The 2012 Democratic National Convention is now underway in Charlotte, N.C. and delegates appear ready to hear from a number of senior elected officials and party leaders prior to President Obama accepting his party’s nomination for a second term.

I began the day by attending an event sponsored by the Mecklenburg County Republican Party where Congressman Tim Scott from South Carolina and Georgia Commissioner Ashley Bell formally introduced the Black Leadership Council – an effort to increase black support for Mitt Romney.

It was interesting to note that Commissioner Bell’s wife was an Obama delegate at the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. He was a Romney delegate from Georgia in Tampa last week. I’ll include more details from the event in a separate article.

After arriving at the convention hall, I sat in on the LGBT Caucus meeting where Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius told a packed room that if Romney is elected, “a big tide will wash away LGBT rights.” She also said Obamacare was the most significant healthcare program for LGBT Americans.

When another speaker asked the group if they were better off than they were four years ago, they stood in unison and applauded. Even President Obama has said the answer to that question was no.

Rep. Scott said that in his opinion, few Americans were better off than they were four years ago.

There is also a Planned Parenthood protest planned for sometime today, but besides the convention itself, the city appears to be just one huge protest with countless groups occupying the sidewalks around town. Virtually no one is paying attention to them, including the delegates themselves.

More later.