The Democratic Convention began tonight in Chicago!

One of the first notable speakers was Representative Maxine Waters. It was clearly visible right away that this is the party of diversity. It is the party that represents the best of our country.

Then, an emotional moment. Reverend Jesse Jackson was brought to the stage by his two sons and the Reverend Al Sharpton. There were tears in the crowd. Jackson, who ran for President in 1984 and 1988, didn’t speak, but it was clear how much the moment meant to him.

California Senator Laphonsa Butler spoke powerfully about her friend Kamala Harris. Butler was appointed to the Senate by Govenor Gavin Newsom after the death of Diane Feinstein. She is also the second openly gay woman to serve in the Senate.

New York Govenor Kathy Hochul gave a good speech, this below was the best line. Because it’s so true.

And then, Kamala made a surprise entrance and the house roared! She gave a few remarks, and exited with a huge smile on her face. Her happiness and joy were palpable.

Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez gave a rousing speech, extremely strong and forceful. She also notably spoke about how committed Harris is to solving the war in the Middle East, and is supportive of the Palestinian people.

For me, the highlight of the evening was Hillary Clinton’s speech. She got a long, standing ovation. Her speech was so well done, well written and forcefully delivered, I had trouble picking quotes. I would write one down, then erase it and write another.

Hillary was more powerful than I had ever heard her before.

I love Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin. He was terrific, as always. Tough talking, slightly humorous.

Representative Jasmine Crockett spoke at times very humorously and with sharp jabs at Trump. But she got emotional when she told the story fo how she was first in the House, she found it difficult going. Kamala Harris spoke to her, helped her believe in herself and her work and she found her way. Representative Crockett cried as she told the story.

The Georgia Senator, the Reverend Raphael Warnock gave a speech as if we were in church. He had the huge room at his fingertips.

First Lady Jill Biden spoke fondly about her husband.

And finally, President Joe Biden came up to the stage to the song “Your love keeps lifting me higher and higher,” by Jacki Wilson. He hugged his daughter, who had just introduced him. They both cried. Jill was crying. The crowd errupted, chanting “We love Joe,” which morphed into “Thank you Joe.” It went on for a several minutes.

His speech was powerful, passionate and went into detail about what his administration, he and Kamala, had acomplished. The crowd was with him the whole way, cheering at every pause, even though he seemed to be shouting for a lot of his speech. They were loving it.

At one point, the crowd chanted “Thank you, Joe!” again, and he said to them, “Thank you, Kamala!”

It’s late, so instead of drawing the wonderful view of Joe and the crowd, I think I’ll just share two photos with you.