Tuesday, August 26, 2008

DNC: Hillary's Night Tonight

Candidates John Warner and Barack Obama earlier this month in Virginia.

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton will be in the spotlight tonight at, or about 9:00 local / 10:00 Eastern, in the Pepsi Convention Center, Denver. She will receive a video tribute and will speak. During this time, the delegates are expected to give her a rousing standing applause in appreciation of her campaign.

She will be the star tonight, but please pay some attention to an ascending political star delivering the Keynote Address at or about 8:00 in Denver. He is former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, who is now running for the U.S. Senate.

I met Warner when he was governor of Virginia. He came to a nearby Missouri town with, and to support, the then U.S. Senatorial candidate from Missouri, Claire McCaskill, who gave the Keynote Address last night as U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill (MO). Both she and Warner threw their hats into the ring for Senator Obama almost at the start of the primary.

As a student at American University (DC) in the late 1950s, I was very active in the Civil Rights movement. Our sister university was Howard University (DC). I was good friends with Dr. Mordecai Johnson and his wife, Anna. The students from AU jointed the students at HU and protested the policy of the Hot Shoppe restaurant chain in DC of not serving blacks, and it eventually welcomed black customers in the early 1960s.

I also helped with the election of the first black partner in Price Waterhouse, now PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). His name is Frank Alston, who subsequently became head of PwC's Government Contracts Office in Washington, and is now retired. He supports Obama, too. See his contributions.

I was in the Los Angeles Office, which was the home of the main Government Contracts Office until it was later moved to Washington. It is interesting to me that the head partner in that office (a division of the audit department) prior to Alston was also named Johnson. Frank Johnson is also retired now, like myself.

Although I originally supported Senator Clinton, true to my gender and admiring her abilities, and was devestated when the Democratic political machines in Boston (Kennedy) and Chicago (Daley - Winfrey) rolled her out, I was thrilled to watch and listen to Michelle Obama last night.

I have worked all my life for tolerance and equal opportunity for all. I am so proud to have lived to see an African-American man nominated for the highest office in the United States of America. Unlike the current man in the White House, whom I have never and never shall, honor with the title of President, I shall be proud to call Barack Obama, President Barack Obama!

Access the DNC Web site by clicking the title of this post.

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