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Ignoring Delegates Anti-War Stance, Edwards Delivers Major
Pro-War Address at DNC
Jimmy Breslin: “The Media Should Have Their Licenses
Revoked” for Lack of Convention Coverage
The Other Convention: Scrubbed Speeches, Excluded Voices
and the Crackdown on 'Peace Delegates'
Sen. Russ Feingold: Dems Platform on Iraq a “Mistake”
Maxine Waters On Dems Platform: “There’s No Dissent,
There’s No Debate”
DNC Ignores Objections to Party Platform, Declares Unity
House Divided: Kucinich Delegates Block Kerry From Receiving
Unanimous Nomination
Too Hot for DNC Primetime: Rev. Jesse Jackson Blasts Iraq
War as a "Moral Disgrace"
Michael Moore: I Will Bring Cameras to Florida to Monitor
November Election
Sharpton Ignores Bush-Bashing Ban And Slams President For
Waging Iraq War
Spike Lee: "The First Point of Business Is To Get Bush
Out of Office This Coming November."
Jesse Jackson Jr. On His Opposition to the Iraq War and the
Patriot Act
ABC's Ted Koppel Refuses To Apologize For Pre-War Iraq Coverage
Ex-AG Janet Reno on the Florida Elections, John Ashcroft
and Leonard Peltier
Boston Residents Speak Out About Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo and
the Erosion of Civil Liberties
Ignoring Delegates Anti-War Stance, Edwards Delivers
Major Pro-War Address at DNC
Although a recent poll shows 95 percent of Democratic delegates
oppose the Iraq war, Edwards vows in a prime-time address
to double the number of special forces in Iraq and to increase
funding for military research.
Welcome to Democracy Now!, Breaking with Convention: War,
peace and the Presidency, broadcasting from Cambridge Community
Television just across the river from Boston's FleetCenter
where the Democratic National Convention has entered its final
day.
It's official, delegates at the DNC have formally nominated
John Kerry and John Edwards as their party's candidates to
challenge President Bush and Vice President Cheney in the
November presidential elections. On the convention floor,
former astronaut John Glenn announced that Ohio-which is a
battleground state-cast the votes that put Kerry over the
top. John Kerry has now arrived in Boston and will officially
accept the nomination tonight in prime time. Last night, though,
the spotlight belonged to John Edwards. Here is some of what
Edwards had to say.
- John Edwards, speaking at the Democratic Nation Convention.
Jimmy Breslin: “The Media Should Have Their
Licenses Revoked” for Lack of Convention Coverage
We speak with Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Jimmy Breslin
about the intense scripting of John Kerry’s coronation
ceremony at the Democratic National Convention.
John Edwards’ speech focused on the theme he has hammered
away on since he first declared his candidacy for president-the
theme of two America's, one for the rich and powerful, the
other for the rest of Americans. And in many ways, what has
taken place inside the FleetCenter in Boston has been a tale
of two conventions: one a highly choreographed ceremony with
vetted speakers and pre-approved speeches, the other a floor
full of delegates from across the country-the overwhelming
majority of whom are antiwar and anti-patriot act. The public
face of this event has been one of unanimity. But on the convention
floor, many of the delegates express their frustration that
the messages coming from the podium have not reflected their
views, particularly on the invasion and occupation of Iraq.
As we have reported this week, some delegates report having
their antiwar signs or placards taken from them because they
were not part of the officially-approved and coordinated message.
We caught up with Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Jimmy Breslin
from Newsday to get his thoughts on the intense scripting
of John Kerry's coronation ceremony.
- Jimmy Breslin, Pulitzer prize winning columnist for Newsday.
The Other Convention: Scrubbed Speeches, Excluded
Voices and the Crackdown on 'Peace Delegates'
The issue of who speaks at the Democratic National Convention
and what they can and cannot say is a highly politicized one.
We asked John Nichols of The Nation magazine how this process
works.
- John Nichols, The Nation magazine.
Sen. Russ Feingold: Dems Platform on Iraq a “Mistake”
One person who was not invited to speak at the DNC was U.S.
Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, the only US Senator to
vote against the USA Patriot Act. Both John Kerry and John
Edwards voted for the Patriot Act. We caught up with Feingold
on the floor of the convention as Al Sharpton was addressing
the delegates.
- Sen. Russ Feingold, (D-WI)
Maxine Waters On Dems Platform: “There’s
No Dissent, There’s No Debate”
Another person who was not invited to speak at the convention
was California Congressmember Maxine Waters, who has been
very outspoken in her criticism of the invasion and occupation
of Iraq and the Patriot Act.
- Rep. Maxine Waters, (D-CA)
DNC Ignores Objections to Party Platform, Declares
Unity
The DNC claims its platform passed with no objection. There
was. It just wasn’t recognized from the podium. As we
reported yesterday on Democracy Now!, the official platform
that John Kerry and John Edwards will campaign on for the
next 3 months was passed at the convention with no debate
or dissent allowed. But that doesn't mean that some of the
delegates didn't try to raise questions. Journalist John Nichols
of The Nation magazine explains.
- John Nichols, The Nation magazine.
House Divided: Kucinich Delegates Block Kerry From
Receiving Unanimous Nomination
John Kerry officially won the party’s nomination,
but the victory was not an entirely unanimous one with 37
votes going to Ohio Congressmember Dennis Kucinich. We speak
with one of the Kucinich delegates.
John Kerry was officially won the party's nomination last
night with 4,255 delegates. But it was not an entirely unified
house. Ohio Congressmember Dennis Kucinich was the only other
candidate to receive delegate votes yesterday. He received
37 delegates, led by his supporters in the delegations from
Maine and Colorado. Last night, Kucinich addressed the convention.
- Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), speaking at the Democratic
National Convention.
Shortly after he spoke, we made our way into the crowd of
delegates from the state of Maine. We spoke with Kucinich
delegate Lu Bauer.
- Lu Bauer, Kucinich delegate.
Too Hot for DNC Primetime: Rev. Jesse Jackson Blasts
Iraq War as a "Moral Disgrace"
We hear an excerpt of a speech by the Rev. Jesse Jackson
at the DNC that was not given a primetime slot in which he
denounces the invasion and occupation of Iraq. [includes rush
transcript]
- Rev. Jesse Jackson, speaking at the Democratic National
Convention.
Michael Moore: I Will Bring Cameras to Florida to
Monitor November Election
Filmmaker Michael Moore announces he is bringing his cameras
to Florida in November to make sure there is what he called
a "huge spotlight" on state election officials when
voters go to the polls. We hear his press conference in Boston.
[includes rush
transcript]
At a press conference in Boston yesterday, filmmaker Michael
Moore announced he is bringing his cameras to Florida in November
to make sure there is what he called a "huge spotlight"
on state election officials when voters go to the polls. The
director of "Fahrenheit 9/11" also said he plans
to help pay for an "army of lawyers" who will be
in target precincts ready to go to court if they spot any
voting problems. He encouraged other independent filmmakers
to join him in Florida. Here is Michael Moore speaking yesterday
at a press conference organized by Rep. Corrine Brown of Florida.
- Michael Moore, speaking at a press conference in Boston.
Sharpton Ignores Bush-Bashing Ban And Slams President
For Waging Iraq War
Delegates at the convention give Rev. Al Sharpton a standing
ovation in his attack on Bush's war policies and attempts
to reach out to African-American voters.
John Kerry was officially nominated as the Democratic Party”s
presidential candidate late Wednesday night after his running
mate John Edwards gave his prime-time address on the floor
of the convention.
After Edwards” speech, convention delegates proceeded
through the traditional roll call of states. At the end of
the night, Kerry had 4,255 votes, Ohio Congressman Dennis
Kucinich had 37. The roll call was reportedly scripted to
allow Ohio, an important battleground state, to cast the decisive
vote. Edwards will officially be nominated as vice presidential
candidate later today.
The third night of the Democratic National Convention featured
a number of notable speakers including the Rev. Jesse Jackson,
Dennis Kucinich and the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus
Eljiah Cummings.
But it was the Rev. Al Sharpton who stole the show. The former
presidential candidate was frequently interrupted with cheers
and applause during a rousing address that rocked the FleetCenter.
Sharpton repeatedly departed from his prepared text - which
had been scrubbed by John Kerry”s staff – slamming
the Bush administration on Iraq and domestic issues.
Spike Lee: "The First Point of Business Is To
Get Bush Out of Office This Coming November."
The famed film director tells DN! "If we want to get
our boys, or women and men out of Iraq, we better vote for
Kerry and Edwards. I don't want the draft coming back."
Last night at the Democratic National Convention we bumped
into Academy award-winning director and actor Spike Lee who
was standing beside the Rev. Sharpton and his family.
- Spike Lee, Academy-Award Winning Film Director
Jesse Jackson Jr. On His Opposition to the Iraq War
and the Patriot Act
Last night we caught up with Illinois Congressman Jesse
Jackson Jr. As a Democratic platform committee member, Jackson
led the campaign for voting rights and made sure the platform
included language insuring that “every vote is counted
fully and fairly.” [includes rush
transcript]
ABC's Ted Koppel Refuses To Apologize For Pre-War
Iraq Coverage
Koppel tells Democracy Now!, "I don't think an apology
is due. If what you are saying is could we all have been more
critical? I think the answer is yes." [includes rush
transcript]
One of the opportunities these conventions provide is the
chance to ask questions of people we normally don"t have
access to. And it"s not just the politicians. There are
some 15,000 journalists crammed into the FleetCenter. America"s
most recognizable newspeople roam the halls. Some, like Sean
Hannity of the Fox News Channel, have their own security details.
Yesterday, we caught up with Ted Koppell, the host of ABC's
NightLine. And we asked him about the Network news coverage
of the build-up to the invasion of Iraq.
Ex-AG Janet Reno on the Florida Elections, John Ashcroft
and Leonard Peltier
Amy Goodman tracks down the former U.S. Attorney General
on the floor of the Democratic National Convention.
As we walked on the floor of the convention center I spotted
former US attorney general Janet Reno sitting in the front
row of the Florida delegation, just behind the Kucinich delegates
from Maine who were draped in pink. Reno was appointed in
1993 by President Clinton becoming the first woman attorney
general of the United States. In 2001, she launched an unsuccessful
campaign for Florida governor. I wove my way through the crowded
Florida delegation and asked Reno what she thinks of her successor
John Ashcroft.
Boston Residents Speak Out About Abu Ghraib, Guantanamo
and the Erosion of Civil Liberties
Yesterday in Boston the United for Justice with Peace Coalition
and ACLU held a rally in Copley Square to protest human rights
abuses brought on by the so-called war on terror.
Throughout the week at the Democratic Convention, speaker
after speaker has addressed the delegates on the issue of
the invasion of Iraq, weapons of mass destruction and reconstruction.
While much of the focus has been on U.S. soldiers there has
been little mention of the plight of the Iraqi people and
the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal. Yesterday in Boston the
United for Justice with Peace Coalition and ACLU held a rally
in Copley Square to protest human rights abuses brought on
by the so-called war on terror. Rally speakers included Congressmember
Denis Kucinich. Demonstrators donned orange jump suits and
stood behind wire cages. Here are some of what they had to
say.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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