Thoughts on an historic night

(I stupidly left my laptop power cord in the Big Tent when I packed up to go to the Pepsi Center, so while I imagine it will be there tomorrow, I still have limited power options tonight, so I'll make this brief ...)

What a thrill it was to be on the floor for Joe Biden's acceptance of the vice presidential nomination, and then to hear his speech. I went in thinking that we could either get Good Biden or Bad Biden, and I was overjoyed to hear the Good version take on the Republican machine with strength, accuracy, and energy. It was kind of funny -- or at least interesting -- to see how choreographed the whole event was, with the distribution of signs being done in a precise order and arranged to match what Biden was saying -- so we he got to the "McCain: More of the Same" part, we had those red signs all set to go.

As we departed, I remarked to Kenny Quinnell that I think the biggest surprise for me at this convention was how emotional I've been. Whether it was the incredibly gracious motion for acclamation of Obama's nomination by Hillary Clinton this afternoon, or the touching remarks by Beau Biden as he introduced his father, or Barack Obama's surprise appearance onstage with Biden (at least it was a surprise to me), or so many other profoundly moving moments -- Tammy Duckworth's speech, for example -- I've found myself actually tearing up a bit, feeling an intense mix of pride and happiness with an awareness of the overwhelming historical significance of this event for today and for the future of America. Maybe I'm just a sentimental fool, and perhaps I fall too easily for the heartstring tugs that are quite clearly intentional ... but whatever the explanation, it's working.

At any rate, it's been an incredible ride ... and the best is yet to come.