Denver: Day 4 - The nomination

Tonight is the big night for Obama supporters as Barack Obama accepts the Democratic nomination for President in front of 75,000 people at Mile High Stadium in Denver. There have been some rumblings that moving the acceptance speech from the indoor arena to a massive outdoor stadium further supports the "rock star" claim that McCain and the Republicans have made against him the past few weeks (think Paris Hilton).

Maybe there is some credence to that argument. But I like Obama's take that there have been so many people that have supported the movement behind his candidacy that he wants everyone who wants a chance to see the nomination to get a chance. No word on who the opening band is.

My favorite quote came from Obama's campaign strategist David Axelrod in defending the decision to move the acceptance speech to the cavernous confines of an NFL stadium:

“I know that Senator McCain and his people are shooting barbs on the opulence of our convention from the mountaintop in Sedona from the McCain estate,” said David Axelrod, the campaign’s chief strategist. “I don’t think it warrants a response.”

Touche.

We'll live blog it here tonight.

8:51
Al Gore lighting up Bush/Cheney/McCain on energy, Iraq, torture, special interest ties and the Supreme Court.

"If you like the Bush/Cheney approach then John McCain is your man."

8:58
I doubt John Elway likes it that all these Democrats have invaded his stadium. Elway maxed out $2,300 to McCain.

9:11
The Republicans have Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman. The Democrats bring you Susan Eisenhower, granddaughter of the late Republican president.

9:13
Wow, go Susan.

"Too many people in power have failed us. Belligerence has become the substitute for stubbornness. Stubbornness has been a substitute for leadership. And impulsive action has replaced measured, thoughtful response. "

9:35
Half hour away from the speech. Amy says the speech is "make or break" for Obama. There is certainly a lot of pressure on the guy as expectations is in the stratosphere.

Win over moderates, Independents, whites, Clinton supporters, swing voters, fence sitters, evangelicals, motorcycle-driving soccer moms and SUV-driving latte-drinking dads and do so in front of 75,000 people in person and 25 million people on television.

9:43
(CL) Boston infiltrating your family again...

9:44
(DR) Awesome. Welcome, good sir.

Did you hear Maddow's comment that McCain will not be leaking his Veep pick tonight but that he is having trouble filling the 10,000 seat arena in Minneapolis? That's one of the knocks of the coverage that the "enthusiasm gap" has not been properly covered.

9:48
(CL) That's great. I hadn't heard that.

This venue is great. People will take their shots at the "rock star" image but how can a 70,000 seat stadium full of screaming people not be a good thing for Obama. Great move...

9:50
(CL) Unfortunately, I think we can all go to bed because MSNBC has already read the entire speech.

9:53
(DR) You can always switch over to ESPN. State is in a barnburner with South Carolina -- 3-0 in the 3rd.

9:55
(CL) I can't believe Amy hasn't switched to the US Open yet. Roger must not be on tonight.

9:56
(CL) When did they decide that tonight would be in the stadium? Was it always the plan? I wonder if they made it on the fly knowing that it would contrast with McCain's much sparser crowd.

I think the Obama camp has a mole. They have been right on the money with every punch and counter-punch. Perhaps Belichick is secretly running the campaign.

9:58
(DR) Federer is tied up in my basement. Bet on Nadal.

Finally, here's Durbin.

10:01
(DR) Just got a sense of what 75,000 people screaming "Yes we can" sounds like. I predict some major chills coming in the next 30 mins...

10:16
(CL) A shout out to the Hillary team right out of the gate. Good move. She certainly did her part two nights ago.

10:19
(DR) "America, we are better than these last eight years. We are a better country than this."

10:22
(CL) My first cringe of the night. Obama starts a chant modeled on a 70's family TV series. (Eight is Enough). Dick Van Patten is smiling. I'm not...

10:26
(DR) Two thoughts. First, Obama is swinging. Doing exactly what he needs to do to CONTRAST Republican policies and ideas with what he stands for. And second, look at the diversity in all the crowd shots -- white, black, Asian, ethnic, young, old. There is a lot of diversity in this crowd. Symbolizes people from all the different walks of life that he has inspired.

10:31
(CL) "I don't know what kind of lives John McCain thinks celebrities lead, but this has been mine." Great line. It's on! You're right, he's on the offensive tonight. I love it. Yeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...."

10:36
(DR) Do you think John McCain just leaned over to Cindy and asked her where she stashes her pills? There is no way McCain comes close to this.

10:38
(DR) Amy: You really get the impression that he has seen so much, that he really gets it.

I couldn't agree more. The thing that comes to mind as I listen to him is genuine empathy.

10:41
(CL) You're right, McCain can't match it. I love how they've preempted the experience attack but continually citing all of the failures that have occurred during his tenure. Granted, some of them probably aren't attributable entirely to McCain, but it sure is an effective campaign strategy.

10:46
(DR) My first chill moment.

But what I will not do is suggest that the Senator takes his positions for political purposes. Because one of the things that we have to change in our politics is the idea that people cannot disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism.

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain. The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and Independents, but they have fought together and bled together and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a Red America or a Blue America – they have served the United States of America.

10:55
(DR) Wraps it up with Martin Luther King. Quite a moment.

10:59
(DR) Here's a parallel for you. Obama is like Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ushering out what had passed for rock n' roll for so many years.

11:03
(CL) Great Nirvana reference.

Wow... what a speech. He nailed it flawlessly.

It's interesting... a few days ago I thought Biden would be the heavy and Obama would be more the good cop. Completely the opposite. He can bring it. Biden's speech makes a lot more sense now.

11:08
(DR) I'm still absorbing it all. The text is here. I'll be reliving this one for a while. Barack Obama is a special leader.

11:14
(CL) So Amy, what is your verdict? Did he make or break it?

11:18
(ABR) I think he did what he needed to do. My beef with Obama has always been that his soaring oratory was great but I wanted substance. He went after McCain and showed the contrast in specific terms on what he stands for and how he differs from McCain. My favorite thing was that he showed the world is not black and white.

Tonight I think he absolutely nailed it.