Everyone here is saying not to watch MSNBC, CNN, FOX, but CSPAN is even worse after the convention is over. There are tons of people flooding the airwaves with smears against Obama, constant refrains of Obama is not 'specific enough'. Nearly every caller has been bashing Obama on the air since the beginning of this convention.

From listening to all of these callers it sounds that nearly 90% of the comments are very negative towards Michelle and Obama, and a lot of them spread irrelevant rumors and gossip and untruths. I suspect a lot of these are conservatives and PUMAs highjacking the airwaves.

I don't know what to say.

I will be 38 years old in September.  I was born in Chicago, a city with racial segregation built into every neighborhood.  I live in the Southwest.  My roots are Scottish and Italian.  I am about as white as they come.

I am a liberal Democrat.

I am a bisexual woman.

Tonight my party voted, by acclaim, to make Barack Obama the first black Democratic Presidential candidate in American history.

And I am shaking.

Listening to the pundits on MSNBC and CNN, you'd think the Democrats have done a terrible job at their convention.

If you've actually watched the speakers thus far, however, you will have come to a very different conclusion.

So I've decided: I'm not going to listen to the pundits on TV any more.

Having been in tears intermittently every night of the convention, I still did not expect the effect of the actual nomination of Barack Obama as the democratic candidate for president.

I grew up in the boonies of Arizona, mostly unaware of racism. When I got older I became aware that my dad was a racist. In speech anyway, actions spoke differently. I don't know how much of his offensive speech was a product of his environment, but I do know that he harbored no real ill will in his heart to anyone except perhaps republicans.

Rural Arizona, at least where I grew up was a mixture of different races. I was accustomed to going to school with apaches and hispanics and often caucasians were the minority.

I called to talk to my parents tonight.  To share this powerful moment (I watched last night and tonight with tears streaming down my face -- I understand the YouTube video "I have caught hope").  And my Mom said "Dad says call back after Biden speaks."

I had no idea they were watching.  At 82, my father loves the technology of television -- he tivos things, and hates commercials; the only thing he ever watches live is the 5:30 evening news (a habit that developed when Walter Cronkite was the fixture of our evenings).  I thought I was going to have to convince them to turn on the convention, to see some of it.  Nope.  Again, I underestimated them.  

Today was a crazy long day.  Between class and work (third day of class, first day of work) I walked out the door at 9:00 AM and walked back in the door at 7:30 PM.  I've had the most awful headache all day, which really sucks when you are studying histology!  Anyway, all day all I could think about was how excited I was to get home to watch Joe Biden's speech.  I was really worried I would miss it.  As it happened, though, I walked in the door just as Biden's son was introducing him.  I love the timing!  It gave me a good feeling, like it was a good Omen or something.

I'm probably not patriotic in the usual way people mean that when they use the word.

I get all choked up over rich, fertile, dark midwestern farmland, and the people who work it so I can go to the grocery store.

I feel patriotic when I drive past the wonders which are Chicago.

I feel patriotic when people call bullshit on something some elected idiot or other does.

But tonight, it was moments of the convention which stirred my heart, my mind, and my tear ducts.

Some of my favorite moments during the convention today.

"Scots, wha hae wi' Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome to your gory bed,
Or to victory!"
                        -- Robert Burns, 18th century

"Hey," the right wing is constantly crowing, "Don't ya know there's a war going on???"

Yes, we know. Not the ridiculous invasion of a bunch of people who, on the surface, may look a little like the bad guys that attacked us on 9/11. Not the self-serving Global War On Terror intended to keep the gillies (that's us) in line. Not the buffoon O'Reilly's culture war. Perhaps not even the class struggle the left occasionally cites. No, what's going on is the kind of revolution our Founding Fathers had in mind when they established a system of government which was supposed to insure that the last time Americans would have to rise up in arms against oppression on a national scale was the one they fought against the British.

Wait a minute - wasn't Joe Biden supposed to be the fiery and riveting speaker?  Wasn't he the one who was supposed to galvanize the convention and shell Bush and the Republicans?

Then why was Biden upstaged by Hillary, Bill and even his son, and why did he pull his punches on Cheney and Bush?  This was his biggest stage and opportunity, and he came up far short.

Dear Mr. Nobel Peace Prizing Winning Vice President and True Winner of the 2000 Presidential Election,

I hope you read this blog. Maybe it's too late to get to you before you introduce Barack Obama tomorrow night. And this diary is probably not needed since, as this convention continues, my confidence in Barack Obama's campaign to do the right thing politically grows and grows. Nevertheless, I wanted to share with you what I hope to see from you tomorrow night.

I'm sure it hasn't escaped the attention of anyone reading this that the past couple of days at the Democratic Convention have heavily featured a paean to the families of the candidates, right down to the exit music for Biden after his acceptance speech, the 70s disco hit, "We Are Family."

The production of Obama's "spontaneous" visit was awesome, and it displayed the Biden family beautifully, right down to the photo-op of the grandson waving to the crowd.

Obama's campaign logos have been accused of being presumptuous. They have been accused of being 'too Pepsi.' If you care about logos, put your mind on this:

Driving home from work today, searching for a live feed from the DNC Convention on the radio, I heard the most incredible, driving, inspired rock and roll.  

Melissa Etheridge performing God Bless America.  Wow!

What a tour de force.  In so many words and notes her endorsement of Barack was as inspiring as any speech.

We are taking back America!  and that means all of the badges of honor, the anthems of freedom, and the pride of our Great Country again can be claimed.

Born in the USA!
Melissa Etheridge at the DNC

Second-to-last night is over and done...your closing thoughts?

Tonight was supposed to be a happy night, but instead as I sat back to watch the C-SPAN coverage of the convention, I couldn’t help but hear my family in the kitchen. They were talking about the election but it was hard to hear over the roar of the television I was listening too. I knew why they were whispering. They didn’t want me to hear.

Not really worthy of a diary, however, permit me to say "it's time to dig deep people."  We are one!  We are a family.  The issues have been laid bare.  We know the difference... we know the choice.  There is only one candidate who believes what you believe.  There is only one candidate who will do what you would do.  

Do you have $10?  How about $20?  Now is the time to donate!  WE HAVE THE TEAM TO WIN - LET'S GET THEM THERE!  (BTW, for $15 you get a magnet!)

Obama Home Page

And this is only WEDNESDAY! Imagine, a cameo..AT YOUR OWN CONVENTION!

GOBAMA GO! WHEW! I CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE!

Today is an amazing day; tomorrow will be so powerful, why, I don't know how I'll be able to stand it without weeping all day and all night.

Both yesterday and today, Senator Hillary Clinton D-NY, made me respect her again; her speeches before the Emily's List group and the New York delegation began to dissolve my animosity toward her, and I thought her speech last night was the best she's ever made.  But when she made the acclamation on the convention floor today, her words brought me to tears.

It was as moving a moment as when, first Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg then Sen. Kennedy, appeared on stage on Monday. As moving as Gov. Schweitzer and Rep. Kucinich's speeches last night.

I was born black late in 1954, a couple of months after Brown v. Board of Education.  I was born in the cradle of the civil rights movement, in the bosom of Jim Crow - Birmingham, AL.