i just got into town and even though it is raining, there is a different mood bend in tampa. there is so much security. it is not as intrusive. it is more of a street carnival atmosphere. that is more of a county fair element. there was a rock climbing wall. >> the democrats felt it was important to have an open as. -- an openness. >> we get an update from the chairman of the dnc. >>

president obama will be arriving thursday. there are different caucuses that have been seen today with different speakers. it has more of a feel of a real convention. we have seen a lot of barack obama merchandise and we did not see that in tampa with mitt romney. >> in my experience, republicans are a little bit more disciplined and a little bit more buttoned down.

the democrats are little bit more improvisational. the only improvised moment with the republicans in temple was with clint eastwood. >> i was at a breakfast earlier today and somebody actually brought an empty chair onto the stage. it was one of the most energized moments i have seen so far. >> there is rain outside in

charlotte. earlier james taylor was singing "carolina on my mind." we may have to hold off on that music festival. >> right now they are setting up for tomorrow. this has been a more relaxed opening to this convention compared to tampa. people industry carnival or very loose. -- are very loose. this is a democratic base that

needs to get energized. the democrats came out in droves in 2008 to elect a president. he may have disappointed a lot of his supporters but this is an important moment to get energized i think you'll see a concerted effort over the next few days. >> the atmosphere may be festa but if you go to the back halls, we are quoting some democrats that president obama has not done much for the democrats. you also have a story arms of -- on the same theme.

>> the point is that the democratic lawmakers are kind of crumpling -- grappling. it shows the democratic leadership has not removed. the folks in tampa were fresh faces. that is the same story here. nancy pelosi sent out a fund- raising e-mail and she had 3/4

of a million dollars almost immediately. >> what do the democrats want? >> they are saying we need this money. the house democrats are deep in the minority. they know they will not take the house back. they could raise money but they're not excited about their chances. >> this is just starting off. what will a successful democratic convention look like?

>> in comparison to four years ago, i have talked to people that barack obama is no longer the new shiny object. there are still people without jobs and people need to rally. the people on both sides of the aisle speak about jobs being the biggest issue. >> they say this is a president who will write the economic shift. they think he will fix the

problem and want to paint mitt romney who is not out in front. they were able to build up mitt romney's likability in tampa. democrats need to tear that down. they hope democrats will give president obama the benefit of the doubt. >> the republicans kept returning to that line about president obama saying that you did not build the business. they say obama does not respect private enterprise. do you think republicans need to counter that explicitly?

>> from democrats, you hear that mitt romney wants to bring back george bush policies. they have to say that we cannot run against george bush anymore. he is not on the ticket. the american people don't want to go back there. >> that's a great point. the message is that people cannot trust mitt romney or paul ryan. >> are you still there? >> i am. >> before our colleague had a

baby, and early important story, she wrote that one problem with the obama campaign is that he has not said give me four more years and i will do x. what do you think? >> i think that is the hardest part about his campaign. they have a difficulty about what they will do another four years. if he wins, they will have to end up cutting a lot of deals in congress with republicans. those are things that delegates here may not like.

he will try to define mitt romney as keeping taxes low and that may not give us the one word answer we're looking for. >> it is more of a-appeal rather than a positive appeal of what i will do. this convention is not exactly chicago, 1968. i was there, i know. let's look at some video of that. [video clip]

>> i feel every politician is being bought and sold. everything will be exact use same. >> why are you here? >> people are sick and tired of joblessness. >> i am here to protest affect two party system where we have no joist and whether -- no choice in whether we get corporate candidate a for corporate candidate b. there is a dichotomy where we think a few things will make a difference in the system but you still have the same corporate policy and the same foreign

policy and i don't see any difference. >> the democratic party does not represent my values. i want to come out today to show there is more than the democrats. they are pretty center. >> ♪ >> is it raining or you just like that hat? the water seems to be dried up. you made it in from out of the pouring rain in charlotte. >> debbie wasserman schultz, 94

being with us. -- thank you for being with us. >> what is a successful convention for the democrats? >> a successful convention will be people saying they like barack obama as much as i used to like him. they will also say they have a better idea of what four more years will look like. >> what do you think? >> you cannot have the same

magic in any re-election. you can try to look forward. delegates want to hear what is going on in the next four years. they don't blame him for anything and they're not angry. they are not worried but that it wants to see the vision for the next four years. >> why is that so hazy te? why isn't barack obama saying elect me and you will see these things? >> they claim they do that. of materialreams that is on the table. >> it is not necessarily the lack of anything. we're talking about incremental

change here. >>

optimistic >> were in our the delegates in november? they aret think despondent at all. i think they felt more energetic and they looked appalled republican show and said we better reelected this guy. >> do you think the obama campaign was happy about the republican convention? >> they have done something in this cycle that barack obama and the democrats have not been able to do which is to get delegates more motivated. last and it was all about hope.

there is a very gauzy sense of what happened in 2008. i think you will see a hybrid this time. >> every garden party as a skunk. in this case, you are the stock with a story you wrote leading into the convention. if you scratch away the exteriors celebration, barack obama does not really want to be here with his fellow democrats. it is not the world's happiest marriage. >> it seems they are staying together for the children. >> we will now go to the

democratic national chairwoman, debbie wasserman schultz. >> nice to be with you. >> your with your family. what would you say makes a successful convention? >> i am so proud to make this a family affair as part of what will be the most inclusive, involved community-oriented convention in history. we started this week with a community festival celebrating the carolinas. at the end of this week, president obama will accept our party's nomination for a second term in front of tens of thousands of americans who will then be able to get involved in the campaign because we used our convention as an organizing tool. in 2008, we were able to sign up

25,000 volunteers in a single day. we are excited about the momentum and will present a bottle will leave this convention going into the fall campaign. >> what will democrats feel about president obama on friday that they don't today? >> america will know after listening to present obama's acceptance speech that he has had an honest conversation with the american people and talked about where we were when he first became president after inheriting the largest set of problems of any president since fdr and an economy that was hemorrhaging 750,000 jobs per month. after four years, we have had 29 months of job growth in the private sector. we are creating jobs in manufacturing for the first time in a long time and saving the automobile industry. mitt romney would let the

automobile industry go bankrupt. at least 4 million jobs in the supply chain would have gone with it. voters are absolutely better off than they were four years ago. we have a ways to go but we have to make sure we continue to have a president in the white house who understands that if you work hard and play by the rules, everybody in america has an opportunity. >> how are you? >> good. >> thanks for joining us. i have been talking with delegates the past couple of days and the one thing that comes through is that they really want to hear something specific from the president. they don't want generalities as they heard in temple from mitt romney. they want to know where the president will go in the next

three years. can you shed any light on what he will say? >> if you look at the specifics that president obama has already put on the table -- the republicans have refused to pick up job legislation. we can invest in infrastructure and keep firefighters and police of as ours on the job. we can extend the wind production tax credit so we can invest in renewable energy. we cannot let the 7000 jobs tied to the renewable energy business in iowa go by the wayside. we have to insure we have a tax policy that asks everybody to

pay their fair share and not take the approach that the rom ney/ryan budget has. it gives billionaires' and billionaires' a tax break paid for by the middle class. president obama will talk about the toyota -- different directions we can go and specifically how we can continue to move our economy forward. >> how many of the 70,000 seats at the stadium will you fill?

>> there have been a number of stories that suggests this political operation is more focused on the president's reelection but not to build the party and raise money for others.

>> since i have been a share of the democratic national committee, this president has made a commitment to make sure we can invest in the party building we need. we have a state party partnership that make sure that part of the money we raise goes for two candidates. we have used our grass-roots infrastructure as well as our considerable online elkridge to make sure we can raise money for house and senate candidates. i have done a lot of circuit work for my colleagues -- server get to work for my colleagues. -- surrogate work for my

colleagues. in order to make sure that we can help everyone in america have an opportunity to be successful and make sure we implement president obama's goal of building our economy, we need to take the majority of the democrats back in the house of representatives and hold onto their majority in the senate. >> if the house election were today or sunday, what would be the results? how close are you? >> i'm certainly not in the prediction business. i will spend the next 64 days making sure that we send out the most significant grassroots campaign in history. we will use our people power campaign to ^ barack obama and the rest of our democratic candidates -- we will kerri

barack obama back to the white house -- we will carry barack obama back to the white house. >> what will america see at the stadium and what is the story you intend to tell with the convention? >> you will see that our convention -- the republicans put a lot of different folks on the stage. it was a very superficial look at different people from different walks of life. it is actions that matter, not just words. you will see hundreds of our

delegates from every walk of life who are from very different ethnic groups and races and our delegations are made up of men and women. it is important so you can make sure the policies that our elected office holders are representative of the diversity we know it is important in america to make sure the priorities of a wide variety of americans are made a part of the national agenda. when you are as homogeneous as the republicans are, that means there is not a lot done for different ethnic groups. i think there is a very clear contrast of what you will see on the stage this week and

represented by our delegates on the floor. we are proud of the diversity of our party. >> you have been 15 months as the chair. what are you seeing and hearing as you make your rounds? >> charlotte is a phenomenal host city. the mayor and i have become good friends. i've been here so many times over the last 60 months. we are already seeing an exciting throng of people. this is a community-oriented convention. this will let everyone in americashould get involved. they should be part of reelecting this president so he can continue the policies to make sure that if you work hard and play by the rules and if you

pay your fair share, you have an opportunity to be successful. >that's what it's all about. >> debbie wasserman schultz, thank you very much. >> thank you. >> i guess the president will not announce new policies but do you get the impression he will write the story? >> i don't think there will be a tremendous amount of clarity. i think we will see things involving explicit job creation.

>> if they could do it over again, with the white house go somewhere other than charlotte? >> when there were first going through this, they wanted to have a night in each of four cities. this is on the theory that they would get more bases. the obama people just really wanted a big stadium. there is something to be said for tradition.

people like coming here and seeing friends in other states. >> north carolina will most likely not be a competitive state. >> the republicans are not ready to conceded that. >> we will be bored anyway because the election will be slipping from romney's grasp . >> there is a very energized base here. even though romney is up in the polls, there is a lot of poor people in north carolina.

the democrats think it is closer. >> if the obama people are pointing to the romney people spending more money, what about all union money? this is invaluable. >> there is a carolina street festival welcoming the delegates. i was watching james taylor on the big screen. >> the democrats always a battle -- better celebrities, don't

they? all around town, people are pulling out empty chairs. >> we have seen as we shot from the cow or reject carolina festival them. this is carolinafest. this had the unmistakable touch of a national party. there was talk of national politics. despite the obvious opportunities for democrats to influence and registered voters in a swing state, the idaho

delegates insisted this was a non-partisan effort. >> this represents the democratic party. this is all these people coming together and they are helping each other. >> thanks to our colleague for that video. >> what ever happened to nascar day? >> what about the feeling of democrats toward president obama?

we are a partner with of the "charlotte observer." we are helping them with the national ankle. and they are helping us with the local angle. >> if you look at one dynamic on the obama term of office, it is the innate sense of [inaudible]

he is not a guy who brings people in close to him. he is kind of cool. >> you have been covering the president for a long while. you think about the tools they president has. he can invite people to camp david and as wonderful tools. >> i think george h. w. bush did a lot like that. i did a story about how he would have small parties. he would have a lot of fun with it.

george w. bush went to bed very early. obama has not done that at all. they don't like to go to social things in the city. >> that was touched a little bit upon. they thought they would be a new version of camelot. >> not at all. michelle went back to all the old chicago friends. they would go back to chicago for a long weekend. i think they have made friends

with the attorney general but with the exception of that, they pretty much stick with their old buddies. >> > [inaudible] >> the first lady has a requisite launch. instead of mixing it up and adding cabinet people, she has a linear list and goes alphabetically. she said hi to everybody and that left. it was like she was doing her duty and that's it. i don't know of wives were offended. >> i would say there is a

consensus that some people say he has not been using his caucuses. >> it seems like he likes that sometimes but not too much. >> laura bush said it is so easy to entertain at the white house because everything is done for you.

you just have to pick up a telephone. they don't have to pick up the kids from school. if they want to have seven for dinner in two hours, they can't. . >> when i walk into the west wing, i am an outsider. there's a certain uniformity there. >> bill clinton played golf with

everybody. >> we will see a celebrity count leo -- cameo in this next to video. >> plant in east with. -- clint eastwood was there leslie. >> i missed that scene. i can't say anything against a thunderbolt. >> bill mahr said he killled.

have you ever tried stand-up? >> that would be tough, now. no. maybe he could try a puppet next time. maybe obama could you say clint puppet. use a clint puppet.

>> they were talking to the california delegates. but californians have the big vote for the house democrats. this story just popped up today. >> they say the best stories astir with editor's idea as. >> what is the best now getting in there? >> area huffington had her own

view. she said people come to her. >> is that because she gives massages? >> they say a upington post may give a free massages but we give a free booze. >> we will be here all night.

>> there is a chance for these democrats to be reliving their glory days. >> who is the biggest name was absent from this convention? >> [inaudible]

>> hillary clinton may be the biggest democrat not here. >> tell us about your wife's favorite actor. >> also a lot of guys'. he has been using his celebrity to focus on world hunger.

>> do you remember "dateline?" >> is the national spokesman for the no kid hundred campaign. also billy shore, the founder and president of share our strength. you've been doing this for almost 30 years. in 1988, jesse jackson said a hungry babies belly turned inside out is the same color.

it is the color of agony. give me some perspective. to eradicatetrying hunger in children. are we making progress? >> we are definitely making progress. the fact that the economy has taken such a bad turn over the last couple of years has made it very difficult. people look at the party line and need this kind of assistance. there are 32 million on school lunch and less than half of them were getting breakfast. tens of thousands of kids are getting added to the program today. participation at these conventions is important. we don't have a shortage of food

in this country. we don't have a shortage of food program so why aren't these kids participating? they are vulnerable but voiceless. >> one of the reasons both parties are supportive of this is that the kids are our future, man. i think of my own kids going hungry and you look at the moral aspects. if our kids are not getting enough calories to think, we have to have smart kids. it is a health issue. they are not fit for the military. it cuts across economics. looking into the near future, if kids are not healthy, our nation will not be healthy. >> you said barack obama needs

to push this issue now. why are you saying this now? >> he said it early on as a candidate that he wanted to end child under but it is not enough to win reelection. you have to have a mandate. in the ideal world, if he would be able to have a second term and do something about hundred. both parties are trying to go straight for the middle class. if you want an opportunity injured second term to do something you care about, you have to talk about it now. >> the president said he wants to end childhood hunger by 2015. is that possible? >> the programs are in place to do it. the date could change a little bit.

tom vilsack is working on this, the secretary of agriculture, and arne duncan, the secretary of education. with the programs that exist, but we think we could do this. >> kennedy said we could put a man on the moment and prior to that, people would disagree about the shape of the rocket and the fuel but once you make that commitment, all those arguments -- you want to figure out what is the best way. it is an exciting and positive thing that both parties are in on this. hopefully we can all come up with the solution to end childhood hunger. >> walk us through what we can

expect over the next three nights. >> tuesday night is the big --an's night, michelle obama they will hit hard on that theme. wednesday night will be about the democratic party being united. there are reports that bill clinton is the only speaker who has not turned over his speech.

it will be his night. he will not get out of the park and thursday, obama always rises to the occasion. -- he will not get out of the park -- knock it out of the park. at third there will be the big obama/biden opportunity. >> they get 90 minutes of prime time from the network. >> we're looking to having you back here for the next four nights of the democratic

national convention. >> the cspan coverage of the democratic convention starts today at 5:00 p.m. eastern, every minute, every speech live on c-span, cspan rita, and online at c-span.org. these are the featured speakers. >> this november, the torch will be passed again to a new generation of americans. so, with barack obama and for you and for me, our country will be committed to his cause. the work begins a new. the hope rises again and the

dream lives on. >> share your opinions. >> i am from vermont and i am here because i am supporting a visionary-inclusive america looking forward. >> i am from vermont and i am supporting president obama for re-election because i think we need to reinvest in america to make it successful. >> i am a delegate from south carolina. my main purpose this week is to re-elect president obama because i know president obama cares for us. >> connect with other c-span viewers on social media demo we're joined by delegates around the country to come here for the convention. what are you looking forward to? >> in massachusetts, we have a special responsibility at the convention. we're getting people excited

about elizabeth warren. >> from fort lauderdale, you are here for your second convention. >> we will be inside the convention hall up close and personal. >> convention hub at c-span.org. >> we are asking middle and high school students to send a message to be president and a short video. what is the most important issue the president should consider in 2013? there's a grand prize of $5,000. this cspan studentcam video competition is open to student's grade 6-12. go on line to studentcam.org for the rules.

>> the democratic national convention starts at 5:00 p.m. eastern. on the first day, we will hear from former president jimmy carter on video and the keynote address will be delivered by san antonio mayor julien castro and then first lady michelle obama. laws of war and will speak on wednesday and bill clinton and wednesday night as with the roll-call of the states for the presidential nomination. thursday, the senate foreign relations committee john kerry focuses on national security. the convention closes with speeches by vice-president bison and president obama. -- vice president joe biden and president obama. coming up live at 8:20 eastern on "washington journal," a correspondfo