Thursday, August 28, 2008

Day 4: Ordinary People

Wow! The voices of ordinary people are a highlight so far. Pam, from North Carolina, told us that she has been a life-long Republican; she voted for Nixon, Reagan, Bush 1 and Bush 2--but no more. Her family had the American dream until her husband got ill, lost his job and the family's healthcare. Then she had by-pass surgery. The bills piled up, with no healthcare to help. Afterwards, David Brooks and Mark Shields agreed that whoever located these people located winners for the Democratic Convention.

As the minutes tick by until Barack Obama's speech, I'm reminded of one of the drawbacks of living in the Eastern Time Zone, in a house of early risers who try to get to bed by 9:30 p.m. The other family night owl now lives in Austin, Texas. I've stayed up late every night, alone, to watch these events, to record a few of my immediate responses, and then to read a little of what others are recording before cold analysis kicks in. After maybe four to five hours of sleep for the past three nights, I'm ready for a long snooze. But until then. . . I hope Barack Obama's speech gets to the mountaintop of this convention.

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