Charger News

John Kerry's Democratic Revival

Jonathan McNabb, Charger Staff

The Democratic National Convention is much more than the four nights of speeches seen on television. The DNC is the culminating event from months of preparation and competition. In the past, both the DNC and the rival Republican National Convention were a real competition between candidates during the convention for the party’s nomination. Now it is the party nominee’s celebration. This year it was John Kerry’s turn to accept his party’s nomination to run for president. The DNC was held in Boston, Massachusetts this year for the first time. The events took place between Aug. 26-29 in Boston’s many convention centers and hotels, but the Fleet Center was the site of the main festivities.

Attendees included delegates, party officials, celebrities and various high ranking Democrats. The keynote speakers during the week were Bill Clinton, Barak Obama, John Edwards and John Kerry. Many other key Democrats spoke, including Hillary Clinton and once presidential hopefulls Wesley Clark and Joe Lieberman. For those younger Democrats who are more involved in local than national elections, training seminars were offered during the days of the convention. This GAIN (Grassroots Action Institute and Network) training features prominent Democratic speakers and new field tactics for the upcoming years. These sessions prepared the footsoldiers of the Democratic party for the upcoming election.