House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has gaveled the last night of the Democratic National Convention to order. “We’re thrilled to have this magnificent crowd here with us tonight,” she said, to a stadium at least half empty.
Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson led the pledge and Oscar-winner Jennifer Hudson wowed the crowd with a soulful performance of the national anthem. The two stood together on stage, in front of a row of American flags and a curved, stone backdrop reminiscent of the Lincoln Memorial.
Gov. Bill Ritter quoted Merle Haggard when it was his turn to welcome delegates to Colorado. “If God doesn’t live in Colorado, I’ll bet that’s where he spends most of his time,” he said.
The governor, who has talked of his “Colorado Promise” since his campaign, spoke tonight about an “American promise.”
“It’s about a set of American ideals that offer hope and unity and the promise of change,” said Ritter, his voice hoarse. “It’s about binding people together with common goals, shared visions and the pioneering spirit that defines all of America.”
Ritter said the “road to the White House cuts straight through the heart of the American West.” And he criticized “Bush-McCain” economic, energy and health care policies.
“Are you ready for the change we need?” he asked. “Are you ready for Barack Obama.”
U.S. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Golden, hammered President Bush for high gas prices and a lack of focus on sustainable energy.
“For the past eight years we’ve had two oilmen in the White House, and where has it gotten us?” he said. “Record prices at the gas pump, heating oil costs going through the roof, oil companies reaping record profits, while American families struggle to put gas in the tank.”
“I say solar here, solar now. Wind here, wind now.”
Perlmutter said Obama will “invest in new ways to power this nation” and “break the tyranny of foreign oil.”
U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Manassa, said the country needs a president who understands the struggles of rural America.
“We will elect Barack Obama as the next president of the United States of America!” Salazar shouted to the filling stadium, where some were waving American flags.
And U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, D-Denver, slammed GOP policies on health care, stem-cell research and mental health care for veterans.
“We need a new spirit in Washington,” she said. “We need to stop paying lip service to health care reform and just pass it. We need to protect a women’s right to choose and access to affordable family planning and health care. … And we need to bring our troops home.”
“We say today, we will not be satisfied with four more years of the same under John McCain.”
