2008 Democratic National Convention Roundup: Day 1

The 2008 Democratic National Convention kicked off yesterday with throngs of delegates descending on Denver and a firm party commitment to embrace Barack Obama’s election plank -- energy and climate policies included.

ENS parses the green details here, while the Wall Street Journal clears the air on Obama and cap-and-trade legislation: if elected, expect it to be President Obama's #1 economic priority.

As predicted, aspiring First Lady Michelle Obama and ailing Senator Ted Kennedy stole the Day 1 show with electrifying, homerun speeches, earning near-unanimous media praise. (Read the transcript of Obama's speech here and Kennedy's here. Videos of both follow the post.)

Among the other first impressions to emerge, here's one of the most prevalent: ExxonMobil, the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity and the whole clean coal lie are "everywhere."

The Michigan Messenger has the oily details -- as does Gristmill (more here) -- which relays its first sighting of the "giant, roving clean coal van." Still, the fossil fuel sponsorship of the DNC has yet to tarnish its image as the greenest national convention "ever." Or silence its critics on the right.

Here's the climate denying, conservative Heritage Foundation, whining live from Denver against Democrats and their clean energy aspirations:

One of the first "sights" for those arriving by airplane is a video on the catastrophic dangers of global warming. You don’t really have much of a choice of whether to watch: The video blares as you wait for the tram to take you to the main terminal. At the main terminal, you’re greeted by the face of Gov. Bill Ritter (D) on a banner extolling the virtues of Colorado’s "New Energy Economy."

Boo hoo.

Meanwhile, Day 1 saw power players behind the scenes soaking up climate and energy talks at the new Big Tent -- the giant, two-story, 8,000-square foot media hub sponsored by the Alliance for Sustainable Colorado, DailyKos and ProgressNow.

For a sampling, read coverage of the College Democrats of America’s climate panel by It's Getting Hot in Here -- and OneWorld's analysis of a session of top climate scientists and activists.

Lots more energy reports to come.

Day 2 alone will see a Rocky Mountain Roundtable organized by the Denver 2008 Convention Executive Committee, with three sessions: "The Business of Climate Change," "Energy in a Carbon-Constrained Economy" and "The New Energy Economy."

For a comprehensive listing of all events, have a look at the National Journal's calendar here.

The AP lists the featured speakers for Day 2, while Reuters has the full speaker line-up for the week.

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DAY 1 SPEECHES

Michelle Obama:

Senator Ted Kennedy:

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