Celebration Excuse
Let the good times roll, baby, you were born to run – it’s August 25th!
1718
Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! The French found the city of New Orleans.
1910
Taxi! The Yellow Cab company is founded.
1916
Happy birthday, National Park Service, created by the Department of the Interior to safeguard America’s parks, wildlife and monuments.
1944
After four years of Nazi occupation, Paris is finally liberated by Allied forces.
1975
Bruce Springsteen releases his iconic album “Born To Run.”
1984
Author/social phenomenon Truman Capote dies.
Eat More Cake
1918: Conductor Leonard Bernstein. You know him as the name to shout during “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It” by REM.
1930 Actor Sean Connery, the original (and only) Bond. James Bond.
1931: Entertainer Regis Philbin. You know him from…well, everything.
1954: Singer Elvis Costello. You know him as the guy who sings “Veronica,” “Watching The Detectives,” and “Allison.”
1958: Director Tim Burton. You know him from his darkly stylized movies like “Edward Scissorhands,” “Batman,” and “Nightmare Before Christmas.”
1968: Cook Rachel Ray. You know her as the toxic-ly perky host of “30 Minute Meals” on the Food Network.
1970: Basketball star Robert Horry. You know him as a San Antonio Spur
Daybook
Democratic National Convention
Monday’s Theme: “One Nation.”
Headline prime-time speaker
MICHELLE OBAMA
The potential first lady addresses Democrats after a year full of media and conservative attacks. Michelle Obama will be introduced by her brother, Craig Robinson, a former basketball star at Princeton and now coach at Oregon State
OTHER SPEAKERS
HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI
Pelosi will have the pleasure of opening the convention. Pelosi has represented the San Francisco area in Congress since 1987, becoming the nation’s first female speaker of the House. Pelosi has created controversy and criticism by liberal activists for not halting U.S. combat missions in Iraq.
SEN. EDWARD M. KENNEDY
Kennedy is the Massachusetts senator who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor and recently completing radiation and chemotherapy.The video tribute will be introduced by his niece, Caroline Kennedy.
FORMER PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
The former president and Nobel Peace Prize winner from Georgia addresses Democrats on the convention’s opening night. McCain caused a stir in the race when he proclaimed that an Obama victory would be nothing but a second term for Carter.
SEN. CLAIRE McCASKILL
The Missouri Democrat was the first woman in the Senate to endorse Obama and she spent a week this summer on a bus tour in support of Obama’s candidacy.
SEN. AMY KLOBUCHAR
Klobuchar became the first woman elected to the Senate from Minnesota in 2006.
REP. JESSE JACKSON JR.
The son of the civil rights activist baring the same name, Jr. has created a name for himself. Herepresented the Chicago area since a special election in 1995 and is a national co-chairman of Obama’s presidential campaign.
FORMER REP. LEE HAMILTON
Hamilton is president of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and an important supporter of Obama from Indiana.
NANCY KEENAN
The president of NARAL Pro-Choice America angered some female voters in May by endorsing Obama, even though Clinton was still in the race.
JERRY KELLMAN
Kellman hired Obama in the early 1980s as a community organizer for Chicago’s Developing Communities Project and is often cited as a mentor to Obama.
TOM BALANOFF
Balanoff is the president of the Illinois Service Employees International Union. Balanoff has praised Obama’s votes against trade deals such as the Central America Free Trade Agreement.
REG WEAVER
Weaver leads the nation’s largest teachers’ union, the National Education Association. The union fully endorsed Obama in June, after he secured the nomination.
RANDI WEINGARTEN
Weingarten is president of the American Federation of Teachers, which endorsed Clinton last October but now backs Obama.
LISA MADIGAN
Illinois’ attorney general has at times been mentioned as a candidate to replace Obama in the Senate for the remaining two years of his term if he wins the presidency.
DAN HYNES
Like Madigan, he has been mentioned as a possible Obama successor in the Senate. In 2004, Hynes unsuccessfully challenged Obama for the Democratic Senate nomination.
ALEXI GIANNOULIAS
The Illinois treasurer was backed by Obama, an endorsement that helped the banking heir win his seat.
MIGUEL DEL VALLE
Chicago’s city clerk rounds out Monday’s group of Illinois officials talking up the candidate from their home state.
JOHN HICKENLOOPER
Democrats salute host city Denver with a speaking slot for the city’s Democratic mayor.
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