• At their convention in Tampa, Republicans hypothesized that President Obama couldn’t run on his record. But run on his record is exactly what he set about doing last week in Charlotte. Democrats made health care reform, the bailout of the auto industry gay marriage, gays serving in the military, student financial aid, the economy, the death of Osama bil Laden and the end of the war in Iraq the centerpieces of their convention. Of course they spun them all, some to the point of making observers dizzy, but they didn’t hide from the Obama record.
• In a speech peppered with good lines, Bill Clinton delivered one of his better ones when he explained his success at producing a balanced budget. “I always give a one-word answer: Arithmetic,” he said. He failed to mention that during the first two years of his presidency his focus was on issues like national health care reform and gays in the military. The national debt grew.
• It was after his party took a beating in the 1994 elections that he began to embrace the concepts of a balanced budget and welfare reform, leading to smaller deficits and eventually a surplus. Part of Clinton’s success can be traced to his ability to gauge the sentiment of voters and shift course accordingly. Perhaps the one-word answer to the balanced budget question ought to be “Newt.”
• Clinton also said that Republican administrations had quadrupled the national debt before he took office and that Republican George W. Bush doubled it after Clinton left office. As incredible as those numbers sound, they’re accurate. The national debt went from roughly $1 trillion when Ronald Reagan took office in 1980 to about $4.5 trillion when Clinton came in in 1992. When Clinton left office the number was $5.6 trillion and it shot to $10.7 trillion during the eight years of the Bush administration.
• Left unsaid is that while it took 16 years for the deficit to grow $6 trillion, from $4 trillion to $10 trillion, it has taken less than four years under Obama for it to grow $6 trillion, from $10 trillion to the present $16 trillion. Clinton made a far better case for himself than he did for the man he was nominating.
• You can add to the list African-American, Asian-American, Hispanic-American and so forth the newly minted LGBT-American, the shorthand for a gay person used by the Democrats.
• For the longest time, Democrats bristled when the health care reform law, the Affordable Care Act, was referred to as Obamacare. At their convention, they formally embraced the term, usually adding words to the effect, “Because Obama cares.”
• Republicans had a field day with the president’s “You’ve got a business, you didn’t build that,” quote. They played it over and over, never including the preceding line which made it clear the president was talking about infrastructure, not the business itself. If they had, they could have argued that businesses do contribute heavily to building and maintaining infrastructure and that the existence of roads, bridges etc. doesn’t equate to success. But that point takes longer to make and lacks the emotional impact, so …
• Did anyone else notice that at the end of his otherwise stirring speech, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida flubbed a key line? He was supposed to say, “We chose more freedom instead of more government,” but he transposed “freedom” and “government.” Oops.
• As near as I could observe, two speakers at the Republican National Convention declined to use the teleprompter. One, Condoleezza Rice, gave perhaps the best speech of the convention. The other, Clint Eastwood, gave decidedly the worst.
• No less astute an observer than Naples’ Chuck Mohlke, a member of the Democratic National Committee, remarked on the eve of the Republican National Convention that the name Isaac means laughter in Hebrew. Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac caused the Republicans to cancel the first day of their convention and remnants of the storm contributed to the unsettled weather that prompted Democrats to move President Obama’s acceptance speech indoors on the last day of theirs. It seems Isaac had a laugh at the expense of both parties.

–Brent Batten, Naples Daily News

Below is a list of speakers set to deliver remarks tonight at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.  This list, released by the DNC, is subject to change.

6:00 PM – 7:00 PM:

Rep. John Lewis (D-GA)

DNC chair/Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL)

Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa

Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) 

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter

7:00 PM – 8:00 PM:

Obama for America campaign manager Jim Messina 

Attorney General of Delaware and Son of VP Bidem, Beau Biden

Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC)

8:00 PM – 9:00 PM:

Caroline Kennedy

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-CA)

Former MI Gov. Jennifer Granholm

MT Gov. Brian Schweitzer

Former FL Gov. Charlie Crist

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA)

9:00 PM – 10:00 PM:

Admiral John B. Nathman

Dr. Jill Biden

Vice President Joe Biden

 10:00 PM – 11:00 PM: 

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)

President Barack Obama

Treasure Coast Newspapers

CHARLOTTE — President Obama and Vice President Biden on Thursday night will accept the Democratic nomination for president and vice president at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Treasure Coast Newspapers

 When Rabbi Jonathan Kendall of Stuart first learned he’d be a delegate at the Democratic National Convention this week, he couldn’t help letting his mind drift back a century.

In June, Kendall’s fellow delegates at the Democratic State Convention in Tampa voted to send him to the DNC. Afterward, Kendall hurried back to Sewall’s Point from Tampa and dove into his research. Something specifically clicked about the date of Obama’s DNC roll call in Charlotte, a vote the rabbi made official Wednesday.

Kendall knew his late grandfather, also a rabbi, nominated Teddy Roosevelt as a delegate 100 years ago at the Bull Moose State Convention in Syracuse, N.Y. Roosevelt, a past president running as a progressive candidate against the two-party system, lost that 1912 bid for the presidency to Democrat Woodrow Wilson.

After shuffling through old files, Kendall was shocked to see how the convention dates lined up. He learned his vote forObama would come exactly 100 years, to the day, after his grandfather vouched for Roosevelt.

“That’s the part that gave me the chills,” said Kendall.

Rabbi I.E. Philo died when Kendall was 2 years old, so it’s tough for the rabbi to conjure up family memories with his grandfather. But Kendall said Philo’s ideals still stick with him.

Born in 1879, Philo took the pulpit as a reform rabbi in Youngstown, Ohio, the same town where Kendall grew up. Philo supported unions, women’s suffrage and teamed with other religious clergy to perform interfaith and interracial marriages. Philo laughed off an offer to become a rabbi in a dusty California desert town — soon to be Los Angeles — and instead stuck with his growing Ohio hometown.

“He was caught up in progressivism, which was before Teddy Roosevelt, but Teddy Roosevelt became its leader,” Kendall said.

Roosevelt, who served as a Republican president from 1901 to 1909, broke from the GOP and ran on the short-lived Bull Moose Party ticket in 1912. Roosevelt created the party to push progressive ideals, like “social insurance” for the elderly, minimum wage for women, eight-hour workdays, workman’s compensation, strengthened campaign finance disclosure requirements and a constitutional amendment proposing a federal income tax.

Supporters gave the party its namesake after Roosevelt was shot before giving a campaign speech in Milwaukee, Wis., and still delivered the speech. His response to a reporter about taking a bullet: “I’m as fit as a bull moose.”

Roosevelt scolded both parties when he severed GOP ties to establish the separate political group.

“The old parties are husks, with no real soul within either, divided on artificial lines, boss-ridden and privilege-controlled, each a jumble of incongruous elements, and neither daring to speak out wisely and fearlessly what should be said on the vital issues of the day,” Roosevelt said.

Roosevelt pulled in 27 percent of the popular vote and 88 electoral votes, besting Republican rival William Howard Taft’s eight. Wilson took advantage of the divided Republican base to seal the win.

Kendall still has his grandfather’s delegate pin from the Syracuse convention. He said he still sees infighting over many of the ideas the Bull Moose Party espoused. He’s also a longtime progressive activist, and remembers seeing Martin Luther King Jr. speak in person.

Kendall, now retired as rabbi emeritus, founded Temple Beit HaYam in Stuart in 1995 and preached there until July 2011. Unlike his grandfather, he did make it to California full time. He filled a rabbi role for 10 years in Santa Barbara before leaving for Florida.

Among the throngs of media on-site, Politico, Huffington Post, Roll Call, NPR and other political outlets at the convention have interviewed Kendall about his story. He’s the lone Martin County delegate in Charlotte, and one of seven delegates and two alternates from the Treasure Coast.

With his vote Wednesday, Kendall said his grandfather’s experience has come full circle.

“It only took a century to close the circle,” Kendall said.

Popular Miami media figure, Cristina Saralegui– often referred to as “the Spanish Oprah”—will address the convention between 9 and 10 p.m.  The Cuban American journalist and Spanish-language talk show endorsed  President Obama back in June.

5-6 p.m:

Call to Order: Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa

Invocation: Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, 10th Episcopal District

Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois

Rep. Diana DeGette of Colorado

John A. Pérez, speaker of the California State Assembly

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino

Rep. Judy Chu of California

Steve Westly, former state controller and CFO of California

Rep. John Larson of Connecticut

Deputy Sheriff Ken Myers, Carroll County, Iowa

6-7 p.m:

Richard Trumka, president, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations

Rep. Steve Israel of New York

Sen. Patty Murray of Washington

Pedro R. Pierluisi, non-voting member of U.S. House, resident commissioner of Puerto Rico

Tom Steyer, co-founder of Advanced Energy Economy

Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York

Rep. Karen Bass of California

Rep. Al Green of Texas

Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II of Missouri

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy

7-8 p.m:

Denise Juneau, superintendent of the Montana Office of Public Instruction

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack

Sen. Barbara Mikulski of Maryland

Education Secretary Arne Duncan

American Voices: Johanny Adames

Former North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt

Harvey B. Gantt, former mayor of Charlotte, N.C.

8-9 p.m:

American Voices: Elizabeth Ann “Libby” Bruce

Cecile Richards, president, Planned Parenthood Federation of America

Rep. Steny Hoyer of Maryland

Rep. Barney Frank of Massachusetts

American Voices: Ed Meagher

Gen. Eric Shinseki

Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper

Sister Simone Campbell, executive director of Roman Catholic Social Justice Organization, NETWORK

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell

9-10 p.m:

Karen Mills

American Voices: Bill Butcher

California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris

Benita Veliz, DREAM Act activist

Cristina Saralegui, journalist, actress and talk show host

Sandra Fluke, attorney and women’s rights activist

Austin Ligon, co-founder and former CEO of CarMax Inc.

An Economy Build to Last video: Auto Industry

American Voices: Karen Eusanio

UAW President Bob King

Randy Johnson, Cindy Hewitt and David Foster: former employees at companies controlled by Romney’s Bain Capital

Rep. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland

10-11 p.m:

Jim Sinegal, co-founder and former CEO of Costco

Elizabeth Warren, candidate for Senate in Massachusetts

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa, chair of the 2012 Democratic National Convention Committee

Former President Bill Clinton

Roll call vote: Alice Germond, secretary of the Democratic National Committee

Benediction: Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple, Los Angeles

Retire Colors

By Melissa E. Holsman and Jonathan Mattise

Treasure Coast Newspapers

Treasure Coast delegates kicked off day one at the Democratic National Convention listening to a few speakers at breakfast, spotting celebrities and hearing First Lady Michelle Obama’s prime time speech.

The Democrats’ big once-every-four-years bash commenced Tuesday with a little Florida influence when U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the Democratic National Committee chairwoman from Weston, called the arena to order. Schultz’s address set the stage for former Florida U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, a video by former President Jimmy Carter, Mrs. Obama and more.

Here are some snippets from Treasure Coast locals’ first day at the DNC.

A FEW STEPS AWAY

Florida’s DNC delegates don’t face the same travel woes their Republican counterparts endured in Tampa.

At the Marriott City Center, Florida Democrats are a five-minute trot from convention festivities. The GOP delegates were stationed 30 miles from downtown Tampa’s convention site last week because Florida broke party rules by moving up its presidential primary to January.

Rudy Howard, 61 of Port St. Lucie, is prepping for tired feet from walking downtown. But he’s not expecting to deal much with buses — which gave Florida Republicans headaches last week when buses went to the wrong site or didn’t show up a few times.

Howard said he went to the delegation breakfast Tuesday, walked to a small business owners council meeting and then strolled to a nearby taping of the Morning Joe Show.

“I can walk to anything,” he said.

Howard said he also ran into former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell and snapped a photo with MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough.

CONVENTION EXCITEMENT

As a first-time Florida delegate, Dylan Veide, a 22-year-old server at Joey’s Cafe in Port St. Lucie, said being at the Democratic National Convention is a chance to make history and “to be here for Obama.”

“I saw the convention in 2008 in Denver and it was electrifying, and I thought to myself that it would be amazing to see, so when the woman who runs the DNC said you have an opportunity to do this, I jumped on it,” he said.

Veide arrived Monday amid showers and thunderstorms, he said.

“There wasn’t much going on last night, but today has been pretty awesome,” he said.

Guest speakers U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, of Virginia and Newark N.J. Mayor Cory Booker impressed the crowd at the Marriott City Center, he said.

“(Booker) really lighted up the crowd and got everyone really excited,” Veide said.

Under partly sunny skies on Tuesday afternoon, Veide said he was struck by the impressive Charlotte Convention Center and anticipated seeing First Lady Michelle Obama.

“They did a good job setting up the stage and the screens are huge,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing. We’re excited to see where we’re going to sit, because Florida is an important state, so hopefully they gave us some good seats.”

MARTIN RABBI IN THE MEDIA

Rabbi Emeritus Jonathan Kendall of Sewall’s Point is already making the media rounds.

The 66-year-old lone delegate from Martin County, said Roll Call, Huffington Post, Politico and NPR already have chatted him up for news stories.

Exactly 100 years ago to the day, the rabbi’s grandfather attended the Bull Moose State Convention in Syracuse, N.Y. That short-lived progressive party nominated Theodore Roosevelt in 1912, and now Kendall is telling both his and his grandfather’s story. Roosevelt came up short in that election after previously holding America’s top office as a Republican.

Kendall also talked with media members about his take on Obama’s work with Israel.

“It’s absolutely one of the most extraordinary events I’ve ever attended, not only because of the energy level, optimism and sense of solidarity, but also because of the people,” Kendall said about the convention.

Treasure Coast Newspapers

With 363 delegates in Charlotte, N.C., this week, officials with the Florida Democratic Party say they sent the largest, most diverse delegation in Florida’s history to choose President Barack Obama as their party’s presidential nominee. Through Thursday, the Florida delegation, including 300 voting members and 23 alternates, will hear from several top party leaders at events scheduled throughout the day and around the city. Wednesday’s highlights include:

Florida Delegation Breakfast Program in the ballroom of the Marriott City Center

The 8 a.m. breakfast meeting features Democratic speakers SEIU Florida 1199 President Monica Russo; Jen O’Malley Dillon; Congresswoman and DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz; Project New Florida President Loranne Ausley; Polling briefing by Dave Beattie, Hamilton Campaigns; state Sen. Chris Smith of Fort Lauderdale; state Rep. Perry Thurston Jr. of Plantation; Mayor of Los Angeles and Democratic National Convention Chairman Antonio Villaraigosa.

Morning Prayer Gathering

Between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. the DNC and DNCC will host a morning prayer gathering at the Charlotte Convention Center.

The Hill’s Daily Review

From 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., members of The Hill’s election team will review the politics and policy in the previous night’s events and speeches, and what to expect on the convention floor that day.

The Vital Role of Women’s Health in Foreign Policy

Join Kathy Calvin, CEO of the United Nations Foundation, Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Action Fund and members of Congress from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. for an interactive luncheon discussion at the Mortimer’s Cafe and Pub in Charlotte.

Hunger Hits Home screening

This movie screening, at Mez & EpiCentre Theater from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., in Charlottee, examines the causes, complications and misconceptions about childhood hunger in the U.S., as well as some of the innovative solutions being put into practice today.

Convention proceedings

The Democratic National Convention begins at 4 p.m., at the Charlotte Convention Center with speakers and times to be announced.

Palm Beach Post

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Former Republican Florida Gov. Charlie Crist’s speech at this week’s Democratic convention is a trophy for national Democrats, who say Crist’s appearance shows the GOP has been hijacked by conservatives who won’t allow bipartisan compromise.

Among Florida Democrats, however, Crist’s speech isn’t viewed as simply a one-time convention event but as the potential beginning of a two-year quest for the 2014 Democratic nomination for governor.

He is scheduled to speak Thursday night before President Barack Obama accepts the nomination inside the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Even before Crist’s Aug. 26 endorsement of President Obama and the subsequent announcement of his Democratic convention gig, there was widespread speculation in Florida political circles that the Republican-turned-independent Crist might be positioning himself for a Democratic gubernatorial bid.

“It’s OK with me” that Crist is speaking at the convention, said Bunny Steinman, the president of the Democratic Club of Greater Boynton and a convention delegate.

But if Crist decides to run for governor as a Democrat, Steinman said, “Let him first prove himself as a Democrat. I don’t known if I’d call this a first step. It’s a baby step. He’s got to make some big steps to prove he’s a Democrat…. Let’s see if he’s out there supporting all our Democratic candidates.”

Palm Beach County Democratic Chairman Mark Alan Siegel said Crist’s endorsement of Obama is “one of the minimal things you have to do to run for governor.”

But, Siegel added, “there’s a lot more he has to do to convince people… Being a Democrat is more than just switching uniforms.”

Crist didn’t respond to requests for comment for this story, but told MSNBC’s Chris Matthews last week that he isn’t planning to run for his old job with a new partisan label.

“I don’t think so,” Crist said when Matthews asked about him challenging Republican Gov. Rick Scott in two years. “I’m enjoying the private sector very much.”

That didn’t slow down the rumor mill.

Democrat Alex Sink, the former Florida chief financial officer, lost the 2010 governor’s race to Scott and has not ruled out running again in 2014.

If Crist ends up running for governor as a Democrat, Sink said, voters will be skeptical.

“I served with Charlie Crist in Tallahassee for four years and heard him say many times what a conservative Republican he is, so he’ll have a lot of explaining to do,” Sink said.

Florida delegate Dylan Veide, 22, a server at Joey’s Cafe in Port St. Lucie who is in Charlotte for his first Democratic national convention, said he’ll be happy to see Crist up on stage Thursday night.

“The Democratic party is a big party and they have a lot of constituencies … Gov. Crist, if he wants to become a Democrat, I would welcome his voice,” he said. “There’s always room for different voices in the Democratic Party.”

Crist was an elected Republican state Senator, education commissioner, attorney general and governor. He was mentioned as a potential running mate to Republican presidential nominee John McCain in 2008 and campaigned for the GOP ticket against Obama that year.

In 2009, Crist launched a campaign for the GOP’s 2010 nomination for U.S. Senate and ran as a conservative Republican. But Crist’s embrace of President Obama’s stimulus plan during a visit by the president to Fort Myers undermined his candidacy with Republican primary voters.

Marco Rubio overtook Crist in GOP polls, and Crist dropped out of the Republican Party to run for Senate as a no-party candidate. He lost to Rubio, but got more votes than Democratic nominee Kendrick Meek.

Crist’s rejection by the GOP serves as a powerful illustration, says Obama campaign spokesman Ben LaBolt.

“I think Gov. Crist’s speaking at this convention speaks to the fact that the Republican Party has drifted significantly to the right over the course of the past few years,” LaBolt said Monday.

“You saw Sen. (Mitch) McConnell say at the beginning of the administration that his top priority wasn’t working with the president to advance economic progress, it was to defeat the president. And I think Gov. Crist is somebody who is willing to reach out across the aisle to focus on restoring economic security for the middle class, which he sees as the key issue in the state of Florida.”

Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers writer Melissa Holsman contributed to this report.

Former FL Gov. Charlie Crist will address the Democratic National Convention Thursday night before President Obama accepts the nomination inside the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.  While Crist’s address is one of the most anticipated speeches of the Democrat’s confab, not everyone is excited about the national and statewide exposure the former Republican will be getting.

“This is a decision of the DNC,” state Sen. Nan Rich, a Weston Democrat who’s running for governor in 2014, told the Miami Herald. “I would have made a different decision.”

Former U.S. Rep. Robert Wexler, who represented a Palm Beach-Broward congressional district for 13 years, will speak tonight between 7:30 p.m.  and 8 p.m.  Also on tap for today: DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who will play a prominent role in this week’s festivities, will call the convention to order today at 5 p.m.

Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is expected to keep a low-profile this week, staying in Charlotte just for today. Former gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink and the state’s six Democratic members of the U.S. House — Corrine Brown, Kathy Castor, Ted Deutch, Alcee Hastings, Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Frederica Wilson—will lead the delegation in Nelson’s absence.

6:00 p.m:

Representative Barbara Lee, D-Calif.

Lieutenant General Claudia Kennedy

Mayor of Newark, New Jersey Cory Booker

North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue

International President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Mary Kay Henry

Ryan Case, American Voices

Representative Charles Gonzalez. D-Texas

Representative Nydia M. Velázquez, D-N.Y.

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn

Cincinnati, Ohio Firefighter Doug Stern

Candidate for the US Senate and Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine

7:00 p.m:

Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina Anthony Foxx

Democratic Majority Leader Senator Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Ken Salazar

Candidate for the US House of Representatives, Massachusetts Joe Kennedy III

Former Representative Robert Wexler, D-Fla.

 8:00 p.m:

Mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota R.T. Rybak

Representative Jared Polis, D-Colo.

President of the National Abortion Rights Action League – Pro-Choice America (NARAL)  Nancy Keenan

Nate Davis, American Voices

Candidate for the US House of Representatives, Illinois Tammy Duckworth

Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee

Representative James E. Clyburn, D-S.C.

Stacey Lihn, American Voices

Representative Xavier Becerra, D-Calif.

9:00 p.m:

Former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius

Mayor of Chicago, Illinois Rahm Emanuel

Actor/Producer Kal Penn

Brother of Mrs. Obama and Sister of President Obama Craig Robinson and Maya Soetoro-ng

Women’s equality leader and namesake of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act Lilly Ledbetter

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick

10:00 p.m:

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley

Candidate for the US House of Representatives, Texas Joaquin Castro

Mayor of San Antonio, Texas Julián Castro

First Lady Michelle Obama