In Denver, a night to remember

DENVER—Walking into the event Thursday night five hours before Barack Obama was set to conclude the Democratic National Convention with his acceptance speech for the party’s presidential nomination, I was filled with expectations.

Many of those anticipated events and feelings were realized, but the unexpected also will fill my memory bank.

We all knew that we were witnessing history. No major American political party had ever nominated a non-Caucasian for president.

For many in the audience, witnessing the first-term Democratic senator from Illinois reach that rare status was the fulfillment of a dream. Some, like California delegate Bernita Jenkins who went to segregated Bakersfield public schools, never thought she’d see an African-American nominee in her lifetime.

When asked “Why are you here?” nearly everyone who responded to my question said, “To be part of history.”

We all knew that this evening, this speech and this candidate were something that we’d tell our children and grandchildren about…sort of like being in the ball park when our favorite team won a championship, or being in the audience when our child received scholastic honors.

The elderly were there, including one Democratic delegate who is 91. On the other end of the spectrum, three-month-old Claire Kessinger from Denver was in mother Erika’s arms, because, “so she can say she was here.”

Most of the 84,000 or so in attendance, and television viewers around the world, knew that the occasion was made particularly significant because Obama’s acceptance came on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” address, one of the most praised speeches in American history.

I was surprised that Obama never mentioned Dr. King by name. In the sixth-to-last paragraph, an Obama reference to the event concluded with, “and hear a young preacher from Georgia speak of his dream.” Obama didn’t dwell on the racial component; instead he focused on the promises for his administration if elected in November.

Also, there was just one biblical reference in the Obama speech. As he urged listeners to march into the future and keep the American promise, he reminded them to “hold firmly, without wavering, to the hope that we confess.”

We all expected the security measures, the throng of people and the 80-degree, no-cloud day to make it an experience that tested our stamina and patience. The line getting into Invesco at Mile High Stadium was two miles in length, and we heard stories of people waiting four hours to get inside.

Surprisingly, the civility and friendliness far overcome the feeling of cattle herding and confusion. Perhaps because nearly everyone was euphoric and of similar political persuasion, the grumbling about people cutting in line, or rudely snatching an extra seat for belongs, was almost non existent.

Or, perhaps, the aura of pleasantness was the outcome of the Democrats’ decision not to allow the serving of alcohol.

I anticipated that Obama and the Democrats would make a point of illustrating why they believe he’s ready to lead our nation and military. I was astounded they assembled a couple dozen military generals and admirals on the stage to tout their Obama support.

And, I learned that America’s most famous president, Republican Abraham Lincoln, had exactly the same elected resume as Obama before Lincoln became president at an important time of history: Two terms in the Illinois state legislature and serving the first term as a U.S. senator.

Finally, one other non-event always will be remembered. Like many others, I feared a terrorist attack, or an attempted assassination. I couldn’t remove the thoughts from my mind, but the fears didn’t keep me away, either.

Nothing of the sort happened, although more than one person told me that when the Obama family was on the stage at the end and fireworks were exploded to mark the occasion, their first reaction was of trepidation.

It was an experience of a lifetime.

David Lewis covered the Democratic National Convention for Wick News Service.