Crystal_Cotti's Blog

  The media circus is packing up and clearing out of Denver this morning. On television the story is now John McCain's VP choice. Network news anchors are already reporting from Minneapolis, the site of the Republican National Convention. It's supposed to start Monday, the same day Gustav is projected to bear down dangerously close to New Orleans.

  It's amazing how fast the news cycle changes, but the beast must be fed.

  I've enjoyed covering a presidential convention as tiring as it was. Sitting inside the Mile High Stadium, home to the Denver Broncos, was a little bit like being inside a Barack Obama snow globe. Celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Kanye West were there and watching history unfold was unforgettable.

  But now it's time for me to move on as well. I'm heading back to Steamboat Springs for the weekend then it's back on to Austin, home sweet home.

  Day Four of the DNC started this morning for me at the Texas delegate breakfast at the Red Lion Hotel in Aurora, about nine miles away from Denver. It feels much further away than that and I'm told the battleground state delegations get the best hotels. Since Texas has been written off as a solidly Red State, we get the shaft when it comes to hotel location. Oh well.
 
Kirk Watson, Rafael Anchia and Rick Noriega were just a few of the Texas politicians on hand at the delegate breakfast. But it was Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee that brought the house down. She preached passionately about  voter suppression and accused the Republicans of trying to keep voters from the polls with unnecessary identification requirements.  Congresswoman Lee said Republican backed legislation would have required a passport or a birth certificate to vote but was defeated before it became law. State Rep. Rafael Anchia compared the legislation to a modern day poll tax..
 
  This will continue to be a hot issue especially with so many new voters expected at the polls in November.

Bill Clinton still has it. Moments ago he gave a spirited speech that both united his par;ty behind Barack Obama and criticized the Republicans. You could feel the strength and energy of Bill Clinton's popularity and his influence eight years after he left office.  Many convention attendees with floor passes couldn't get in because it was so packed.

One of Clinton's comments that drew the loudest applause was when he talked about the power of America's example rather than the example of our power. This was a direct hit on eight years of Republican leadership and premptive military action in Iraq.  This kind of criticism is the most effective given the unpopularity of the Iraq War now.

Clinton held back tears when he started talking about being elected president in 1992.  He said Republicans criticized him for being too young and inexperienced to lead the country, followed by "Sound familiar?" Clinton repeatedly reminded the audience that he believed Barack Obama was ready to lead and fulfilled his promise to unite the Democratic Party.

Newly named Vice Presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks at 8pm and has a tough act to follow.

  A mostly symbolic process is taking place at the DNC right now. Each state delegation is announcing their selection for president.  Once Barack Obama reaches the magic number of 2,210 he will officially become the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, thus making history as the first African American Presidential Nominee.

  The big question is will the party be unified behind Obama or will disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters divide Democrats?  Hillary has released her delegates to vote for Obama but the fear is enough of those delegates will refuse to do so. 

  As of 4:40pm, Obama had 1,549 delegates. Everyone seems to be waiting to see what Hillary's home state of New York will do.  As one Fox Correspondent put it, expect to see some "Clinton Choreography".

  Despite a convincing speech Tuesday night, questions still linger about whether Clinton really wants Obama to win the presidency.  One former Clinton staffer told me "She doesn't want to have dinner with Obama, but she does want him to win."

We shall see.

  Denver is all about the Democrats right now.  Visitors are greeted with DNC signs from the moment they enter the city limits and on almost every street corner downtown you can find vendors peddling anything Obama. The main public gathering place is 16th Street where one opportunistic entrepreneur is driving a truck around downtown trying to  sell plastic water bottles with Obama figurines inside. Anything for a buck right? And there's no doubt the DNC is a big money maker for a lot of people here in Denver.

But in this Obama Love Fest, there are also McCain supporters in Denver reminding everyone Obama is not the only game in town.

As I arrived in downtown Denver, a gang of motorcyclists started honking their horns. At first I thought I had cut someone off, but all the commotion had nothing to do with me and everything to do with McCain. These tough-looking guys and gals were holding anti Obama signs that read things like "Nobama" and "Change We Can't Believe In." Not exactly original slogans but they made their point.

That's not the only commotion outside the Pepsi Center. Protestors are having a field day with all eyes on Denver. Several protests are held daily and the subject matter focuses on everything from abortion to Hillary. Some protestors don't even have a reason, they're just here because they can be.

Despite those trying to cause chaos, law enforcement officers appear to be keeping things under control. But they don't get all the credit. I think the relative peace here is a testament to the American political system. We can disagree with each other without resorting to violence. Hopefully, I haven't spoken too soon.