John Boehner

Speaker of the House

John Boehner

House Speaker             January, 2011

Congressman                Ohio     8^th District        Republican

Elected 1990

Ratings for 2010:

ADA    Americans for Democratic Action                                                 0

            Liberal:             less defense spending   

                                      protect civil liberties, human rights

ACLU  American Civil Liberties Union                                                   14

            Protect individuals from legal infringements on rights

AFS     American Federation of Government Employees                     0       

            Liberal labor

LCV    League of Conservation Voters                                                   0                        

            Pro-environmental protection

ITIC     Information Technology Industry Council                                     33

            Promote electronic commerce and innovation

NTU    National Taxpayers Union                                                            92

            Pro-taxpayer rights

COC    US Chamber of Commerce                                                      100

            Pro-business

ACU    American Conservative Union                                                   100

            Conservative:    foreign policy

                                    social and budget issues

CFG    Club for Growth                                                                          100

            Pro-tax limitation

FRC     Family Research Council                                                            87

            Conservative:    promotes marriage and family

                                       oppose abortion

Votes in 111^th Congress:           2009 - 2010

No       Overturn Ledbetter

            Extend statute of limitations in pay discrimination

No       $820 billion stimulus   

            Funds to revive U.S. economy

Yes      Let guns in national parks

            Permit people carrying guns in parks

No       Cap and Trade

            Industry measure to reduce greenhouse gases               

Yes      Bar federal abortion funds

            No federal funds for health plans covering abortion

No       Health Care Bill

            Provides insurance for people without health insurance              

No       Financial Firm Regulation

            Regulations on financial services firms

No       Pass tax cuts for some

            Bush era tax cuts to continue for incomes under $250,000

Yes      Stop detainee transfers

            Prohibit defense funds used to transfer detainees to U.S. facilities                      

No       Legalize Immigrants’ Kids

            Give children of illegal parents path to legal status

No       Repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell

            Lift ban on openly gay people in military           

No       Limit Campaign Funds

            Requires sponsors of campaign ads to identify themselves

Year                 Candidate                     Vote                                         Campaign Chest

2010                John Boehner (R)         142,731  66%                          9,796,947

                        Justin Coussoule (D)       65,883  30                                248,141

                        David Harlow (Lib)          5,121    2

                        Lib       Libertarian

2008                John Boehner (R)         202,063  68%                          5,342,022

                          N. Von Stein (D)            95,510  32                                  15,425

2006                John Boehner (R)         136,863  64%                          2,952,525

                          Mort Meier (D)              77,640  36                            

2004                John Boehner (R)         201,675  69%                          1,407,907

                         Jeff Hardenbrook (D)     90,574  31                                  41,184

2002                John Boehner (R)         119,947  71%                          1,226,866
                        Jeff Hardenbrook (D)     49,444                                        18,186

2000                John Boehner (R)         179,756  71%                          1,042,008

                        John Parks (D)               66,293  26                                  31,098

1998                John Boehner (R)         127,979  71%                          1,165,947
                       John W. Griffin (D)         52,912  29

1996                John Boehner (R)         165,815  70%                          1,312,440
                         Jeffrey Kitchen (D)         61,515  26                                  20,853

1994                John Boehner (R)         unopposed                                  713,223

1992                John Boehner (R)         176,362  74%                             530,835
                        Fred Sennet (D)             62,033  26                                    6,730

GO TO

Cold Valentine

8th District   Ohio

Population 2010:                      663,644

Change since 2000:                  up 5%

Urban:                                      78%

Rural:                                       22

Median Age:                             37 years

Over 65:                                   13%

Under 18:                                 25

House School Graduate:           86%

College Graduate:                     20

Graduate Degree:                       7

Median Income:                        49,192

Median Home Value:                136,400

Private Employment:                 83%

Government Employment:         12

Self Employed:                          5

Blue Collar:                              27

White Collar:                            56

White:                                      87%

Black:                                         6

Hispanic:                                    3

Asian                                          2

GO TO

Cold Valentine

John Boehner's Voting History:

Votes in 110^th Congress:           2007 – 08

No       Increase Minimum Wage

            Raise minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour

No       Expand SCHIP

            Expand State Children’s Health Insurance Program

No       Raise CAFE Standards

            Increase fuel efficiency to 35 mpg by 2020

Yes      Bail Out Financial Markets

            $700 billion to bail out financial industry

Yes      Share Immigration Data

            Bar funds to governments refusing to share immigration information

Yes      Foreign Aid Abortion Ban

            Bar funds for abortions in foreign aid programs

No       Ban Gay Bias in Workplace

            Prohibit job discrimination based on sexual orientation

Yes      Repeal DC Gun Law

            Repeal local prohibition of firearms

No       Withdraw Troops 8/08

            Requires withdrawal of troops by August, 2008

No       No Operations in Iraq

            Bar military funds for contingency operations in Iraq

Yes      Free Trade with Peru

            Implement free trade agreement with Peru

Yes      Overhaul FISA

            Overhaul Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act

Votes in 109^th Congress:           2005 – 06

Yes      Estate Tax Repeal

            Permanently repeal federal estate and gift taxes

Yes      Limit CAFE standards

            Less stringent auto fuel efficiency standards

Yes      FY06 Spending Curb

            Curb federal entitlement spending

Yes      Drilling in ANWR

            Oil and gas leases for Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

Yes      Limit Interstate Abortion

            No minors across state lines for abortions without parental consent

Yes      Extend Patriot Act

            Reauthorize USA Patriot Act expanding law enforcement authority

Yes      Bar Same Sex Marriage

            Amend Constitution to define marriage as between man and woman

No       Stem Cell Research Funds

            Override veto to fund embryonic stem cell research

Yes      Build Border Fence

            700 miles of fencing along border with Mexico

Yes      CAFTA

            Approve Central American Free Trade Agreement

Yes      Oppose Iraq Withdrawal

            Oppose setting date for withdrawal of US forces from Iraq

Yes      Detainee Tribunals

            Create military tribunals to try detainees

Votes in 108^th Congress:           2003 – 04

Yes      Drilling in ANWR

            Permit oil drilling in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
*          Approve Bush Tax Cuts
            Reduce taxes by $350 billion through 2013
Yes      Medicare/Rx Bill

            Medicare prescription drug legislation

No       Bar Overtime Pay Regulations

            Oppose federal overtime pay regulations

Yes      DC School Vouchers

            Funds for private schools in DC

Yes      Ban Human Cloning

            Criminal sanctions for human cloning

Yes      Restrict Gun Liability

            Restrict liability lawsuits against gun manufacturers, sellers

Yes      Ban Partial Birth Abortion

            Criminal sanctions for “partial birth” abortions

Yes      Ban Same-Sex Marriage

            Amend Constitution to ban same-sex marriage

Yes      Fund Iraq War

            Approve appropriations for U.S. military operations in Iraq

No       Bar Cuba Embargo Funds

            Prohibit funds to enforce economic embargo of Cuba

Yes      Intelligence Reorganization

            Reorganize intelligence agencies; create national director

*          Absent

Votes in 107^th Congress:           2001 – 02

Yes      Approve Bush Tax Cuts

            $1.35 trillion in tax cuts

Yes      Limit Patients’ Bill of Rights

            Limit non-economic damages in liability awards

No       Campaign Finance Reform

            Eliminate most uses of soft money; limit pre-election advertising

No       Ban ANWR Development

            Protect Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil development

Yes      Faith Based Charities

            Federal incentives for religious social services

Yes      Bar Gays in the Boy Scouts

            Do not enforce anti-discrimination rulings against Boy Scouts

Yes      Ban Partial Birth Abortions

            Criminal penalties for “partial birth” abortions

Yes      Arm Commercial Pilots

            Commercial pilots able to carry fire arms in flight

Yes      Trade Promotion Authority

            Authority for president to negotiate international trade agreements

Yes      Bar Funds for International Court

            No federal funds for International Criminal Court

Yes      Authorize Force in Iraq

            Authorizes U.S. military force in Iraq

Yes      Deny Home Security Department Union

            Deny employees of Homeland Security from joining union

Votes in 106^th Congress:           1999 – 2000

No       Patient Bill of Rights

            Bill of Rights dealing with health maintenance organizations

No       Accelerate Minimum Wage

            Increase minimum wage by $1.00 in two instead of three years

No       Strike Ban on Ergonomic Standards

            Strike ban on federal standard for ergonomic protection

Yes      Override Estate Tax Veto

            Override veto of phase-out of estate and gift taxes

Yes      Bar RU-486 Funds for FDA

            Bar FDA funding of chemical induced abortion drug

Yes      Display 10 Commandments

            Permit state and local governments display Ten Commandments

No       Gun Show Background Checks

            Require gun show dealers to perform background checks

Yes      Ban Partial Birth Abortion

            Ban partial birth abortions

No       NATO War in Serbia

            Authorize deployment of US military forces for Kosovo

Yes      Permanent Trade with China

            Authorize permanent trade relations with China

No       Debt Relief for Third World

            Provide debt relief for heavily indebted nations

No       Drop Cuba Economic Embargo

            Drop enforcement of US economic embargo of Cuba

Votes in 105^th Congress:           1997 - 98

Yes      Clinton Budget Deal                          

            Approve budget reconciliation bill implementing required tax cuts

Yes      Education IRAs

            Expand retirement accounts to be spent on education expenses

Yes      Required 2/3 vote to Raise Taxes

            Amend Constitution for 2/3 votes to raise taxes

Yes      Fast Track Trade

            Negotiate trade agreements on “fast track” congressional 

            authority                                

No       Puerto Rico Statehood Referendum    

            Referendum on statehood in Puerto Rico

Yes      End Highway Set-asides

            End minority set-aside funding benefits in highway program

Yes      School Prayer Amendment

            Constitutional Amendment guaranteeing right of prayer in school

Yes      Override Partial Birth Veto

            Override President Clinton’s veto of partial birth abortions ban             

No       Cut money for B-2 Bombers    

            Cut funding for additional B-2 stealth bombers 

No       Human Rights in China

            Require preference to U.S. firms in China with human rights code of conduct    

No       Withdraw Bosnia Troops

            Invoke War Powers Resolution to withdraw U.S. military forces in Bosnia

No       End Cuban TV – Marti

            End funding for television broadcasts to Cuba                        

Votes in 104^th Congress:           1995 - 96

Yes      Reduce Medicare Growth

            Reduce projected spending for Medicare                     

Yes      Override Product Liability Veto

            Override veto of bill to limit damages in product liability

No       Increase Minimum Wage

            Increase minimum wage to $5.15 an hour                     

Yes      Welfare Reform

            Five year restriction on benefits; beneficiaries find work                        

Yes      Flag Amendment

            Constitutional amendment barring desecration of U.S. flag                    

No       Drop EPA Limits

            Drop limitations on enforcement authority of EPA                                 

Yes      Repeal Assault Weapons Ban

            Repeal ban on manufacture and sale of assault weapons                       

Yes      Override Partial Birth Veto    

            Override veto of bill barring “partial birth” abortions     

Yes      Cuban Embargo

            Tighten embargo on trade with Cuba                

No       Bar Bosnia Troop Money

            Bill prohibiting funds for U.S. troops deploying to Bosnia          

No       Cut Anti-Missile Defense

            Reduce funding for anti-missile defense program           

Yes      Bar U.N. Uniforms

            Prohibits U.S. forces from wearing U.N. uniforms

Votes in 103^rd Congress:           1993 – 1994

No       Clinton Deficit Plan

            Clinton Administration deficit reduction plan

Yes      NAFTA

            North American Free Trade Agreement

No       Brady Handgun Purchase

            Waiting period and background check on handguns

Yes      Strike Race/Death Penalty

            Strike provisions barring racial discrimination death penalties

Yes      Limit UN Command of Forces

            Restrict placing US forces under UN command

No       Cut Missile Funds

            Cut $1.2 billion from Navy weapons procurement fund

Good Morning Justin

Letter to my Son
3 June, Sunday

The old dog named Jake arrived late Friday giving me time enough to assemble his new kennel and wooden doghouse.  He’s eleven years old so that makes him eligible for any senior discounts available for the canines among us.  His best friend, Keith, has had to move to a place far too civilized for any dog to enjoy with the possible exception of a poodle trained to dance for doggie hors d’oeuvres.  First thing Saturday morning Jake and I went on a long, brisk walk.  We avoided the tidy neighborhood nearby and, instead, followed a path that initially paralleled the northbound tracks of the Norfolk Southern.  We came upon a road that once had only three houses along it.  Now just two remain as a ramshackle residence, providing a home to two kids and a dog, burned to the ground one night shortly after Christmas.  Everyone made it out alright but among the debris left scattered out front of the charred crumble the next morning was someone’s collection of NASCAR toys.  They’d all lost their race car shapes when they turned gooey from the heat.  The remains of the home were quickly bulldozed and everything was hauled away.  Spring rains quickly turned the lot green and as Jake nosed about the area no one would easily guess people had recently lived here. 

Near the Le Bleu Tow Truck building residents of the neighborhood cross the tracks to get to the small business area on Midway Boulevard that includes a What-A-Burger.  You can eat inside or you can order from any one of a number of stalls that are each equipped with their own intercom and menu.  There’s also a pawn shop and a snug convenience market next door where the signs are often in Spanish.  It was here it was said the high school girl was headed to buy a pack of cigarettes one school day last fall when she was hit by the morning Amtrak headed north to places like High Point and Greensboro.   The small wood cross and plastic flowers her friends left at this fateful point to commemorate her life endured the winter cold and a couple of snowfalls before eventually being carted off when the railroad crew came through to refurbish the track with new wood ties and steel rails.  When crossing the tracks it’s always best to keep in mind that freight trains trundle by while passenger trains barrel through at what seems about twice the speed of freight. 

Jake and I made our way through a gathering of folks taking advantage of the still cool morning air while they browsed among the items being sold at the benefit yard sale held out back of the Midway United Methodist Church.  We crossed a couple of grassy open fields and skirted a small community garden sponsored by the local Baptists, all the while Jake pulled me along with his eager, impatient gait.  I began to wonder just how much steam the old dog was capable of generating so when we reached the Anointed Barber Shop, a natural turn around for home, I decided, instead, to continue in the direction that would take us to the center of old Kannapolis.  We walked in the shade of a line of trees that kept us within sight of Dale Earnhardt Boulevard, named after the local boy who made good.  If we followed it all the way we would eventually arrive at Dale Earnhardt Plaza where park benches surround a magnificent bronze statue of the home town hero, standing there with arms folded in his iconic Levis and cowboy boot, mustached stance.  The surrounding buildings are mostly vacant these days and it seems only the movie theatre can make a go of it in this part of town.  The Gem Theatre is old enough to have a balcony and its been a community fixture since Kannapolis was just a company town for the once dominate textile factory, Cannon Mills.  The old black and white pictures of the installation on display at the local library give me the definite impression that this place was once the General Motors of the cotton kingdom. 

We won’t make it all the way into town on this day.  Jake’s leash begins to show some slack well before we reach the outskirts of the old brick village and there’s still quite a walk ahead for us to make it back home.  Jake’s a good dog, a good walker.  He responds to the slightest tug of the leash indicating my intended direction.  When he was young and headstrong he got himself into some serious trouble for killing the neighbor’s ducks and chickens.  That’s all long behind him now.  He barely acknowledged the taunting squirrels Saturday that ran close across his path.  I’m thinking the dog will want a long, cool drink when he returns and it would be good to get him a bone for an afternoon snack, one that he can busy himself with licking the moist marrow from the bone’s center while resting himself in the shade.  It sounds like the perfect treat for a dog’s life.  

Good Morning Jacob

Letter to my Son
16 September, Sunday

Well how are you?  I certainly hope life for you is going far better than all reasonable expectation.  And then some.  Had I a magical incantation to pass along health and happiness, I would certainly make my wish true for you and your family.  May it all be so. 

I remember our last conversation.  You were a fan of Ratchet and Clank at the time.  Thinking of all the wonderful things you had done with your art and your story-telling I told you I thought you were an artist.  It was a conclusion I had made long ago.  I have always been so impressed with you as a person. 

I remember trying to say what I felt.  I wanted to tell you that being an artist is a wonderful gift.  I wanted to tell you that being an artist isn’t about wearing a painter’s smock or about necessarily being talented in any one particular skill.  Sure, those are all things one exhibits that give others the impression of someone being artistic.  To me, though, being an artist is more a feeling – a response to the world around you, a response to people and life.  It’s about naturally seeing past the clutter and carnival distractions to touch life itself.  It’s a hard as granite sensitivity to your emerging soul and a prickling awareness of a gentle, subversive undercurrent that exists within all you know.  This is true but enough of that.  Let’s just say, no one has to remind you to stop and smell the roses.  They are more likely telling you to move along.

You are an artist.  It is not something you choose to be.  It is bestowed upon you.  It sounds great, doesn’t it?  It is.  Remember, though, there is a price for everything.  Living so close to one’s feelings can be both captivating and treacherous.  Artists can quickly be brought to tears with joy but they also have the bitter tendency of throwing themselves on the rocks.  The latter choice definitely isn’t good.  It’s striking the tent and lowering the curtain before the play is over.  We need to always choose life and finish our play no matter how we may feel at any one moment.  Well before our memories took form we all signed a solemn vow to carry through with our natural course of biological life.  That is easy enough to do when life is like swimming in a beautiful pool on a splendid day.  We certainly know this isn’t always the case.  We endure frequent paper cuts, and more.  We sometimes get kicked in the shin.  On occasion we tumble down the hill like Jack and Jill and spill our precious pale of water.  Sometimes we are brutal to others and our memories frequently remind us of our failings.  Guess what?  All these nasty events are part of the script in becoming a full, rounded person… a real artist.  You can’t avoid it. 

Why?  Why does life treat me this way?  Because you have great strength.  You dare to feel but you remain also a great fortress strong with purpose and resolve.  You would never know of this fact were you left only to chase butterflies through the meadow each day.  Were you only to know the happiness of eating Cheerios and cherries for breakfast each morning then you wouldn’t have much to contribute to aid others seeking their own life’s quest, would you?  People need a message of restoration.  They busy themselves in the act of building bridges, building families, piecing together their dreams.  It can be exhausting.  We can become sterile from our exertions.  We need to recapture our soul or risk losing our lighted path and, instead, stumble into the grey marsh of slavish deeds without purpose.  We need the artist’s touch to, once again, lift our eyes.  At this point it is useless to say, everything is fine and dandy.  We want to know truth.  How do you give us truth?  How do you help us to find our way free from the bog?  You can’t… if you haven’t visited this godforsaken place yourself.  You can’t, if you haven’t learned from your own inner light how to illuminate the human path.  Life must test you in order for you to find your strength, your light, your message.  It will come when you persist and you don’t bring down the curtain. 

Just don’t get carried away when it comes.  The light you find may be no more than a sprig.  It will have to do.  Make the most of it.  Search your surroundings with it.  See with your eyes.  Feel with your hands.  Think with your mind.  Know with your heart.  Contribute.  Give what you come to know.  Lift the curtain.  It is your responsibility to speak what you mean and show what you feel.  A few artists receive great acclaim in their lifetime and are lavished with material rewards.  That’s nice.  They suffer for it.  You’re truest reward remains always deeply personal.  It feeds your source of humanity, the source of your inspiration.  All else is mesmerize and trinkets.

This is my thought.  Live your life.  Find your thought.  Pass it along freely.  Be the artist I know you are and be grateful for it.  It is the gift received by you when you were given life.

Good Morning Jack

Letter to my Son

9 September, Sunday

Thursday was an interesting time for me walking about the final day of the DNC - Democratic National Convention.  Although I was limited to the periphery of the event I felt I still got a sense of what a national convention to nominate a presidential candidate is about.  For the thousands of delegates that arrived here in Charlotte it must have felt like a vacation.  Most of them receive no pay for the many hours they devote to party activity in their home state.  This convention is their reward and they enjoyed all the sight-seeing, shopping, and the hours spent watching each other watch each other.  They talked up a storm and everyone seemed in a wonderful mood gaggling about and chasing down their favorite political personalities for a picture.

The Epicenter was the media center for much of cable television’s coverage of the Democratic convention.  Entry into the CNN Grill was by invitation only – off limits for me.  The picture was taken shortly after six in the morning when I first arrived.

MSNBC dominated the inner concourse of the Epicenter.  The stage with the protective plastic curtain still in place is where many of the live programming originated.  The program Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough was telecast from the Blackfinn Saloon which is out of the picture and off to the right, on the second floor.  During    Thursday’s show former NBC anchor Tom Brokow took ill.  Paramedics were called.  He was very unsteady.  He was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.  It was later released that he had suffered a negative reaction to the sleep drug Ambien.  His wife has probably been telling him to slow down.  I can hear her saying, "Didn't I tell you something like this would happen?"

Early morning risers head to the MSNBC Experience, located across from the outdoor television stage.  Here you could get coffee along with other refreshments as well as participate in a number of promotional activities.  They had large bowls   filled with campaign-like buttons, featuring pictures of all your favorite MSNBC        personalities.  Since I only had a T-Shirt pocket I figured I’d come back later in the day to collect a few.  Unfortunately they never refilled the bowls as they ran out.  Everyone was gone… except for Ed Schultz.  They still had full bowls with his picture.  Poor Ed.

David Axelrod, President Obama’s senior political advisor, poses with a   delegate.  The convention area in uptown Charlotte was so compact that most everyone walked to wherever they were headed.  Political figures and television personalities alike were repeatedly stopped for pictures making remarkable patience a necessary virtue.

Security was very tight in the convention area.  Purses and bags of any size were checked for contents and cars had their hoods and trunks popped for inspection, as well as a bomb-sniffing dog used to insure the vehicle was safe before proceeding.  Trucks were routed away from the area and parking garages were often left empty.  People normally filling the city’s office towers stayed home.

Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, reacts to a greeting from a passer-by.  He is a very personable man and he exhibits real joy at being acknowledged by a complete stranger.  He has just finished a three hour stint on Morning Joe and he was heading to breakfast.  He is so delighted to see you.  Please, let’s exchange pleasantries for a minute.  Democracy rewards many political figures with this remarkable gift of finding you the most important person at this very moment.

MSNBC political reporter, Chuck Todd, center, talks with Meet The Press host David Gregory while North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue looks on.  The young woman directly above Todd is the Floor Director.  She is responsible for every aspect of the set, from signaling when the show is live, to identifying which camera is being used, to encouraging the audience when to cheer and applaud.    She even makes sure the set is always properly groomed.

Chuck Todd turns his attention to Governor Perdue.  Following each commercial break Todd was dealt an entirely new group of politicians, reporters and analysts.  It’s his responsibility to be well versed in the subjects of importance to his guests and to keep the discussion focused, relevant, fast paced and interesting to the viewer.  He must also have the quick fortitude to graciously handle the occasional prickly personality of those being interviewed.

Patrick Kennedy, former Rhode Island congressman and son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy talks with another guest waiting to go on-air while back stage in an area that serves as the ‘Green Room’ for MSNBC.  The Kennedy name remains a potent emotional force in Democratic politics and he spoke before convention delegates on Tuesday night.

Candidates such as New Jersey’s Robert Menendez, center, find conventions important in getting much needed television exposure, schmoozing big money donors and firing up the most politically active members of your party.

Even as I sat in a local diner for a breakfast of eggs and hash browns I could not escape the crush of TV crews searching for interviews.  Here a Fox TV reporter came over to interview a political activist in the booth behind me.

Some convention goers opted to get about town using these freewheelin taxi devices where everyone chips in with their own pedal energy to get them where they want to go.

The Reverend Al Sharpton gets a last minute touch up in his cramped studio space  just prior to air time. 

Jeff Greenfield, a reporter with an intellectual bent and wry humor, did analysis work for CNN but also made an appearance on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.  Following his appearance on this occasion he made his long walk through the center of town to his modest motel room, interrupted only once - recognized by an older couple enjoying their breakfast at a table outside an eatery.

This crowd gathered to enjoy a robotic dance-type performance put on by a talented cop assigned to direct traffic in the center of town.

Hosts change, guests come and go but it’s going to be a long day for the Floor Director and her crew.

National political conventions are a natural beacon for people having a passion for their alternative convictions. 

Street vendors were plentiful and they would sell you colorful shirts, buttons, posters, an Obama hand puppet, and even Obama air freshener for your car.

Not all messages were strictly political.

President John Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline, arrived to talk before the convention later that evening.

I didn’t ask but I’m sure he had a compelling reason.

Normal traffic flow at this intersection was interrupted by a group of protesters chanting, “Free speech has no time limit.”

Free speech was allowed to resume in the back of a police van.

A heated exchange erupts on the street over abortion and a woman’s right to choose.

Afternoon rains drenched the crowds but for journalist and MSNBC contributor Jonathan Capehart the show must go on.

I know how petty and cynical election campaigns often look but there is a greater, noble purpose to it all and the party activists, politicians, reporters and television personalities here seemed genuinely energized by being part of the mix that becomes a small part of history.  People ask what purpose the party conventions serve when primaries decide which candidate gets the nomination.  I don't know.  Do we need a terribly rational reason for holding such a wondrous gathering and colorful event?  Somehow it still works for me.