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Live From the DNC: From the streets to the nosebleed seats

An eventful day here in Charlotte. For me, it started with a Planned Parenthood rally at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Yes, this is probably the first time in history that those two organizations were mentioned in the same sentence. A human pillpack led the proceedings:

Rush Limbaugh’s favorite slut Sandra Fluke was on hand to slut things up:

As the event came to a close, another storm ensued, and PP began passing out pink ponchos. Always have protection!

I caught wind on Twitter of a standoff between police and Occupy Wall Street protesters just a couple blocks away, and wound up walking right into the middle it. The protesters wanted to march toward the convention, and as I arrived, the police allowed them to do so as long as they stayed on the sidewalk. I followed along behind this guy:

Marchers chanted “Free Bradley Manning, arrest Barack Obama!” Along the way, they encountered and several Obama supporters. At the Convention Center, a Gulf War vet got into a heated exchange with an Occupy protester in a pig-snout hat who was criticizing U.S. drone strikes:

A number of Obama supporters, mostly African-American, began chanting “Four more years!” while the protesters yelled about civilian casualties in Afghanistan. Then it began to pour again. I snapped this pic, then headed inside to dry off.

Inside the Convention Center, I spotted these delegates from San Antonio. They were making posters for Mayor Julian Castro’s keynote.

Castro’s speech was well-received here, as was Lilly Ledbetter’s, Deval Patrick’s and Michelle Obama’s. I have a lot to say about night one of the convention, but for now I’ll have to refer you to my Twitter feed. I still need to catch a taxi home. Hope it’s not raining.

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Follow Jen Sorensen’s Democratic National Convention Twitter feed

You can follow Jen Sorensen’s DNC Twitter feed here. 

Excerpt: “Welcome to the show. Same lofty seats I had last time.”

San Antonio delegates making posters for tonight’s keynote from mayor Julian Castro. Photo: Jen Sorensen.
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Live From the DNC: Soggy Labor Day Slog

Remember what I said yesterday about getting around easily? Forget it. The bus route I’d mastered practically ceased to exist, thunderstorms pounded the city, and the sidewalks were packed. At one point, I slipped in behind a guy pushing a cart full of ponchos just to get through the crowd.

I wound up waiting out a storm at a bus stop with a protester named Larry from the Florida panhandle. He’d been at the RNC in Tampa, and was riding a bike around Charlotte with a sign bearing a poem he wrote.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the sign at first, but I believe he’s referring to conservatives of different backgrounds sharing a common worship of the market. Larry, who participated in yesterday’s march, noted that security was more obnoxious in Tampa.

Another scene from the streets:

I closed out the day at a house party hosted by Raw Story who, contrary to their name, did not serve undercooked meat. A reliable source there told me that Gretchen Carlson of “Fox & Friends” had a lackey carry her stilettos today as she walked around in more comfortable footwear. That source may or may not have employed the term “Gretchen Carlson’s shoe bitch.” Am I bringing you behind-the-scenes deets or what?

BONUS! Exclusive photo of the delicious homemade margarita served at the Raw Story party:

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Live from the DNC: Moseying Around

I spent Sunday getting my press credentials and my bearings in uptown Charlotte, the convention epicenter. The city is festooned with cops and barricades, but I didn’t have any problem getting around.

There was plenty of Obama swag for sale at the Convention Center, including some $65 hoodies:

I wasn’t sure about the symbolism of these Obama yo-yo’s:

Wonder if there were any “Romney Pride” shirts for sale at the RNC?

Leaving the convention center, I saw this anti-free trade protester working a busy corner:

Speaking of protest, I watched Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! give a talk at the PPL, the independent blogger workspace at the DNC. She defended the importance of dissent and talked about her 2008 arrest at the RNC while covering protests as a credentialed journalist, for which she won a settlement. A colleague of hers at NBC told her he’d never been arrested; she noted that he was reporting from the VIP skybox.

Later last night, I passed these concession stand operators with a name that might not ingratiate them to a crowd of Democrats:

I mentioned Ralph Nader to them jokingly, and one of them took me seriously and announced to the others, “Hey guys, maybe we oughta not wear these t-shirts tomorrow!”

As I paused on the sidewalk to check my phone at the end of the night, a couple guys in Romney t-shirts stopped to ask whether I knew if Charlotte would be enforcing its 11pm noise ordinance laws. I guess all my credentials made me look like an official worthy of light harassment. Ha!

Note: For real-time updates from Charlotte, follow my Twitter feed at @SorensenJen.

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Live at the DNC: Houston, We Have Landed in Charlotte

I arrived in Charlotte last night amidst hordes of bubbly convention-goers. Before I begin covering the week’s events in earnest, I’d like to say a few words about my own perspective. Those of you who are familiar with my comics know I have fairly strong political convictions, and I’m going to let ’em rip as necessary here.

Like many progressives, I’ve had mixed feelings about the first Obama administration, but I’m hoping for a successful convention. At the very least, the country needs a palate-cleansing after last week’s dreckfest in Tampa. I want to see Elizabeth Warren smack down Chris Christie six ways from Piscataway. As a self-employed freelancer, I want to see the Affordable Care Act defended. I want to hear the Repubicans’ barbaric stance on women blasted back to the Stone Age where it belongs. Yes, we live in a berserk plutocracy where rhetoric typically falls short of reality. But in these fact-challenged times, I’ll take what I can get.

While waiting for my luggage in between flights yesterday, I spoke with a 26-year-old delegate from Austin named Heather. This will be her first national political convention. When I suggested that Obama’s initial coronation in Denver 2008 would be hard to top, she quickly countered, “But this will be his last one!”

I’ve been jaded by too much triangulation to feel that level of attachment, but I wouldn’t object to some of that Denver magic here in Charlotte.

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Charlotte-bound: Going to the Democratic National Convention

Greetings! Cartoonist and occasional political blogger Jen Sorensen here. Some of you C-VILLE faithful may recall my coverage of the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. Well, I had so much fun last time that I’m doing it again.

On Saturday I leave for Charlotte, where I’ll spend the better part of next week immersing myself in the hoopla surrounding the renomination of Barack Obama. I’ll be blogging, tweeting, posting cellphone photos, and hopefully drawing some cartoons as I have time.

While it’s true that the outcome of the convention is a foregone conclusion, I’m fascinated by the details surrounding it. It’s a Big Spectacle bordering on the surreal, with plenty of behind-the-scenes wackiness. One moment, you’re brushing past Jimmy Carter; the next, you’re photographing a midwestern delegate in a giant corncob hat. Some real drama is sure to unfold too, as protesters of various stripes collide with extremely robust security forces.  So, watch this space!