09/05/12 09/05/12 [captioning made possible by democracy now!] >> from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" breaking with convention -- war, peace, and the presidency. we are broadcasting from the democratic nafta convention. >> if a young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his courageous dream and proud american can be who they are and boldly stand at the altar with who they love, then surely, surely, we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great american dream. michelle obama on

the opening of the democratic national convention. we will air excerpts of her speech as well as fair pay advocate lilly ledbetter and san antonio mayor julian castro. then no paper, no fear. 10 undocumented activists are arrested for blocking a street just outside the time warner cable arena. >> fighting for our rights, our rights to work, our rights to be with our families. >> that it is party time. at&t, duke energy and time warner, coca-cola and bank of america. we will look at the corporate sponsorship parties here in charlotte with the sunlight foundation. all of that and more coming up. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. we are broadcasting from

charlotte, north carolina. outrage has erupted in yemen of the killing of 13 civilians in u.s. drone strike on sunday. the yemeni government officials have confirmed the tolls and the intended target of the strike was completely messed. according to cnn, outraged family members attempted to deliver the victims' bodies to the residents of the omnipresent, but were denied entry. the yemeni government says it is investigating the new united nations envoy to syria has warned the country's civil war has reached catastrophic proportions. lakhdar brahimi, a veteran algerian diplomat, issued the warning in his first address to the u.n. general assembly since replacing kofi annan. >> the death toll is staggering. the destruction is reaching catastrophic proportions. and the suffering of the people is immense.

mr. president, and looking for it to my visit to damascus in a few days' time and also, when convenient and possible, to all the countries who are in a position to help the syrian political process become a reality, hitting to a transition that respects the aspirations of the syrian people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own future. >> lakhdar brahimi spoke as the disclosed a record 100,000 refugees fled syria in august and activists claimed some 5000 people were killed during the same timeframe. in afghanistan, at least 25 people were killed on tuesday when a suicide bomber struck a funeral in the eastern province. dozens more were left wounded. it was one of the worst attacks

and afghan civilians in weeks. key u.n. agencies are warning that surging prices could spark a repeat of the food crisis that swept the globe in 2007 and 2008. the food and agricultural organization of the united nations, the international fund for agricultural development, and a world food program said the world faces a "a catastrophe affecting tens of millions" unless food prices can be brought under control. the appeal advises -- the democratic national convention began on tuesday with the party's adoption of its official platform for the 2012 election. the text includes a constitutional amendment that would overturn citizens united, the decision that paved the way

for unlimited private spending on elections. on foreign policy, democrats chose to omit a statement in their 2008 platform that declared jerusalem to be the undivided capital of israel. the new platform makes no mention of jerusalem while calling for a negotiated two- dissolution between israel and the palestinians. in a statement, the romney campaign called the democrats' shameful for making the change despite taking a less right-wing stance, democrats featured former congressmember robert wexler on the stage tuesday night to tout president obama support for the israeli government. in his address, congressmember wexler falsely claimed a u.n. report critical of israel's attack on the gaza strip and the 2008 had questioned israel's right to self-defense. >> when the goldstone report was released, questioning israel's right to self-defense, president obama challenged it.

when the one held the israel- bashing durban conference, president obama led an international boycott of it. when a violent egyptian mosque storm the embassy in cairo, it was president obama who intervened to ensure that the safety of the news release trapped inside. and the wake of the gaza flotilla, president obama support for israel never waned. >> president obama is in the midst of a swing through four bagram states. iowa, ohio, colorado, and virginia, before accepting the nomination thursday night in charlotte. addressing supporters in virginia, he said obama's failed to outline concrete proposals for reviving the struggling u.s. economy. >> the other side may not have been eager to talk about their ideas, but on thursday night, i look forward to sharing mine with you. a on thursday night, i will

offer lively as a better path forward, a path that will create good jobs and strengthen our middle-class, and grow our economy. the good news is, in just two months, you get to choose which path we take. >> and never protests are being held outside the democratic national convention throughout the week. on tuesday, dozens of occupy protesters marched through charlotte before staging a sit- in at an intersection near the convention center. also tuesday, activists rallied in support of the group planned parenthood to denounce the republican-led attack on reproductive rights. >> i really feel like our bodies are under attack. we are wearing these vagina costumes to say we are proud of our vaginas. if the gop cannot say the word vagina, they should not be legislating it.

>> i'm here because i am appalled that lives are in danger and we have to remind people that these are our bodies and we need to take control of them and make sure the republican party does not get elected and take control of us. >> tuesday's rally coincided with the challenge by planned parenthood in federal court seeking a reversal of a ruling effort told texas' defund it because they also provide abortion. the program offers cancer and health screenings as well as birth control services to some 130,000 low-income women in texas, about 40% of whom are served through planned parenthood. in a new court filing, planned parenthood said the ban violates the group's first met rights and dozens of supporters plaque -- packed a hearing in texas to announce the state ban. those are some of the headlines.

this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" breaking with convention -- war, peace, and the presidency. we are broadcasting from charlotte, north carolina, daily two hours of coverage from the democratic national convention inside and out. a the 2012 democratic master convention has entered its second day here in charlotte. former president bill clinton is scheduled to speak tonight. other speakers today include los angeles mayor antonio villaraigosa, cecile richards who is the president of planned her head, and sandra fluke, the recent graduate of georgetown university law center who came under attack after inge speak -- after speaking out about insurance coverage for contraception. the convention opened on tuesday, exactly nine weeks before the general election.

on opening night, democrats touted president, and his achievements on issues ranging from health care and women's rights to immigration and ending the war in iraq. about two dozen democratic congress women and candidates took the stage together to criticize the republicans on a number of issues including healthcare, equal pay, and domestic violence. illinois congressional candidate tammy duckworth, who lost her legs serving in iraq, criticized republican nominee mitt romney for ignoring the war in afghanistan. other speakers included lilly ledbetter, for whom the lilly ledbetter fair pay act was named, and san antonio mayor julian castro. will your act serbs from their speeches in a moment. the evening culminated with first lady michelle obama. these are some highlights. >> over the past few years as first lady, i had the extraordinary privilege of traveling all across this country. and everywhere i have gone in the people i have met in the stories i've heard, i have seen

the very best of the american spirit. i have seen it in the incredible kindness and warmth people have shown me and my family, especially our girls. i've seen it in teachers in the near bankrupt school district who vowed to keep teaching without pay. i've seen it in people who become heroes at a moment's notice, diving into harm's way to save others, flying across the country to put out a fire, driving for hours to bail out a flooded town. and i've seen it in our men and women in uniform and our pratt military families. --proud military families. and wounded warriors who tell me they're not just going to walk, but are going to run and run marathons. in the young man blinded by a bomb in afghanistan who said

simply, "i'd give my eyes 100 times again to have the chance to do what i have done and what i still do." every day the people i meet inspire me. every day they make me proud. every day they remind me how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth. [applause] barack and i were both raised by families who did not have much in the way of money or material possessions, but who had given us something far more valuable, their unconditional love. their unflinching sacrifice. and the chance to go places they had never imagined for themselves. my father was a pump operator at the city water plant and he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis when my brother and i were young. and even as a kid, i knew there were plenty of days when he was

in pain. i knew there were plenty of mornings when it was a struggle for him to simply get out of bed. but every morning, i watched my father wake up with a smile, grab his walker, prop himself up against the bathroom sink, and slowly shave and button his uniform. and when he returned home after a long day's work, my brother and i would stand at the top of the stairs of our little apartment, patiently waiting to greet him, watching as he reached down to lift one leg and then the other to slowly climb his way into our arms. but despite these challenges, my dad hardly ever missed a day of work. he and my mom were determined to get me and my brother the kind of education they could only dream of. [applause] barack was raised by a single mom who struggle to pay the bills and by grandparents who

stepped in when she needed help. barack's grandmother started out as a secretary at a community bank. she moved quickly up the ranks, but like so many women, she hit a glass ceiling. and for years, men no more qualified than she was -- men she had actually trained -- were promoted up the ladder ahead of her, earning more and more money while barack's family continued to scrape by. but day after day, she continued waking up at dawn to catch the bus, arriving at work before anyone else, giving her best without complaint or regret. and she would often tell barack, "so long as you kids do well, that's all that really matters." our families were not asking for much. they did not begrudge anyone else's success or care that others had much more than they did. in fact, they admired it.

they simply believed in that fundamental american promise that even if you don't start out with much, if you work hard and do what you're supposed to do, you should be able to build a decent life for yourself and an even better life for your kids and grandkids. that is how they raised us. [applause] that is what we learned from their example. if our parents and grandparents could toil and struggle for us, if they could raise beams of steel to the sky, send a man to the moon, connect the world with a touch of a button, then surely we can keep on sacrificing and building for our own kids and grandkids, right? [applause] and if so many brave men and women could wear our country's

uniform and sacrifice their lives for our most fundamental rights, then surely we can do our part as citizens of this great democracy to exercise those rights. surely, we can get to the polls on election day and make our voices heard. [applause] if farmers and blacksmiths could win independence from an empire, is immigrants could leave behind everything they knew for a better life on our shores, if women could be dragged to jail for seeking the vote, if a generation could defeat a depression and define greatness for all time, it young preacher could lift us to the mountaintop with his righteous dream, and if proud americans can be who they are and boldly

stand at the altar with who they love, then surely, surely, we can give everyone in this country a fair chance at that great american dream. >> those are excerpts of the speech of first lady michelle obama. the women's equality leader lilly ledbetter also spoke. she is the namesake of the lilly ledbetter fair pay act. >> my name is lee ledbetter and i'm here tonight to say -- what a difference four years make! some of you may know my story, how for 19 years i worked as a manager at a tire plant in alabama. and some of you may have lived a similar story. after nearly two decades of hard, proud work, i found out that i was making significantly

less money than the men who were doing the same work as me. i went home, talked to my husband, and we decided to fight. we decided to fight for our family and for your family, too. [applause] we sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an american value. that fight took me 10 years. it took me all the way to the supreme court. and in a five to four decision, they stood on the side of those who shortchanged my pay, my overtime, and i retirement just because i am a woman. the supreme court told me that i should have filed a complaint within six months of the company's first decision to pay me less, even though i didn't know about it for nearly two decades.

and if we had not elected president barack obama, the supreme court's wrongheaded interpretation would have been a lot of the land. and that would have been the end of the story. but with president obama on our side, even though i lost before the supreme court, we won. the first bill that president obama signed into law was the lilly ledbetter fair pay act. i think it says something -- [applause] it says something about his priorities that the first bill he would put his name on has my name on it, too. as he said that day with me by his side, "making our economy

work means making sure it works for everyone." the president signed the bill for his grandmother, whose dreams hit the glass ceiling, and for his daughters, so that theirs never will. because of his leadership, women who faced pay discrimination like i did well get their day in court. that was the first set, but it cannot be the last because women still earn just 77 cents for every dollar men make. those pennies add up to real money. it's real money for the little things like being able to take your kids to the movies and for the big things like sending them to college. it's paying your rent this month and paying the mortgage in the future. it's having savings for the bills you did not expect, and settings for the dignified retirement you have earned.

maybe 23 cents doesn't sound like a lot to someone with a swiss bank account, a cayman island advancement -- [applause] an ira worth tens of millions of dollars, but governor romney, when we lose 23 cents every hour, every day, every paycheck, every job over our entire lives, we lose -- what we this cannot just be measured in dollars. three years ago, the house passed the paycheck fairness act to level the playing field for women in america. the senate republicans blocked it. mitt romney won't even say if he supports it. president obama does.

in the end, i did not get a dime of money. i was shortchanged. but this fight became bigger than lilly ledbetter. today, it's about my daughter. it's about my granddaughter. it's about women and men. [applause] it's about families. it's about equality. [applause] it's about the quality and justice. this cause, which bears my name, is bigger than me. it's as big as all of you. this fight which began as my own, is now our fight -- a fight for the fundamental american values that make our country great. and with president barack obama, we're going to win. >> that was ledbetter whose name

appears on the first bill president obama signed into law. the lilly ledbetter fair pay act. julian castro, mayor of san antonio, texas, delivered the keynote address at the democratic national convention. >> mitt romney, quite simply, doesn't get it he visited a university in ohio a few months ago and gave students there a little entrepreneurial advice. start a business, he said. but how? borrow money from your parents if you have to. gee, why didn't i think of that? some people are lucky enough to borrow money from his parents, but that should not determine whether you can pursue your dreams. not in america, not here, not in the 21st century.

i don't think governor romney meant any harm. i think he is a good guy. he just has no idea how good he has had it. [applause] we know and our free market economy, some will prosper more than others. what we don't accept is the idea that some folks won't even get a chance. and the thing is, mitt romney and republican party are perfectly comfortable with that america. in fact, that's exactly what they're promising us. the romney/ryan budget doesn't just cut public education, cut medicare, cut transportation and cut job creating, it doesn't just pummel the middle class, it dismantles it. it dismantles what generations before have built to ensure that everybody can enter and stay in the middle class. when it comes to getting the middle class back to work, mitt romney says, "no." when it comes to respecting women's rights, mitt romney

says, "no." when it comes to letting people love whom the love and marry whom they want to marry, mitt romney says, "no." when it comes to expanding access to good health care, mitt romney says, "no." actually -- [applause] actually -- [applause] actually, mitt romney said "yes" and now he says, "no." governor romney has undergone an extreme makeover. [laughter] and it ain't pretty. so here's what we're going to say to mitt romney in november, we're going to say, "no." >> julian castro, mayor of san

antonio, texas, delivered the keynote address at the democratic national convention. this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" breaking with convention -- war, peace, and the presidency. when we come back, one of the first acts of civil disobedience at the dnc. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" breaking with convention -- war, peace, and the presidency. covering the democratic national convention inside and out but each day this week, two hours of coverage you can go to democracynow.org if your station is only running one. one of the first acts of civil

disobedience of the democratic national convention took place on tuesday just outside the time warner cable center. shortly after 4:00 p.m., a group of 10 undocumented activists rode into uptown charlotte aboard the no papers, no fear us. the activists have been riding aboard the bus protesting the obama administration's immigration policies. the bus left arizona six weeks ago. the activists took part in tuesday's protest knowing they could face deportation if arrested. "democracy now!" was there when the activists left the bus and marched to the site of the democratic national convention. >> no papers! >> no fear! >> we're here to ask president obama if he will be the president [indiscernible]

or will he recognized our dignity and rights to organize? for that, we're risking arrest. [sirens] >> i am undocumented and we're risking arrest to tell president obama that he needs to have a petition on our side, and the side of immigrants to stop deportation, to stop the collaboration between the police and i.c.e. and recognize our civil rights and defend us. >> no paper! >> no fear! >> dignity is marching here! >> i am here with my two daughters and my husband. we have been on this ride for

dignity, and we believe we have the fight to -- the right to fight for our dignity. we want to send a message to president obama. we know we are risking arrest, but we know it is up to the sheriff to turn as and immigration. we know it is up to emigration to do nothing in the deportation proceedings. we know we are facing this because the policies of the president obama. we want to know -- we want to ask him to stop deportation, stop the collaboration within the police and i.c.e. and we will continue organizing ourselves. we want to let families know if you are not afraid and if you have the support of the committee, you will be able to fight for your civil rights and for your right to belong and to stay here. thank you. >> i am 25, undocumented,

standing here next to my parents with my sister and the crowd because we want to send a message to president obama to ask him which side he is on. he needs to choose. families are trying to make a better lives for themselves. this is for every family and the united states whether they're documented are not to continue fighting for your rights and organizing. >> i have been living here for 18 years. i pay taxes. i pay more taxes than citibank. i am here because we're against the separation of families [indiscernible] and against the discrimination.

>> i came to this country when i was 15, undocumented. i am here and i am not afraid. i am doing this for all of my committee, for the undocumented community. i'm tired of living in fear. i am tired of not being able to have a driver's license or go to school because i do not have legal status. for being human, i have rights. i need everyone to recognize my civil rights. we are in north carolina at the dnc, and we're trying to do civil disobedience on the streets. we're here in front of the dnc and want to tell them that they need to know what we need and

they need to do something about and. we're showing them that we're not scared anymore. we're not afraid. we don't got papers and we're not afraid. >> if you got arrested today, would you face deportation? >> yes. >> education not deportation! >> i from the police department. can i have your attention? you are impeding traffic at the college. i am instructing you you need to leave this intersection. you need to remove yourself from this intersection. if you do not leave, you will be arrested. you have five minutes to leave this intersection. [chanting] >> are you fearful your mother could be removed from this demonstration and deported? >> i am not afraid. all of the people that are

fighting will be safe because an organized community is a safe community. >> you need to leave this intersection or you will be arrested for impeding traffic. if you choose to leave, you can leave by this street or this street. >> [chanting] >> the police have cleared the streets. the 10 people, the 10 immigrants who decided to take a stand today outside the democratic national convention, we asked each as they were going into the police wagon, as starting handcuffed by the police, why they're doing what they're doing today. >> i am tired of being undocumented. >> what does that mean you are getting arrested? >> [indiscernible] hoping to show the kennedcommuny

[indiscernible] >> do you face deportation now that you're getting arrested? >> i don't know yet. >> anything else? >> i am proud to be doing this with my parents. >> fighting with our rights to organize, five are right to be with our families. we ask president obama to stop the deportations. >> this is what happens every day in the community. if you do not have a license, we get stopped. we are detained. >> we want them to respect our dignity, to respect our civil- rights, and to stop separating our families. >> no papers, no fear. >> no papers, no fear. that is the last of the chants

of those immigrants as they're being arrested today, undocumented immigrants here just outside the democratic national convention. a daughter with her mother, they were a mother with her daughter and her husband, they were young people and older people. many were here for 15, 12, 10 years. one young woman who could have applied under president obama is executive order to not be deported said if her mother is deported, the whole family is deported. they sat around a banner before they were arrested of a butterfly because they said a butterfly knows no borders. a butterfly is free. it is the opening day of the democratic national convention, and they are asking president obama to listen to their message. they say no person is illegal. >> ♪

[singing in spanish] >> the 10 undocumented immigrants who were arrested have been released, but as they got arrested, they knew they could face deportation. "democracy now!" mike burke spoke to tania unzueta, her father, mother, and sister were arrested during the action. >> it is called the no papers, no fear. it began july 29 in phoenix, arizona. about 30 some riders started about six weeks ago, including myself, and 40 people from phoenix, tennessee, north carolina, illinois, wisconsin, texas. most of us or undocumented. we were tried to talk to community members about what it is like to come out of the shadows, to lose fear in order to organize, and how to organize

so that when you come out as undocumented, you have power behind you. we went mostly through the south of the united states. we went from phoenix to new mexico, texas, louisiana, alabama, georgia, tennessee, and north carolina. these are some of the states were the harshest anti-immigrant laws have been passed, where a lot of community members, particularly those undocumented that do not have support, and we felt the message of having those papers and having no fear has not reached all of the communities. >> i saw you kissing the protesters just before they were arrested. can you talk about your relationship? >> my entire family is in there. my father, my mother, and my sister were all arrested today. they are all undocumented.

>> what does this mean as undocumented immigrants to be arrested? what could this mean for them? >> we're in a country that collaborates with immigration and customs enforcement. we read an article that says the sheriff would do his job as he said and turned anyone undocumented over to immigration customs enforcement. then i have to find out whether i.c.e. pick them up or not. from what we know, political pressure and community pressure affects the way immigration and the sheriff works. ever single disobedience we have had starting from two years ago when undocumented youth started taking to the streets and political office, no one has been deported. we know deportations continue whether it is low priority or high priority immigrants. our committees continue to be broken apart, except when we do

civil disobedience publicly. i think it is a test to see what happens when undocumented people get arrested in front of the democratic national convention. i think is important to highlight if it was not for the policies that allows collaboration between police and immigration enforcement, this kind of act, people protest, would not resent putting people in deportation proceedings. it is a symbol of how something so little can take for someone to be put in a position where they could potentially be deported. >> can you tell us about your parents story? >> my parents, my sister and i came to the u.s. when i was 10 and my sister was 6, about 18 years ago. my dad was offered a job and the opportunity [indiscernible] we did not know much about the laws. my be set expired without even knowing it. suddenly, i was undocumented.

we tried several times to get status. my father tried to get status through his work. he ended up getting fired from his job. my mother has started the process. i started -- tried in the past to go to mexico and return with a visa, but it was denied to me in 2001. meanwhile, we are students, workers, i just graduated. my sister is a college graduate as well. my dad organizes workers who have been unfairly fired. my mother works with social services informing people about what access they have to services. >> considering that romney's stance on deportation, why did you choose not to go to tampa? >> the difference is the republicans have chosen a was side of the issue they are on critical to gurley mitt romney. he supports without

consideration of whether -- no matter what the ties to the committee are. i think obama has a chance to pick whether he will be the president the support of the most people in u.s. history being deported or if he will give someone like me and my family the opportunity to regularize their status. >> tania unzueta speaking to democracy now's mike burke. yesterday we had a guest whose father and sister were among those arrested. of the 10 undocumented immigrants arrested in the rain just outside the democratic convention yesterday, they have all been released. if you would like to see our interview with rosi yesterday on the broadcast, go to democracynow.org. when we come back, we will talk about the rain -- that's right, the money reining in in charlotte, north carolina

during his democratic national convention week. we will speak with the sun life foundation. stay with us. ♪ [music break]

>> this is "democracy now!," democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. from charlotte, north carolina, this is "democracy now!" breaking with convention -- war, peace, and the presidency. our two hours of daily coverage from here in charlotte, north carolina. thousands of delegates kicked off the democratic convention.

there are exclusive events underway here that range from corporate sponsored parties hosted by the powerful democratic governors association to a super-o-rama party hosted by the three top democratic super pacs, where the recommended contribution starts at $25,000. our next guest has been keeping an eye on the hundreds of events reserved for big donors and powerful figures. liz bartolomeo is with the sunlight foundation, tracking money and influence here at the dnc. they put together a website called politicalparty was based time.org that lets you know who is fundraising and where. welcome to "democracy now!" it has been pouring outside but also inside.

>> all of the rain last night did not stop the party scene happening after the convention proceedings ended. >> i should probably be wearing my credentials, because you cannot get on the convention floor without them. let's say, my credential has the at&t logo on it. >> as does mine. >> it was interesting for the journalists and the delegates as well, at&t was also one of the major sponsors of the 2008 convention. originally, senator obama said he would filibuster any legislation that granted retroactive immunity to companies for spying on americans, but when the bill was on the floor, he voted for it. within a few weeks, the democratic convention 2008 had at&t brand on the delegates bags. not only at&t, but the id we

have to wear to get into, for example, bank of america stadium, and on the idea here is says for tuesday and wednesday, time warner cable arena. time warner, at&t, bank of america. talk about what else you have been collecting. >> a number of events, swag from events, and what is on the corporate side. with the democratic host committee has voluntary chose to do is not accept corporate money in terms of cash. they can receive donations. all these auxiliary corps is happening morning, noon, and night, have numerous corporate sponsors. he have wal-mart, coca-cola, at&t, verizon, even google and facebook are having events. >> what is walmart doing? >> there were a sponsor for a

professional black caucus event. luncheons, evening events, and they're one of the list of sponsors. >> how do you find out who is sponsoring what party? >> much of it has to do with going to the site. one thing sunlight does on our website is we know how much it might cost to host one of these events, to be listed as a sponsor. it could be $25,000, as high as $150,000. as my colleague and i go to these events, see the info is happening, the money on the ground, we saw the picture of the corporate logo. we ask, who are you here with? they might say, we are one of the hosts. we got 25 free tickets. most of the time it is finding that corporate sign it. >> talk about the largest sponsors of the democratic convention, and we will go back to the republican convention. you can match them up. >> we see a lot of the same

names all around town. in terms of the corporate sponsors, also in terms of the hosting events. facebook has been hosting stuff, google. >> what do they get for this? >> they get publicity. they get their name out there. the political conventions are four days, thousands of people, lots of media as well with really not much to do. they are sort of shuttle from site to site, walk around town, and at but conventions, the attendees are very excited to be nominating their choice for president. so there is a party atmosphere. there is a lot of influence. members of congress, the administration, local and state officials as well. with all of that power play in motion and these groups, they spend thousands of millions of dollars just to get their name out there. >> citizens united. talk about what has happened since the supreme court decision.

also talk about something we used to hear about in the past, 527's and their roles today. >> this is the year of the super pac. they've spent over $240 million so far placing ads on television, the phone banking, websites and the like. we're not seen that big of a super pac president at the convention. some of the major players are hosting events for instance here in charlotte. house majority pack a majority pac are throwing a series of events. super-o-rama under unity convention 2012. >> unity. >> 2012. >> the nuclear companies. yesterday we had a conversation with to local activists about their concerns about duke energy and nuclear power. duke energy is not the largest u.s. company involved with nuclear power, exelon is.

talk about exelon's presence. >> i personally have not seen exelon in and around town. they might be sponsoring events, but i have not seen them. i have seen duke energy everywhere. >> tell me. >> duke energy is one of the largest businesses here. they have a giant tower just down the street from here. they're providing a lot of services the convention needs to operate. they have provided some loans to the home -- convention. >> last month, sunlight public citizen, you signed a letter making a demand of lawmakers, what was it? >> we have signed a lot of letters. >> i'm talking about the one that asks these lawmakers not to go to lobbyist-sponsored events.

>> oh, yes. something we have joined with, public citizen, ethics watchdog, on the ground, scene of the so- called [indiscernible] is there. i will say i've seen governors at events. i see members of congress on the streets. i've not seen a member of congress at one of these events yet. 3527 super pacs. how are they different? >> they can accept unlimited funds. they have to disclose donors, they often are in support of or against a candidate and they tell the sec that. except money, spend it on independent expenditures, they were big and 2004 with the veterans for truth critical lot of times the 527's have created super pacs just so they can take as much money as they want.

they try to get the money date -- but the people they want in office. >> who is party u.s.a.? with one of the largest democratic super pacs. one of the main runners is bill burton, who used to the obama's press secretary. they hardly have announced in a press release i received yesterday, they raised $10 million last month. compared to the romney super pac of restore our future -- restore our future has raised $89 million overall. party usa action has only raised about $25 million overall -- priority usa action has only raised about $25 million overall. >> talk about what else you have here. >> you get passes, swag, amid us to take away. sometimes it is maybe an invite so that this is the access card you need to get into the democratic governors'

association late night event on monday night. it was disco-themed. >> who sponsored it? >> there were a number of sponsors. about 15 overall including a live comcast was one of them, aflac was one of them, a totally different light of sponsors the first night, on sunday night, more of a young people's dj dance party. sometimes you have more issue- based swag. this is from the planned parenthood action event it is condoms, protect yourself against romney and ryan. how to go on line -- >> it says, protect yourself from romney and ryan? >> yes. the cocktail table events last night, people were talking about them. the party had a hot pink theme. this is sort of a beer coozie i

found from the blue-, the state party for alabama, florida, and south carolina, a sort of big mouth bass. >> be talked about money and republican convention last week, but that was the beginning of the week. talk about your summary of what happened last week in tampa. >> one thing that became quickly clear, in terms of access, the more money you had, the closer to the top of the most senior members of the party you got. we were very interested in the mid-level lobbing-type events they had to basically be in event sponsor to get there. my colleague was tracking with the super pac donors, like sheldon adelson and his wife were doing. mr. adelson showed up at needed for the republican jewish coalition, which he is given about $6 million to this election. it was closed to the press. at one point, sheldon adelson

was sitting -- putting on a button that said "obama, oy vey ." >> mike burke attempted to ask sheldon adelson how much money he would be spending on this event, but his daughter intervened, grabbed the camera of our videographer hany massoud, was taking it into the suite and when our team reached for it, she dropped it on the ground, also pushing our producer back. that was our team's attempt to try to find out how much money is being spent. you can go to democracynow.org to see that. >> a lot of the donors would not acknowledge a much money they have spent, even though they are funneling millions of dollars are spending millions of dollars. >> and republican party? >> david koch was there. the americans for prosperity event. my colleague tried to go to the

event and was firmly told he was not allowed to be there. >> you identify yourself as the sunlight foundation? >> tweeted >> when i attempted to interview david koch within the delegation, he was sitting, and everyone around him stood up and cowered behind them so it made it impossible to ask him. all of the delegates stood up to protect him from a reporter's question. >> we have been finding in the charlotte convention, talking to super pac donors at both conventions, my colleague run into jim simmons who is given to a few democratic super pacs. last night, he was chatting up. he was in a rush, but did not try to push away and not talk about it. the donors here seem to be happy to be talking about the funding and a fund-raising they're doing for the democrats. >> the convention itself is happening in the time warner

cable convention center. at&t is around our necks. legislators are legislating constantly around issues of the telecoms. >> they really are but i don't think it has gone unnoticed. >> and president obama will be speaking at the bank of america stadium, the democrats have renamed it panther stadium for the week. thank you, liz bartolomeo. the salut foundation is tracking the money here at the -- the sunlight foundation is tracking the money here at the dnc. democracy now! is looking for feedback from people who appreciate the closed captioning. e-mail your comments to outreach@democracynow.org or mail them to democracy now! p.o. box 693 new york, new york 10013. [captioning made possible by democracy now!] democracy now!]