September 3, 2008 Barney Smith takes on Smith Barney at DNC Play video

(NECN: Denver, Colorado) - Every convention, someone unexpected steals the show. Thursday night in Denver, it was Barney Smith.

UPDATE: While Barney Smith identified himself as a lifelong Republican, the blog "Prosper Group Think" and others report that the Grant County public voter record for 'Bernard Smith' shows that while he voted in the Indiana Republican primary in 2006, he voted in the Democratic primaries in 1996 and 2008. We'll update this post as needed.

The lifelong Republican from Marion, Indiana, lost his job at the RCA plant there in 2004 after 31 years of service. "Republicans talk about putting country first, but tell that to Marion, Indiana," he said. "They sent my job overseas. We need a president who puts Barney Smith before Smith Barney."

Smith left the stage to the chants of 75,000 Democrats, yelling "Barney, Barney!"