The Prospect tracked down Tom Sheridan, founder and principal of The Sheridan Group, a Washington-based firm that lobbies on behalf of a variety of liberal nonprofit groups.
You've worked with Ted Kennedy a long time. Rate his speech Monday night.
Home run! He is iconic in every way, but Monday you really saw the "Lion of the Senate" as his best. He is seriously ill, as we all know, but his energy and his determination to lead the nation to its best was unmistakable. It was powerful, emotional, and a truly historic moment. That speech will be a last part of an amazing legacy that is still emerging.
Did you think it was a mistake that Kennedy was not featured in the final hour of the convention but Republican Jim Leach was?
From a TV audience standpoint -- maybe. But in the hall it was the most electric moment of the evening. Michelle Obama was outstanding in every way, so I see the power of the evening as bookends -- Kennedy and Obama. Leach was in the middle and did very well.
You represent a few celebrities who are involved in politics, including Bono. Some say athletes, actors, and rock stars should stay out of politics. What are the right and wrong ways for celebrities to get political?
Every American has a responsibility to engage in our democracy and that means politics. I think it's frankly irresponsible for celebrities and athletes to say they aren't engaged. Why kind of message is that sending to their fans, and young people especially? The right way to engage is to use important issues as a barometer for advocacy. Be committed to an issue, stay with it, be credible on its substance -- that's what I recommend to the celebrities I work with. ... It's a bit immodest to say, but I really think Bono has created the new model for celebrity activism. It's not the photo op or fundraising -- it's the commitment and credibility.
You are a strong advocate for gay rights, an issue the Republicans injected into the 2004 campaign. Do you think it will be a factor again this cycle or has its power as a wedge issue faded?
I think it's faded but far from gone. Republicans used it as a wedge issue to drive thousands of right-wing zealots to the polls, and it worked to some extent. But the air has gone out of the balloon. Young evangelicals are voting on poverty and the environment more than on issues like gay marriage. The world didn't end with California and Massachusetts legalizing gay marriage. The straw man they created is now seen for what it was, and most thoughtful voters have moved on. Never underestimate hate and zealots in politics: They have passion and usually can find money. We're a long way from full equality, but we are unmistakably moving forward.
What would you like to see from Joe Biden's speech tonight?
A strong appeal to white working-class voters is vitally important. A challenge to the unarticulated concern that some white voters may have about electing the nation's first African American president is important for Biden to address directly at some point very soon, if not tonight. Finally, he is a strong advocate for America's foreign policy being one that balances security with development and diplomacy, and showing voters this level of depth will be helpful.
--Tom Schaller
Previous Party People Q&As:
Janet Napolitano, Governor of Arizona
Bob Shrum, Speech Writer and Consultant
John King, CNN analyst
Bob Springmeyer, candidate for governor of Utah
Bracken Hendricks, clean-energy evangelist
Karen Brown and Bonnie Tierney, Clinton and McCain supporters.
Don Beyer, former Democratic VA gubernatorial candidate
Chris Redfern, Ohio Democratic Party Chair
David Cicilline, Mayor of Providence
Nancy Ruth White, Clinton Delegate
Nancy Keenan, President of NARAL
