If you think that’s something, wait until you read some of Spengler’s description of the atmosphere at Invesco Field on the night of Obama’s Greco-Roman Oration. Rush says that what Spengler has written confirms what an unnamed friend of his relayed to him from another final-night attendee:

Senator Barack Obama’s acceptance speech last week seemed vastly different from the stands of this city’s Invesco Stadium than it did to the 40 million who saw it on television. Melancholy hung like thick smog over the reserved seats where I sat with Democratic Party staffers. The crowd, of course, cheered mechanically at the tag lines, flourished placards, and even rose for the obligatory wave around the stadium. But its mood was sour. The air carried the acrid smell of defeat, and the crowd took shallow breaths. Even the appearance of R&B great Stevie Wonder failed to get the blood pumping.

Again, I apologize for the language, but: Bullshit. How do I know? Well, the mood of a room is clear to see for any of the millions of people who watched on air or you can look for yourself right here. But furthermore I can personally say that this is crap for one simple reason: I was there.

There was no sour mood. There was no “mechanical” cheering. There was heartfelt emotion from the very top of the stadium up in the nosebleed section right down to the delegates on the floor. I saw old ladies cry in joy. I bonded with folks right next to me who had nothing in common with me rather than a desire to right our country. I saw “the wave” spontaneously start, then roll around the stadium on all three levels because people were so giddy with excitement.

And I felt the floor of the cavernous stadium literally rock when speakers like Vice President Gore, Governor Richardson and especially Sen. Obama came out on the stage. I heard people squeal with joy and saw a crowd of people rush to the railing when Michelle Obama walked from the ABC tent to the CBS tent to be interviewed.

The mood was the opposite of sour. The mood was electric, like nothing I have ever seen in my thirty years.

If you’ve ever wondered what is one of the things that drives people like me to despise conservatism and its practitioners so much, it is stories like this that they try to circulate. It isn’t an opinion piece, trying to say what they didn’t like about the event. It is opinion masquerading as fact, attempting to replace actual history with made up right-wing fantasy. It is a tactic they use on a small scale and on the largest stories of all, about this nation’s history and beyond. They make up and shovel along swill like this as easy as the rest of normal Americans breathe.

They are trying to pass off what by the accounts of the thousands of people in attendance was a joyous event into the sort of cynical showpiece conservatives find so central to their phony patriotism.

When I was walking out of the stadium on the way to the shuttle bus that would take me back to the hotel, thousands of people were still streaming out of the stadium from the upper level. Spontaneously people began.

“O-BAMA! O-BAMA! O-BAMA!”

It was thunderously loud, the event had ended, the fireworks were gone, and the VIPs had long since left the venue. Yet, here normal everyday Americans were, excited about the possibility of a new more idealistic day for their country.

So Newsbusters, Rush Limbaugh, and the rest of the right can take their made-up stories and take a long walk off of a short pier. We’ll all be better of for it.

(Oh, and people were out of their seats and rocking for Stevie Wonder)

The Democratic convention was a unique event in the way in which it continually rejected the storyline the mainstream media was determined to push. We live in a far different media environment than past elections, particularly on the liberal side. The Obama campaign has come along at a fortuitous time, recognizing that Democrats lose when they try to curry favor with the mainstream press. What exists now is a party that has alternative media to get reality out beyond the filter. Why let Fox News hold you over a barrell when you can embed bloggers or create the media for yourself, publish it online and blast it out to your supporters to pass along?

The early storyline from the fading media was about unity. Would the Clintons be pleased, would they embrace the Obama candidacy? Then the press wondered if Michelle Obama would be too “angry” for mainstream America. The most ridiculous attack was an echo of the McCain campaign’s flailing versus Senator Obama – the elitist nonsense. They attacked the stage design, even though it was as traditional American as you get. They tried and tried to make the Democratic convention something it wasn’t.

The Clintons both gave rousing speeches, unambiguous expressions of support for Sen. Obama. How stupid do you have to be to underestimate Bill Clinton’s skill at speechmaking? Quite stupid. And for Michelle Obama, her speech continued to dissolve the GOP/MSM spin against her. She came across as a likeable affable wife and mother and sister. It continues a racial pattern that has been used against the Obamas for eighteen plus months now: The desire to paint this family as something different, something “other”, to sow the seeds of doubt that it is impossible that the first major party candidate who is black could be just like you. But that’s just it: The Obamas are just like the rest of us. And they found the best way to cast aside the caricature the Republican noise machine has invested so much in creating: they spoke.

Most of all, that’s what Joe Biden and Sen. Obama did. People who are paying attention are realizing that Sen. Obama is the real deal. I hope the mainstream press and the Republicans continue to talk him down. Before the speech, we were told that it would be a speech that sailed over the heads of people, given by the aloof law professor who couldn’t possibly speak to the average American.

Except of course that Sen. Obama is a creature of the middle class in a similar way to President Clinton, and not of the elitist class like President Bush and Sen. McCain. As his speech – seen by over 38 million in real time, plus more in repeats and by over 68,000 mostly swing-state voters in person – made clear, Barack Obama is more than ready and able to communicate concrete solutions to the American people. The McCain campaign has repeatedly tried to tell us that Obama’s communication skills are no more than mere celebrity, but as history has shown us – especially the last eight years – we need an American president who can speak about issues more complex than basic sloganeering. It’s a complex world that we live in and we don’t need more of the same stupidity and irresponsibility in the highest job in the nation.

Obama and Biden refined the “change” message at the convention, now describing it as “the change we need”, bringing a sense of urgency to the ideals that the Democratic party stands behind. We no longer live in a world where the GOP’s spinners who write the mainstream media’s storylines get to define the box in which liberals operate. Obama has been able to bypass the filter right to the Democratic nomination, and he and Joe Biden now have the momentum and backing to continue the journey right to the top.

UPDATE: I’ll be traveling tomorrow, more gushing from me when I get home.

UPDATE 2: Before I go to bed, I’ll say this: Our next president spoke tonight.

Lincoln Memorial

Jefferson Memorial

The National Archives (Home of the US Constitution and Declaration Of Independence)

I tell you, anyone who ever uses Greek style columns clearly hates America. This election is about the people versus the powerful… media.

Video:

So, leave it to me to find the really nice seats they’ve set aside for bloggers on the last day we’re going to be inside here. Anyhow, I’m on the mid-level, which is the same level NBC, Fox, CNN and AP have their pavilions. Oh, and Al Jazeera. Which is right above where they’ve put us bloggers. Which says… something. I dunno what.

I should note for the record that at the pledge of allegiance, Bill Hemmer and Megyn Kelly of Fox News didn’t stand.

Highlight of Wednesday so far for me is watching Richard Dreyfuss be interviewed by Norah O’Donnell on MSNBC

MSNBC In The House? Ok.

This will be my vantage point for tonight’s events:

* Almost every speech last night made a distinction between McCain as “more of the same” and Obama/Biden as “the change we need”. Democrats, on message. Imagine.

* I really like the effect of using signs that look like the state signs to emphasize the speaker on stage. The first night it was “Michelle”, the next were “Hillary” and “Obama” along with “Unity” on the other side of each.

We’re in that phase again, some liberals and Dems panic because they look at the polls or what Chris Matthews is talking about at the moment, and fail to see that the plan is in place. The Obama camp is clearly running a campaign targeted at winning states and not one at pleasing pundits.

Pundits don’t elect presidents.

ALSO: I’m sure the MSM will still find the random crazy disgruntled PUMA or whatever to talk about how they’re voting for McCain or whatever.

He reminds me of John Madden, a former expert who has been passed by by the game. The major difference is he does not have the good feelings left over by the Madden Cruiser, Turducken, or the Bam! Pow! Telestrator.

CBS4 has now learned at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges.

CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass reported one of the suspects told authorities they were “going to shoot Obama from a high vantage point using a … rifle … sighted at 750 yards.”

Law enforcement sources tell Maass that one of the suspects “was directly asked if they had come to Denver to kill Obama. He responded in the affirmative.”

The story began emerging Sunday morning when Aurora police arrested 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell. He was driving a rented pickup truck in an erratic manner according to sources.

I saw Bob Schieffer walking through the hallways with an entourage as if he were relevant, as well as Jeff Greenfield talking to someone in the hallway like he knows what he’s talking about. I’m writing this from Nerd Central The Blogger Lounge, which is a row of wired up desks and some couches with way too bright lights. It is sort of a weird way to experience the convention, not quite as fake as tv, but not quite real enough to compete with reality. We’ll see how it goes.

I know some hate when I make these kinds of observations, but Fox News’ Megyn Kelly proved that in person, not everything is bad about Fox. On to the photographic nonsense (including the most ridiculous picture of Anderson Cooper ever):The religious far right continues to preach their message of love and inclusion

This gentleman’s club demonstrates the mastery of targeted advertising

The convention center has a giant bear looking inside. I don’t know why. But he could probably give Mothra a fight.

In this picture are more minorities than you will find at the RNC convention, besides the ones they bus in for t.v. And Michael Steele.

Hello, Megyn Kelly!

Hello again, Megyn Kelly!

THIS PODIUM GOES TO ELEVEN

Megyn Kelly found something funny. It must be funny.

THEY CALL HER PELOSI, DESTROYER OF WORLDS!!

You cannot stop Wolf Blitzer. You can only hope to contain him. Barely.

Does James Carville love Tim Kaine or Tim Kaine’s eyebrow? Yes. Yes.

How many Democrats does it take to nominate a president? This many.

CNN’s John King brought his stupid digital blackboard with him. Great.

David Gregory is Blue Steel

This stage will eat your DREAMS.

Congratulations, Oliver, you have taken the Dumbest Picture Of Anderson Cooper EVER.

Tim Kaine isn’t actually looking at me. I hope.

This is the back of Ed Rendell’s head.

No seriously, this stage is scaring me, I need something to make me feel better…

Needs more Megyn Kelly.

I’ll be on a Media Matters panel in The Big Tent at 2pm Denver time

In the future can we hold the convention in October? It’s way too hot.

Probably. So far in their coverage you would think that the entire affair consists of protesters and disgruntled Clinton supporters. I saw a panel with Bill Kristol and Charles Krauthammer with Brit Hume moderating. They all decided that Joe Biden was a bad pick. Shocker. Fair and balanced marches on, but not in a vacuum.