(World News Trust) -- What a great opening night! And what an historic journey the Democratic
National Convention highlighted in its kickoff. It was a night of Great
Democratic Bookends.
The evening began with America’s little girl, Caroline Kennedy, the
embodiment of what many of us remember as the best of times. She’s all
we have left of the proverbial Camelot era, that First Family named
Kennedy, and the youth, vigor, hope, and sense of renewal it
represented. The mature and sophisticated Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg
already impacted this convention by vetting its selection for Vice
President. Then, she introduced her ailing and beloved “Uncle Teddy."
And everyone cried.
The evening ended with America’s TWO little girls. Sasha and Malia, the
two little Obama daughters, the younger child only slightly older than
Caroline was Back Then. And they were as genuinely adorable as little
Caroline and John-John were, spontaneous and loving and precious with
their chirping “Hi Daddy!” to the live image of their dad beamed in on
big screen from Kansas City, Missouri. It reminded us of what we had
Back Then, and what we can recapture yet again. And again, everyone
cried.
I must say I was impressed. Full disclosure here, I expected to be. But
I didn’t expect to have my heart grabbed, and then squeezed the way you
do when you hold hands -- hard. The last seven-and-some years, and the
campaign season so far have done little to relieve me of my cynicism.
But this night might just have made a good start.
It helped hugely to be reminded of what true, vintage Democratic Party
greatness can be, when the ill but still energetic Ted Kennedy
appeared. It was good to see him, looking as well and acting as
enthusiastic as he did, even while a large chunk of his thick white
hair was visibly missing, after many radiation and chemotherapy
treatments. It was good to hear him press the case for Democratic
values specifically including an end to the war and affordable health
care for all. It was encouraging and reaffirming to watch him bravely
vow to be there on the floor of the Senate in January to cast votes,
and thunder his endorsement of Barack Obama for President. And
everyone cried.
Congressman Patrick Kennedy later pointed out that people vote based on
a feeling of connectedness. And that’s what we got on this first night
of the Democrats in Denver. There was a tangible sense of
connectedness -- from our past to our future, between men and women
(dads and moms), and across all racial and social lines. The talk was
of the needs, hopes, heartbreaks, and yearnings we all share. The
demonstrations and illustrations were of family affectionately
remembered and family presently cherished. It will be curious in the
weeks ahead to observe how the Republicans try to stir up our fears
about these refreshing new figures who they’ll still insist are
purportedly somehow “not like us.”
What I saw was a proud niece and uncle, a brother proud-to-bursting of
his sister and her ground-breaking husband, and two cute and
irrepressible little daughters. I saw a college-educated professional
black woman, already noted for being outspoken, describe a story that
could be my neighbor’s a couple of houses down the street, or even my
own. We all have struggled with elders who become ill and suffer and
die. We have all struggled with work demands and what we have to juggle
if we have small children to care for at the same time. We have all
aimed high and been disappointed. We’ve all had to fight our way
forward with empty wallets and thin bank accounts. We’ve all had to
press ahead when we feel like some big invisible hand is shoving us
backwards. And we’ve all seen little kids being little kids, especially
if somebody hands them a microphone. And everyone cried.
I appreciated the crowd shots. There were many images of women,
especially, wiping their eyes throughout the evening. I’m guessing many
of them were heartened and encouraged when she praised Hillary Clinton.
The roar of the crowd was tangible all the way from Denver. There was a
similar response to her referencing Joe Biden. And when she declared “I
LOVE this country,” and her voice cracked ever so slightly, perhaps
that silenced some of the naysayers who still don’t want to let go of
Michelle Obama’s famous quote about when she did or didn’t feel proud
of her country. Let’s hope so. There are many in the aftermath who
sniff that this night did nothing to show you why Barack Obama and not
John McCain should get your vote. But maybe it wasn’t meant to go
there. Rather, it was to introduce us to a future First Lady in the
most positive sense, and her personal story – which she characterized
as an “improbable journey.” It’s something
we all can uniquely claim as Americans. This wasn’t meant to be the red meat night. I suspect that’s still to come.
Michelle Obama humanized herself as what she really is -- a mom, a wife,
a daughter, a sister, and a strong, brilliant, and compassionate woman.
This was sorely needed. There will certainly be those people who will
never warm up to her for reasons of their own, and maybe they just
can’t be reached, period. But I suspect others’ hearts were captured,
or at least opened. Ted Kennedy’s appearance at the evening’s kick-off
was a unifying and validating moment, reminding us of what really
counts as one faces the life-threatening illness he’s fighting. He’s
still here! Lucky for us! And his heirs appear to be firmly in place
and ready to carry the baton in this next leg of the race. Two others
in our extended Democratic family, Bill and Hillary Clinton, will be
appearing, and undoubtedly wowing us and further unifying us, in the
nights ahead, as the brains of the party that they are. But one thing,
I think, was brought home on this convention launch, as many of us watched and blinked through our tears. It was a night of historic bookends.
For Democrats, the Kennedys are the heart, and the Obamas are the soul.
***
Mary Lyon
is a veteran broadcaster and five-time Golden Mike Award winner, who
has anchored, reported, and written for the Associated Press Radio
Network, NBC Radio "The Source," and many Los Angeles-area stations
including KRTH-FM/AM, KLOS-FM, KFWB-AM, and KTLA-TV, and occasional
media analyst for ABC Radio News. She began her career as a liberal
activist with the Student Coalition for Humphrey/Muskie in 1968, and
helped spearhead a regional campaign, The Power 18," to win the right
to vote for 18-year-olds. She remains an advocate for liberal causes,
responsibility and accountability in media, environmental education and
support of the arts for children, and green living. In addition to
World News Trust, Mary writes for Huffington Post, OpEdNews, Democrats.us, WeDemocrats.org's "We! The People" webzine. Mary is also a parenting
expert, having written and llustrated the book "The Frazzled Working
Woman's Practical Guide to Motherhood.