That being said, the pride I feel having been in attendance of the spectacle that was the Democratic National Convention is truly ineffable. I have never been more inspired to be a liberal than after the first night of the convention. Politics was put into perspective for me. Before, government was more theoretical and I could speak in an idealist liberal voice without considering the actual implication of the next president. Up until now an election has never directly impacted my life, just my parents' lives (which subsequently affected me). The decisions Americans make in 2012 will affect my ability to get a job and afford college. So everything materialized for me, and as Sandra Fluke illustrated, two distinctly different futures are in front of us. One future in which millionaires and billionaires will get tax cuts and women don't have the right to control their bodies and their health care, or a future in which jobs continue to be created and women can earn just as much as men for doing the same amount of work.

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Part of this thinking ("conventional thinking" one might call it, if one were looking for a cheap laugh) most likely stems from the fact that professional pundits (those on expense accounts, in other words) were visibly worn out in Charlotte. The Republican National Convention and the Democratic National Convention appeared on each others' heels this year, with absolutely no break between the two. This wasn't a problem for the partisans on either side, but it was indeed exhausting for the professional journalists covering both events. I spoke to very conservative and very liberal "A-list" media folks who all said almost exactly the same thing: "The last two weeks have been such a blur, it's hard to keep it all straight in my mind." Which leads to wondering if the media won't eventually pull back on their own coverage -- further than they already have, that is.

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I must come out forthright and say I will be bitter about tonight regardless of the quality of the speeches. The DNC's decision to shift the venue from the stadium that could seat 70,000 to the convention center which seats about 22,000 has prevented me from attending the last night of the convention. I will still give my thoughts on the night but be aware I was not present for the speeches or events that took place.

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Unfortunately, the Democrats couldn't restrain themselves from going after Romney with three people, all of whom worked at an ex-company that had once been owned by Bain Capital. Each gave a relatively similar story in which their company was ruined by Romney while he profited off their failure. He cost Americans jobs, broke Tiny Tim's leg, and probably even talked about Fight Club. I have no love for Romney, but such a exaggeration of negativity demoralizes the entire base and moves the focus from Obama's outstanding accomplishments to Romney's shortcomings.

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The election of President Barack Obama made me realize that I could no longer be an observer on the sideline. I had to be a participant, so I became an American citizen. I knew I had made the right decision when my husband Chris and I attended Barack Obama's inauguration in January 2009. It was a day I will never forget. [Editor's note: see photo, above] There we were, two amongst thousands, on the Mall in Washington D.C. in the freezing cold waiting to see the swearing in on the giant TV screen. Before the event started, Bono warmed us up. It was worth it though to experience that "being a part of something great" feeling.

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The first night had two large overarching themes: Women's rights, and President Obama's accomplishments. A multitude of women spoke not only about abortion and being pro-choice, but about equal pay for equal labor. However, the dominating pattern was the constant praise of President Obama, and the effectiveness of his policies. Obama's ability to save the auto industry and create jobs for twenty-nine consecutive months was a focal point in why he deserved to be re-elected. In addition, Obamacare and benefits for veterans were mentioned repeatedly by speakers. Last but not least diversity was constantly stressed. I lost count of the number of times I heard the line, "you should be able to defend the country you love, regardless of who you love." Overall, a very strong performance by the Democrats -- they were consistent in their backing of Obama, and unlike the Republicans they gave examples of concrete policies that have actually made a difference.

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I was five when President George Bush "beat" candidate Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election. At the time I had no clue about politics or party philosophy. However, I did know Al Gore received more overall votes in the election than George Bush, then the members of Supreme Court voted on who would become the next president, and they elected Bush. The election was the first political event that I can remember clearly in my life, and although I was always bound to be a liberal (given the household I grew up in), that lost election established my anti-conservative opinion. I followed the Kerry/Bush election in 2004 with determination (or at least all the determination a nine-year-old can muster), thinking I could somehow impact the results of the election. Of course I was wrong.

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We have reached the eye of the hurricane. Half the storm is over. The Republican Party held their national nominating convention all week, and the Democrats are getting ready to hold theirs next week. So we enter these few days of calm between the howling winds, and to mark the occasion we're going with a unique format here today.

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OK, let's get right to my immediate impressions of the final night of the Republican National Convention. I'm going to quickly describe the opening acts, and then get into the big speeches of the night.

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Welcome once again to my musings and snap judgments which I jot down right after watching the Republican National Convention speeches, and before I read what the rest of the online universe has to say. This way, my opinions might be wildly out of sync with everyone else, but at least you'll know they're not influenced by others. My Day One impressions were fairly close to what others are saying, so make of that whatever you will.

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