Al Franken, Demi Lovato bring levity to first night of DNC
By Alex Lloyd Gross
The first night of any convention is filled with speeches from folks who will tout their nominee while bashing the other side. Last night in Philadelphia was no different. It was pro- Hillary and anti Trump. Some of the people talking were polished speakers like NJ Senator Cory Booker. Others well, they tried. There was so much to do yesterday, it’s excusable for a delegate not to be interested in the talk. Inside the arena,there were hundreds of radio reporters to speak with and there were people watching opportunities as well.
Outside was a different story. It was hot and humid and multiple people came together for a protest against Hillary. They are disenfranchised at the Democratic party for screwing Bernie sanders out of the nomination. They claim ethics went out the window when DNC head Debbie Wasserman Schultz resigned from the DNC and got hired immediately by the Clinton campaign. That protest wound up at Broad Street and Pattison Ave. where the protesters would yell at people going into the convention. 54 people were civilly cited, police said. They attempted to climb the barricade fence.
At that location was Police Lt. Hawkins who proved himself to be a liability to the city and in dire need of training when he threatened to arrest anyone taking photos in that area from inside the restricted area. He even tried to goad people into assaulting him. The sad fact is since he is viewed as a commander, other officers see this and believe this is the way to act. It’s not. Anyone with a pass to be in the restricted area can take photos in that area. It is untrained and uneducated people like Hawkins that generate lawsuits against the city.
The surprise of the night inside was Paul Simon when he did Bridge Over Troubled Waters. While he was a featured showman, perhaps a more upbeat song would have sufficed. in contrast, Demi Lovato brought the crowd to their feet with a rousing number. Eva Longoria , star of Desperate Housewives spoke about how Trump is alleged to have mocked a reporter with a disability then denied it.
The platform included topics like raising the minimum wage to $15.00 per hour.. Local Rep Bob Brady said he is in favor of raising it. When questioned about if it’s appropriate to pay people that much for flipping burgers, he was incredulous” Yes, you gotta get them people paid, they are struggling now gotta help them”, he said. When asked if prices will go up, He said, “No, it going to balance out people will buy more they will have more to spend”. Trump wants to abolish the minimum wage and let states mandate a state wage.
Bernie Sanders was the last speaker of the night. His campaign was centered around raising the minimum wage before his efforts to become president were torpedoed by the DNC.
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