I've watched every day of the DNC so far, practically gavel-to-gavel. And I think several factors are going to come together as real post-convention polling starts rolling in.

I think we're going to get a plus-10 bounce out of this convention.

What do you think?

BARACK Obama has made a surprise appearance at the Democratic national convention hours after Bill and Hillary Clinton had threatened to steal the show on the day he officially made history.

As day three of the convention wrapped up, it was announced that there was a "surprise special guest".  Senator Obama then took the stage to frenzied cheering and applause.

I do think Bill and Hillary almost stole the fucking show. BUT THEN......Obama made his appearance and brought the DNC back to reality. It's HIS party now.

Christopher Hayes at The Nation wrote of attending a roundtable about Hurricane Katrina, sponsored by Oxfam, and wondered why the devastation of New Orleans has not been featured at the DNC.

I ask this because as I sat at a surprisingly interesting Katrina roundtable yesterday, it occurred to me that Katrina has been astoundingly, shockingly absent from the convention. And Sen. Mary Landrieu's comments during the event gave me a bit of a window into why.

There are some items up on News Unfiltered that may interest the community.

President Bill Clinton's speech at the Democratic National Convention:

The following is a transcript of a speech, as prepared for delivery, by Bill Clinton at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, August 27, 2008: I am honored to be here tonight to support Barack Obama. And to warm up the crowd for Joe Biden, though as you'll soon see, he doesn't need any help from me. I love Joe Biden, and America will too.

Read more.

Obama's campaign logos have been accused of being presumptuous. They have been accused of being 'too Pepsi.' If you care about logos, put your mind on this:

Driving home from work today, searching for a live feed from the DNC Convention on the radio, I heard the most incredible, driving, inspired rock and roll.  

Melissa Etheridge performing God Bless America.  Wow!

What a tour de force.  In so many words and notes her endorsement of Barack was as inspiring as any speech.

We are taking back America!  and that means all of the badges of honor, the anthems of freedom, and the pride of our Great Country again can be claimed.

Born in the USA!
Melissa Etheridge at the DNC

Tonight was supposed to be a happy night, but instead as I sat back to watch the C-SPAN coverage of the convention, I couldn’t help but hear my family in the kitchen. They were talking about the election but it was hard to hear over the roar of the television I was listening too. I knew why they were whispering. They didn’t want me to hear.

Wondering why you didn't hear Melissa Etheridge or Brian Schweitzer or Dennis Kucinich if you're watching CNN or MSNBC?

This is a short diary but here's why.

Delegates and party leaders were overwhelmed with emotion even as they steeled themselves for the brutal election season ahead as Hillary Clinton unified the party and affirmed the official nomination of Barack Obama as the Democratic Party's nominee for President of the United States.

"I can't describe it," said Governor Kaine, his face streaming with tears. "It's the greatest thing we've ever worked for.  How do I feel?  I feel like we’ve got 10 weeks of hard, hard work ahead of us and we've just got to bring it home."

Senator Henry Marsh was filled with pride and hope, his face washed in tears. "I'm overjoyed, but not just because Obama is the first African American nominee for president.  If he was white, I'd be just as happy.  I'm happy, because he is the right man for America and for the world at this time.  When America elects Obama president, it will validate the sacrifices of our fathers.  My father worked and died for our family, and he is smiling down, right now.  This isn't over.  The hard work is just beginning."

The prepared remarks of Congressman Tom Udall, candidate for US Senate, to the Democratic National Convention:

How do you hold it together?
I may appear to be a concern troll, but that is far from the truth. I have a lot at stake, as we all do, in this election. I'm on Social Security Disability and the next president is very, very important to me. I'm behind Senator Obama and will do what I can to help him succeed in claiming the Presidency.

"If folks were expecting any drama tonight, they’ll just have to make due with the uplifting kind." Such was the bottom line of David Goldstein's blog for HorsesAss.org, entitled "A Stunning Lack of Disunity." I ran into David here at the Big Tent (the DNC mecca for new media journalists, bloggers, reporters, and non-profit leaders – erected here in Progressive Future's parking lot), and thus launched into a discussion of the disparity between the media's playing up the contention between the Obama and Clinton camps, and the actual on-the-ground unity within the Democratic Party.

Folks may be interested in new data on foreign policy "messaging" and Americans' foreign policy preferences released by the United Nations Foundation and The Better World Campaign (which sponsor UN Dispatch.)  

You can check out the press release for highlights. But more interesting, I think, is this power point slide which goes through some of the key findings.  On the polling side, it is interesting to note that energy security is by far voters' greatest concern, easily trumping terrorism (which used to hold the top spot.) On the "messaging" front I'll just say that "international cooperation" will forever replace "mulitlateralism" in my lexicon.        

Don't miss slide 15.  

Great news. Senate candidate and Saxby slayer Jim Martin is planning to join fellow Democrats at the Obama acceptance speech watch party to be held at Amsterdam Bar and Cafe in Midtown Atlanta. Below the fold is a message from Jim:

I just wanted to share a mildly amusing exchange between T. Boone Pickens and Tom Brokaw at the DNC. First, T. Boone Pickens gave his argument on energy policy.  Brokaw followed up by bringing up Boone Pickens's funding on the swift boat ads against Kerry.

John Dickerson, Slate.com's chief political correspondent, was less than thrilled with Hillary Clinton's DNC speech last night.  

Contrary to the long list of political and media pundits, Dickerson felt she left quite a bit off the plate.  What she served was a 5 course meal minus 4 courses.  

In the end, she may have not given enough reason for her supporters, whether they be delegates, fundraisers, or more to the point, her voters, to get behind Barack Obama in his campaign for the Presidency of the United States of America.  

More after the jump...

I love the convention so far and I've got my msm blinders on so they dont drive me bonkers.  But I hope our speakers dont give them and repugs any ammunition the next 2 nights.  All speakers should clog the narrative in unison and hit McCain on specifics, and lay out the platform in specifics .
In fact MCCAIN IS THE ONE WHO IS NOT READY TO LEAD! why?
McCain has a
1 Bad, Dangerous and unpredictable temper and temperment
2 is a proven Mysoginist, adulterer who has voted wrong repeatedly on issues important to women
3 Keating Five - very dirty history (Also please invoke  his buddy Jack Abrhamoff)
4 Voted and supported an Illegal war in Iraq
5 Is self proclaimed dummy who is weak on economy
6 Overstated his POW experience when he really had a good time in a hotel
7 Is in the pocket of Big Oil
8 Has a history of voting against renewable energy
9 Is far too old for the job and the modern world
10 Doesnt give a damn about diplomacy or the common man

One of the functions of a national convention does for a political party is to give emerging leaders of the party a large stage and a national audience, a place where they can make themselves into a known commodity far outside of their normal constituency.  From underneath this bright spotlight, many have become forces to be reckoned with and some of them have even gone on to win the party's nomination in the next election cycle or two.  In short, conventions can make stars, and last night, Brian Schweitzer's name jumped from the back of the mind of political junkies right into the consciousness of most of the Democratic Party's faithful.  I have a strong feeling that we will be hearing from Mr. Schweitzer again in the future and that he will play a far larger role in national politics.  Given what he did last night and given what he has done in his home state, this cannot be anything but very good news for Democrats everywhere.