I start at the 12 minute mark and drone on for an hour.

.@OMAROSA discusses @HillaryClinton foriegn policy failures @GOP response at @DemConvention #DemsInPhilly pic.twitter.com/q4qLQaPGye

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) July 26, 2016

"Hillary Clinton will make an outstanding President and I am proud to stand with her tonight. Thank you very much."

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Original Post

Entering to Simon and Garfunkle's "America," Bernie Sanders takes the podium. He looks rested and tan. He looks happy, his young supporters in the audience do not.

Bernie touts Elizabeth Warren and Michelle Obama. He thanks the hundreds of thousands of volunteers in his campaign and his 2 1/2 million campaign supporters. He thanks the 13 million Americans who "voted for the political revolution", which gave him the "1,846 pledged delegates here tonight." He looks forward to their votes at the roll call tomorrow night. (Is he still asking his supporters to vote for him?)[More...]

Update: Michelle Obama looks terrific, that blue is a great color for her and her dress really showcases her super-toned arms.

"I trust Hillary to lead this country because I've seen her devotion to children, not just her own, who she has raised to perfection...Hillary has spent decades doing the relentless work to make a difference in their lives."

"When she didn't win the nomination 8 years ago, she didn't get angry or disillusioned. Hillary didn't pack up and go home."

"Hillary doesn't buckle under pressure." She never takes the easy way out. She doesn't give up.

Really great speech. Bill Clinton, in the audience, was ecstatic. So was the crowd. [More...]

It's Day One of the DNC. Among the prominent speakers tonight are Michelle Obama,Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Weston, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, will not open the convention (she resigned this weekend.) The opening, at 4pm, will be done by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, secretary of the Democratic National Committee.

The online streaming coverage seems messy, with intrusive comment feeds, live pundit commentary and multiple video frames. The You Tube channel for the DNC is here. [More....]

Here's an interesting article about abusive conditions at a Honduras factory where Donald Trump shirts are manufactured.

Employees at a textile factory that made Trump shirts report dangerous, abusive conditions — harsh even for Honduras.

Politico takes a look behind the vetting process that resulted in the selection of Tim Kaine for Hillary's veep.

Hillary and Kaine made their first appearance today. In the short video clip of their appearance, he doesn't seem boring at all. I kind of like him. But then I could care less about his (or Bernie Sanders') positions on trade or Wall Street -- I'm more concerned with how faith-oriented he is. I don't like religion in politics. Hopefully he'll keep his religious views to himself. With Hillary beaming throughout the appearance like she just won the lottery, I'm revising my opinion that she wasn't thrilled with this choice. Clearly, she is. I'm sure she knows what she's doing, so Clinton-Kaine it is -- I'm on board.[More...]

Hillary Clinton has picked Tim Kaine as her running mate. What a dull, uninspiring, lackluster choice. He seems as exciting as Mike Pence. But, it really didn't matter who she picked. No one will honestly claim they have decided to vote for Trump because she picked Kaine instead of someone else.

Still, it's disappointing Hillary went the so called safe route instead of adding a refreshing newcomer or a minority to the ticket. I wonder if she would have chosen Kaine if Trump hadn't chosen Pence. If not, then her choice is reactive and responsive. I'd rather she grabbed the initiative and made bold choices.

Since Trump will have made himself unacceptable to everyone but the most angry, marginalized and under-informed voters, and his own children, I'm still confident she'll win in November. But I'm not buying she's "thrilled" to make this announcement.

Update: Nate Silver at 538 analyzes Kaine's likely effect on Hillary's chances in November. He says he'll help a little, but not much.

The Washington Post published this incredibly harsh editorial today trashing Donald Trump.

The real estate tycoon is uniquely unqualified to serve as president, in experience and temperament. He is mounting a campaign of snarl and sneer, not substance. To the extent he has views, they are wrong in their diagnosis of America’s problems and dangerous in their proposed solutions.

... A Trump presidency would be dangerous for the nation and the world.

[More...]

Via the Associated Press:

[George] Harrison's family tweeted Friday that the use of the song "Here Comes the Sun" during the introduction of candidate Donald Trump's daughter Ivanka was not authorized, and was "offensive and against the wishes of the George Harrison estate."

[More...]

The AP reports Hillary Clinton has signaled she will announce her running mate today.

In a tweet Friday morning, her campaign urged supporters to text the campaign to get first word. Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine had emerged as the leading contender, according to Democrats familiar with Clinton's search.

Bump and Update: Call the plagiarism cops -- I think Dick Wolf wrote Donald Trump's speech. Funniest lines so far: "How great are the police? How great is Cleveland?" and "I am your law and order candidate."

The AP fact-checks Trump's speech.

He's dreaming if he thinks Bernie Sanders' supporters will vote for him in droves. There aren't that many angry, marginalized, bigoted police-lovers among those eligible to vote.

Ivanka looked great and gave a true Daddy's girl speech. Since it was all about Trump, there's no reason to think it was a copy cat speech. Melania looked miserable as she spoke. Young Baron couldn't stop fidgeting. Ivanka didn't endorse a single one of his political views. (She said she's an Independent.) She made a lot of claims about Trump's business prowess and his laudable treatment of mothers in the workplace. (That sounds more like her issue than his)[More...]

Hillary Clinton is doing a good job of keeping people guessing as to her Vice Presidential choice.

The DNC today announced this list of additional speakers for the Convention. The previously released list of headliner speakers for the convention is here (and includes Michelle Obama, Bernie Sanders, Obama and Biden and DREAMer Astrid Silva. Today's announcement says more speakers will be named in the coming days. [More...]