The "don't boo -- vote!" line has been a big thing for President Obama thus far on the campaign. It follows a simple formula -- mention of Republicans elicits boos, President silences boos with message people like -- encouraging anger, and then decrying it in a way that encourages eyes to be directed towards the prize, so to speak. That focus needs to be particularly acute this week, as the Democrats take their turn on the national stage in Charlotte, North Carolina, all in an effort to turn Carolina blue into Democratic blue in November.
Yesterday, President Obama kicked off his "Road to Charlotte" tour, which will take him through hurricane-ravaged New Orleans tomorrow. This morning, Melissa will preview the DNC by looking at just how the "big blue tent" is being raised -- and also, at what's in that tent. We just saw the Republicans build their tent with one misguiding, yet quite telling phrase: "We Built That!" What will the Democrats use?
Other topics we'll handle today include the big victories recently for voters in Ohio and other states, the sad state of health care in America, and the rampant increase in gun violence we're seeing in cities like Chicago. Melissa will also deliver a Footnote about a past DNC keynote speaker, and will give a DNC pop quiz to her guests, who include:
- Cristina Beltran, associate professor of Social and Cultural Analysis, New York University.
- Daniel Drezner, professor of International Politics at Tufts University.
- Anthony Foxx, mayor of Charlotte, NC.
- Dr. Neal Flomenbaum, emergency physician-in-chief, at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Cornell Medical Center.
- Aisha Moodie-Mills, advisor to the Center of American Progress Action Fund, and director of the FIRE Initiative.
- Rebecca Onie, co-founder and CEO of Health Leads.
- Ed Pawlowski, Democratic mayor of Allentown, PA.
- Myrna Perez, senior counsel for the Democracy program at the Brennan Center for Justice.
- Dr. Herb Smitherman, assistant dean of Community and Urban Health, Wayne State University School of Medicine.
As always, folks -- be sure to interact with us during the show here in the comments of this post, on Facebook, and on Twitter, using the hashtag #nerdland. We look forward to having you join us at 10am ET on msnbc!