Day 1 observations from the Voices4Hillary folks at the DNC in Philadelphia.

What a night! There were so many high points and rousing speeches from leaders who have been fighting so hard for the rights and dignity of everyday Americans. Michele Obama was truly inspiring and set the theme for how we will win this election. In a stirring and forceful speech, she received a standing ovation when she proclaimed, " Our motto is, when they go low, we go high."

In setting the stage for Hillary Clinton, the First Lady said, "In this election, and every election, it is about who will have the power to shape our children for the next four or eight years of their lives....and there is only one person I trust with that responsibility, only one person who I believe is truly qualified to be president of the United States, and that is our friend Hillary Clinton."

It became really emotional when Michele said, " I wake up every morning in a house that was built by slaves. And I watch my daughters, two beautiful, intelligent, black young women, playing with their dogs on the White House lawn. And because of Hillary Clinton, my daughters and all our sons and daughters now take for granted that a woman can be president of the United States."

And in a nameless jibe at Trump she said, "So, don't let anyone tell you that our country isn't great, that somehow we need to make it great again, because right now, this is the greatest country on Earth. "

AS veteran Democrat, Deborah Sale said, "Michele Obama brings the political argument to the human level. Such humanity and such grace."

Optimism and strength through unity were the theme of the evening, beginning at 930pm with Al Franken and Sarah Silverman using humor to ease the disappointment of Bernie delegates. In an unscripted response to some people in the crowd, Silverman, herself a Bernie supporter, ad libbed, " Can I just say to the Bernie or Bust crowd, you're being ridiculous." In many ways, this heartfelt remark helped all of us to remember how much more we have in common as Democrats and what's at stake in this election.

"I'm On Your Side, Oh, When Times Get Rough"

Paul Simon, an icon for so many of us, sang an emotional rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water, with delegates linking arms and singing along.

Corey Booker had us on our feet again, cheering for economic justice and repeatedly chanting, "America, we will rise!", a refrain based off Maya Angelou's beautiful poem, "Still I Rise."

One of our writers, Evangeline Morphos, described Senator Booker's speech as one of the most thrilling ever delivered---"it reminds us of what America is, and should continue to be. And at the risk of quoting a foreign language: E Pluribus Unum!"

He urged us to be "Free from fear and intimidation, let us declare that we are a nation of interdependence and that in America, love always trumps hate."

Adding a local touch, he said, " In Atlantic City, Trump got rich while his companies declared multiple bankruptcies."

Elizabeth Warren spoke to us about a clear choice: "We are here tonight because America faces a choice....on one side a man who inherited a fortune from his father , and kept it going by cheating people....on the other side is one of the smartest, toughest, most tenacious people on this planet. I'm with Hillary!"

What kind of a man roots for an economic crash that caused millions of people to lose their jobs, their homes, their life savings? What kind of man cheats student investors, cheats workers?", the Senator continued.

"I'll tell you what kind of a man - a man who must never be president of the United States. Never."

Then shortly before 11pm, Bernie Sanders took the stage to enormous cheering, both from his delegates and from Hillary delegates who agreed with Elizabeth Warren that he deserved thanks for "reminding us what Democrats fight for every day." Bernie thanked his supporters and then went on to warmly endorse Hillary's policies on issues like health reform, climate change and immigration reform with the refrain, "Hillary understands that..." For example, "Hillary Clinton understands that if someone in America works 40 hours a week, that person should not be living in poverty. She understands that we must raise the minimum wage to a living wage. And she is determined to create millions of new jobs by rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure - our roads, bridges, water systems, and wastewater plants."

Think About the Supreme Court

"If you don't believe this election is important, if you think you can sit it out, take a moment to think about the Supreme Court justices that Donald Trump would nominate and what that would mean to civil liberties, equal rights, and the future of our country," Bernie said.

"Any objective observer will conclude that based on her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States," Bernie said. As the crowd cheered, he added, "The choice is not even close."

Wrapping up the emotional night, Bernie recalled Hillary's many achievements as First Lady, laying the foundations for universal health care, and as a Senator, a fierce advocate for the rights of children women and the disabled, concluding " Hillary will make an outstanding President and I'm proud to stand with her tonight."