The Delegates

9:13 PM: This speech worked, and worked very, very well. People who came into this hating Hillary are vastly more reconciled to her, and those who came into this waiting for a vindication of their die-hard support of her candidacy got it. We remain dramatically skeptical for the need to seek emotional engagement in American party politics, but for those who still crave it, they have it in spades tonight.

Unvarnished words from our colleague in the room: “This completely neutralizes the media narrative that all these bitches are so unhappy.” Let’s hope so, cause dang that trope was long since wrung dry.

9:07 PM: Some comments from our Delegates team member Noah, who likes big words. Thanks Noah. People to whom I am not related and with whom I do not work are also invited to make comments.

9:05 PM: Hillary feels comfortable making slight departures from her prepared text — both Obama read ‘em off nearly word for word. She is better at this than she seems, if that makes sense.

Applause line #3 of the evening in mont-blog:

With an agenda like that, it makes sense that George Bush and John McCain will be together next week in the Twin Cities. Because these days they’re awfully hard to tell apart.

Big laughs and hoots.

8:58 PM: A slight frisson here in lower blogovia: when Hillary poses a rhetorical “were you in this campaign just for me?” one of our blogging colleagues answers with a loud, affirmative, “uh-huh!” Some light boos roil the room, along with many pursed lips and rolled eyes.

8:56 PM: Politico has the full text of the Hillary speech. According to it, we’re less than halfway through. This will go well past 9 PM local time.

8:47: PM: Hillary’s address is the actual keynote, regardless of the label. The opening emphasis on “unity” lines surprises those of us in bloggington and gratifies the crowd.

8:38 PM: The doors to the hall are locked. Nobody can get onto the floor or the seats on any level.

Oh dear god no: a soundalike of the Kinks’ “Really Got Me”, followed by Lenny Kravitz, trying to evoke the notion that Hillary got people excited in some way. Then tape of Amy Poehler bits, trying to make Hillary seem self-deprecating. This feels like being stuck in a Dairy Queen ad with a middle school vice principal.

8:36 PM: Lots of yee-haw on offer, but it works. People in blogistan are breaking out into the Dean Scream.

8:34 PM: The “all of McCain’s backyards — even the ones he doesn’t know he has” line draws this evening’s second burst of applause from the blograbble.

Reliable Sources inform us that Schweitzer has a border collie following him at all times, presumably to provide onlookers with continual memetic reinforcement that he is a rancher.

8:26 PM: Schweitzer’s folksy-guy warmup act is working pretty well. I fear that the Hillary video will be like drowning in marshmallow, and that she will talk for 20 minutes.

There’s that “change we need” line again.

8:24 PM: Montana governor Brian Schweitzer is a big guy who likes a big stage, and he’s digging being up there. CNN’s zoomed in on Bill Clinton.