FRAMESHOP:FRAMESHOP: DNC LIVE BLOGGING - EDWARDS

John Edwards is up.

HUGE roar.  Susie Turnbull is introducin him.

I'll pick up Edward's speech from the start...

Edwards walks in to John Cougar Melencamp music.

- Edwards acknowledges the death of Molly Ivins
- "Why are we here?"
- "Somewhere in America an 8-year-old girl is going to bed hungry..."

- "Somewhere in America" is Edward's big refrain.  This is really Edward's strength--at telling the story of his vision.  It is a bit lengthy, but it definitely moves the room.

- "It doesn't have to be that way."  Edwards is building--setting up his big theme of "change."  The frame here is the experience of the American family.  The "two Americas" narrative has evolved here a bit, but it is familiar.

- Edwards locates every policy issue within these stories of working class Americans who have problems or crises that they cannot solve--"...it doesn't have to be that way...that's why we are here..."

- "Will you stand up for that man in the emergency room?" 
- "WILL YOU STAND UP, WILL YOU STAND UP"  (Crowd goes wild"

This is a very good framing--people standing together--unity, protection--crowd is going wild.

- Quotes MLK - we cannot stand by quietly while Bush escalates this war

- "Silence is a betrayal"

- Comes out against "non-binding" resolution

- George Bush is not the decider--the American people are (this is more of a one-liner at this stage...)

A word about Edwards' tone:  He is sounding tough and strong.  No doubt.  He has a script, but he's reading it firmly, and connecting with the room.

Edwards has this way of going on a bit after the room erupts with applause.

- "This is the time for political courage."

Edwards is now weaving the "silence is betrayal" frame into healthcare, poverty, and other issues.  This is a very powerful theme.

- Edwards is putting his heart into this.  Dare I say it:  this man WANTS to be President.  It shows.

Big finish, now.

- We are not the country of the Superdome after Katrina, we are not the country of Abhu Ghraib, etc.

- "The United States of America is better than that."

- Here's Edward's big frame of "act now"--this is an interesting idea, the "dont' wait until 2008, do it now" frame

Edwards done.  Fascinating speech.  Obama and Edwards are great speakers, each in their own way. 

© 2007 Jeffrey Feldman, Frameshop