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You are here: Home / Archives for 2008 Democratic Convention

Missouri teens brought youth to Democratic convention

September 1, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Rex Ryan and Brett Carmichal Two Missouri teen-agers, starting their college careers this year, already have had a great start to their education. The two have served as delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

Both were elected delegates as high school seniors. 18-year-old Rex Ryan graduated from Wellington High School and enrolled as a freshman at William Jewell College in Liberty today. Ryan says there’s a simple reason for his involvement with the Democratic Party so early. He says he wants to make politics his career and this is "an awesome time to start."

Ryan says the week in Denver at the Democratic National Convention was incredible and reaffirmed to him that the Democratic Party is where he belongs.

19-year-old Brett Carmical graduated from Brookfield High School and got special permission from Truman State University professors in Kirksville to skip his first week of school to attend the convention.

Carmical says it isn’t all that hard to get young people involved in politics.

"I lot of times, it just takes an introduction," he says.

Carmical was a strong Hillary Clinton delegate, disappointed that Barack Obama won the nomination. He says the convention helped heal wounds from the tough presidential primary battle.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Democratic Party

Missouri delegates leave Denver with history lesson in mind

August 29, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

The Missouri delegation has left the Democratic National Convention in Denver to return home to the real work of the campaign. Missouri sent about 350 people to the convention which concluded last night with the acceptance speech of Barack Obama, delivered before 85,000 people at the Broncos’ stadium, across the street from the convention center.

Delegates return inspired by speech after speech at the convention, charged up for the remaining weeks of this election season. They also have heard a combination rally cry and history lesson from the dean of the Missouri Congressional delegation, Ike Skelton of West-Central Missouri.

Skelton has reminded delegates that conventions are a milestone in the history books and that they have participated in an important historic event. Skelton is confident that Barack Obama and Joe Biden can win in November, but he warns delegates the critics are out there, saying it cannot be done. Skelton urges delegates to work hard to prove the critics wrong.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Democratic Party, Ike Skelton

Missouri’s black Congressmen take pride in Obama nomination

August 29, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

The Democratic National Convention in Denver has ended on an historic note, nominating Barack Obama as the Democratic presidential nominee, the first African American to lead the presidential ticket of a major political party. The significance of the evening isn’t lost on Missouri’s two black Congressmen.

Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver says the nomination of Obama to head the presidential ticket for the Democratic Party is no small step. Cleaver says it’s an amazing story that a race brought to America by slavery is on the brink of having one of its own elected president of the United States.

St. Louis Congressman William Lacy Clay says the nomination strikes a cord. Clay says he feels so proud of what African Americans have accomplished, but also what the country and state have accomplished.

Both Clay and Cleaver say the significance of the nomination, the culmination of the Democratic National Convention will not insure victory in November. Cleaver sees a tough political battle ahead and predicts it will be difficult for Obama to win Missouri..

Still, the two Missouri Congressmen say nothing can undermine the significance of a black politician climbing all the way to the top rung on the ladder. 

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Democratic Party

Rolla men become hit of DNC as "Rednecks for Obama"

August 28, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Rednecks for Obama The hit of the Democratic National Convention this week hasn’t appeared on stage and it’s not even an official part of the proceedings. The hit of the convention is a pair of men from Rolla who have begun the grassroots effort, "Rednecks for Obama".

As Tony Viessman explains, the two plucked the name out of a page of Missouri political history, from a gubernatorial primary debate in which the candidate from St. Louis called the late Governor Mel Carnahan, "That redneck from Rolla".  Viessman says the good ole boys from Rolla took offense, but decided to turn an insult into something positive and "Rednecks for Obama" was born.

The two have conducted more interviews than they can remember; print, radio, and TV. They have been the subject of much blogging. The foreign press at the DNC seems fascinated by them, though Viessman says they usually aren’t familiar with the term redneck and the two have to explain it to them.

And, then, there are the doubters, the professional press skeptics. Les Spencer says they handle them as well, answering questions to prove they are, indeed, rednecks. All in all, he’s enjoyed all the attention, no matter what the reaction.

Spencer and Viessman had 300 bumper stickers and 50 T-shirts made at first. They’re gone. More are on the way. The two have actually met Barack Obama. During Obama’s swing through rural Missouri, they held up signs in Rolla and wore their "Rednecks for Obama" T-shirts. After Obama heard the explanation behind the group, he met with them at Union.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Democratic Party

Obama nominated with strong support from Missouri

August 28, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Democrats in Denver made history last night, naming the first African-American to head a major political party presidential ticket. A roll call at the Democratic National Convention ended when rival Hillary Clinton asked to suspend the vote and declare Obama the nominee by acclamation. Missouri voted 82-to-6 for Obama prior to Clinton’s request.

Missouri had been nearly evenly split between the two. Obama narrowly won the presidential primary in February and had to settle with a 36-36 split of delegates. The remaining 16 Super Delegates leaned toward Obama. Clinton delegates heeded the call for unity made by party officials and confirmed by Clinton herself in an address to the convention. Missouri delegates held a meeting Wednesday morning after the delegation breakfast to discuss what to do. Many members called for a sign of unity and urged colleagues to cast their vote for Obama. Clinton met with her delegates at the convention center in the early afternoon and officially released them.

The Obama campaign whip in Missouri, Brian Wahby of St. Louis, says the state vote sent a strong message that Missouri Democrats are unified behind Obama’s campaign.

And Wahby believes those Clinton supporters who have switched to Obama are ready to fully support his candidacy by working for his campaign upon their return from the convention.

In Obama’s camp from the beginning is first-time convention delegate Robin LaBrunerie of Columbia, who so anticipated the vote for Obama, everything seemed to have more meaning, including the daily Pledge of Allegiance at the breakfast Wednesday. LaBrunerie is a true believer.  She says Obama has the ability to bring diverse people together, something she sees as sorely needed in today’s politics.

Tonight, Obama takes the stage, across the way in the Broncos stadium rather than the Nuggets arena, to accept his party’s nomination. He will make his case for the presidency just prior to the Republican National Convention in the Twin Cities next week. 

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Democratic Party

Missouri Hillary camp appears ready to switch in Denver

August 27, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Former Governor Holden and Missouri delegates Voting is underway at the Democratic National Convention as delegates choose the party’s presidential nominee. It will be Barack Obama, but uncertain is how Hillary Clinton supporters choose to express themselves.

Missouri delegates have heard from the Missouri Whip for Hillary Clinton, Peggy Cochran of the Lake of the Ozarks, who says she made a very emotional decision when she decided to vote for Barack Obama. Members of the Missouri delegation for Clinton met shortly after the breakfast and discussed their options. Many of those pledged to Clinton urged fellow Clinton delegates to vote for Obama and close ranks in the party, stressing that unity will be necessary to defeat Republican John McCain in November.

Though Obama won the state’s presidential primary, the margin was so close the delegates split 36-36.

The chairman of the Clinton campaign in Missouri is Representative Rachel Storch of St. Louis. Storch says she will vote for Obama as the nominee and will vote for him in November and do everything in between to make sure he gets elected president.

The roll call vote comes tonight. It is not known yet what form it will take.

Also tonight, Vice Presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden of Delaware speaks. Senator Claire McCaskill says a lot went into Barack Obama’s choice of Biden, but perhaps the biggest factor was that Obama got to see Biden campaign during the primary season.

Biden gets a ringing endorsement from West-Central Missouri Congressman Ike Skelton who has been friends with Biden since the Delaware senator campaigned for him in 1976.

Skelton is chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Biden is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Claire McCaskill, Democratic Party, Ike Skelton, Lake of the Ozarks

Missouri Obama supporters reach out to Clinton backers

August 27, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Once a harsh critic, Hillary Clinton has come out in support of Barack Obama for the Democratic presidential nominee in a speech before the Democratic National Convention that had the convention center roaring as she left the stage.

Now, the real work of unification begins.

Missouri has two high profile women politicians who came out early for Obama. Senator Claire McCaskill understands that some Clinton supporters wanted their candidate as the vice presidential nominee. McCaskill says that, in the end, those who supported Hillary Clinton will find much to like in Barack Obama. She predicts a "remarkable coming together" by the end of the convention.

State Auditor Susan Montee has been campaigning for Obama for a year. She believes the dissension between the Obama and Clinton camps has been overblown, largely a creation of the news media eager for a good storyline this week. Montee says Obama supporters, especially the women who came out for his campaign, have reached out to Clinton supporters…stressing the issues Clinton campaigned on.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Claire McCaskill, Democratic Party

Tonight seen as crucial for Democrat unity

August 26, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Democrats expect 2008 to be their year. Some believe it could be a really big year for the party. Tonight, the party confronts an internal squabble that threatens such a rosy outlook.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton speaks at the Democratic National Convention tonight. She is said to be learning toward releasing her delegates tomorrow afternoon, clearing the way for a solid vote to nominate Illinois Senator Barack Obama as the Democratic nominee for president.

Missouri, once again, reflects the national trend. Obama edged Clinton in the February presidential primary. The assigned delegates split evenly, 36-36. Missouri has 16 so-called Super Delegates, many of whom have come out in favor of Obama. State Democratic Party Chairman John Temporiti stayed neutral throughout to ensure a fair process, which he believes even those passionately behind Hillary Clinton’s campaign understood. Temporiti fielded calls by Obama, Hillary Clinton and former president Bill Clinton leading up to the Missouri primary.

Temporiti says it might take time for Clinton supporters to put the hard fought primary race behind them, but he expects both the state and national parties to return home from the convention unified.

The whip for the Hillary Clinton campaign in Missouri is Peggy Cochran of Lake of the Ozarks who tells Missouri delegates while the two candidates present different personalities, they share the same stance on issues. Cochran met with other Clinton supporters Monday afternoon. Cochran says Democrats cannot afford to not be unified after this convention.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Democratic Party, Lake of the Ozarks

McCaskill gets high profile speech, Michelle Obama seeks to connect

August 26, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

The reviews are in and they’re good. Of course, they’re also biased.

Missouri delegates to the Democratic National Convention in Denver were thrilled that Senator Claire McCaskill got some prime time exposure, delivering the address prior to a speech by Michelle Obama to the convention.

McCaskill wasted little time in extolling the virtues of her state. She wove a comparison of her family’s story into the story of Barack and Michelle Obama. McCaskill told the crowd that Barack and Michelle Obama have an understanding of the American dream, because they have lived it. She stated that the Bush years have nearly destroyed that dream and that Obama could restore it.

After McCaskill, Michelle Obama took the stage and delivered a speech many regard as important to dispel a negative image of Barack Obama’s wife.

Former Senator Jean Carnahan says such steps are necessary at times. Carnahan says all candidates stumble during campaigns and must pick themselves back up and move on. Carnahan believes some of Michelle Obama’s statements have been taken out of context and that the country hasn’t gotten to know the wife of Barack Obama. She says the speech was a good beginning.

State Democratic Committee Vice Chairman Yolanda Wheat was impressed. Wheat dismisses suggestions that Michelle Obama has a negative image, saying that largely is a media creation.

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (2 min MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Claire McCaskill, Democratic Party

McCaskill criticizes Bush, promotes Obama in convention speech

August 26, 2008 By admin Leave a Comment

Senator McCaskill compared the stories of Barack and Michelle Obama to her own and all who believe that in America anyone can accomplish anything during his speech to the Democratic National Convention Monday night.

McCaskill spoke just prior to Michelle Obama. McCaskill, only two years into her Senate term, has had a lightning rise within in the party ranks, based in large part on her early support of Obama’s campaign.

McCaskill invoked Missouri early in the speech, painting it as a state with a nice view of America; one that isn’t red or blue, but independent just like its only president, Harry Truman. McCaskill told delegates that Barack Obama knows what unites the American people and will foster it. She harshly criticized the Bush Administration, claiming they had left the American dream in jeopardy.

“For eight years we have watched our government take care of the few, the powerful, and the extremely wealthy,” McCaskill told the convention, “We have seen our Dream put at risk by George Bush’s Washington. John McCain is running for four more years of the same old politics and exact same failed policies that we had under George Bush.”

Barack Obama, according to McCaskill, will change the status quo and reinvigorate the American dream.

“I have seen Barack Obama bring people together–Democrats, Republicans and Independents; young and old – he makes us believe, once more, in the very best of America,” McCaskill told the crowd, “Barack Obama is going to be one great President; a great President for one great nation – One Nation, Under God, with Liberty and Justice for all.”

Download/listen Brent Martin reports (:60 MP3)

Filed Under: Politics / Govt Tagged With: 2008 Democratic Convention, Claire McCaskill, Democratic Party

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