2008 Will Not Be 2004 All Over Again

All throughout the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, and during Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field-Mile High Stadium in particular, I found myself revisiting the memories I have and the emotions I felt during my trip to Philadelphia to attend the Vote for Change concert in 2004 more than once.

Attending the Big Tent was both an exhilarating and exhausting adventure–happy chaos I often referred to it. Part of my exhaustion was left over from my company’s three day retreat a few days before, and part of it was the heat–I just don’t do well in it–it’s one of the reasons I don’t live on the east coast anymore. But one could not help but be exhilarated by being in the mix of the Democratic Convention. The city of Denver did a wonderful job training volunteers and official hosts to guide the thousands of visitors around the city throughout the convention–and what a beautiful city Denver is. I remember visiting Chicago and comparing the architecture to my childhood memories of Denver. The two cities do resemble each other architecturally, but also in spirit. People are friendly, the mix of lots of green space, old brick buildings and restored stone and wood residential neighborhoods make downtown Denver a lovely place to visit and live. It’s a city of optimism–another western city on the rise–the perfect place for the Democratic Convention this year.

To give you a feel for what I experienced in 2004, here’s an excerpt from my post about the Vote for Change concert in Philadelphia:

“But there was something heavy in the air that day (and I’m not talking about the humidity). The country was only a month away from re-electing George W. Bush President, a fact I was not prepared to believe possible at the time. I remember being upset about missing the first Bush/Kerry debate because it was aired during my flight into D.C., and getting an update from my friend as she chauffeured me from the airport that night in her little black Honda. Her exact words were “I almost felt sorry for Bush because he sounds so stupid.” Ah, those were the days. we were so naïve then, still having no idea just how stupid, incompetent and dishonest Bush and his cronies would actually turn out to be. Something in the air indeed.

Philadelphia reminds me of Reno in some ways. It’s a city on the rise, full of uncertain neighborhoods with just enough dinginess there to make you alert. But I liked it—especially the historical district with its red bricked, small street, colonial comfort. The day was overcast and I felt a sense of foreboding as the line to the Liberty Bell Center snaked its way through security before entering the incongruously modern building, built largely of glass. It’s a wonderful exhibit detailing not just the historical and cultural significance surrounding the Liberty Bell, but also providing an exploration of what freedom and liberty have meant throughout the history of the United States. In fact, much of the exhibit is devoted to slavery and civil rights—presenting a continual struggle for freedom rather than freedom accomplished. As I moved through the exhibit surrounded by our nation’s mythology of freedom, I found myself struggling not to cry in the corner of the goddamn Liberty Bell Center, so worried that my country was close to finding itself on the wrong side of a choice between the inspired and effective leadership of Kerry and the increasingly ridiculous incumbent.

Later at the concert, the energy was more positive and Bruce Springsteen, Bright Eyes, REM, and John Fogerty played their collectively hearts out at the politically charged show, doing their best to convince us all we had a chance to stop the circus from arriving again on Pennsylvania Avenue. And while Bruce overshadowed the other artists with the length, breadth, and frenetic energy of his show, it was John Fogerty who brought the heat and the outrage those politically motivated audience members like myself needed to hear with a furious version of “Fortunate Son.” It was all brought to a perfect conclusion when the brands played Nick Lowe’s “What’s So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding?” together in a thunderous encore.

I came back to Reno somewhat relaxed, but any certainty I presented outwardly that Kerry was going to win was manufactured. I knew in my gut that my reaction in the Liberty Bell Center was a precursor to his defeat.”

In Philadelphia, in 2004, I felt extremely hopeful that John Kerry would win the election, but I had a constant feeling of dread going into the election. Somehow I knew the fear of many would keep the Bush Administration in control of our country. But in Denver, in 2008, I felt a sense of destiny that grew bolder with each night. Yes, the speeches and events were scripted and rehearsed, but that doesn’t change the fact that they were all responsive to the mood of most of the nation. Kennedy, the Clintons, John Kerry, Al Gore, and Obama spoke to the Democrats, to Denver, and the nation that watched, and they spoke back. This year, everything seems to be pitch perfect.

Yesterday on The News Hour, I watched David Brooks critique Obama’s speech for being four speeches strung together with clumsy transitions and for putting forth “traditional Democratic solutions” rather than a true case for change. Brooks’ criticism of the speech is technically valid, but it entirely misses the point. Obama said exactly what Democrats and the rest of the country watching needed to hear–emotionally. He communicated to the people watching that he felt their desire for political change and was responding to that desire by lending us his leadership. He communicated that he was willing to get tough if needed, and he communicated something most of us feel–that America is better than what it is now. Brooks’ second criticism, that Obama’s speech didn’t communicate real change, but rather traditional Democratic solutions is weak at best. At this point, offering traditional Democratic solutions represents a major change in America’s domestic and foreign policy. Leading the country back toward traditional Democratic solutions will at least stop the Bush Administration’s efforts to roll back the power of labor, civil and human rights, the separation of the executive branch and law enforcement, etc., in what Naomi Klein calls the Disaster Capitalism–another festering legacy of Milton Freidman’s Chicago School/Neo-Conservative efforts to turn nation states around the world into vehicles for unchecked corporatism. Americans need to elect politicians who will work to balance corporate freedom with the public good now. McCain, yet another adherent to Friedman’s fundamentalist economicis will do quite the opposite.

American IS better than this, and I think most Americans realize what needs to be done to stop the bleeding and being the healing–electing Obama and returning to America’s political environment back to one that seeks the right balance between corporate regulation and the broader social institutions that societies require to thrive socially as well as economically.

When they played Springsteen’s “Born In The U.S.A.” I teared up as I watched 80,000 people waving their American flags. How dare someone think these people don’t love their country as much because they want an end to a war/occupation that makes no sense–that never did make sense? And I hate the goddamned song!

So here are some hopeful photos I took during my short stay in Denver. I hope you enjoy them. I hope they make you smile. They made me smile.

Similar Posts:

• Its Just Overkill
• Two Year Anniversary: So Goes the Nation
• Convention Coverage Limitations: If Only I Could Be A Full-time Blogger

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