Editor's Note: Middletown Patch is checking in with state Rep. Matthew Lesser, D-100, and Middletown Mayor Dan Drew daily as they take part in the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., through Thursday.
This afternoon, Lesser sent Middletown Patch an on-the-ground view of the DNC.
Lesser: Yesterday was all about the middle class. We heard fiery speeches from Congressman John Larson and Gov. Malloy (with Rosa DeLauro that makes three Connecticut floor speeches). U.S. Senate Candidate Elizabeth Warren talked about the struggles middle-class families are making all over the country and made the argument that Barack Obama — not Romney/Ryan — is on the side of ordinary families.
Lesser: President Clinton then did something remarkable. He looked the American people in the eye and spoke to us directly — talking about why we are in this mess and what Barack Obama has done to get us out of it. For all his business success, Gov. Romney has done nothing to make the case that he understand what ordinary families are going through. And his plan to — as Clinton put it — "double down on trickle-down" will only make the situation worse. President Clinton presided over the longest peacetime economic expansion in American history and voters trust him and his judgement on the economy.
Lesser: I've run into a lot of luminaries at the Convention: statesmen, foreign ambassadors, business leaders and even a few Hollywood celebrities. However, one person I met yesterday stands out as truly special — Civil Rights legend and Congressman John Lewis. Lewis spoke about the threat posed by new laws in many states designed to limit voting rights and strongly praised action we took in Connecticut to make voting easier — and more secure.
Lesser: Tonight is the biggest lineup yet: Charlie Crist, a former Republican Governor of Florida, Vice President Biden and of course Obama himself. The delegation is all prepared to get to the Time Warner Center early because the Secret Service locks down the building once the President has arrived.
Tomorrow I'll be back in Middletown — all week long I've stayed in touch with constituents and my staff and I'm already inspired and energized for the last stretch of the campaign.