Denver, CO - Two quick video uploads for you. The first is of the fabulous Fran Drescher, who my partner, Caleb Howe, pointed out to me. FYI, when I walked back past her again, well, can you say "Vibe?"



The second is of a certain intrepid journalist seeking out Fox News' Griff Jenkins to make sure he was OK and there were no hard feelings.

(Programming note - Tommy and Caleb will appear on Gold Meddles at blogtalkradio at 12:30 ET tonight)

Well it didn't do it for me, but then again it was clear that was not intended to. What I heard was a speech that Walter Mondale or Michael Dukakis would have been very comfortable delivering. The days of the centrist wing of the Democratic party, the triangulation, the DLC and the Clintons are clearly over.

Obama went on with universal health care, college education for everyone. The specter of AK-47's in cities, etc. Basically telling America that we can't make it unless we vote us some Democrats into office. What I heard was pure, unabashed liberalism. It's interesting in this year when there are a lot of disaffected conservatives, especially those of us with a libertarian bent, Obama offered nothing to us. Which leaves the door open to John McCain to gather both the center and rebuild his base on the right. Strategically, I think this is a mistake.

But a mistake that's easy to second guess. Going the full liberalism/progressive route has allowed him to build excitement to a fever pitch and fill a stadium with worshipful supporters. But will it be enough? My guess is that there is a large group of people that McCain plans on appealing to. Nixon called them the silent majority and he won huge twice with them.

On the stadium. It didn't turn into a Wellstone rally debacle, but it was well executed for what it was. The bad side, no balloons! and it will serve to underscore the narrative that he really thinks highly of himself. But on the other hand he was able to use this event to build a base of support in a swing state with 80,000 likely voters. So there are reasons to do it this way.

His oratory wasn't as soaring as I guess I expected, but that's probably mostly familiarity. We've heard it before. The goal of the speech tonight was to launch the campaign with what he was going to run on. And what he's going to run on is unabashed liberalism (progressivism if you like). And that may work this year, but usually it doesn't.

Oh and McCain does salute Obama on his night, but it's now about 13 hours before McCain reorients the media on his VP pick. But the ad is classy:

Denver, CO - I'm here at Invesco Field, waiting for the historic acceptance speech of Barack Obama, and the feeling is new yet familiar.

The primaries, the debates, all of those daily, dueling press memos have culminated in this moment. As we stand clumsily in this crowded place, the anticipation has reached a feverish pitch.

The question now is whether the climax can live up to the buildup. Expectations will be high, and if the results are less-than-stellar, it could be the start of a premature slide.

On the other hand, the wave of excitement could push this election past the breaking point, and making all of the anxiety seem silly.

Either way, we're enjoying it now, and I predict that when we're done, we'll walk out of here with smiles on our faces.

(Programming note - Tommy and Caleb will appear on Gold Meddles at blogtalkradio at 12:30 ET tonight)

Denver, CO - And they said I was crazy.

I've written several times about the common cause between Obama and Ron Paul supporters, with uniformly bemused reactions.

I ran into Maine Governor John Baldacci, and he validated my premise. Here's what he had to say:

Denver, CO - We asked delegates and spectators at Invesco Field if they thought that people would blame an Obama loss on race, and also if they would blame Hillary Clinton, plus whether either position is justified. Tommy's take, along with video of some of his interviews, is available after the jump.

Denver - My interviews were not on video. I spoke with four people: two women, two men; two black, two white. All four are confident that Obama has a win coming. All four were adamantly opposed to the idea that, if Senator Obama lost, Hillary or Bill Clinton would share any blame.

The white man and woman both volunteered racism when asked what might be the main reason if Senator Obama were to lose. All four indicated racism would play a part. Of the four, only Denise, an African-American local, said she would not blame dirty pool on the part of the McCain campaign. Each of the other three felt that would be a primary, if not the primary factor.

If Senator Obama loses in November, I think it will be a big mistake on the part of Democrats to lay blame wholly on the door of either Hillary Clinton or deep racism. Americans have a proven aversion to electing far left politicians to high office, and a large and growing number of voters are put off by the dramatic coronation process the Obama campaign has made of his candidacy. Those factors must be considered if he loses.

There is no question, if Obama loses, many of his supporters will consider racism to be part of the reason. However, it seems that even here in the thick atmosphere of the convention, most will not consider it the deciding factor. Here's hoping the punditocracy will listen to the people.

Sources are reporting that Sen. John McCain has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as his running mate. McCain and Pawlenty will appear together at a rally in Dayton, Ohio, where Pawlenty will be officially introduced as the Republican running mate.

Pawlenty is a second term governor who won reelection in 2006 by a slim margin in a bad year nationally for Republicans. He is also the national co-chair for the McCain campaign, and was an early supporter. He was scheduled to appear at the Minnesota State Fair tomorrow, at the same time that McCain was holding the Ohio rally. But sources say that Pawlenty has canceled all interviews and appearances, and has turned over his scheduling duties to the McCain campaign.

Until the final announcement is made, all reports on the selection are conjecture. But the swift cancellation of all of Pawlenty's appearances does appear to indicate that he will be the pick.

Cable news and the Net are buzzing and twittering about Barack Obama's big speech tonight at Invesco Field. The Drudge Report solemnly proclaims "Speech of a lifetime."

Voters watching the DNC saga this week, roughly 10 percent of tube watchers, should double or triple for tonight's marquee performance. Obama's folks feel the tingle of a 15% temporary convention bounce coming.

CNN has taken to calling the physical staging of the speech the Barack-Opolis because the multiple Greek columns that will serve as the backdrop to the podium - which will literally rise from the floor - where Obama will deliver his oracle.

This is high-stakes political drama; even for a demigod like Barack.

It's a speech. It's a political convention. And if its anywhere near the themeless bore as the rest of DNC's Denver debacle it will be unmemorable.

Obama, himself, took to the stage at the end of Joe Biden's night (he simply couldn't keep himself out of the spotlight) and provided the assembled masses their talking points. The reason they are moving to the big field is to open the convention up, to give more people an opportunity to participate.

Simply put, that's bull dung.

The decision to change venue to Invesco Field was made, back in June, when the Obama folks felt the strength of their campaign in the size of the crowds it could amass. This was a no-brainer. A convention hall has about 55,000 people in it and for every person inside the hall, there are 4 to 5 others in town as party activists for the real fun.

MSNBC's convention coverage, beset by production gaffes and personality clashes, has made a larger impact on YouTube than it has on the ratings and a "high-ranking MSNBC journalist" told The Politico that tensions inside the network are about to "blow up". Though the ratings of all three cable news outlets are up compared to the 2004 convention, so far MSNBC has finished third behind CNN and Fox News.

Blogger David Hauslaib of Jossip.Com gleaned the following from sources at MSNBC:

1) Nobody can believe how much Keith Olbermann is getting away with, even if he does draw ratings; 2) As an Olbermann protege, Rachel Maddow is attracting negative feelings from staffers, since she stays mum on many of these catfights, but "there's still time" to represent; 3) MSNBC head Phil Griffin is alienating staffers by publicly defending Olbermann while privately bashing him, and it's left many wondering when that will leak (oops); 4) MSNBC publicist Jeremy Gaines appears increasing[ly] stressed out and can be seen "shaking" with a phone attached to his ear dealing with reporters; 5) You don't want to run into Chris Matthews anytime soon, especially en route to the bathroom, because he has zero pleasant things to say right now; 6) Joe Scarborough is definitely stressed, but he's managed to calm down a bit today and can be seen laughing and gabbing.

The implosion of MSNBC's DNC coverage is ironic since the narrative being sold by the media going into the convention was whether the Democrats could achieve party unity. Since the Clintons resoundingly stifled that storyline, the question now is, will Olbermann, Matthews and Scarborough unite to save MSNBC?

Jon Stewart called the infighting, "Lord of the Flies on the NBC roof!" If you've been enjoying the convention on C-SPAN or one of the other networks, this clip from The Daily Show will get you up to speed. Kudos to them, satirizing the surreal is a difficult task.

Denver - We're here at Invesco Field, asking people if Barack Obama's White House-themed stage set is presumptuous or inspirational. You can cycle through the responses below Caleb's take.

For my part, I think the set is presumspirational. Anyone who is caught up in the excitement here is going to see it as a visualization of things to come, a talisman against hopelessness. Those less inclined would slam the set if it were made of burlap and driftwood.

This speech is a historic event, and people are expecting a big show. Is it presumptuous? Maybe, or maybe it is an audacious challenge to John McCain, a way of saying "Get off my (White House) lawn!"

Denver - It is easy to defend something by saying the critics would pan it regardless. However, the Obama campaign knows that the senator has suffered criticism on the issue of ego, and not merely from the "less inclined." If Jon "Democrat Emperor" Stewart is mocking a Democrat for vanity, then there's certainly something to it.

Since you know, and I know, that he knows all this, the only conclusion is that he know it, and he embraces it. Senator Obama's choice might be viewed as only slightly presumptuous, or even completely benign, if viewed without the perspective gained this campaign season. Within that context, however, it is doubly vain. It doesn't just say, yes I'm designing the image of myself as already the President, but also "and you can't stop me so nah nah nuh boo boo!"

Senator Obama is thumbing his nose at the criticisms of his fake presidential seal and fake Air Force One. "I'm the man," he says, "and all this is mine."

John McCain is airing a historic ad during tonight's coverage of the DNC Convention in Denver. The :30 second TV spot is titled "Convention Night."