Opening night at the convention was as good as it gets. After Florida being treated like a red-headed stepchild (no offense to red heads or step children) through this primary the DNC sat the Florida Delegation front and center. You have to be here to believe it. This is like having sideline passes to the superbowl!
It's nice being on the floor at the convention with what I call my extended family. I grew up in front of most of our Hillsborough Delegates. People like Gwen Miller, Cathy Bartolotti, and Arthenia Joyner. You really can't misbehave much when you have three Aunts like them close by. It really is very exciting however to be here. There is such an air of excitement and this was just day one. I predict we will see a bump coming out of this convention. It was a long journey for most of us through this primary and it's nice to finally enjoy our candidate and actually get to know him and his family a little better.
With the exception of a surprise Speech by Senator Ted Kennedy, the early program last night was a little slow but it ended with a moving speech from Michelle Obama. She talked about her family. That she grew up in a working class family who taught her the importance love, education and hard work. You can tell right off the bat that Michelle Obama is brilliant and strong yet compassionate. She spoke about Barack's family and how the two of them met. She made the crowd laugh when she mentioned how persistent he was in courting her and that their first date was over ice cream. She finished with the passion only a mother could have when talking about her girls. She said they are the first thing she thinks about when she wakes up and the last thing she thinks about before she goes to bed.
After her speech both her girls joined her on stage and they actually did a satellite feed of Barack from Kansas City so he could talk to Michelle and his girls. It was actually one of the most real moments I have ever seen in politics. The girls just lit up when they saw him on the big screen and they could talk back and forth. You cant hide or fake that kind of emotioncoming from both him and the girls. You can tell he is a sweet and affectionate dad.
Many folks on the floor commented on how well she did and that she hit a home run. For many of Hillary supporters we really didnt get a chance to get to know Michelle and Barack and their families. So with each speech and each day that goes by we get to see more and more about the man with the funny name as Michelle said in her speech. But more importantly we are hearing what this country needs to hear and that is about hope and change. We are talking about real solutions to the struggles that so many Americans are facing.