Bob says...

*Mike Lee is a (DC Based) Lawyer who doesn't want Utah to have a say in whether or not they allow nuclear waste. (States rights my butt.)

*Mike Lee wants to declare that children born to illegal immigrants within the borders of the United States are no longer subject to the jurisdiction of the Unites States government. That would make them not citizens, so the Unites States (which, by the way, now has no jurisdiction over these people) can deport them. Let that sink in for a minute. (Please tell me someone out there has that exchange from the KUTV debate last Sunday)

*Mike Lee is in favor of underground nuclear testing. Except he is in favor of ratifying a treaty that bans testing of nuclear weapons. Unless a country decides they need to test to preserve their national security. (If a Democrat took that many positions, he'd be called a flip-flopper.)

*Mike Lee trusts the Utah Legislature more than he trusts Utah Voters. (See revoking the 17th amendment.)

*Mike Lee isn't just a lobbyist. Mike Lee is an illegal Lobbyist.

*Mike Lee wants to raise taxes on the poor and middle-class.

*Mike Lee wants to reduce government regulations. Lax government oversight caused the Gulf Oil Spill and the mine collapse in central Utah a few years ago.

*Mike Lee seems to forget that Article 3 of the Constitution gives the Supreme Court the authority to declare whether laws are constitutional or not.

*Mike Lee loves the constitution, with the exception of Article 3 and Amendments 14, 16, 17, and 10 (only when it is contrary to the desires of his clients).

See Bob's entire post, Defining Mike Lee, here.  

Utah Delegate Seconds Clinton Nomination

I've got my pass for "The Speech"

These passes are awesome! The seats are nosebleed, but I'm excited!

Some highlights of today's schedule, which you can watch all of on CSPAN or CSPAN.org:

*Pledge of Allegiance by Olympic Gymnast Shawn Johnson
*National Anthem by Oscar winner/singer Jennifer Hudson
*Tribute to Dr Martin Luther King with Rev. Bernice King and Martin Luther King III
*Governor Bill Richardson
*Singer will.i.am accompanied by John Legend
*Singer/Songwriter Cheryl Crow
*Recording artist Stevie Wonder
*Nobel Prize Winner Al Gore
*Wounded Iraq Veteran John Kuniholm
*Singer/Songwriter Michael McDonald


Oh, and there's some speech by some Senator from Illinois or something....

Senator Pat Jones And Mitt Romney

State Senator Pat Jones (D-Bob's House) shaking hands with Mitt-Flop Romney outside the front door of Pepsi Center. Also in the picture: Former State Senators Karen Hale and Partice Arent.


Source: AP via CNN.

From the Cheap Seats at Pepsi Center

I got a phone call asking me if I wanted a pass to get me into the Pepsi Center, but not in the hall itself. I took it, figuring I could find a way further in.

Well, by the time we got through security, someone else had a hall pass.

I'll post more, but I'm almost out of battery.

Anderson Cooper

Back when I was in Junior High, we had this news program on called Channel One. One of my favorite reporters on that show was a young man named Anderson Cooper. I distinctly remember him almost getting blown up on camera in Bosnia.

I have followed his career, from ABC to National Geographic to CNN, with a stint hosting a reality show ("The Mole"). His name was at the top of my list of people I wanted a picture with. While I wasn't quite able to get that picture, I got this one instead.

That's part of the fun of being here -- you never know who you will see. I know I'm sitting on some photos that I'll trow on here when I get a chance, and some others also have photos.

-Bob

Bob and Aaron on KUER

Aaron and I both sat down to talk to KUER on Sunday. His story was about all of us getting settled into the hotel.

I really felt like this interview did not go well, but I like the sound bite that came out of it.

Click here to listen.

I Got the Smackdown from WWE United States Champ Shelton Benjamin

I was walking around the floor of the Pepsi Center and saw I guy carrying a championship belt. I got a few pictures of him, then managed to get this one with him.

Benjamin is in town with a few other WWE superstars and Rock the Vote to promote registering to vote. They will be doing an appearance here in Denver tomorrow, which I am going to try to attend.

-Bob

Sitting with the Utah Delegation

I've decided that Monday must be when they dump all the boring speakers. However, I got several good pictures that I will be posting later, when I get out of here. Posting from inside of Pepsi Center is difficult. There is no wi-fi, and the press filing center inside the building doesn't have much room. I do have the luxury of having a cellular card, but I only have an hour of battery life. I'm about to head outside to pass our credential off the Misty Fowler. I hope I get to come back in soon.

-Bob

Live, from inside the Pepsi Center

I'll be taking the afternoon coverage from the Pepsi Center today. It took some time to find where I was going to find a place to file the stories from. I'll be able to get some stories from inside the bowl itself. But first, some pictures.
Standing outside the Pepsi Center.



The view from near the middle of the arena.



UTAH!



The View From The Utah Seats



The Podium

I got interviewed by Rich Piatt

I sat down this morning and was interviewed by Rich Piatt of KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. He wasn't sure when the piece would air, but it won't be tonight. We'll let you know when it's on.

-Bob

Bob's run-in with the riot police on Sunday

Interfaith Meeting -- part 1

I had the opportunity to attend the Interfaith Gathering this afternoon. This was the first official convention event.

Here was a place where we could all come together to worship as one. Where Muslim Scarves and Yarmulkes can sit together; where a Catholic could say "amen" to a protestant prayer. We all stood together as children of God.

So, here are some quotes that I wrote down from the meeting:

"We didn't need to bring faith to the Democratic Party. It was already here." -Reverend Leah D Daughtry, CEO 2008 Democratic National Convention

"While our party may not be perfect, it is perfect for me." -Reverend Daughtry

In our party, there is a tremendous intersection of faith and politics." -Colorado Governor Bill Ritter

"There are those who fight for the well-being of the unborn, while ignoring the well-being of children once they are born." Bishop Charles E Blake, Presiding Bishop, The Church of God in Christ

"This generation will be judged by how we treat our children." -Bishop Blake

"Our youth are our future, let us not the baton!" -Bishop Blake

"That what is hateful to yourself, do not do unto your brother." Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President, Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America

Love is the highest of all emotions ... love means to feed and clothe." -Rabbi Weireb

"Sometimes, our neighbor is ignorant; then we must educate him or her." -Rabbi Weireb

"Patriotism is a pert of faith." The Prophet Mohamed, as quoted by Mrs Fatema Biviji, National Delegate, Iving, TX

We must not just tell the truth, but we must tell the whole truth." Dr Ingrid Mattson

Bob on C-SPAN

CSPAN had one of their buses at the Presidential Experience Exhibit at INVESCO field. While we were waiting in line, they offered to have some people come and state what their #1 issue was.



-Bob

Wind Energy -- How to Make Wyoming Beautiful

Anyone who had driven across Wyoming knows that it's not exactly the most scenic of drives.

OK, so it's more scenic than I80 west of Grantsville, but that's like being less of a flip flopper than Mitt Romney.

Anyway, I think the most scenic parts of our drive to Denver yesterday (other than the state of Colorado) was seeing the wind farms in several parts of the state.

-Bob

P.S. My apologies to the state of Wyoming. The northern half is very beautiful.

Chris Mathews is an idiot

So I'm here in our hotel room watch MSNBC. Chris Mathews is complaining that about ow "terrible" the process of Obama picking a running mate, that it took too long and information trickled out.

I think it's a great way to do it. What has the media been talking about for two weeks? Obama.

I personally think it would have come out a little sooner has John McCain known how many homes he owned.

Oh, and for those who are saying the process showed Obama's indecision, I ask you who John McCain's pick is. He's had longer to make that decision.

-Bob

Bob, Biscuit, and Bramble Burger

Aaron and I had dinner last night at the Hard Rock Cafe in the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver.

AS our host was seating us, he informed us that our waiter would be Biscuit.

Biscuit?

Yes, Biscuit.



Biscuit was an awesome waiter. He gave us some of the inside scoop on my new girlfriend, err, favorite city Denver. Also, the Hard Rock had a very accomodating menu:



If having a burger named after their candidate wasn't enough to placate the Clinton people, nothing will satisfy them. It satisfied me!

Oh, and the burger I really wanted -- the Bramble Burger:

Sidewalks Hurt

After Aaron and I saw Howard Dean speak (he'll be writing about that and posting video later), we headed out to dinner (an event that I will blog about as soon as I get the pictures from Aaron).

While walking down 16th Street Mall, I somehow missed a curb, and tripped over it, landing fairly hard. I banged up my knees and elbow, as well as my ego.

Yeah, I a klutz.

-Bob

Greetings from Loveland Colorado

Aaron Thompson and Iare in Loveland Colorado. We'll be in Denver in an hour. We'll blog about our journey when we get there....

Live From (Almost) Denver: Day -7

I haven't been posting this daily as much as I had hoped. Part of that has been because my schedule has not allowed me to post as much.

Now that we are down to the last few days before the start of The Convention, things are really hopping in Denver.

The Denver Post has a great calendar of events, both official and unofficial. Leave a comment and let us know if there is something that you would like us to cover.

Also, The Utah Amicus will be the first Utah Media outlet reporting from Denver. That's right, we're getting there before anyone else. However, we need help getting there. Click here to donate.

-Bob