You should know that I spent from 4:30 to close to midnight in the bubble of the arena. I have seen no TV nor accessed other media. In a nutshell, here's who delivered the kinds of speeches that knocked the gathering's collective socks off: Nancy Keenan from NARAL Tammy Duckworth, former assistant secretary of the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs Ted Strickland, former governor of Ohio Lilly Ledbetter Deval Patrick, governor of Massachussetts Julian Castro, mayor of San Antonio Michelle Obama Go and You Tube them. It's not that other people were not OK or even good, it's just that when these people spoke, the crowd was inflated with an energy and enthusiasm and palpable sense of purpose. Close to midnight, the Missouri delegation trickled back to the hotel. I sat with Douglas Coe (from Kansas City) and Kansas City Councilwoman Melba Curls, who agreed that Michelle Obama and Julian Castro did an especially fantastic job tonight. "It was energizing," Coe said. "They got across the diversity and the drive of what we're trying to do. Everybody out here is hard working." "I've heard her speak before," Curls said, referring to Michelle Obama. "She's always sincere, she tells you the history, and her perspective is so unique. She humanizes him."
