The DNC does not always have a keynote speaker. Sometimes there is a speaker that can be thought of later as such, but was not necessarily labeled "keynote" at the time. So this list can certainly be argued with.
Obama was the DNC keynote during the last Presidential nominating convention. It is often presumed that the keynote speaker will be a key player in future elections. However, that is definitely not always the case. Sometimes the keynote is finishing old business (in which case their name is usually "Kennedy" and other times reorienting the party towards its traditional liberal values. Other times the keynote is a display of the Democratic Party commitment to diversity and equality.
1960 Frank Church.
1964 Robert Kennedy.
1968 Daniel Inouye.
1972 Nobody, really
1976 John Glenn and Barbara Jordan
1980 Teddy Kennedy
1984 Mario Cuomo
1988 Ann Richards
1992 Barbara Jordan (again)
1996 Evan Bayh
2000 Harold Ford (if you watch MSNBC you see him a lot)
2004 Some skinny kid with big ears and a funny name.
Politics
Comments
Why was there a convention in "1998"?
:-)
Posted by: Ahcuah | June 4, 2008 10:22 AM
Must be a typo - 1996.
So, will there be a Keynoter this year?
Posted by: Coturnix | June 4, 2008 10:27 AM
I sure would have liked to have voted for Barbara Jordan for president -- probably the most impressive politician I've ever heard speak. A black woman, a lesbian it's rumored, but she just had an aura that spoke of justice, equality, concern for *everyone*, ethics, and principle.
Posted by: chezjake | June 4, 2008 12:43 PM
Barbara Jordan in '76 was monumental. Even at a relatively young age, it made quite an impression on me. If you've never heard it, it's available on "American Rhetoric":
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/barbarajordandnckeynote.html
Per Wikipedia it's ranked the 5th best American speech of the 20th century... certainly it is one of the best.
Posted by: dusty59 | June 4, 2008 12:45 PM
FYI: There is a July 23lecture on Barbara Jordan at Humphrey
http://www.lifesci.consortium.umn.edu/news_and_events/events.php?id=233
http://www.hhh.umn.edu/centers/wpp/programs_outreach/women_politics_reading_group.html
Posted by: Monica | June 4, 2008 3:26 PM
The keynote speaker this year may be Hillary unless she is VP candidate, then she gets a speech for that. Otherwise Bill is a very good chance.
It is remotely possible, in my opinion, that it will be Ted Kennedy. Just a hunch.
Posted by: Greg Laden | June 4, 2008 4:44 PM
Thanks for the FYI Monica- d
Posted by: dusty59 | June 4, 2008 8:40 PM