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HISTORIC NOMINATION FOR OBAMA: Barack Obama stepped triumphantly into history Wednesday night, the first black American to win a major party presidential nomination, as thousands of Democrats transformed their convention hall into a joyful, shouting celebration (Espo, Associated Press).
Former rival Hillary Rodham Clinton asked delegates to the party convention to make their verdict unanimous “in the spirit of unity, with the goal of victory.” And they did, with a roar. Competing chants of “Obama” and “Yes we can” surged up from the convention floor as the outcome of a carefully scripted roll call of the states was announced. Obama made a brief, unscheduled appearance on stage at the end of the evening to thank the delegates.
BILL SAYS OBAMA READY TO LEAD: Former President Bill Clinton left no doubt about whether Barack Obama is prepared for the Oval Office on Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention. “Barack Obama is ready to be president of the United States,” Clinton said (Howey Politics Indiana). “Everything I learned in eight years as your president has convinced me that Barack Obama is the man for the job.” It was the first time that Clinton had addressed the question of Obama’s readiness to lead the nation with no equivocation. His words came less than two hours after Hillary Clinton released her delegates and the DNC nominated Obama - the first minority candidate in an industrialized nation to gain a major party nomination - by acclamation. Clinton said that “clearly, the job of the next president is to restore the American dream and restore American leadership in the world.” Clinton added that Obama has “shown a clear grasp of foreign policy” after the Bush presidency of unilateralism and and squandered diplomacy. And of his “first presidential decision” - selecting Joe Biden as his running mate, Clinton said, “he hit it out of the park.” He said that the primaries had tested and tempered Obama. “The primaries began with an All-Star lineup and ended up with two remarkable Americans.” Clinton said, “Last night, Hillary told us in no uncertain terms that she will do everything she can to elect Barack Obama. That makes two of us.” At one point, as the delegates began chanting, “Yes we can, yes we can,” President Clinton said, “Yes he can, but first we have to elect him.” Clinton said that when he ran in 1992, “The Republicans said I was too young and inexperienced to be commander-in-chief. Sound familiar? It wasn’t true in 1992 because we were on the right side of history, and it won’t work in 2008 because Barack Obama is on the right side of history.” Clinton ended his speech by saying, “Join Hillary, Chelsea and me in making Barack Obama the next president of the United States.”
HPI WEEKLY FRIDAY: Look for the weekly edition of Howey Politics Indiana at mid-day Friday with coverage of Barack Obama’s acceptance speech and John McCain’s vice presidential selection.
BIDEN SAYS OBAMA GETS IT: Joe Biden accepted the Democratic vice presidential nomination Wednesday night and declared that the challenges America faces require “more than a good soldier” in the White House, hailing Barack Obama as a wise leader who can deliver the change the nation needs (Mears, Associated Press). In a single sentence, Obama’s new running mate complimented John McCain’s years of military service and slapped his claim on the White House. As Biden concluded his speech accepting the nomination, Obama stepped on stage and embraced his man to a convention roar. “I want everybody to now understand why I am so proud to have Joe Biden … and the whole Biden family,” Obama told the boisterous crowd. “I think he’s presented himself pretty well so far, what do you think?” More cheers. In his speech, Biden also sniped at Vice President Dick Cheney, saying that after he takes over the job, for Americans trying to do the right thing and honor the Constitution, “no longer will the eight most dreaded words in the English language be ‘The vice president’s office is on the phone.’” Biden said the bedrock American promise of a better tomorrow is in jeopardy “but John McCain doesn’t get it.” “I know it, you know it … Barack Obama gets it,” he said. “This is the time as Americans, together, we get back up,” he said. ” … These are extraordinary times. This is an extraordinary election. The American people are ready. Barack Obama is ready. This is his time. This is our time. This is America’s time.”
INDIANA DELEGATION CLOSES RANKS: Indiana got its say in the end, and it was a blowout win for Barack Obama. After morning grumbling in the Indiana delegation about Sen. Hillary Clinton’s delegates being reluctant to switch their allegiance to Obama for the roll call vote, almost all did (Byrne, Post-Tribune). State representative and Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor Dennie Oxley of English announced 75 votes for Obama and six for Clinton on the floor of the convention. Indiana’s delegates initially believed they would not get a chance to take part in the roll call, which was a symbolic moment because of Obama’s large delegate lead, but one which the states relish for their moment in the spotlight. Rumors circulated that the Illinois delegation would yield to the New York delegation so Sen. Hillary Clinton could call for a voice vote, which would halt the state-by-state vote before it got to Indiana. But Illinois simply passed, putting the microphone in Oxley’s hand, with staunch Obama supporters Rudy Clay, the mayor of Gary, and Charlie Brown, the state representative from Gary, by his side. “This vote total for Barack Obama is remarkable,” said Rogers, who managed the Illinois senator’s campaign in Northwest Indiana. “It is a testament to a lot of hard work by our delegation, both Clinton and Obama delegates, to build unity within the party.”
JOE VOTES! Four of the 85 Indiana delegates to the Democratic National Convention were absent for the roll call vote on Barack Obama’s nomination this evening. The Indiana total was 75 for Obama, 6 for Hillary Clinton (Shella, WISH-TV). Joe Andrew, the former Democratic National Chairman who followed a dramatic May first superdelegate endorsement of Obama by failing to vote in the Indiana Primary, was not among the no-shows.
BAYH TAKES ON McCAIN: An animated U.S. Sen. Evan Bayh took on John McCain during a six-minute speech Wednesday night at the Democratic National Convention (Howey Politics Indiana). “Do you remember when the president said, ‘Mission accomplished? Bring ‘em on?’” Bayh asked. “The terrorists did come on and our brave soldiers were killed because of their reckless incompetence.” Bayh said that U.S. soldiers were reduced to scrounging in Iraqi dumps looking for metal to up the armor on their vulnerable vehicles. “The time for change has come and Barack Obama is the change we need,” Bayh said. Indiana’s junior senator who backed Hillary Clinton in the primaries noted that McCain had voted with President Bush 90 percent of the time and that he has said the economy is fundamentally sound. “Tell that to families struggling in Indiana trying to make ends meet,” Bayh said. And Bayh added, “George Bush promised to be a uniter, not a divider. But he divided our nation more profoundly than any time since the Vietnam War. We can’t afford four more years of that.” Bayh ended the speech by saying, “Come next January, we will live up to our creed: one nation, under God, with liberty and justice. Let’s go get the job done.”
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