Politics

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

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As we've been reporting, President Obama will not be under the stars for his convention speech tonight. The stars might not have been visible anyway. The campaign moved the event indoors, citing a chance of thunderstorms.

Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, N.J., presented the Democratic Party platform this week at the convention in Charlotte, N.C. Booker tells Steve Inskeep the economy is in a much better place than it was four years ago when Barack Obama first ran for president.

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STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

It's MORNING EDITION from NPR News. I'm Steve Inskeep.

RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

And I'm Renee Montagne.

President Obama appeared briefly on stage last night at the Democratic convention. He gave Bill Clinton a hug just after the former president made a stirring case for Obama's re-election.

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And after delivering a tribute to her husband on the opening night at the Democratic National Convention, First Lady Michelle Obama yesterday by reaching out to groups of minority delegates there in Charlotte. NPR's David Welna reports.

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Let's give a rousing welcome for the first lady, Michelle Obama.

DAVID WELNA, BYLINE: The African-American caucus was fired up yesterday when Mrs. Obama got there just hours after she brought down the house at the convention arena. She was still getting going.

If you missed the second night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., we live blogged it here.

But if you want a quick review, we've compiled five things that struck us about the night:

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It: In other hands, the very wonky speech that former President Clinton delivered on Wednesday could have been a snoozer.

On Wednesday, NPR's Frank James hosted a live chat during the Democratic convention. He was joined by Neal Carruth, NPR's elections editor; Matthew Continetti, contributing editor at the conservative Weekly Standard and the Washington Free Beacon; Jamelle Bouie, a fellow at the liberal American Prospect and Nation Institute; S.V. Dáte, the congressional editor on NPR's Washington Desk; and William Neikirk, a longtime Washington correspondent with the Chicago Tribune.

Read below to see how it unfolded.

Hello from Charlotte, N.C. Today is all about Bill Clinton.

Walking around Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, the former president was the talk of the town. Today marks the second day of the Democratic National Convention.

We're in the arena and we'll keep tabs on the proceedings. Make sure you refresh this page to see the latest.

Update at 11:25 p.m. ET. A Wonky Speech, With A Clinton Delivery:

The night ended with President Obama taking the stage, once President Clinton finished his speech.

States using a federal immigration database to purge noncitizens from voter lists are starting to get results, which so far include few illegal voters.

In Florida, which was first to gain access to the database after fighting the federal government in court, an initial run of roughly 2,600 names has turned up "several" violators, according to a spokesman for Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner.

Four years ago black voters threw all their might behind sending Barack Obama to the White House. Today, their support remains high but their enthusiasm is not what it used to be.

And at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., some blacks who voted for Obama are not nearly as excited as they were in 2008.