- 2000 Democratic National Convention
Infobox National Political Convention
year = 2000
party = Democratic
caption =
date =August 14 -August 17
venue =Staples Center
city =Los Angeles, California
presidential_nominee =Al Gore
presidential_nominee_state =Tennessee
vice_presidential_nominee =Joe Lieberman
vice_presidential_nominee_state =Connecticut The 2000 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party nominated Vice President
Al Gore for President andConnecticut Senator Joe Lieberman as his Vice President. The convention was held at theStaples Center inLos Angeles, California fromAugust 14 toAugust 17 ,2000 .ite selection
The DNC initially invited 28 cities to bid for the convention, and after nine cities submitted proposals, seven cities (
Boston ,Denver ,Los Angeles ,Miami ,Minneapolis ,New Orleans andPhiladelphia ) were visited by the DNC. (Charlotte andSeattle were not visited). Soon after Philadelphia dropped out after being named host of the2000 Republican National Convention , Boston, Denver and Los Angeles were named as finalists, and ultimately Los Angeles was chosen on March 15, 1999. [http://www.gwu.edu/%7Eaction/convselect.html]Notable speakers
The convention's keynote speaker was Representative
Harold Ford, Jr. ofTennessee . Ford, who at 30 was at the time the youngest member of Congress, directed his speech towards younger voters, saying: "I also stand here representing a new generation, a generation committed to those ideals and inspired by an unshakable confidence in our future." [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/16/ford.speech/index.html]President
Bill Clinton 's speech, the highlight of the first night of the convention, touted his administration's accomplishments and praised Gore: "You gave me that chance to turn those ideas and values into action, after I made one of the best decisions of my life: asking Al Gore to be my partner." [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/14/potus.speech/]Other notable speakers included Senator
Bill Bradley (Gore's main opponent for the Democratic nomination), First LadyHillary Clinton , and SenatorsChristopher Dodd andTed Kennedy , and the Rev.Jesse Jackson .Actor
Tommy Lee Jones (Gore's roommate in college), put the Vice President's name into nomination.The Presidential and Vice Presidential voting
On the day before the convention started
Bill Bradley "freed" his delegates and asked them to vote for Vice President Gore.The Vice President was nominated unanimously, and Senator
Joe Lieberman was nominated for the second spot by voice vote.Gore acceptance speech
Gore's acceptance speech focused on the future saying: "We're entering a new time, we're electing a new president, and I stand here tonight as my own man. I want you to know me for who I truly am." He mentioned President Clinton only once near the beginning of the speech. The speech was focused on issues: "I'm here to talk seriously about the issues. I believe people deserve to know specifically what a candidate proposes to do. I intend to tell you tonight. You ought to be able to know, and then judge for yourself." [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/18/convention.wrap/]
Lieberman's acceptance speech
Vice Presidential nominee Lieberman invoked the spirit of
John F. Kennedy in his speech, saying:"Tonight, I believe that the next frontier isn't just in front of us, but inside of us -- to overcome the differences that are still between us, to break down the barriers that remain and to help every American claim the possibilities of their own lives." [http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/17/lieberman.democrats/index.html]The protests
Large scale, sometimes violent protests took place outside of the Staples Center as well as throughout
downtown Los Angeles . Protest groups ranged frompro-life supporters, to homeless activists, to anti-globalization protestors, and anarchists. Out of increased fear after the surprise mass-protests at the 1999 "Battle for Seattle " WTO protests, media coverage andLAPD concern were heightened for the event. Concerns were further raised when violent riots also broke out after theLos Angeles Lakers won the 2000 NBA Championship only a few months before the convention. Originally, a "Protest Zone" was designated a city block away from the Staples Center, but a court order forced the zone moved immediately adjacent to the arena, in a parking lot. The protests became violent during the first evening of the convention, and many different protests, some orderly, some violent, took place over the full four days of the convention. There were numerous arrests, injuries and property damage, however the protests were not to the extent that was originally feared.After the convention
In November, Al Gore narrowly lost to
George W. Bush in the general election having won the popular vote but losing the electoral vote in a still-controversial decision handed down more than a month after the election by the Supreme Court.sequence
prev=1996
Chicago
list=Democratic National Convention s
next=2004
BostonSee also
*
2000 Republican National Convention
*U.S. Democratic Party
*U.S. presidential primaries, 2000 External links
* [http://www.fifer.net/convention/ The 2000 Democratic National Convention by Craig Fifer]
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