A day in the life of a delegate

Here’s a typical day:

7:30 am- Wake up and grab a quick coffee in the room.

8:00 am- Attend the NC delegation breakfast at our hotel. Since there are 156 members of our state’s delegation, many of them new to politics, the delegation breakfast is the best opportunity to meet  fellow NC delegates. After state party chair Jerry Meek reviews some details of the day’s activities, we hear from a prominent politician or two (Today it was Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. The Kansas delegation is sharing our hotel).

10 am- The breakfast over, most delegates head downtown for caucus meetings, seminars or just a tour of the freak show that is the convention atmosphere. Every block of downtown Denver has a dozen or so street vendors selling all icons Obama (One example: a T-shirt reading “Black man running- and it ain’t from the police!”)

3pm- The convention starts. The more, say, obscure speakers are scheduled early in the day, with the headliners starting around primetime. Thus many delegates don’t arrive until 6pm or so. The final speakers usually finish about 9pm.

9-10:30pm- Delegates walk out of the convention center into Hell’s Parking Lot, otherwise known as the DNC bus area. It has generally taken about an hour to get onto the buses- assuming you can find the correct one. Once on, the buses creep very, very slowly to delegation parties.

10:30-1:30 am- Our NC delegation party, hosted by AT&T, begins. There’s a delegation party every night, but this one was the most fun so far, despite the mediocare nibbles. About midnight, bleary-eyed delegates head to the nearest depot on Denver’s stellar light rail system. The light rail drops us off at our hotel for a quick nap. We’re ready to repeat the process tomorrow.

When the rolled was called in Denver

The convention officially starts around 3 pm, and yesterday was no exception. Delegates walk several blocks to the convention center (don’t get me started about the areas without curbcuts), go through a wall of security, and enter the Pepsi Center. It’s really no different from other sports arenas, right down to the overpriced hot dogs.

The opening speakers are usually some of the more, well, uninspiring and obscure. Many delegates, in fact, don’t even show up until 6 p.m or so. But yesterday was a bit different.

Tthe roll call began around 3:30pm. The roll call procedure was probably the most dramatic part of the convention.  State delegations were called upon by the convention secretary to give their official votes. State leaders then come to the microphone and regaled enraptured delegates with all sorts of state trivia (Montana’s delegation could have saved time by just reciting the latest state census figures). As the convention secretary got to the N’s, North Carolina’s delegation stood at attention ready for our chance to shine.

We never got that chance. A few minutes before New York was to be called, security cleared the convention steps and the crowd began a loud murmer.  The secretary then called for the New York delegation total. As she did, Sen. Clinton appeared from the left of the convention hall to the absolute pandemonium of the entire convention.

Hillary then firmly and dramatically made the motion to accept Barack Obama’s nomination by acclimation. I don’t remember her exact words, and I frankly couldn’t hear much over the the applause. What I do remember is that there were not many dry eyes in the house, and that in that dramatic moment party unity was restored.

Eight short years ago….

At the 2000 national convention, an obscure state senator from Illinois decided to come to the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. Since he wasn’t an official delegate, he was unable to secure the credentials that allow access to the convention floor. He spent the day much as many thousands of others at the convention do, eating nachos in the hallway and silently people watching as some of the nation’s leaders walked by (“Look, it’s Joe Biden! Look, it’s Hillary Clinton!”).

A day or so later, state senator Obama, no doubt frustrated by the crowds and the lack of a floor pass, decided to fly back to Chicago.  And in a final indignity, when he went to the counter to return his rental car, his credit card was declined.

Eight years later, he’s back. With floor credentials.

Tuesday’s report

It’s now Wednesday about 11 am. Sorry  was unable to report until about Tuesday’s exciting convention activities, but I didn’t get back to our hotel until about 1am last night.

Yesterday’s convention was highlight by so many great speeches- some you probably heard about, and some you didn’t. The emotional highlight was clearly Sen. Clinton’s convention speech. Love her or hate her (and there aren’t a lot of folks in the middle), Sen. Clinton had all delegates in the palm of her hand during last night’s speech.

I found it to be gracious and obviously supportive of Sen. Obama.  She underscored her support for the ticket, forcefully repeating that Senator Obama is her choice and should be the choice of all of her delegates. Let’s hope they hear her message loud and clear.

The best speech of the night, however, was from Brian Schweitzer, Governor of Montana. When I came into the convention hall, Schweitzer was already behind the podium, dressed in his sportcoat and trademark bolo tie. He swayed back and forth as he spoke (“Maybe he had a little before the speech,” a friend remarked), feeding off the energy as he made point after plainspoken point about the pitfalls of Republican energy “policy.”

When he finished his speech, everyone in the hall gave him a rousing ovation. As he walked off the podium, I noticed he was wearing blue jeans. My kinda governor.

Monday’s report

It’s 7 am Tuesday in Denver, and most of first time delegates are blurry-eyed with  excitement and lack of sleep. To recap yesterday’s events:

• If you made it into the convention center yesterday (and that’s a big “if” given the logistical complications) you were in for a treat. Delegates were immediately struck by the high-tech wizardry, especially the three level display screen and the red, white and blue lights.
• The speakers were incredible. Ted Kennedy’s appearance was a touching highlight of the night. Regardless how you feel about his politics, Ted Kennedy has been one of the most effective members in the history of the entire Senate. His remarkable appearance last night spoke well of the quality of NC doctors, cause he looked robust and vibrant.
• Michelle Obama was another highlight. I’ve heard her speak before and thus had an idea of how good she is, so I wasn’t surprised when she hit this one out of the park.
• Look-there’s Dan Rather! Oh, look- it’s Ted Koppel!! Everywhere you went in the convention center, the celebs weren’t so much the politicians as the news anchors. Not sure what that says about our culture, but it can’t be good.

Things are getting a little crowded in the business center here, so I’ll log off for know and try to post later today.

Dangerous creatures in Denver?

The wild west is known for it’s share of dangerous creatures. There’s the rattlesnakes, mountain lions, even the occasional grizzly.

But in Denver this week, the most dangerous and elusive creature is the Puma.

Pumas are supposedly known for their Hillary buttons, permanent frowns and catchy motto- Party. Unity. My. Ass. Hence the moniker “Puma”.

Frankly, though there is plenty of talk of the puma, but most of it appears to be hype. The Clinton delegates from North Carolina have been uniformally gracious, and they’ve shown a true commitment to party unity. I even had one Hillary delegate tell me how she has angrily deleted emails from the few Clinton delegates from other states who have tried to incite the others.

Much of the puma talk is the product of a bored, restless mainstream press. The press outnumbers convention delegates 3 to 1, and they are pretty story-deprived until the convention begins this afternoon. Hence the large amounts of news stories about yesterday’s poorly attended protests.

Most of the delegates arrived last night, and convention activity has finally begun in earnest. Last night delegates were treated to a wonderful party to raise money for New Orleans reconstruction. Lots of Louisiana fixins, superb music and that iconic staple of a good party, the open bar. 

Convention begins at 3 pm, so I’ll report more later.

So much free speech, so little time…

Yesterday, while most of the delegates arrived at our hotel, I took in the sites and sounds of downtown Denver. Mostly sounds. After a tour of the venerable 16th Street pedestrian mall, I checked out protesters near the state capital.

There were hundreds of anticapitalist, antiestablishment, antiwhatever, 17 year old protestors milling about (not the thousands the organizers had hoped. By the way, how do you organize a group anarchists?) .

My favorite were the group of Rep[ublican, prowar protestors holding signs like “Don’t feed the liberals!”

 I went up to that particular protestor and asked, “Not even freedom fries?”

He was not amused.

Now it’s 7:30 am on Monday, and we’re about to go into our delegation breakfast. This is where we recieve our credentials and hear from a national speaker. Today’s special guest. Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, one of my favorite Democrats.

In Denver!

After about 6 hours in the air and a 4 hour layover in Dallas, I’ve finally arrived at the surprising nice Doubletree Tech Center, home for the next six days. The NC delegation is sharing the hotel with the Kansas delegation (I feel basketball trash talk coming on).  Most delegates arrive tomorrow, but a few delegates and the stellar NC Democratic Party staff have come in today.

The talk of the day is, of course, the announcement of Joe Biden as Obama’s running mate. The few delegates I’ve spoken with seem ecstatic about the choice.  Biden is one of the most nimble minds in the Senate, with unmatched foreign policy cred and true working-class roots and values. A very solid pick.

Tonight I’ll head to bed early and tomorrow head down to the new art museum for a little sites eeing, and get to the convention center in time to take the shuttle to the opening ceremonies at the legendary Red Rocks amphitheatre.

Barack Obama: Creating Change, Spreading Germs

Here’s hoping Barack Obama didn’t give me cooties last night.

A last night’s town hall meeting at the State Fairgrounds, I was fortunate enough to sit on the front row to watch the presumptive nominee in total command of the all-important town hall format. About midway through the event, Obama sneezes three times. He explained that his two adorable little germ vector daughters gave him a slight cold during his Hawaii vacation. “Just remember that when you on the front row try to shake my hand tonight,’ he warned jokingly.

I forgot.

A few random observations about the town hall meeting:

• The questions were fantastic. I was especially pleased that the first question had to do with disability issues. Obama showed a good grasp of these issues, citing the need for more federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and better enforcement of the ADA. The knowledge seems to be paying political dividends for him.

There were other good questions as well. The most poignant was from a homeless veteran who says there are roughly 100 other homeless vets living in the Raleigh shelter. It’s amazing that folks have made those kinds of sacrifice and can’t even get a job, much less a home.

• I saw our perfectly coiffed former Governor Jim Hunt and his wife Carolyn at the event. I had a brief chance to speak with Mrs. Hunt, who let it slip that today, August 20th, is their 50th wedding anniversary. As someone who has a hard time dating the same woman for 50 days, I’m just in awe. Congratulations to the Hunts!

• A special shoutout to Rep. Grier Martin. Instead of sitting if the VIP section with fellow lawmakers & dignitaries, Grier chose to sit anonymously with his fellow veterans on the back side wall. He even had on a baseball cap, and probably thought folks didn’t notice his presence.  His solidarity with fellow veterans spoke volumes about his priorities and character. Well played, Rep. Martin.

Clothes? check. Tickets? Yep. Funny Hats? Hmm..

It’s funny how conventions are a lot like campaigns. A month ago, my fellow delegates and I didn’t receive a whole lot of information about our role at this year’s Democratic National Convention. Now, a week before the convention, I’m just about buried under. Today alone, I got seven Fed Ex packages with invitations to different delegate seminars, receptions, events and soirees. Two phone calls about convention-related business. And I don’t even want to count number of emails.

All this is typical for members of North Carolina’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention.

When I tell people that I’ll be leaving for the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado in six days, I tend to get some of the same questions. I’ll attempt to answer some of those questions here. 

• What do delegates actually DO?

You probably thought you voted for president on May 6th. Well, sorta. In fact, it is the delegates to the party’s nominating convention who actually choose the party’s candidate. The primary determines how the state’s allotment of delegates gets distributed. A delegate’s primary role is to determine who gets the party’s nomination. There are other roles, though. Delegates also determine the party platform, adopt party rules and well, party.

• But Mark, you are an alternate delegate. What’s the difference between that and a full delegate?

 Not a whole lot except that an alternate delegate only has voting priviledges on the convention floor when replacing another pledged delegate. So, if a delegate pledged to Obama decides to go siteseeing during a convention session, an alternate Obama delegate stands in while the full delegate is out.   Alternates delegates stand by to pinch hit as needed, and have all the rights, priviledges and responsibilities of full delegates.

So you’re not a superdelegate?

Well, I think I’m pretty super, and my dog agrees. But no, I’m not a superdelegate. A superdelegate is simply a delegate  who doesn’t have to pledge on behalf of any particular candidate.  Other delegates and alternates are pledged to  support a particular candidate. I am an Obama delegate.

• So what’s a typical day like for a delegate?

From 7:30 am until 10 am,  North Carolina delegates attend a delegation breakfast. At the breakfast strategy is discussed, convention credentials are issued and elected officials are heard from.

From 10 until about 2pm, delegates are on their own. The convention usually will open around 3pm, though it’s a good idea to get their early (the fire marshals don’t play around with the occupancy maximums, even at conventions). The convention will last until around 9 pm Mountain time. 

After 9, the parties begin. And they are work, people-work. Seriously.