whether I wanted to get a good photo of Sharpton (i clearly didn’t), or get a few words with him (as I have chatted with him before - and he’s always amenable and good for a few nice words). Al was clearly there to do the media rounds. When I finally klutzed around with the camera, Al responded that “this is clearly a moment for history, and it’s wonderful to be here.”

Some other people were a little more thrilled to spot Al Sharpton here at Invesco Field, and in fine bird-watching capacity, caught this video:

3. John Oliver and Me, Stuck for a While in the Same Floor Area During the Obama Address

With the rock-concert noise level, it was hard for John to get the stand-upper he needed to file in time for the Daily Show and since we were both working, I made a point to stay out of his way (graciously he did likewise). The floor level pit was madness as everyone was trying to get the “special shot”. John was able to get noticed for some notable antics...

There was one rather surreal moment which undoubtedly happens at ALL American Conventions - and events in general - the torpor inducing chant of “U.S.A...U.S.A....”. And this was after the endless sing along refrain of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Born In the USA’. The “chanting” caused the hair on my neck to stand up, and NOT in the Chris Matthews “I - have - a - boner” way. It was more along the lines of feeling like the crowd could descend on us at any moment and rip the flesh from our bones.

Perhaps it was simply because he knowingly spotted the Canadian Flag on my Nikon camera bag, but amidst this madness we both exchanged raised eyebrows followed by a solemn knowing — that certain knowing that can only come from foreign nationals looking into the fishbowl. Ya savvy?

...and although I was able (fortunately) to watch almost zero TV, I did see this clip of John Oliver after the fact:

And just to add one more Video component, I enjoyed this litle jab at FOX 31 that John Oliver was able to get in:

Photo 4. Jimmy Carter aka Another Blown Shot from a Photographer Who Just Wanted a Brief Minute to Have a Smoke, Dammit.

Jimmy Carter had a fitting tribute on Day 1 at the Pepsi Center, but I still couldn’t help but feel an underlying attempt by the Party to distance themselves from him. It was clearly not as cavalier as it was at the RNC — but with Obama taking all that delicious AIPAC money it might have seemed somewhat seedier to have Jimmy Carter be involved at the proceedings at Invesco Field, too. He was there to do a good amount of media, however.

5. DNC Chair and Former VT Gov. Howard Dean Addresses Invesco Field.

Stage right view of Howard Dean’s afternoon address to the assembled masses at Invesco / Mile High. Dean’s theme touched, as it often does, on the important nature of grassroots works and leaving no door unknocked. Realistically, it’s a sound one and really does work as advice for any candidate of any persuasion. His ‘all-states/ 50 state strategy’ M.O. was even the same message he passed along to the Canadian Liberal Party Convention as a keynote speaker (the one that saw Stephane Dion land a surprise win for the Liberal Leadership)

I did have the pleasure of meeting Dr. (Gov? chairman?) Dean on the elevator in St. Paul at the DNC response Offices during the RNC on 411 Main St., where theUptake.Org offices were located — not to mention the Police and SWAT and National Guard staging locale also was on the final day of the RNC. Nice guy; we talked on the elevator about his bad convention diet. Hey! He’s the doctor, after all...

6. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Addresses the Audience and Invesco

Yep, Nancy Pelosi. I really really can’t help but editorialize here...so I will. The fact that Congress has a lower approval rating than that of W. Bush shows to me that she has failed in all the expectations that Americans had about what Congress would do for them. She has left everything of substance off the table, and made the true leaders in Congress look to be left twisting in the wind.

7. Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe

One of the ‘telethon-styled’ events of the Invesco-Obama-Address was the rush to raise money for the campaign by having a ‘lottery’. For every person who made 12 phone calls out before Obama spoke, they had their names entered in a draw and the winner won the privelige (?) to sit at floor level with all of us cramped-media and delegates who were sweating like hogs after 8 plus hours of sitting in the warm sun — with many of the delegates and even some dignitaries (ie Rep John Lewis) delayed access back to their seats simply because the floor was overcrowded. This was essentially the one failing of the event planners, since the way the network booths were set-up in a half-moon shape actually cut the floor / field in a 66-33 split. With the nature and strength of today’s camera gear, they could have easily been set up and additional 45 feet further back, making the delegate and media floor space less cramped.

But tradition, and entitlement, dies hard.

Lastly, credit is certainly due to David Plouffe for running the campaign that gor Obama the nomination. It’s hard, thankless work (ask Joe Trippi, or Doak, or Shrum, or even James Carville)

One highly recommended piece of campaign post-mortems is Richard Ben Cramer’s ‘What It Takes’. Highly Illuminating - and relevent even today as it covers the campaigns of Joe Biden, Richard Gephardt, Al Gore, Gary Hart, and so many more...

I do like the unintentionally framed shot of ‘Election is in Our Hands’ actually. It’s subbliminal in a way only i could see with my curmudgeon-like nature.

All whining, bitching, and moaning aside - and despite by oft repeated cynicism and criticisms of the Invesco Field event - logisitically it went almost perfectly when one considers the number of factors; rain, temp, security, crowd numbers, et al.

The weather was idyllic, the Machiavellian political theatre went off perfectly, and the Rome meets Third Riech component was entirely lost on a history-clueless population (hence me referring to it as a “race Friendly Nuremberg Rally” - which was certainly over the top but no less accurate.

As I reported for a number of radio stations that morning (at 3 am - 5 am since we were in Mountain Time with a 2 hour difference), Obama’s speech delivered ALL it was intended to deliver, and perhaps a bit more. As rhetorical flourish and Wagnerian stagecraft, it was truly a masterstroke although the MLK tribute left me very very cold and felt like a very long stretch to me.

So much more to come! I’ll speed up the posting of these as I have a Canadian election to cover and it’s already been called and is underway. I have been assigned one of the battlegound ridings b/w Liberal candidate (and former MP Walt Lastewka) and current Conservative incumbent Rick Dykstra, so it should be quite a race considering Dykstra unseated Lastewka by barely 240 votes last time around.

It’s already being called the ‘Garden City rematch’, and allegations of Conservative money being funneled in from former Bush speechwriter’s buddies David Frum is rolling in fast and furious. To be fair, the same allegations are being made about the Dem’s with respect to the Canadian Liberal Party.

Other candidates include New Democratic Party Candidate George Addison, and perennial Green party Candidate Jim Fannon .

To make it even more interesting, The Green Party leader Elizabeth May has been allowed into the debates and this might actually mean that the Greens can seat some MP’s properly representative of their take of the popular vote. This might make for a substantive debate and the U.S. might just learn something (again) from Canada. I doubt it, eh?

I will have interviews coming from as many Niagara area candidates as possible, and will NOT exclude Marxist-Leninist candidates or Christian heritage party candidates either. Stay tuned!

~ Sven Eric Balabanoff

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