The convention was good. I've never been the type to spend a lot of time inside the convention so I wasn't there much on the first day thankfully. The obstruction and dumb shit I did see from Sanders delegates in the little time I was there was more than enough. The second day was a lot better. I hung out with the Guam delegates who traveled through like 6 timezones to get to Philly. Met with some old friends and got on television a couple times while I chilled with the Illinois delegation.
I spent more time inside during the third day. Got to see the VP and his wife. Briefly saw the president and gave him a hug. Didn't get to talk with Kaine. I did get to meet and speak with some Hillary campaign folks, mainly those who had worked on the Obama campaign. Obviously polls look meh but nothing has really changed on the ground where it matters. Hillary still has a commanding lead in terms of GOTV, grassroots infrastructure, and just about every other measurable campaign metric.
Speech wise I thought the third day was really great. Biden gave a commanding performance and showed how you're supposed to use a microphone. I thought Kaine was very down to earth and likely scored well with audiences. He's just a man of great decency and kindness.
Obama's speech felt like a full circle moment to me, a feeling I've had a handful of times over the last year and a half. I couldn't help but be taken back to 2007. I knew of him at the time, and had briefly spoken to him before since I'm a Chicago machine guy, but going into that campaign I honestly didn't expect much. I thought he was too nice to do what was necessary to defeat the Clintons. I didn't know anything about his experience heading a campaign. I did know he was surrounded by a lot of aides who didn't have much experience. But I signed on anyway. And I watched how he went town to town, how voters slowly or quickly responded to his message, and the way he won people over as a man before winning them over as a politician.
The entire speech demonstrated his qualities, the same qualities that won Iowa and sparked an actual political revolution. I've never met someone in politics at that level (senator/governor/president/etc) who is as genuine and focused. The contrast between how he carries himself and how Trump acts is glaring, and I'd hope Americans will begin to think about that as we get closer to Labor Day. I could go on but ultimately Obama came into office, did a whole lot of what he said he was going to do, and is going to leave office without being changed.
The last day saw a return of Sanders support nonsense, especially outside the convention. Inside a lot of officials were on edge, wondering what was going to happen. They didn't go completely overboard but once again their behavior was pathetic. Thankfully I won't be spending anymore time thinking about them. Hillary handled it pretty well.
To briefly go back to the third day, one of the coolest things I saw was simply Obama and Hillary interacting. There's an interesting warmness there. They aren't the best of friends and both sides have allies who aren't big fans of the other (including myself)...but I think they've bonded from a mutual experience of facing unrelenting hatred and opposition. It's rare to meet someone who has gone through something like that. In Hillary's case she's gone through it for decades. So I think they both understand how important it is to lift each other up. I could tell Hillary wasn't happy about some of the protests that happened, but Bill and Obama were constantly there sharing stories or memories or discussing family.