Charlotte is getting a lot of national attention as the Democratic National Convention rolls into town, bringing politicians, protestors and reporters alike. September 4 through 6, WhichWayNC will be keeping track of what people are saying during and about the DNC.
We’re anticipating some inspirational insights, some heated arguments and “wtf?” moments. If you’re on your phone, swipe through the quote gallery below for your daily dose of political chatter.
“The President said nothing in his speech tonight. But he said it so much better than Mitt Romney when he said nothing in Tampa.”
-Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, in a tweet about Obama’s DNC address
Twitter, Sept. 6
“The times have changed – and so have I. I’m no longer just a candidate. I’m the President.”
- President Obama speaking at the DNC in Charlotte
New York Daily News, Sept. 6
“We, the People, recognize that we have responsibilities as well as rights; that our destinies are bound together; that a freedom which asks only what’s in it for me, a freedom without a commitment to others, a freedom without love or charity or duty or patriotism, is unworthy of our founding ideals, and those who died in their defense.”
- President Obama speaking at the DNC in Charlotte
Washington Post, Sept. 6
“During this campaign, we’ve heard about the two profoundly different futures that could await women — and how one of those futures looks like an offensive, obsolete relic of our past. Warnings of that future are not distractions. They’re not imagined. That future could be real.”
- Sandra Fluke, Georgetown University law graduate, speaking at the DNC about an America led by Mitt Romney
Yahoo! News, Sept. 6
“When former President Bill Clinton took the stage at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, he portrayed President Barack Obama as a pragmatic compromiser who has been stymied at every turn by Republicans. There was no mention of the role that the president and the Democrats have played in grinding compromise to a halt on some of the most important issues facing the country.”
- Matt Apuzzo, Associated Press reporter, in his fact-check of Clinton’s speech at the DNC
Associated Press, Sept. 6
“I want to nominate a man cool on the outside but burning for America on the inside.”
- Bill Clinton speaking at the DNC in Charlotte
CNN, Sept. 5
“Though I often disagree with Republicans, I never learned to hate them the way the far right that now controls their party seems to hate President Obama and the Democrats.”
- Former President Bill Clinton in his remarks at the DNC
Washington Post, Sept. 5
“The most devastating attack on Mitt Romney at Tuesday’s Democratic Convention came from Michelle Obama, who did not mention Romney’s name and said not a single cross thing about him. She devastated him by implication.”
- E.J. Dionne, Jr., Washington Post opinion writer, on Michelle Obama’s DNC speech
Washington Post, Sept. 5
“Back in ‘08 until you get all eight, you’re still the sexiest candidate / Your word and your speeches still get me hot and speechless.”
- Leah Kauffman’s chorus from her song, “Still Got a Crush on Obama,” the sequel to a song she wrote back in 2008 called “I’ve Got a Crush on Obama.”
Politico, Sept. 5
“All of America used to be a free speech zone… This stuff is right out of George Orwell.”
- John Murdock, 37, a protester at the DNC regarding the boundary restrictions that dictate where people can protest.
Washington Post, Sept. 5
“Today, after so many struggles and triumphs and moments that have tested my husband in ways I never could have imagined, I have seen firsthand that being president doesn’t change who you are – it reveals who you are,”
- First Lady Michelle Obama, in her speech at the DNC in Charlotte.
Huffington Post, Sept. 4
“The president signed the bill for his grandmother, whose dreams hit the glass ceiling, And for his daughters, so that theirs never will. Because of his leadership, women who faced pay discrimination like I did will now get their day in court.”
- Lilly Ledbetter, champion of the Fair Pay Act at the DNC, on the wage disparity between men and women.
NPR, Sept. 4
“Mitt Romney, quite simply, doesn’t get it. A few months ago he visited a university in Ohio and gave the students there a little entrepreneurial advice. ‘Start a business,’ he said. But how? ‘Borrow money if you have to from your parents,’ he told them. Gee, why didn’t I think of that?”
- Julian Castro, first Latino keynote speaker at the DNC on Republican candidate Mitt Romney.
NPR, Sept. 4
“Although it’s just the first night at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, people have already posted more than 3 million Tweets, including #DNC2012 and related terms. In comparison, there were 4 million Tweets sent throughout the three days of last week’s Republican National Convention (#RNC2012).”
- Adam Sharp, Head of Government, News and Social Innovation for Twitter, in a blog post on Twitter.
Twitter Blog, Sept. 4
“Can’t wait to hear the first lady speak tonight I hear speaks at 8 and at 845 she’s gonna sing single ladies.”
- Chris Rock, comedian, tweeted about his excitement to hear Michelle Obama’s speech at the DNC.
Twitter, Sept. 4
“I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little bit nervous — it’s something new. But by the time I get up there on Tuesday night, I’ll be ready.”
- Julian Castro, the mayor of San Antonio, Texas, on being chosen as the keynote speaker for the DNC.
NPR, Sept. 4
“I’d always rather be the last car dealer you visit and the last convention you watch, because the first guy is out of mind already.”
- Fred Davis, media strategist and creative director of the 2008 RNC
Newsday, Sept. 1
Wanna know what they said at the Republican National Convention? Good thing we listened.
