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Friday, March 29, 2024
Michelle Obama

First Lady Michelle Obama speaks about President Barack Obama’s personal side at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday.

Baldwin addresses LGBT caucus at DNC

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Democrats officially convened in Charlotte for their national convention Tuesday, primarily defending President Barack Obama’s policies in the midst of his re-election battle against GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and urging greater economic fairness in an appeal to the middle class.

While U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, briefly addressed the convention alongside her fellow female House Democrats Tuesday night, the political spotlight was placed squarely on Wisconsin yet again earlier in the day during a meeting of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic caucus.

The caucus greeted U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, who is running against former Gov. Tommy Thompson for a seat in the U.S. Senate, with a standing ovation as she entered the room.

In her address to the caucus, the openly lesbian Baldwin praised the progress the LGBT community has made within the Democratic Party since she first started in Congress.

But Baldwin largely focused on her broader general election message, arguing people are “furious” about the disconnection between Washington and the rest of the country.

“It used to be that you could work hard and play by the rules and get ahead,” Baldwin said. “But that’s not happening as much and people are struggling and they want their case to be taken to the U.S. House and the Senate.”

She vowed to do the latter if elected to the upper chamber.

Introducing Baldwin to the LGBT caucus was the man hoping to replace her in the House of Representatives, state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, who is also openly gay. Pocan assured the caucus-goers that Wisconsin is still a purple state, saying Baldwin’s race will be among the three most competitive in the country this fall.

Baldwin will address the entire convention at Bank of America Stadium Thursday night in prime time.

The keynote speaker, First Lady Michelle Obama, provided the personal side to her husband’s first term in office, saying to the crowd at the Time Warner Cable Arena that the president’s personal upbringing provides him with the ability to empathize with and solve the average American’s problems.

“Barack knows the American Dream because he’s lived it,” she said. “He wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we’re from, or what we look like, or who we love.”

Prior to Obama’s speech, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro focused on his own humble roots while delivering the DNC keynote address, telling the audience the story of his grandmother’s emigration from Mexico. The rising Democratic star also called for greater investment in education at all levels, which he argued is the key to ensuring long-term economic prosperity for all regardless of this or her background.

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“The dream is universal, but America makes it possible and out investment in opportunity makes it a reality,” Castro said.

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