Democrats say convention will be most diverse ever

I guess I'm the only demographic that won't be adequately represented: I'm an older white male.

Since the Democrats have written off folks like me, I guess I'll vote for McCain now.

Well it looks like one 13% minority won't be recognized...

Smile, your mother chose life!

Nothing wrong with diversity except these clowns have declared war on white males. Special rights for 'minorities' gays, women, everybody except straight white males makes it clear the purpose. Affirmitive action is the most racist policy endorsed by government since slavery. These democrats will say how much they believe in diversity but what they won't tell you is that they live in the white part of town and send their kids to the white private schools even when they are minorities themselves

The American dream of one country and one people is now further away thanks to the Democrats, Republicans, and runaway immigration.
Integration and assimilation of all of the differences is now only another dream for the future and we now have more poverty due to more poor people from other countries.
I wish they would stop bragging about our differences and start thinking of this as one country.
I will vote for a third candidate as both the Democrats and Republicans are really out of touch with the citizens.

What does "diverse" really mean? Does it mean that someone will tell the truth? Like 4 out 5 violent crimes are committed by black men. 4 out of 5 of those violent crimes are against other black men. Who's hurting who. Barack Obama is the least qualified candidate for President, EVER. If he wins, everyone will know he is only President because he is black (affirmative action). We hear this is history in the making. Haven't any of you ever heard of Alan Keyes. We have Junior (Barack) saying that Clarence Thomas is stupid because he's a conservative. Barack will be humiliated in this election and if he isn't America deserves the world war 3 that his Presidency brings with it. If Obama isn't his party's candidate will all of his "community organizers" burn their hoods. Will that make them proud

What a shame..so many diversified people all in one place at one time to send a nominee into history, not as our first black president, but as a young unexperienced, shallow minded man, with a truly unmerited opinion of himself, who truly believes he can parley a partially filled senate seat into the presidency.

Despite all the political correctness, the loveable, huggable diversity and the inch-deep, mile-wide phiosophies that will form their platform, created by those to whom politics is a notion understood at the same level as Santa Claus, the process will do its job and send him into history as a candidate defeated by his own sense of destiny and his own presumptive naivte. ssj. reno

He is not African American. He is only 6.25 black...
HE IS AN ARAB!!!!

While it is great to see this diversity, I think it important to mention that for a great America, the diversity needs to be celebrated in all corners of the Nation. The destination is one where it no longer needs to be measured.

It would be confirmation of America's core beliefs as embodied in the Statue of Liberty and her Constitution. Signifying and declaring freedom and equality for all. Not just for the whites, for the wealthy, for the Judeo Christians, for the special groups with the right connections to power.

It would clearly reflect that vision of that shining light on the hill. That beacon that brought to America the weary, the weak, the down trodden. Who of course are the roots of the current (but dwindling) core Judeo Christian population.

Have they forgotten their own history? Their roots? Their good fortune and responsibility? Why are they so jealous of others? Why are they so intolerant? Where would they be today if America was not America?

It would be to America's great advantage to have all these people, their viewpoints, their cultures accepted, understood and celebrated. The likes of Bush could talk to the likes of Hu Jintao of China for example about more than how far he has to drive to his office. And he might eat more than American burgers instead of the local foods. And he might have gained a better look into the eyes of Putin.

It would be a greater America to have their multiple languages accepted. Indeed, supported in the communities. As worthy and valued alongside English as the National language (Indeed also the International language at the moment - along with Spanish and Chinese.). This is a constructive thing for America, not destructive as many say. It raises understanding and intelligence as well as tolerance and co-operation.

It would be a greater America to learn and in some ways celebrate their traditions too as part the American social fabric. Arguments are made by some narrow interests that somehow America must serve the Judeo Christian beginnings of America. I disagree - it is not so. America's forefathers understood that to be a great Nation required freedoms, particularly of speech (including language) and religion. And also freedom of race and skin colour.

This election can be about swiftly moving further backward:
- towards the cultural dark ages,
- towards further internal division (civil cold war),
- towards more economic back sliding,
- towards further concentration of wealth, health and life itself.

All the while finger pointing at each other and at the outside world as the problem.

All the while lighting more fuses of division, of intolerance, of distrust.

All the while swift boating one another. And hiding our complicity. Staying a deniable distance.

All the while starting wars, fighting from the gut rather than common sense and maybe even intelligence (good intelligence - pun intended).

All the while abolishing truth and promoting one sided, divisive, self serving propaganda.

When instead the obvious solution is in your hands, your minds and your hearts. It is in the Constitution, at the heart of all religions (not in the fine print and anecdotes added by various interpreters), and symbolized in the Statue of Liberty and the great American Dream.

This election can be about moving forward, rather than backward. About moving toward a greater America by fully recognizing and drawing on her diversity. By moving to compassion from fear and to inclusiveness from exclusiveness & elitism.

I think America is on the right road and headed at a furious pace in a furious state - but in the wrong direction. She must stop. Make a gut wrenching U turn. And she has oh so far to go to her originally conceived destination. That time, that day will come - perhaps not soon but in time, it will most certainly come.

This election can be a first step in changing direction and building a head of steam to speed her in the right direction. Towards meeting America's future as her forefathers foresaw; and indeed, as it must be.

Wow. Who let this group of uglies loose on this Website? I suppose George W. was qualified to be president? Who had more experience than Cheney and Rumsfeld? It's not about experience; it's about intelligence and judgement. Obama has more smarts in his little finger than the current president has in his whole body. What experience do any of these candidates ever have? They all bring in the people with real experience to serve in their cabinets. What's needed is sober judgement and an ability to avoid being rattled by circumstances. Kennedy showed that quality in spades during the Cuban missile crisis. Some of his experts were pushing for a pre-emptive strike; Kennedy opted for back-channel diplomacy. We're all here to tell that tale because he showed good judgement. To a hammer, every problem looks like a nail. To somene whose total experience is in the military, every problem looks like it can be solved militarily. Choose young and smart, not old and tired.

Abaraif - Before you start with this mythical JFK comparison and his stellar record of "sober judgment".....

JFK?? You mean the one that got us directly embroiled in Vietnam? Yes, he's the one who sent in the "military advisors" and got us in that quagmire. Read your history books.

JFK?? You mean the one that planned the disastorous Bay of Pigs fiasco? Read your history books.

JFK?? You mean that womanizer who put Billy Clinton's antics to shame?

Obama has decent speech writers and that's about all the judgment he has. Befriending William The Terroist Ayers and choosing Rev Racist Wright as his spiritual advisor for 20 years speaks more of Obama's inept, unethical and immoral judgment than anything. Case closed.

Re: "diversity" - Forget age, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc., etc.

I had heard, and am willing to be corrected, that in Democratic conventions of years past, the largest single affiliation of delegates was membership in the NEA.

Would that be considered diversity ?