From President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama:
To everyone who helped make the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte such a rousing success, we have two simple words – thank you. From the tireless work of Mayor Anthony Foxx and the host committee, to the police officers and state troopers who kept everyone safe, to the more than 10,000 volunteers who gave their time and energy, to the incredible people of Charlotte who offered such warm Southern hospitality, you all should be proud.
You made this the most open and accessible convention in history. You built a legacy in Charlotte that will stand for years to come by engaging young people, working to help our children lead healthier lives, promoting inclusive business practices, and making your city more sustainable. You showed off your spirit of service – our friends and family were thrilled to join in by helping to make care packages for returning troops, capping off more than 4,000 volunteer hours served by convention staff. And more than anything, you welcomed the two of us and the thousands of visitors to your city with a level of heartfelt kindness that will never be forgotten.
We chose Charlotte because we wanted a setting that would help us share our values and vision for this country. We believe that here in America, everyone should get a fair shot, everyone should do their fair share, and everyone should play by the same set of rules.
In this election, Americans face the clearest choice we’ve seen of any time in the last generation: We can tell folks they’re on their own and return to the failed policies that led us into the gravest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Or we can say that we’re all in this together and continue on the path to recovery that we’ve begun.
We can reward companies that open new plants and create new jobs here in the United States. We can double our exports and create a million new manufacturing jobs in the next four years. We can reform our tax code so that it’s simple and fair. We can invest in clean energy like wind, solar, clean coal and natural gas. We can recruit 100,000 math and science teachers in the next 10 years, help 2 million workers learn new skills at a community college, and work with colleges and universities to cut the growth of tuition costs in half in the next decade. And we can use the money we’ll no longer be spending on war to pay down our debt and put more people back to work rebuilding our roads, bridges, schools and runways.
Our vision is grounded in the belief that hard work should pay off, responsibility should be rewarded, and no matter where you come from or what you look like or who you love, you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better one for your kids. That’s what this election is about.
And Charlotte, we can’t thank you enough for helping us share that story last week. What started with 30,000 people celebrating together at CarolinaFest on Labor Day and continued through three evenings at Time Warner Cable Arena could not have happened without your energy and dedication. So from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all for being so generous, caring, and hospitable. We simply couldn’t have asked for a better host city.
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/09/11/3522313/from-the-president-thank-you-charlotte.html#storylink=cpy#storylink=cpy
Gallup Daily is already showing a notable bounce in some metrics associated with the Democratic National Convention. Obama's job approval rating has spiked up to 52% compared to values which have been fairly stable in the mid-to-high 40's prior to both conventions. The poll is an average of surveys taken Tuesday through Thursday, so even Michelle Obama's speech is not yet fully included, and the speeches from Joe Biden and Barack Obama are not yet factored in at all.
Perhaps more surprisingly, Gallup Daily's U.S. Economic Confidence Index has also seen a spike, rising about 10 points as the impact of the convention start to get factored in.
But what you really want to know about are the horserace numbers, right? Well, Gallup Daily computes that on a seven day basis, as opposed to three for the other measures. So the latest reading includes surveys taken from the Friday after the Republican Convention through yesterday. Thus there's no real sign of a bump there yet, because it's mixed together with any bounce from the Republican Convention.
Observant readers may notice that I called the effect of the Republican Convention a "bounce" and the effect of the Democratic Convention a "bump." Only time will tell if that characterization is correct--that the point or two that Romney might have gained after his convention will fade while Obama will never look back.
Nevertheless, first impressions are that this was a very successful convention for Democrats, after a somewhat lackluster one for the GOP.
You can listen in on the call President Obama will have with the community credential holders that will no longer see him speak tonight. The call starts at 1:20 Eastern
Thank you so much for being a part of the excitement in Charlotte—we truly regret that we can't all be together to watch the President speak tonight. That's why President Obama will be talking with you and others who have credentials for the convention today, September 6th, at 1:20 p.m. Eastern Time.
You can tune in to the call on this page at 1:20.
Update: If you're in Charlotte now and haven't gotten email instructions, you can email incharlotte@barackobama.com to get information about Charlotte area watch parties
For those of you that were planning on attending tomorrow's speech you can search for a watch party near you. I know it won't be anywhere near as monumental.
CHARLOTTE, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) today announced that convention programming, originally planned for Bank of America Stadium on Thursday, September 6, would be moved to Time Warner Cable Arena, the site of the first two days of the 2012 Democratic National Convention, due to severe weather forecasts. The DNCC also announced that President Barack Obama will address community credential holders in a conference call on Thursday. Call information will be emailed directly to community credential-holders.
“We have been monitoring weather forecasts closely and several reports predict thunderstorms in the area, therefore we have decided to move Thursday’s proceedings to Time Warner Cable Arena to ensure the safety and security of our delegates and convention guests,” said DNCC CEO Steve Kerrigan. The energy and enthusiasm for our convention in Charlotte has been overwhelming and we share the disappointment of over 65,000 people who signed up for community credentials to be there with the President in person. We encourage our community credential holders and Americans across the country to continue to come together with their friends and neighbors to watch and participate in history. The President will speak to these credential holders on a national conference call tomorrow afternoon, and we will work with the campaign to ensure that those unable to attend tomorrow’s event will be invited to see the President between now and election day.”
Definitely sad news for everyone excited to see Obama. I truly believe that the outdoor speech in Denver helped to win Colorado both 2008 and in 2010. The campaign is smart enough to know that they will need to make it up to these people.
CHARLOTTE, Sept. 2, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As part of our effort to make the 2012 Democratic Convention the most open and accessible convention in history, the DNCC announced today that it will provide voters from across the country a new, innovative and unique opportunity to participate in convention programming – which will include user-generated content and the ability to interact with Convention attendees.
From gavel-to-gavel, the entire Convention will be livestreamed on DemConvention.com/live and through the Democratic National Convention Committee Mobile App, connecting viewers in every corner of the country with Convention delegates and speakers in real time.
The entire program will be streamed in Spanish simultaneously.
Millions of Americans will also be participating in more than 4,000 watch parties organized already in neighborhoods across the country. Some of these watch parties will be highlighted as part of Thursday night's programming.
These efforts make this year's convention the first in political history to include comprehensive livestream coverage.
"We are revolutionizing the way political conventions are done by making Charlotte 2012 more open, accessible and relevant to the American people," OFA Deputy Campaign Manager Stephanie Cutter said. "This is one more innovative and unprecedented way we are engaging every supporter in the President's vision for moving America forward, empowering voters all over the country to get involved with what's happening in North Carolina this week, and growing our organization at the grassroots level."
On Thursday September 6th, the programming will also feature a web-only convention special starting at 8 p.m. ET. Hosted by actor Kal Penn, the Live from Charlotte programming will include interviews with campaign officials and special guests, including Marc Anthony, Elizabeth Banks, Aisha Tyler, Olivia Wilde, Fran Drescher, Zach Braff, and Alexis Bledel.
Later that evening, after President Obama's address, there will be a post-speech program featuring political analysis from political leaders.
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