The Democrats in Denver: Surprises and Shadows

Last week's Democratic National Convention in Denver was a triumph of choreography, security and management. The risky final day, outdoors at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium (worst corporate rename in history) provided beautiful presentation and stirring performances, but little suspense. Nor was drama provided by any of the major players. In fact everyone that 'mattered' suddenly caught a bad case of teamwork. Ted Kennedy may have helped to bring them into line, with his heroic turn on opening night. Michelle Obama was both utterly polished, and down to earth, and her fashion sense has gone from 'interesting' to elegant in a blessedly short time. Then the Clinton's delivered unqualified support, with apparent conviction, while keeping their personality disorders to themselves. Even Al Gore gave a crisp and engaging speech, the likes of which we never saw when he was running for president. Ditto John Kerry, who threw some gorgeous haymakers at Bush and Cheney. Joe Biden showed his signature, vocabulary chomping panache. The musical acts were appropriate and timely. The weather was perfect, the technology worked flawlessly, and the much-discussed set for the final night turned out to be... just a set. Even Hillary's inconsolable supporters seem to have found some comfort. Or maybe they were herded to the "free-speech zone" by the hundreds and hundreds of armor clad riot police. The "free-speech zone..." Orwell anyone? But, more about that later.

The only inside-the-bubble participants who seemed truly disappointed were the ones for whom the whole show was designed: the professional gum-flappers of the News Business. Some of them got so agitated that they started picking fights with each other... which is so damn ridiculous that I have to type it again. TV's so-called "journalists," Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, and some complete wack-job named Scarborough -- macho purveyors, we're told, of "red-meat" cable news -- became openly hostile, toward each other and toward their guests, while on the air! This was no off-air hot mic incident -- these guys just went pre-school on each other on live TV. Is it even worth asking who the f*** these people think they are? Their vanity and inch-deepness would be funny, but the trouble is they matter, and unlike real journalists, they are intoxicated by their own importance in this process. I'm pretty sure Ted Turner did not intend for his revolutionary 24 hour news channel idea to become a career tool for smartypants "insiders" and preening egomaniacs. But that is what has happened, and it's awful.

Meanwhile, the live and unfiltered Democratic Convention in Denver featured the kind of surprises -- and shadows -- that the news business is simply incapable of handling. So, before it all goes blurry and fictional in the retelling, allow me to recapitulate my personal list of astonishments from Denver.

Security: Contrast the genuine feeling of hope and progressive idealism, especially from the younger Obama delegates and supporters, with the massive police presence on every corner of every downtown street during every minute of every day. At first I thought, "Well, this is Colorado, a bright Red State with a huge military presence. To them even the wimpiest Moby playin' vegan with a 'Buck Fush' button, could be up to no good." There I went making knee-jerk, left coast, fly-over assumptions. In fact, politically, Colorado is a very evenly divided state. (Jon Stewart on Wednesday night's Daily Show; "Can I just say, there is no middle ground in Colorado. You are either a Rapture-awaiting Promise Keeper, or you drive a car that runs on Gorp!") Result? The Governor of Colorado, and the Mayor of Denver, are, surprise, Progressive Environmentalist Democrats.

Mayor Hickenlooper (seriously, his name's Hickenlooper) looks and sounds like an NPR listening, Museum joining, Agape guest sermonizing, bicycle commuter if there ever was one. Why would he, and Governor Bill Ritter -- one of the more avidly pro-environment chief executives in the West -- authorize such a massive and intimidating show of force? Maybe -- I heard myself thinking -- maybe all these armed cops in flak jackets with four foot-long batons, tear gas launchers, riot helmets and dozens of plastic handcuffs have become a necessity in these dark times. And lo and behold, on Tuesday a story came on TV about four grungy white guys arrested with rifles, cash and a supply of methamphetamine. They confessed, rather quickly, to a "plot" to shoot at Senator Obama during his acceptance speech. Their barely syllabic motivation? He's black. This strangely untethered story lasted only long enough for a quartet of hollow-eyed mugshots to appear on the news, followed by consistent statements from law enforcement that there had been "no credible threat" of an assassination attempt. That I believe. Four tweekers with guns couldn't climb onto the roof of a car, let alone a "high vantage point" at the (poorly renamed) stadium. It sounded less like a plot than a binge.

I'm glad they were caught, but one is left to wonder; have these plucky red state liberals been so cowed by Cheney-ish paranoia that they are scared not to see enemies lurking in every peace march? And then I put myself in their hiking boots and I asked, with so much at stake, if I were in a position of authority, and I had the means to do it, might I, too, deploy what seemed like at least one cop for every protester? These days, think I might.

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The only time I saw protesters outnumber cops was a dramatic but peaceful march, led by Veterans Against the War, which happened immediately following an afternoon Rage Against the Machine concert. It was at least ten blocks long, with thousands of marchers. The Vets moved with military bearing and the protesters hurried after them through downtown Denver, like an infantry maneuver. It was stirring and impressive. I was tempted to join them, but had to get to a fundraiser for the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial. His ghost certainly hovered over Denver last week.

Barack Hussein Obama: It's very hard for me to have a bad time while hanging out with large groups of African Americans. It doesn't matter what state they're from, black people know how to have fun, and in Denver there was plenty of fun to be had. But the continuous surprise was how different it felt. As Al Sharpton put it at a major gathering of black ministers and politicians on Thursday morning, "Barack is not going to be Our President. He's going to be The President." This almost unbearably sweet possibility was, and is, like a constant throb of adrenalin, especially among the black conventioneers in Denver last week. One wanted to relax, get tipsy, act ordinary, but it was impossible. And it is because of this extraordinary candidate.

I went downstairs on Wednesday afternoon because the TV in our hotel room had just shown Barack coming off his plane at a nearby airfield. The lobby was jammed. Burly cops blocked the revolving doors. Outside the street was filled with crowds, TV crews and more cops. A column of motorcycles roared through. The candidate was about to arrive! Turns out, the cops and motorcycles was a head-fake. He didn't come past us because they snuck him in through the kitchen. But to say the excitement in that lobby was palpable would be a laughable understatement.

I have been around a lot of famous people in my life, including rock stars. The anticipation in that lobby was different from anything I've witnessed. Obama is not a rock star. His charisma is much more interactive than mere celebrity. He is a walking paradigm shift, a startlingly transformational figure, made even more so by the way he seems to recognize his own opaqueness. As he often says, "This election is not about me." Of course it is, but he gets away with making such an impossibly self-effacing statement because of the game-changing way he is able to wear this moment in our history. It's actually disorienting how well it fits him. Barack Obama has made his different-ness an advantage with more grace -- and impact -- than any politician since Jack and Bobby Kennedy. He is the opposite of a radical, but he is aware of the radical shift his presence on the world stage signifies. So we peer at him, as if trying to discern which part, head? Hands? Eyes? Voice? Skin? Which part of him contains all that meaning? And, surprise, the answer is his color, but not his race! I don't want to startle anybody, but Barack Obama is as white as he is black. If anyone rejects him based on race, then more fool they. What I discovered at the convention is that when the black people I talked to look at Obama, they see a black man, but they don't see a black candidate. It's not that he isn't "black enough." The numbers don't lie: African American support for Obama covers all ages and incomes; it is passionate and unequivocal. But what the black political insiders I hung out with at the convention were discussing was their continued amazement at how good he is with the rest of the population. Unlike anyone before him, there isn't a demographic Obama can't draw meaningful amounts of support from, including Conservative Evangelicals, especially younger ones, if he can just get them in a room. Sadly, this may not be enough to put him in the White House -- the Republicans, after all, have fear on their side -- but it is an astonishing thing to behold. And it takes getting used to.

On Wednesday night, after Joe Biden's wonderfully syntax-averse speech, Barack made his "surprise" visit and walked, unannounced, onto the stage in the Pepsi Center. (Pepsi Center. Another branding debacle. What is it, a ring of soda machines, like Stonehenge?) Anyway, he suddenly appeared after speeches by Clinton and Biden, with their snowy hair, power ties, and Caucasian timbre. And when he did, I confess that I gasped, because I suddenly realized, "Oh, my God, that's right!! This is the candidate! Not those old familiar white guys. This lithe young black man is our candidate!" In that moment he looked younger and blacker to me than ever before. And I couldn't suppress the thought, "he shouldn't have come here tonight. It's too jarring." But already he had the mic. in his hand, congratulating, joking, waving, like it was the most natural thing in the world for him to be the one that this whole convention was about. And so it was, and the woozy, vertiginous anxiety gave way to hope.

At least for the moment, because having witnessed the Republican Convention for the last three nights, I feel the worry returning. Crude, cynical politics is still very effective in this country. I mean Rudy Giuliani and Sarah Palin openly mocked the idea of community service! To thunderous applause! What? Are they gonna piss on Good Will Industries next? What about hospice volunteers, or pro bono legal aid attorneys? Who needs do-gooders anyway! Sheesh. I know that Democrats have their own forms of truth-bending attack politics, and shame on them, too (unless they have to use it, and they do, so it better be good). But call me naïve, because it still just blows my mind that this stuff works. And if that makes me a liberal elite, fine. I am liberal, and as for elite: don't you want the elite carpet cleaners to come when you've created a really messy crime scene? Don't you want elite airline pilots, surgeons, law enforcement units, divorce lawyers? Don't we want to be this elite country that most people kind of dig, or at least envy, and want to visit and maybe even live here? Isn't that better than being a hypocritical bully state that tortures people and is selling itself, piece by piece, to the Chinese?

After Denver I was hopeful, and I still am, but the brighter the light, the darker the shadows, and there are going to be plenty more strange, fearful mirages emerging from the shadows between now and November 4th. I'm keeping an eye out. At least it won't be dull.

Comments

[ARNative]

One of my colleagues told me last Friday after Obama's speech that after a lifetime of voting Republican, he was seriously considering Obama. I thought at the time that nothing was more indicative of the appeal that Obama has for people than his ability to get them to see things from a different perspective. Your article reminded me of that conversation and restored my faith.

I too have been down in the dumps this week after watching the Republicans piss on the American people yet again! Many of my friends were seeing defeat, with no faith that Americans won't fall for the same fear mongering and lies that have attracted them like zombies in the past. The flag-waving, rabid, mouth-foaming, red, white and blue balloon fest that was the RNC nearly tore us down. But no, you gave us our hope back!

Barack won a tough primary season by fighting differently...he has a game plan for the general too. But I do have two questions: 1) what is that pin Mrs. Palin wears everytime she's seen in public, and 2) where in the hell was John McCain's FLAG LAPEL PIN during Thursday's speech????? Just wondering....

Thanks for the great article and insight.

[RA1NG1RL]

I have to say that your article lifted my spirits & hopes once again. After being subjected to the poison of the last few days, I was feeling sick at heart. It is nice to be reminded of what we truly value. We must keep our "eyes on the prize"!

[getoffthecross]

I'll admit, I saw the title and thought, "Why? Why rehash last week when we have to address and potentially counter THIS week?" I'm so glad I stopped to read it against the first impulse.

These last couple of days have been kind of depressing. Not because I felt Palin and Guilianni and Romney made any kind of good points, but because it harkened back to 2000, when Bush claimed to be a unitor while his party put the jackboot to contrary opinion, when the country decided it didn't really matter who was president since it was a more-or-less figurehead position, and how bad could he be? Being stuck in the mire of the RNC took some of the wind out of my sails from last week. I really needed the reminder that, only a week ago, things were looking brighter, and that there's more Americans looking for that kind of future now than thought they needed to 4 or 8 years ago.

We need to take the optimism of Colorado and spread the word of a different world. Thanks for reminding me.

Obama/Biden '08

[LightUpAmerica]

Great article! Nice to have such a thoughtful piece amidst all this rancor and fear, and to have a vicarious experience of being in Denver at that time.

[CatfishJohn]

..."the clintons, while keeping their personalty disorders to themselves"..."obama is a walking paradigm shift"...these are simply uproariously clever phrases bespeaking a knowing intelligence!...just a wonderful blend of gravitas, insight and humor in this essay...keep writing them during your moments of angst and /or optimsim over the next two months!...

[donkat]

I was struck by the difference in tone of the two conventions - darkness, division and hate this week, optimism, unity and light in Denver. I found myself getting more and more depressed because we do know that the rethugs can win with their fear mongering, divisive tactics. So, I switched to my pvr (like a Tivo) and watched O's speech again. Got me up and going - pulled me out of the dark hole the rethugs were digging. It was, as if, I was a battery and the rethugs were draining me fast. O's speech was the quick charge I needed. I think I'll be watching it a lot in the next 60 days.

[djarvis]

How shameful for the Republicans to mock community service. After a week filled with hope, the repubs had to go and darken it with a week full of cynical pessimism. Hopefully, most Americans will see the contrast and realize that we can't handle another four years of Bush-McCain fear and hatred.

[terragazelle60]

McCain said that he wanted an end to emnity...he wanted that hand across the ailse, yet he could not bring that to his convention. It is his party, his convention and he allowed that hate and belittling of Obama and Democrates. He will be more of the same. Obama has drawn lines of what is not allowed...attacks on families and family issues, and his cam[paign and even supporters go along with it. Obama is a leader, McCain is more of the same. He could not even get people who are part of his own campaign not to run an ad. He can not even lead his own people.

[RedneckDem]

Good article, but I thought the uathor should have mentioned Kucinich. His impassioned speech was awesome!

The best point was Obama's ability to connect with most of the people he has direct contact with. Being a nobody, I have to see it second and third hand and what I've seen to date is impressive. What repubs describe a "looking down upon others" is actually thoughtful concentration (i.e. listening to what someone has to say and then responding as opposed to thinking about what you're going to say next while the other person is talking). In open interviews with McCain you can tell he is concentrating on his stock answers as if everyone has the same issues or problems, so what he says is right (in his mind) whether it pertains to what the person is asking him or not. That, my friends, is the epitome of looking down upon other people...

[TrevorAlan]

Did you see how Maverick McCain had to copy AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE from the Dem convention. Not just the "Change is coming line." He also had to do a "surprise" walk on to the stage after Miss Congeniality spoke, he had to try to get the kids involved (but his kids were less cute and some of hers were cute, but some had to hide their own baby bumps, which wasn't so cute).

[washington31]

This is a really GOOD post. This is just great. So great that I am going to send it around. You can really tell a story. I enjoyed the DNC convention so much so, that I didn't want it to end. I really started missing it when I saw what the RNC had to offer...

[Charmed]

Nice Article.

[momof3inGA]

What a great read -- felt like I was there. As an African-American mom of three in a very red area of Georgia -- you're spot on regarding Barack's impact on every demographic in this country. I haven't heard it documented as well until reading your article........Excellent. Thanks.

[Pupadup4oBama]

Read it from start to end!

you made it all come alive and very real....these are exciting times we're living in...good AND bad - but I believe in the end (well not really the end) but on November 4th - justice WILL prevail and we'll have this man of ALL the people become the new leader for the 21st century.

[blaqntelligence]

Roderick Spencer, you are a compelling writer.
Like Ethics101, I felt the same. I was totally involved before I realized where this was going.
Excellent job.

[Muzikal203]

As a Black person, I must agree, we do know how (and love) to party :o)