TONY COX, host:
Barack Obama is now the Democratic Party's nominee for president of the United States. But still, no one casts a longer shadow in modern Democratic politics than former President Bill Clinton. Last night was the former president's turn to put aside bitter differences and boost Obama's - Senator Obama before the party faithful. How did he fare? Well, here to share their reactions and analysis, our news - we're going to have Farai Chideya joining us in a few moments, and Melissa Harris Lacewell both. Are they there?
FARAI CHIDEYA, host: We are here.
Dr. MELISSA HARRIS LACEWELL (Politics and African-American Studies, Princeton University): We are here.
COX: OK. Well, you know that's the joy of live radio. You're never quite sure when your connections are made.
CHIDEYA: Let me tell you, with everybody moving around like people moving conventions across whole cities and, you know, it's some crazy stuff here.
COX: I can imagine. Speaking of crazy stuff, Farai, let's start with you. Because we just heard from Congressman John Lewis who is a veteran of the Civil Rights Movement, how palpable is the sense of history there in Denver?
CHIDEYA: Well, you know, I was in a cab today and unfortunately, I can't remember this gentleman's name but he is one of the highest ranking officials in the Illinois Department of Public Health. He and I shared a cab because there's no cabs here to be had alone. He was telling me he lives about a mile from Barack Obama. He knows Barack Obama. He is someone who has served two tours in Iraq in addition to his medical work in the United States and he was - he was near tears.
And I asked him also, why did you do two tours? Did you have to? He said, no, I do medical and I had to go back for my men and I had to be there. We're in a situation where this country has to change and the troops can't be treated the way they are. And just - everyone has their reason for being here, and often quite emotional.
COX: Melissa, take us back to - we're going to talk a lot about this over the next several minutes but really briefly, the moment that the nomination became official, what did you sense?
Dr. HARRIS LACEWELL: It was - I hate to say this because it does sound almost insane - but it was almost religious ecstasy. And by that I mean a sense of connection to something so much bigger than the individual who is Barack Obama or the entity that is the Democratic Party. It was much more about a sense of citizenship and ownership. And I have to tell you that, you know, the other anniversary that we're marking here, the three years after Katrina, you know, I just heard John Lewis' amazing piece and many of us maybe thought we would never lived to see a black president.
But even if we thought we did, I can't imagine that any of us believed that it would happen three years after Katrina, when it seemed the black people were so disfranchised. So it was an enormously cathartic moment for blacks, for whites, for Latinos and Asians in that space, to feel like we were part of something big.
COX: All right, listen, Farai, Melissa, hang on for a second. We're going to take a quick break, but we will be right back to continue this conversation. Just ahead, more of our convention with Melissa and Farai.
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COX: Welcome back to News & Notes. I'm Tony Cox. Joining us from Denver, our very own host Farai Chideya and Melissa Harris-Lacewell, who is an associate professor of politics and African-American studies at Princeton University. I want to play a piece of tape for you and get your reaction to it. Because a lot of this began as Hillary Clinton instructed - I think that's the right word - to have her delegates throw their support fully behind Barack Obama. Marlene out of Wisconsin was a Hillary delegate. She was at a meeting yesterday when Hillary asked them to release her delegates. Here's a clip from Ott.
Unidentified Woman: As a youngster in 1960, election night 1960, I, with two of my siblings were locked up because we're marching in protest and support. I've attended farmers in Fayette in Haywood County who have been thrown off with their land because they had tried to register to vote. And so now to have gone from just getting people to (unintelligible) the vote, to see an African-American seek the highest position in the land is overwhelming. I'm happy. I'm happy. I'm happy. This is a good day. You know, tears of joy.
COX: That was not Marlene Ott but this is. We're going to play it for you then get your reaction.
Ms. MARLENE OTT (Democratic Delegate, Wisconsin): It was bitter-sweet. There were mobs of people lining up almost two hours before the session even opened and lined up all the way down the hall, snaking around the halls in the lobby and up the escalators and on the - over the balconies on the second floor. She said she would understand our feelings if we felt we had to vote the way our constituents had directed us to vote. But for her, Barack Obama was the choice. I cried very hard when she was the person to give New York State's votes to Senator Obama. I cried, yes. You almost have me crying again.
COX: People crying for different reasons, Farai. What's the main storyline do you see coming out of yesterday?
CHIDEYA: Well, we haven't even gotten to talking about Bill Clinton's speech. But, you know, the main storyline throughout the night was unity, and the question is, is there unity? The answer is, for some people. You know, it always is. Some people are still going to walk away from this with a tote bag and a t-shirt and an uncertain feeling in their heart. Other people walk away feeling as if they've just had an ecstatic, transformative, spiritual moment in their lives.
COX: So let's talk about Bill Clinton. Did he deliver what was needed last night?
Dr. HARRIS LACEWELL: Well, you know, I have to say, I actually think that the delegates delivered Bill Clinton to the convention, that - I mean, one thing we know about Bill Clinton is he likes to work a crowd. And he likes positive attention from his party. And he had felt very bad over the past few months about the language about him standing in the way of Barack Obama.
Regardless of whether it was true or not, he was not happy about it. So when he walked out and before he even opened his mouth, that entire convention hall showed him such enormous love and respect. I mean, almost to the point that it became funny. I think in that moment, the delegates themselves actually lifted up Bill Clinton and allowed him to be I think even better than he might have otherwise been. So the language was always there, but the spirit of it, the enormity of that moment, of Bill Clinton throwing himself behind Barack Obama, was provided by the delegates themselves.
COX: So in other words, Farai, he really sold it because the crowd made him feel very welcome.
CHIDEYA: Well, he kept saying, oh, stop, stop, stop, you know, oh that's OK. Thank you. You know, but he also said, I love this. And he said each word fully resonant, and you could sort of see this tinge of regret that he - you know, you can only be president for eight years, at least right here in the U.S. And so he can't go back for a three-peat. And you could feel, you know, that emotion.
COX: We've had four major speeches, Michelle Obama, we had Hillary Clinton. we've had Bill Clinton. Whose speech was the strongest do you think? And we had Joe Biden, that's the fourth.
Dr. HARRIS LACEWELL: Well now this one's hard for me as an African-American woman raising a black daughter. You know, I kept my daughter Parker up late at night to watch Michelle Obama. And there was something incredibly powerful about sort of the Huxtables go to Washington. But you know, but that said, it was still a spousal speech. It was really about centering Barack Obama as a husband and as a person.
I think probably the most powerful political speech so far is not any of those you've named, but - this is going to sound crazy - I really loved Joe Biden's. It was not the best delivered. In fact, it was sort of clumsy. But that clumsiness itself demonstrated how thrilled he was to be a part of this ticket, how excited he was about the possibility of bringing together a new kind of Democratic Party. I actually thought he did exactly what he needed to do, and the reason that Biden was brought on. I also really liked John Kerry yesterday. If only Kerry had ever been able to do that for himself, he might have been a president.
COX: That's an interesting point. Now, all of these, Farai, all of these speeches that we have heard have set the table for the guy who is really expected to deliver, has to deliver tonight, doesn't he? Barack Obama.
CHIDEYA: Of course he does. But you know what? That man looks very happy. He came out and did this little surprise thing with Joe Biden last night, you know, kissed Biden's wife. Biden didn't smack him upside the head, so he's on a high.
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COX: I'm wondering, do you think that the speech by Biden in the time that we have left would have any impact on who John McCain ultimately selects to be his vice presidential running mate, Farai?
CHIDEYA: Well, there are various leaks right now that McCain may scoop - or the McCain campaign may scoop tonight by leaking - there was a - there's one set of wires that say that he is formally going to announce his veep pick tomorrow. Another is saying that he could basically kind of blow out the news whole and announce it tonight. So I think that McCain, as Obama was looking for experience and wisdom, McCain is probably going to be looking for youth and perhaps conservative credentials. We'll see.
COX: Do you think he might pick a woman?
Dr. HARRIS LACEWELL: I suspect that there's a very real possibility that he may choose a woman running mate. And, you know, before this convention, I would have said I thought that was a terrific strategy. But I'm telling you, I have seen a shift. I have some colleagues, delegates on the floor who was saying, it was almost like getting ready for the fight after school, and then the mama comes and picks the kids up before the end of school. That everybody was ready for this big fight between Barack's people and Hillary's people, but Hillary herself stepping in, being gracious, freeing her delegates, naming the New York delegation's votes. She picked the kids up before the fight could happen and I think...
COX: Before the fight got started, huh.
Dr. HARRIS LACEWELL: Yeah. Yeah.
COX: All right. But we got to run out of here. I appreciate both of you coming. I know that you are busy. We will talk to you again I'm sure, Farai on another day. That was Farai Chideya, our host and Melissa Harris Lacewell. Thank you.
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