Here are a few snapshots I took from the stands during tonight's event at Invesco:

Here at Invesco Field, the reaction to Barack Obama's presidential nomination acceptance speech was positive but not overwhelming. "Too stumpy," was the reaction from several in attendance, including supporters and the media. The "stumpy" tag is a reference to Obama's stump speech that he gives at regular campaign stops.

However, several moments generated not just loud applause but visible emotional reactions from those around me in the stands. The moments that stood out: Obama's line about McCain being willing to chase Osama bin Laden "to the gates of hell," but being unwilling to "chase him to the cave," where he hides. The crowd also took particular fondness near the end of Obama's speech when he made a direct challenge to McCain to debate the issues.

Overall, I thought it was a very good speech, though not his best rhetorically. But that's the trade off, because Obama clearly chose to aim more for substance than lofty words in his address. It's also a great barometer of just how high the expectations are now for when Obama speaks. His speech was better than any at the convention, with the exception of maybe Bill Clinton's. But when Obama is now considered the best speaker in American politics, anything less than sublime perfection will be seen as simply adequate. But for those who haven't heard him speak much, I'm guessing the speech will have a deep resonance.

I'm headed over to Invesco Field to watch Barack Obama's acceptance speech. There is no guarantee of an internet connection, unfortunately. Will post regularly if there is, if not, please check out my Twitter feed here, which will be updated throughout the evening.

A new poll over at Daily Kos shows that their readers are watching C-SPAN more than any other television network for their coverage of the Democratic convention. The increasingly liberally focused MSNBC comes in a close second. I'd take that to mean progressive bloggers are going to C-SPAN to be informed and MSNBC to be entertained. Not a bad combination.

I think the shelf life on the term "traditional media" is about to expire. When newspaper and television reporters blog and bloggers are going on TV and writing newspaper columns, I think it's more accurate to simply make a distinction between the "professional" and the "independent" media. There might be better terms of distinction, but the point remains the same.

To that end, here's a link to my article for CQ Politics on how bloggers have gone from being fringe to actually having more access than their traditional media counterparts at the Democratic National Convention.

DNC Chairman Howard Dean held a barbecue lunch for the more than 120 bloggers who are credentialed for this year's Democratic National Convention. He began his remarks by telling the bloggers, "I know this will break your heart, but you have better credentials than the mainstream media does."

And that's very true. Most reporters have a "perimeter pass," which grants them entry to the convention area, but not to the Pepsi Center convention hall itself. A select few have hall and floor passes, granting them greater access. But all credentialed bloggers have at least a hall pass and very few restrictions on their activities. Dean also noted that there twice as many bloggers here in Denver then there were in Boston back in 2004.

After his remarks, Dean grabbed some BBQ and sat down, asking any interested bloggers to join the "scrum." Several did, chatting with Dean for about an hour before he jumped into his hybrid SUV and returned to the Pepsi Center for another event.



HorsesAss scribe David Goldstein of Seattle told me, "In 2004, the state party wouldn't even return my calls. ... They've shown us a lot of faith and innovation to be letting us do what we're doing."

Square State's Aaron Silverstein (who blogs from Colorado) added: [blogging] Widens the participation. It lowers the barrier to entry so we don't have to worry about one person's bias serving as a gatekeeper."

Despite that tough 2004 caucus loss, Howard Dean obviously still loves corn. Here he is today at a blogger bbq luncheon, with two pieces! And he made a reference to his '04 "scream" moment, telling attendees in a deadpan voice:

"We're going to win in South Carolina and Michigan. We're going to take this all the way to Washington DC. Woo."

Tonight, the Republican National Committee hosted its "Happy Hour for Hillary" at the Paramount Cafe in downtown Denver. The joke amongst fellow journalists today was that it would be 50 of us standing around the one Hillary supporter who showed up to consider voting for John McCain.

Instead, I was surprised to find the actual ratio to be quite different. Though the party was largely filled with McCain supporters, there were several undecided Democrats in attendance. Here are a few snapshots from the scene. A Clinton supporter being interviewed by CNN's ace reporter Ed Hornick:


Some McCain volunteers doing their best to sway the undecided Democrats:

It was a full house over at the Huffington Post Oasis today. No more so than in the blogger space. Though as Markos Moulitsas noted today:

If I were a writer for the Daily Show, I'm sure I could uncover the subtle comedic message of their correspondents standing underneath this one way sign:

Ted Kennedy just finished speaking at the convention. It may not have been the best or most impassioned speech of his career, but it provided the perfect launch to a week focused on Barack Obama, who has promised to move the nation beyond the current climate of partisanship.

While many conservatives have fairly opposed Kennedy's policies and personal behavior over the years, only the most shallow will find humor or reason for personal criticism tonight. Those voices are indeed out there tonight, but they do not merit linkage. Kennedy's actual words may have focused on universal healthcare and the other issues he cares deeply about, but the underlying message is that personal conviction overrides ideology and that message was clear on the faces of those in attendance tonight. In many ways, Ted Kennedy is to the Democrats what Ronald Reagan is to Republicans. His appearance went a long ways towards insuring a legacy of dignity and respect that should outshine whatever bumps in the road he passed along the way.

The Nation's Ari Melber has a response from Hillary Clinton to the news I posted earlier that the Republican National Committee is hosting a "happy hour for Hillary" in Denver tonight, in an attempt to woo moderate Democrats over to John McCain. Protestors aside, it's a bit of a stretch to think that anyone putting forth all the effort to attend the DNC could be swayed to support the other side for a few free drinks. From the statement:

"This party won't exactly make it onto the list of recommended events for Hillary Clinton's supporters," Mo Elleithee told The Nation on Monday afternoon. "Senator Clinton supports Senator Obama and is urging all of her supporters to do the same," she added.

Yeah, no joke. The Republican National Committee is here in Denver, site of the Democratic National Convention. And as part of their ongoing effort to court Hillary Clinton supporters, they will be throwing a happy hour this evening in her honor. From the press release:

***MEDIA ADVISORY***
RNC HOSTS HAPPY HOUR FOR HILLARY IN DENVER


DENVER - As the Democratic National Convention kicks off in Denver, Colo., the Republican National Committee (RNC) will host a Happy Hour for Hillary today. From Republicans to independents to open-minded Democrats, John McCain is gathering support from voters nationwide who believe that he is the most qualified candidate to lead our country as Commander in Chief.

Wandering around the Pepsi Center, I found some memorabilia stands that are not yet open to the public. There were various bumper stickers, "Democrats are hot! Have you ever heard of a hot piece of elephant?" But most conspicuous were the various campaign buttons for sale. There were a few Barack Obama buttons and one Michelle Obama button, but the rest all made use of Hillary Clinton's image. Also absent, any buttons or memorabilia featuring Joe Biden:

The state delegations at this year's Democratic National Convention are participating in something called the "Green Delegate Challenge." From the DNC website, we find this explainer:

As part of the challenge, delegations with the highest percentage of members offsetting their carbon will be recognized in their seating section on the floor of the Pepsi Center during the Convention. Each delegate, alternate and super delegate from that state will also receive a limited edition "green" prize. Any delegate who offsets their travel will receive a unique wearable "green item" for Convention week, available only to these delegates, and be recognized individually on DemConvention.com.

The website claims that all 50 states and the six extra delegations (DC, Guam, American Somoa, Virgin Islands, Democrats Abroad and Puerto Rico) are participating in some form. So, I did a head count inside the convention center, where the respective delegation flag poles have a green button atop them if they are participating. By my count, 29 of the 56 flags have green buttons:

And here's a photo of one delegation pole without a button, Washington DC:

The very busy looking stage for the Democratic National Convention is mostly empty now. But curious journalists and activists have been wandering through the stage area all day. Here are a few pictures of the action:

In addition to reporting the important stuff, I'll be passing along various scenes from the Democratic Convention this week. First, a big deal has been made over the prominence of healthy food choices available this year. But as some Republicans are arguing on the trail, change is often merely rhetoric. The biggest food draw so far: the corn dog stand, which when I passed through was serving patrons from big media, big politics and big waistlines alike:


 

The Denver Post reports on news for protesters headed to the Democratic National Convention:

The fence around the public demonstration zone outside the Democratic National Convention will be chicken wire or chain link, authorities revealed in U.S. District Court today. That may allow protestors to be seen and heard by delegates going in and out of the Pepsi Center during the convention.

That's how it was done by the Democrats in 2000 as well. If you follow the link you can see a picture of how that scene looked. I doubt you'd find too many people opposed to basic security measures, but is that the scene Barack Obama wants during convention week?