DemCon 2008

One more post, after having a chance to reflect

2008-09-05T07:49:00.000-07:00

We have gotten such great feedback from friends and friends of friends about this blog. It's been an amazing experience, and thanks for reading our thoughts about this crazy process.

Since the convention, we've all of course heard from the Republicans, who believe that personal, Karl-Rovish, mean-spirited personal attacks from a woman who named her family pet for an oil pipeline are going to help bring this country together. (She also fibs a squinch about the Bridge to Nowhere money.)

To me, this seems like the best turn of events possible, because it shows how freaked out the Republicans are. They're even criticizing community organizers, like, um, me. Yeah! How dare we try to make this country better! Someone get these foolish whippersnappers off my front lawn!

But personal attacks aren't going to help close Guantanamo Bay.

They're not going to clean up the subprime mortgage mess, created by Republican deregulation mania, or the credit mess yet to come.

When all the silly, fun political theater is over, this is a contest of ideas about how to fix a country just about everyone agrees has gone off the rails. This year, we have the option of a president who actually understands that his job is to uphold our Constitution.

But, frankly, this is going to be a tough fight. They want that Supreme Court with three more Alitos on it. We need your help.

Some of us are really giving our all, including delegates who you just wouldn't have thought, based on their personal history, would be willing to fight for America any more. (And, yes, he's from the 43rd LD--same legislative district as me!)

Can you help?

If you live in Washington State, can you be a Neighborhood Leader who knocks on neighbor's doors and makes sure everyone is registered to vote? (If you want to know more about this--or if you want company knocking on doors, I'll come with you!)

If you hate the idea of knocking on doors, could you join local events like making buttons to send to swing states?

If you have $50 to help Obama fight these smear attacks, could you send it his way?

If you're cash-strapped and time-strapped, could you take 10 minutes on your lunch break and write your local paper a letter, letting them know why Barack Obama is the candidate who will get our country back on track?

And, as Howard Dean said, if you want to see Obama win, the single best thing you can do is talk to your friends and family about this election. If we each talk to 25 people, Howard said, we will win this thing.

We head back to Seattle tomorrow, and I plan to be a blur of activity for Barry from now until November 5. We're going to win this thing, but it sure would be nice to get a chance to see you all while all that hard work goes down.

Thanks again for reading.

Fireworks

2008-09-02T07:51:00.001-07:00

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Obama!

2008-09-02T07:49:00.001-07:00

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The Stage

2008-09-02T07:47:00.001-07:00

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View from the Top of Invesco

2008-09-02T07:43:00.001-07:00

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The Big Finish

2008-09-02T07:29:00.001-07:00

Just to be a completist, I want to add my perspective to the last day of the convention. As a guest, I had a surprising amount of access throughout the con to caucuses, process meetings, speeches, events, and meals. The public entrances to these things were managed extraordinarily well. I thought I would have to wait in long lines while J sailed in on the wings of delegate power. Not so! When we attended things together, she usually came through the public entrance with me, because it was moving as fast and efficiently as the delegate entrance. Security was tight, and I've been through more metal detectors than I care to contemplate, but no complaints...

... until the big Thursday speech. Hoo boy, was that an interesting day. J elected to take the light rail to Invesco Field with me, even though she had the option of a delegate-only bus. At the station, we jumped onto a crowded train and cheerfully exchanged stories with the rest of the pumped-up Obama fans. Gamely trudging the mile or so from the train station to the stadium, we were still feeling great (see J's post about her amusing protester placation action).

Then we hit the line. I heard later that it was 6 miles -- that's six miles -- long. Jen didn't want to leave me, but I knew she'd never make it to her floor seat on time if she waited with me. We were getting estimates of a 2-3 hour wait. So she went off to find the delegate entrance while I kept walking along the line to find the end of it. Finally found the end in a parking lot above the main stadium parking lots. So I joined the queue -- thousands of people bunched together as far as the eye could see -- and sipped my water.

Ha ha, it sure is hot, I thought. I sipped my water bottle. The line serpentined tightly through the parking lot and then wound up and around a hill before heading back toward the stadium. No cops or officials of any kind were present, so people seemed to be policing the lines themselves. The line would occasionally lurch forward about 10 feet, then stop again. After about an hour, I saw something that filled me with horror.

Another end of the line.

Then another.

Others noticed it, too, and a small panic ensued. A-types started walking the lines, trying to figure out which went where. At one point, a man behind me was repeatedly yelling "IT'S A LINE TO NOWHERE! WE'RE GOING IN CIRCLES!" which was sort of funny except not. Because he was right. The line I was in circled back on itself.

I turned to the 77-year old woman next to me and said, "When we get to the top of the parking lot, we are going to merge with that other line... I think we can do it with a lot of smiles and not make them too mad... are you with me?"

She nodded, her lips set and eyes peering out at the horizon. I checked her water bottle. It was about 1/4 full, and the sun was beating down on us, reflecting off the pavement in nausea-inducing waves. I stood on the sunny side of the line, trying to provide body shade to my elderly friend.

Lines merged, tempers flared, curses were lofted to the DNC, the mayor of Denver, the police. Some people left, but one of the ways out was blocked by the police now (no, I don't know why) and the other way involved walking several miles back to the rail station, where, we heard, the trains were no longer running. A strange, heat-induced calm fell over the crowd.

Hours passed. We circulated slowly around the parking lot, thousands of us, just shuffling at this point, trying to ration out our water. Conspiracy theories surfaced. Alliances formed and were broken. My new friend's water was gone, and I was saving the dregs of mine just in case she needed it. A reporter behind me made a call -- "Hey, I'm supposed to be at an interview with Harry Reid, I'm not going to make it."

After 3 hours, the cops showed up. I think someone must have called someone, because they arrived in force, descending on our asphalt hell in SWAT gear with huge truckfuls of water bottles. The crowd broke into a ragged cheer and people poured water all over themselves and each other.

The police sorted out the multiple lines on our end and must have done something on the stadium end, because suddenly, we were moving... running even! Shouts of "Obama! Obama!" started up, and we coursed grinning and light-headed through the metal detector tents and into the stadium.

I was in my seat in time for the generals and admirals. Just missed Al Gore.

Total wait: 4 hours. I would have done it for a new Lord of the Rings movie in a heartbeat. I have no regrets, but I have some complaints. I think someone should have made a better line-handling plan for the crowd. It all happened because parking was not allowed at the stadium and everyone had to be personally searched. Both excellent and effective security measures, but both requiring a different management plan than the one used for football games.

Still, when Obama walked onstage, and I watched 75,000 people cheer their hearts out for a better tomorrow, I was as happy as a clam at high tide. I felt a surge of compassion and well-wishing for the convention organizers, for the hard-working police and hot dog vendors, for the protesters, for the delegates, for the politicians and bureaucrats.

What a great time I had. Thank you, J, for inviting me along.

Now let's get out there and get Obama elected so we can have some dang health care. Some of us have heat stroke.

Emerging at last from the Parking Lot of Doom

2008-09-02T07:27:00.001-07:00

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Day 4

2008-08-30T06:44:00.000-07:00

"No you won't be naming no buildings after me..."

--Erykah Badu

We flew to Philly yesterday, where we joined T's brother, my mom, and our great friends Pat and Linda for a laughter- and politics-filled conversation about the week T and I have had. It was a great ending to an incredible week.

I'll recap some of the things that happened on Thursday before they flit away. I'll be glad to discuss any of this any time with anyone. I can't imagine getting tired to discussing what it was like to be a part of history.

The Thursday breakfast included an unscheduled speaker, General Merrill McPeak, who ran the organization "Vets for Bush" in Oregon. He attended war college with McCain, and as Chief of Staff for the Air Force, worked closely with him for years.

He spoke with that kind of quiet authority that guys like that have. When he talked about mobilizing the vet vote for Bush, he said, "So I'm the guy who's fault it is." When he talked about Obama, he described him as "scary smart." He also mentioned being on the receiving end of McCain's famous hothead temper many times, with conversations he had to "hold the phone out here to listen."

He evidently coined the "No Drama Obama" label, too, and talked about how he wants to see someone with that disposition in the role of Commander-in-Chief. He talked about the famous 3 a.m. phone call, and how Obama will figure out all the elements of what's going on before making a big decision--and that's exactly what we need in the world right now, with our military stretched to the brink. He compared the reaction of the two men in the Georgia situation, and how quickly McCain used a Cold War strategy of enemies vs. allies: "We are all Georgian." "Who's we?" the general said. Because, he said, we don't have troops or the European allies to enter into a fight with Russia at this point in our history.

I wished everyone could be there for his talk, because it was so thought-provoking. Here's an article about him, at least.

When it comes to the Mile High stadium event, first of all: While Obama's speech was amazing (I cried with emotion at one point), the mechanics of getting 80,000 people into an event like that was un-fun.

We took the train in because only delegates were allowed on the buses, and I didn't want to abandon T to the chaos. The train was a riot, because all these Denver folks were decked out and ready for the big show. It's amazing the diversity (and by that, I mean the pro-Pentagon white woman who was also pro-Obama next to me on the train) of his support. The announcer came on and explained that they were stopping the train one stop before Invesco...we would have to walk an entire train stop's distance to get there.

So we all piled out, and thousands of people were in every direction with no real idea of where was the right way to go. T and I headed up over the bridge just to have some sense of forward motion, and we ran into a protest that was part pot legalization but mostly the no-war-with-Iran and no-torture folks. They all looked like the WTO people--same bike-messenger look to the young people, who had "counter-delegate" stickers on.

We were walking on this bridge with a low concrete divider between us (heading to see Obama) and the protesters. The protesters were sort of bored, and started shouting "off of the sidewalk, into the streets." T got sort of nervous at this point, since these kids were directing all this at us. I started shouting back (smiling), "I agree with you! No war with Iran!"

That made them shout louder.

So I hopped over the division, and flashed them all the peace sign. A huge cheer went up.

I mean, really--who wants a war with Iran?! So, yeah, hippies, I'm on your side--that's WHY I'm a delegate! I'm thinking they didn't know that our delegation included an Obama delegate who had actually been a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay.

T will post pictures of the lines to get in, but basically, that's where we separated. She wound up waiting 3 hours to get in, and it took me about 90 minutes, even with the delegate entrance, which was obviously a lot shorter. Other delegates weren't as aggressive about asking everyone who looked official about the delegate line, so they got stuck too, and missed a lot of it.

On the floor, lots of people snuck in their partners, which sort of bummed me out. The previous day's badge had a silver star on it, and Thursday's had a gold. In the sun, the people scanning the tickets couldn't really make it out that well, and people used that to their advantage. There was jockeying over seats. It wasn't everyone's best few hours, let's put it that way. I actually didn't want to blog from the floor because it got so crowded as to be scary, and there was a point where when we left to use the media porta-potties (where we saw the entire cast of the Today show, pretty much, include Campbell Brown who was behind me in line), the cops kept us off the floor. I wasn't sure I'd get back to my seat.

But in the end, by about 6:30, both T and I were in the stadium and in our seats. Luckily, I happened to have a protein bar with me (that has pretty much been my dinner every night).

When Stevie Wonder took the stage, most of the Washington delegation (who has been prone to dance in the aisles in general) had a huge dance party. (I mean, if you can't get down on the night that Barack Obama accepts the presidential nomination--while Stevie Wonder is like 75' away playing "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," you are seriously too uptight for your own good.)

As a hilarious and unexpected side note: Governor Chris Gregoire joined in. My contribution: I started a chant of "Go Gregoire! Go Gregoire!" that everyone picked up. Not to get too philosophical, but I feel like this is the kind of thing that a new generation and Barack Obama are bringing into politics at all levels: that you don't have to be an uptight politician all the damn time. That you can be an actual person, and not get skewered for it. (Annie from the Slog has photos here.)

By the time Obama's life story video came on, there was a hush over the stadium. The enormity of it is something I can't really write about with any eloquence, so I won't really try. I'm sure everyone who watched it had a similar experience. The best way I can sum it up is with that Erykah Badu quote that started this post.

When I was at Mount Holyoke, there was a really unpleasant woman who's great-grandfather had donated the money for one of the dorms. So her last name was literally on her dorm. As a child of a single mother--just like Barack Obama, which was one of the first things that drew me to him--I knew I'd never have my name on a building, that there are the kind of people in America who do, and then there are the rest of us, who basically don't count.

But with Barack Obama, we have for the first time someone like that, who no one would have ever thought would have their name on a building. At the end of the speech, after it was all over and Michelle and his girls were on the stage with him, it looked like the enormity of what he had done had hit him, too.

Here is someone willing to get beyond the partisanship that has ripped America apart, who can reframe things like gay rights in a way that everyone can understand (and when he included us--me and T--by mentioning that we should be able to visit each other in the hospital, it was a moment I have waited for my entire life). He will get us out of these holes we have created for ourselves, because he is, as that general said, scary smart. He's been an outsider (black in a white world, but raised by white people who love him), and he knows how that feels. In every way that counts, he's one of us, and that will inform every decision he ever makes, and every policy he helps create.

Some people who are reading this blog voted for me as a delegate, and that's why I was able to go, and why I worked so hard while I was there to gather up all the info I could, treating it like a political boot camp to help us win on November 4.

T will post some more photos (she has great ones from being up that high). But the last thing I want to say in this blog is to those people whose caucus vote gave me the honor of casting a vote in the roll call for all of us for Obama: Thank you.

Thank you so much.

After dark

2008-08-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

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Mori and Mika

2008-08-29T09:39:00.001-07:00

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Ron! (did I mention he was a vet?)

2008-08-29T09:37:00.001-07:00

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Spike Lee and Majid

2008-08-29T09:34:00.001-07:00

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My view

2008-08-29T09:32:00.001-07:00

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The morning after

2008-08-29T09:27:00.001-07:00

We are at the airport now (along with everyone who ever lived) so we'll blog more tomorrow.

Ok, so the speech: wow. He hit it out of the park.

The actual experience of being at the field was incredibly stressful, and T will have more to say about that, but suffice to say that that shouldn't overshadow the hugeness of what we accomplished that came to fruition last night.

Posting pics here now. Next stop, Philly!

Catching up

2008-08-28T08:21:00.001-07:00

OK, so I was blogging so fast and furious during the roll call (which was seriously the most exciting time of the convention so far), my phone got really hot. Like, scary hot. But I couldn't stop myself from sending all those pics in realtime. But then my iPhone crashed, and wanted to be connected to my laptop (which I didn't bring). Eep! I did a hard restart, though, and all seems to be forgiven for tonight. I had to reinstall cellspin, though, so if you're not seeing posts from me, it's because my iPhone wants me to stop blogging and just watch the convention already.

But I'll catch up on some stuff that happened last night now.

Celeb spotting: Charlie Rose, former governor Gray Davis, Mike Dukakis (who knew he was still around?) and, um, the Daily Show guys. I was a total fangirl with them and asked for a photo, because, c'mon, if you see Rob Riggle, Aasif Mandvi and Larry Wilmore just standing around waiting to film, aren't you going to ask them for a photo? There's another photo with me in it (Larry offered to take a new one!), but you'll have to email me to see that baby. :)

We just had our final delegation breakfast, and I'm going to blog about one of the speakers in a minute. But the excitement is so high because of Mile High stadium.

Stevie Wonder will play, which will be amazing. But I think there was something in the water growing up, because I'm most excited about the Jersey boys representing: Bruce Springsteen and, of course, the Bon of Jon. (T and her bro can confirm that whenever we play Rock Band together, I am always making them play the Bon Jovi.)

(Lighter held over head)

"Sometimes I sleep...sometimes it's not for daaaaays!"

That could pretty much be the statement of my delegate experience.

Bring it, Jon Bon! Bring it!

Finale

2008-08-28T08:10:00.001-07:00

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Day 3

2008-08-27T21:50:00.001-07:00

Where do I start?

The roll call was incredible and emotional. People were just openly weeping to see this long, hard slog come to such a graceful ending. We knew ahead of time that Hillary Clinton was going to come in to end the vote based on the fact that the New York delegation wasn't on the floor, and the number of cameramen pointed towards an emergency exit made it obvious where she would be entering from.

Here's my two second summary of the last two days: The Clintons did everything anyone could ask of them.

After Hillary's graceful exit was over, they played "Love Train" (let's not get started talking about the music, like--weirdly--"Addicted to Love" after President Clinton spoke). We all joined hands because the song told us to, and we were in some kind of hypnotic state. I'm pretty sure there will be photos of me somewhere holding hands on the love train, but that's all right. I was seriously feeling it.

Afterwards, I turned around and talked to a woman from the Clinton delegation from our state. She was definitely having a hard time, and I basically just listened to her. She talked about how arrogant so many Clinton people have found Obama, and I didn't argue. I didn't need to any more--he is the nominee. I asked her if she was going to vote for him, and work for him, and she said, "Like the Clintons, I'm a Democrat first and foremost, so of course." I commended her so much on seeing the big picture, and we talked about some of the factions within her delegation.

Later on, I wound up sitting with her, and just chatting in general. I really appreciated her perspective, even if I didn't agree with all of it. I think she probably felt the same, and liked being listened to. On the way out, she gave me the bracelet in this picture.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that I'm not really a flag-star-bracelet kind of girl. But I was deeply touched by this gift. We need to be united, and I'm not just talking about Democrats--all of us, as Americans, who want to see this boat turned around. And this bracelet is the manifestation of that for me, tonight. I so appreciate it, and the sentiment of kindness behind it.

At the second GLBT caucus, Howard Dean spoke, and told us to talk to 25 people three times about what the Democrats have to offer this year, and how we can help change this country into what it should be. Then Barney Frank spoke, and with much more political detail than at the lunch yesterday.

He made some salient points on this same theme of unity and coalitions. Do you know what powerful political group, historically, has voted most often in favor of gay equality in our government?

I'll admit, I was dumbfounded. But he made a good point: Who else would know more about what it's like to be dismissed and discriminated against?

He also talked about gay people (and, frankly, I assume mostly rich white gay men) who vote Republican. His answer to that was this: We know that only the Democratic party is interested in equality for the GLBT community. We know this by their votes. Every gay person was 15 once, and was made miserable by prejudice. How can any gay person walk away from that part of ourselves, and subject today's 15-year-olds to that same world?

This election, he said, is the fight of our lives. If Barack Obama gets elected, we have the chance for real, lasting legal equality. Without it, we have a Supreme Court with six or more Scalito judges.

This is the choice all of us face.

OK, then!

2008-08-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Sure, it's theater. But what great theater. Hillary calling for Obama's nomination by acclamation... Bill bringing back the old positivity... Kerry getting righteous... Biden's authentic pride... and Obama's surprise visit.

Can't wait to hear what all that was like in person for J and the rest of the delegates.

Kansas votes with a shout out to Barry's mom, who grew up there

2008-08-27T15:17:00.001-07:00

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Thinking of Chuck & Kevin: DC votes

2008-08-27T15:04:00.001-07:00

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Thinking of T's globetrotting bro: Dems Abroad votes

2008-08-27T15:03:00.001-07:00

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American Samoa loves the son of the islands

2008-08-27T14:58:00.001-07:00

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The gov casts our vote

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Washington state dance party

2008-08-27T14:11:00.001-07:00

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WE JUST CAST OUR OBAMA VOTES!!

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Howard Dean thanks the American people for being cool with the gays

2008-08-27T11:59:00.001-07:00

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Fashion update

2008-08-27T11:49:00.001-07:00

I think Alan Cumming is wearing some sort of unfortunate beige jumpsuit. Do not want.

More on Gavin

2008-08-27T11:36:00.001-07:00

Ok, so Gavin definitely seems like a Ken doll/Mitt Romney type, but I like what he's saying. Could we make it a requirement that if you want to get elected to something, you have to prove that you read the Constitution? Because it's pretty clear that even with all his hair gel, he has.

Straight ally-in-chief Gavin Newsom is here

2008-08-27T11:29:00.001-07:00

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From the GLBT caucus

2008-08-27T11:21:00.001-07:00

At the GLBT caucus, listening to Nancy Wohlforth from the AFL-CIO. It's funny, because work opportunities, labor organizing and economic justice are such a huge part of all the gay stuff I've been going to, and yet someone posted a snarky comment about the gays on that Slog post.

In fact, In a small but nice touch, Barney Frank had all the attendees give a round if applause of thanks to the servers delivering food in the hall. Does anyone think that happens at Republican conventions?

Maybe that person didn't follow it because Barney Frank sounds like a Muppet.

P.S. Celeb spotting: Alan Cumming is here.

Todays paper

2008-08-27T11:17:00.001-07:00

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Today's shoe forecast: strappy and teal

2008-08-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

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I just don't get tired of this

2008-08-27T09:52:00.001-07:00

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Ready for the Big Day: T's pass for Obama's speech

2008-08-27T09:46:00.001-07:00

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Hot horses

2008-08-27T09:16:00.001-07:00

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On protesters

2008-08-27T09:11:00.000-07:00

Admittedly, I've seen a lot more cops than protesters. In traffic yesterday, I saw a police van with SWAT members in a formation on the OUTSIDE of the van, sort of standing up in line holding on to the sides. It was weird and disturbing.

I wrote the Re-Create 68 folks an email a few weeks back, but never got a reply. I told them I was willing to meet with them, if they wanted.

After all, I'm a sucker for giant puppets of protest. A couple of years ago, Bread & Puppet came to the Bellevue Arts Museum, and I was so excited, because one summer when I lived in Massachusetts, I went to their summer festival. I bought art from the Cheap Art Bus that I still have that says: Become your own hero.

I talked my friend Allen into going to the Bellevue art show with his two daughters, and they were less than thrilled. Giant puppets to them meant something like this, rather than this. I couldn't say I blamed them.

At the delegation breakfast, Dwight was talking about the protesters, and asked all the delegates who participated in WTO protests to raise their hands. Lots of hands went up. Again: change is everywhere here. We have a truly progressive candidate for the first time since I've been alive and aware of what a president was. The fact that all of us who have never done anything like this before are here is the manifestation of that change.

Hot protesters

2008-08-27T09:10:00.001-07:00

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Obamarama Recipe

2008-08-27T08:49:00.000-07:00

Sonja has created the perfect dish. One part Obama speech, two parts cocktails, and add friends to taste. Cheer vigorously.

A Natural Twenty

2008-08-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

Big shout out to gamers for Obama! The opposition seems to think that linking Dungeons & Dragons with support for Obama is some kind of slam.

Now, this might not mean the McCainculus is completely out of touch with Gen X, but hey... if the Boots of Striding and Springing fit...

Personally, I plan to own it.

More 7 am speeches

2008-08-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

Jim McDermott is talking about a 1935 tax law. Most of us have had > 6 hours sleep. It's not exactly a barn burning speech.

Luckily, Amy Klobuchar was here earlier and was awesome. Her 13-year-old is so excited about this election, she sent a letter from camp: "I found bugs in my bunk. No ticks yet. How is Barack doing?"

She made similar points, but with humor. Along these lines, there's a real old guard and new school thing going on at this convention. You can tell some of the veteran Democrats are a little freaked out. But this is the bottom-up, grassroots-driven work that Obama is the engine for. It's happening at the DNC, and the change even in the Democratic party is visible at this convention

Delegates in TV Land

2008-08-27T07:21:00.001-07:00

The Today Show had a piece this morning highlighting Obama's online support among voters who meet up and organize through my.barackobama.com -- all the delegates call the site "MyBO" which I find very cute and millennial.

The segment featured Washington's own Jayron Finan! Luke Russert was clearly impressed by her enthusiasm and dedication.

Here's a hanger-on's perspective: these delegates are working unbelievably hard. I drove some of them home last night after the big convention session, and they were just totally worn out after 15 hours of meetings, walking, speeches, walking, small talk, walking, blistering heat, and walking. (The delegate gift bag included a pedometer, no joke.)

Imagine having to do that from 7am to 10pm every day, and to keep smiling, stay on message, and engage in smart conversations the whole time. They never know when or by whom they will be interviewed.

I'm so proud that Washington Democrats elected this strong and smart group of delegates to represent us. Our delegates rock!

ReNew Orleans

2008-08-27T07:17:00.001-07:00

This Friday is the third anniversary of Katrina.

At the delegation breakfast this morning, New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin stopped by. Now, I know he made mistakes. But mistakes are different than the cold indifference of a flyover or shoe-shopping at Ferragamo while an entire US city suffers.

I live in an earthquake zone. We have Red Cross emergency kits in the trunk of our cars. But if the big one comes, we will need a functional federal government.

P.S. This photo is from Bush celebrating McCain's birthday in Arizona in August 2005 while floods still ravaged New Orleans.

The half-way point

2008-08-26T21:53:00.000-07:00

So, day two down, two more to go. Seems like a good time for some reflection.

T and I survived the Slog. I told Annie that I think the Slog can be snarky and downright scary, so that might have helped. She was gentle with us. Woo hoo! There was much joking about the unfortunate shade of orange of our salad dressing, so that also probably helped in a clutch.

The Emily's List meeting (right after) with Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama was inspiring, and I have to say, was a great pre-indication of the speech she gave tonight.

But so was Barbara Mikulski, who I have to admit, I hadn't heard of before. She introduced Hillary Clinton before her Emily's List speech. Barbara was about as tall as the podium, with painted on eyebrows, and she seemed like one tough old broad (and that's a total compliment).

Today, of course, was the anniversary of the vote for women (which Barbara talked about), and I wouldn't be much of an Mount Holyoker if I wasn't into that, especially considering that showing love for the suffragettes was part of my college graduation ceremony. I was also amused when Barbara Mikulski had this good line: "When I was running for the senate, I was told: 'you don't look the part.' I told them: 'This is what the part looks like.'"

Michelle was also great, talking about how women should never settle. "We know we can do better, and make the world over as it should be." Righteous.

So all in all, a good day to be of the lady variety here at Dem Con. But on a weird side note, T mentioned that some people have said stuff like: "I bet J will want to run for office or something after this."

Um, no.

OK, slight diversion: Whenever I see the gays in the New York Times wedding section, I'm always like: "Huh. They are our astronauts." Because for a while, to be a gay couple pictured in the section they all seemed so accomplished, it was absurd. Like, all of them had eight post-graduate degrees each in various sciences and humanities before starting their own non-profit while running a start-up company. I called this the Sydney Poiter era, where you had to be really, really good in order to wedge that toe in the door and make yourself acceptable to the mainstream.

So, you know, I'm happy to put a face on gay support for Obama for a day. That's cool. I'm glad to do that.

But I also deeply know that this is not about me. As in, at all. I'm here because an awesome group of volunteers is standing with me, and working their butts off while I'm here. (Shout out to Rose, Andy, Michelle, Nick, Amy and the 43rd crew!)

So, again, to repeat: Fun to be here, but it's not about me. At all. I'm here to do a job: Get. Obama. Elected.

After that's done, I'll go back to my normal life, thankyouverymuch. There are plenty of delegates here for what feels like personal reasons, and frankly, I sort of want to gently remind them that although it's awesome to be on the camera (and makes everyone's moms happy), it is so, so not about us.

We have to get Guantanamo Bay closed for good (and all the secret prisons open in all of our names). We have have to restore our standing in the world. Obama will have a lot of work to do: the wars, the economy, the housing crisis, and larger issues of justice and equality. (Note: McCain voted against an equal pay bill this year. Who exactly is against equal pay for equal work?!?)

To quote Michelle today: "We need the world as it is and the world as it should be to be one in the same." That's why all of us are here, and it's why there will be so much damn work to do once I get home.

The MT gov was a rockstar

2008-08-26T19:37:00.001-07:00

Did it translate? Watching from home, did he seem as awesome as he seemed from the floor of the convention? Because we screamed our lungs out for him and his lil bolo.

CNN's Suzanne Malvaux ( n red, back to us) and Fox news blondie 5'; from each other

2008-08-26T18:55:00.001-07:00

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T-minus 1 hour to Hillary swap

2008-08-26T17:35:00.001-07:00

Right now, I'm gearing up to swap 4 Obama delegates for 4 Clinton alts so that her whole team can be on the floor when she speaks. Unity, baby!

Ron (pictured below)

2008-08-26T17:31:00.001-07:00

I just want to say something about Ron. He's the oldest member of our delegation. He was sent to a camp as a Japanese American during World War II. He has voted Republican every election, because FDR signed the order to send him to the camp. This year, he switched for Barack Obama.

He's also a member of Grandparents for Obama and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. I'm so glad he's on our delegate team.

Terry McAuliffe

2008-08-26T17:21:00.001-07:00

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Ron Onishma & Kristine Reeves

2008-08-26T17:18:00.001-07:00

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Maria Cantwell and Dwight Pelz

2008-08-26T16:59:00.001-07:00

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J's (Democratic) Party Shoes

2008-08-26T14:41:00.001-07:00

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Scratch that last post

2008-08-26T13:41:00.001-07:00

Michelle popped up and gave a stirring speech to the Barney crowd. And in yellow, she looked fabulous.

Banquet chicken with Barney

2008-08-26T12:53:00.001-07:00

We are at Barney Frank's LGBT lunch. So far, he's been the best part by far. A lot of the speakers are just plain boring. (They're no Michelle Obama, let's put it that way.)

But Barney was great. He talked about being asked about the "gay agenda." He said "if there is one, it's to get married, join the army and get a job." Everyone cracked up.

I sat next to a reporter who got chased from the table to the press area. Yuck. It's fantastic to be here, but there's definitely an element of seeing the sausage getting made, and wishing you hadn't.

Still, it's been a great day so far. I keep visualizing a government run by these folks. Instead of Donald Rumsfeld, Alberto Gonzalez, Dick Cheney, Michael "heck of a job" Brown.

Susan Sarandon's blurry head

2008-08-26T09:17:00.001-07:00

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Celeb spotting

2008-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

So I took the wrong stairway to get down to the floor last night (I actually missed most of the earlier speeches because of trying to get alternates sorted out--a sort of big headache), and wound up in celeb alley.

I was walking down the up side of the stairs when all of a sudden, I figured out why no one was on that side: Bill Richardson had just arrived, and about a billion cameras were pointed on him on the other side of the steps!

In short order soon after, I passed Susan Sarandon and Toby from the West Wing (which was very meta--like, are you an adviser in real life, too, dude?). I saw Kucinich (and his tall wife) and Joe Biden in the hall, too, along with Maria Shriver. T was up in the MSNBC section, so I'll let her post on all her sitings, but it was definitely wild. There were a lot of, "hey, it's that reporter guy" moments.

But one of the highlights was seeing the entire Daily Show cast getting ready to film a segment. T and I might be in the background of one of their interviews, squealing like tiny schoolgirls.

We're on our way to two more back-to-back events before the convention (and functioning on 4 hours sleep), so I'll write more coherently about Michelle and Ted Kennedy's speech soon.

But here's something I just had to include. Denver magazine has a cover story interview with the Obamas, where they each answer the same questions. Here are my favorites.

Question: People have compared your style to Jackie O. How would you describe your style?

Answer from Michelle Obama: I've always loved clothes, and to be compared to Jackie O--well, it's very flattering...I work with a great designer in Chicago, but for the most part, I'm still shopping at places like J. Crew, The Gap and H&M.

H&M in the house, y'all!

And now some cuteness from the Senator, which I think everyone saw on display last night during the video feed:

Question: Everyone sees you as a potential Commander-in-Chief, but you're a husband and partner, too. We know that women have their faults--care to share one annoying thing that Michelle does--on or off the campaign trail?

Answer from Barack Obama: Michelle has no faults and does nothing annoying. It took me 15 years to understand that, but I am absolutely clear about it now.

Hilarious.

More from the con Mon night: Bob Casey getting ready (PA senator)

2008-08-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

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Exhausted. But...

2008-08-25T23:37:00.000-07:00

So a camera guy is spending lots of time with us in Washington State because we are literally cheering everything. Nick is dancing with Suzi in a swing step. Funny hats are on display. We scream at the top of our lungs at every opportunity, and Vini keeps pulling me up to dance to "Celebration," even though it reminds me of every bar mitzvah I've ever been to.

It didn't seem like a big deal to have a camera on me, since I guess I sort of assumed it would be local. (I did a radio interview for KIRO, which is why that was in my head. I stuck to the talking points pretty well, so I doubt I'll be on.) But then it seems like it was on every single station, since friends have written with "I saw you on CNN! I saw you on MSNBC! I saw you on C-SPAN" messages. I'll be honest: that's awesome!

here's a link to one of them (thanks, Carla!)

Must. Sleep. Ran out of battery power so I couldn't post pics during the last half, but we'll send a wrap up once more sleeping happens.

In the meanwhile: Tivo alert! My co-Obamaniac Jayron Finan will be on the Today show in what sounds like a significant profile on Wednesday. Seattle is rocking this thing.

Another shout out for my mom (and teachers--check her hat!)

2008-08-25T16:43:00.001-07:00

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Nancy Pelosi from the Cheap Seats

2008-08-25T15:13:00.001-07:00

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My view of the action

2008-08-25T14:56:00.001-07:00

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Rob Riggle from the Daily Show!

2008-08-25T14:51:00.001-07:00

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Thinking of my mama

2008-08-25T14:46:00.001-07:00

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Big gay roll call

2008-08-25T12:32:00.000-07:00

They just did a roll call of all the GLBT delegates from all the states. Idaho! South Carolina! Mississippi!

Wyoming.

Wyoming.

Land of Matthew Shepherd.

I was touched by this, but then again, I get teary at car ads.

But seriously. It feels like something us really changing, that gay people can be safe and protected, have the same rights to live without fear and without discrimination everywhere.

Running late on the first day

2008-08-25T11:55:00.001-07:00

Outside the convention center, we just saw Robert Kennedy Jr on the street. Wearing brown shorts and some kind if pub-type T shirt, he looked just like a regular Seattle dood. (You know he's got a carabiner on him somewhere.)

We saw Tom Brokaw signing books on the way in.

T and I are at the GLBT caucus now. The speaker just explained that we have 375 gay delegates here--in 1972 (my birth year) there were five. Five!

A great birthday present!

2008-08-25T09:27:00.001-07:00

T has fantastic news (see the next post)!! Also, you might want to keep an eye on this blog below. I talked with Bryan this morning, so who knows, comments might show up there soon:

www.politickerwa.com

He's sort of our embedded blogger.

I Get to See Michelle!

2008-08-25T09:24:00.001-07:00

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Better Than a Superdelegate

2008-08-25T08:12:00.000-07:00

I go to a lot of science fiction conventions, so this whole experience is vaguely familiar. When one attends a sci fi con without a badge, it's called "ghosting," so I guess I am ghosting this con. That's certainly not the most egregious verb here. This morning, I overheard a gentleman ask, "Where do I credential?"

But I hereby declare the best new verb: DEAN. As in... OMG OMG OMG, I am totally DEANING right now LOOK it's HOWARD DEAN!!!

Despite how... ordinary... the scene appears to be, I assure you, Howard Dean was awesome. There were several standing ovations. And this is just the delegates' breakfast meeting. Tonight at the convention hall, the big-name speeches begin. I have entered the daily guest lottery to see if I can get in. Fingers crossed, because it is Michelle Obama's night!

Ahhhhh!

2008-08-25T06:41:00.001-07:00

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Superdelegate Sighting

2008-08-25T05:49:00.001-07:00

We saw a superdelegate from Washington state last night on the elevator. We talked about groceries. Of course, this is no big deal to Jen, who talks to superdels all the time, but it was my first one. So our road trip wildlife list now includes: elk, bison, deer, osprey, red-tailed hawk, wolf, prairie dog, and Democratic superdelegate!

Good morning!

2008-08-25T05:33:00.001-07:00

I woke up before the alarm today. I also forgot it was my birthday today! (T reminded me.)

To say I'm excited would be a bit of an understatement. We have a 7 am breakfast meeting, and, of course, we go until the last speech is done at 8. Long day to be sure, and I'm not really sure when the eating is supposed to happen in all this.

Seriously, how excited do you have to be to forget it's your birthday? Normally, I treat mine as a multi-day event, similar to hanukkah, and insist everyone around me do the same. But not this year.

Also, I got an invite to attend the youth caucus. But as of today, I'm aged out of it. Thanks for the birthday present, DNC.

First day anxiety

2008-08-24T19:59:00.002-07:00

We're in for the night, after a fun day of seeing where Therese grew up (including her old elementary school) and getting a fantastic dinner in Boulder. (I, of course, brought a guidebook.)

Tonight, I feel like it's the night before the first day of school. Remember that feeling? Sort of checking to make sure you had sharpened pencils in your pencil case? (Or maybe that was just me.) I want to make sure I'm in the right place at the right time. I want to do a good job, and I want to come back with useful information to share with everyone at home. At the very least, I don't want to be the person running after the bus as it belches its way down the street with all the other delegates on board. (I know: this isn't really how it will work, but you get the idea.)

I have a mixed record on first days, sort of like I have a mixed record on school photos (this is not a picture of me to the right, but it has a similar feel, except to my mom, who thought I looked cute throughout). Some years, not so bad. Other years, the pics involved a bolo tie (I was having a 4th-grade Annie Oakley phase) or wearing my sweater backwards (you can see the label if you squint closely). My extended family still has these pics as incriminating evidence.

Then again, with thousands upon thousands of delegates here, it's not about me. I find that comforting. I just have to put my butt in the chair at the right time and do the votes that Obama wants me to do.

It's probably just the excitement of being around all these cool people that has me all wound up.

And speaking of that, I ran into someone I knew from Seattle in Boulder! If you've snagged tickets to the big speech or will be here, drop me a line, would ja? My schedule is pretty packed, but still, it would be great to know you're in town.

P.S. The comment on this post made me laugh out loud. It's worth the click.

Lookin' good, buddy

2008-08-24T19:59:00.001-07:00

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Boulder Obama office

2008-08-24T19:57:00.001-07:00

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Here's how you know it's a swing state--both parties are on the same sign!

2008-08-24T19:56:00.003-07:00

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Guess which bag is mine? (hint: I have more jackets here than Suze Orman)

2008-08-24T19:56:00.001-07:00

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Colorado paramedics with a sense of humor

2008-08-24T12:49:00.001-07:00

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A little late, but: Grizzly spotting at Yellowstone

2008-08-24T10:01:00.001-07:00

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Last day of the road trip

2008-08-24T08:54:00.001-07:00

After four days of hotel room coffee, we are flying down the road with Starbux in our systems.

Arches was amazing, by the way. So interesting to go from the spooky lushness of Yellowstone to the starkness of Arches. (By the way, we didn't see the recently fallen arch.)

Driving along a small riverside road to rejoin the interstate, we kept passing long hotel ranches with lights spread out along the water. To me, they looked a little like Dharma Initiative indoctrination centers. But then again, I am a daughter of the East Coast, and desolation freaks me out a bit. Let's just say that I'm ready for Denver in every way!

Next stop: Denver!

2008-08-24T07:43:00.001-07:00

Watching MSNBC, it is surreal to think we will be there soon!

More from Arches

2008-08-24T07:35:00.001-07:00

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Arches at Sunset

2008-08-24T07:11:00.001-07:00

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How I know I've spent lots of time with T

2008-08-23T15:00:00.001-07:00

I sort of think that the William Shatner song on T's playlist is pretty good. She tried to sell it to me months ago based on the fact that it's a Ben Folds duet. It took a while to grow on me, granted. But this is how I know we are spending quality time together.

Granted, the air is thin, so my defenses are pretty low. Also, it is 100 degrees. To a Seattleite like me, it feels like we are vacationing on the sun.

Hope, not fear

2008-08-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

We were eating dinner last night in Idaho. Fox News was on. The people next to us were talking about the VP pick, and about Obama.

Then, I heard one woman say something something abhorrent about Obama and Senator Clinton.

In a way, it solidified for me the work that needs to be done in the weeks ahead. As Obama himself said in a video I still never get tired of, the road ahead will be long. No one said this wasn't an uphill climb.

But I'm hopeful that America will judge him fairly, based on his ideas. That he'll be evaluated on the content of his character.

The Obama sub-caucus chair asked me to take on a duty on the floor--to make sure that we have coverage at all times, for all votes, by making sure that all the alternates get seated according to a regular plan. At first, my reaction was a little bit of, "Aww, darn it. That means I have to work even harder!" But, of course, I agreed. I want to do my part, in any way that I can. I've tried to do what I can to make the experience fair for the delegates, and we have to have coverage for Obama at all times. It was a no-brainer in the end.

Sometimes, even as an Obama supporter, I fear that people like the woman last night are too far gone to even given Obama a chance.

But then I force myself to feel hopeful. To see Obama being sworn in to office. To see a cogent policy for our wars abroad (something that these folks obviously also want to see, based on their donation pattern).

At the end of the overheard conversation, the woman made it sound like she had to convince her daughter not to vote for Obama. I can't tell you how happy that made me.

Yes, we can.

Blogs from the team

2008-08-23T09:13:00.001-07:00

I don't know if it's because I come from such a wired part of the world or what, but plenty of the Obama delegation are planning on blogging from the convention. If you want to get the full 360-degree view, you could spend hours reading all of their stuff. Here's what I've got so far, and I'll add more as they come out:

Suzi's Political Observations

Spokane in Denver

And a couple people are also blogging from my.barackobama.com. I'll add more as they filter in between now and Monday, if they send them around.

Eating in America

2008-08-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

I cannot eat any more iceberg lettuce. I have had it for two out of three meals, three days in a row. These are the trials of a semi-vegetarian traveling across America, trying to eat in mom-n-pop places.

We have arrived in Salt Lake City now, and we hope to find some actual vegetables.

Say what you will about the horrors of chain restaurants and the homogenization of American food culture, but Olive Garden has saved our (metaphorical) bacon twice already. When it's down to BILLY BOB'S 4-POUND STEAKS vs. a bowl of linguine the size of Rhode Island, I'll pick the latter, even though both represent absurd excess.

We've also slipped quickly away from our Seattle coffee snootiness, instead slurping down huge mugs of whatever's in the pot. Sour, bitter, burned... it all fuels delirious hours of driving and marveling at the scenery.

Easy, Big Fella

2008-08-22T16:42:00.001-07:00

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Yellowstone or Mars?

2008-08-22T16:35:00.001-07:00

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Rohan visual aid

2008-08-22T16:30:00.001-07:00

To answer Amy's question, this is the Old Faithful Inn. It's really amazing, but I guess it books up a year in advance or something nutty like that. I can see why, though.

Thanks, Ted

2008-08-22T06:59:00.001-07:00

Heading back to Yellowstone this morning, and I have to say, it was amazing. We saw a bison -- a bison! -- from 10 feet away.

I had a huge, earnest swell of 'the US is frigging awesome" in the park. We have a great guidebook, and through it, learned that Yellowstone was the very first national park in the world.

"The world?" I asked. "The national park is an American invention?"

Evidently, yes. (Did you know that?)

And also, to give credit where it's due, the result of Teddy Roosevelt and his Republican administration. Imagine that today. But it also goes to show that brilliant ideas come from all quarters.

Jellystone

2008-08-21T19:35:00.001-07:00

We are literally sitting on a deck, waiting to see Old Faithful. Also, this inn looks like the Rohan state capital.

On the road

2008-08-21T09:31:00.000-07:00

So T and I are driving from Seattle to Denver in a kind of reclaim-America-after-7.5-awful-long-years-in-the-urban-archipelago road trip. At least, that was the theory. But then we got hit with construction over the passes, fog, thunderstorms, and pouring rain. Plus, when we arrived in Missoula, all the hotels were booked with returning university students plus skeet-shooters. And, no, it wasn't these skeet shooters.

Still, it worked out. T is in a freak-folk phase, so we listened to Natalie Portman's skinny boyfriend and others. There was an entire song where the lyrics were "Swans, swans," if I'm not mistaken. When she tried to sleep, I put some of my Obama mix (which is apparently predominantly made up of the O'Jays).

We also listened to a good portion of "Team of Rivals," which is especially fascinating in the context of going to this current convention. Here's an excerpt, in case you want to check it out. (And, no, I didn't know this poster of him with the book existed until I did an image search for this blog post.)

During the quiet, late-night portion of the drive, I started to think about the (literally) 1,000 people who would be in my place. I thought about a training I attended in Greenwood before the primaries, and how everyone in the room raised their hands to the question of: "And who here is going to run to be a national delegate." The odds just seemed so slight.

I definitely spent a good part of the trip last night thinking about all the people who, by rights, should be here with me. It was impossible to go through the delegation process and not feel moved by all the stories of the people who should be here: people suffering from our stop-loss policy, the delegate who ran who is a member of the Winter Soldiers, the person running an AIDS hospice in the most remote region (as far as I can tell) of the state. All the people -- including folks I work with closely -- who have put their heart, soul, and hours and hours of time into working to get Obama elected. They should be on their way to Denver, too. In my own small way, I'm trying to carry them with me, too.

Along with a suitcase so overstuffed, T refers to it as "a black hole filled with dark matter."

On to Yellowstone.

Obama Here We Come

2008-07-18T09:08:00.000-07:00

We're going to Denver in August to attend the 2008 Democratic National Convention. My partner J is a delegate for Barack Obama. I am not a delegate, but I hope to have an interesting experience at the convention, nonetheless. This blog is where we'll record our observations.

If you want to watch the whole convention online (you do? really? really?), you can do it here:

www.demconvention.com

I'm looking forward to returning to the Denver area. I spent most of my formative years there, but I haven't been back since 1994.

One of the things I'm allowed to attend is the Interfaith Gathering that kicks the whole thing off (probably a tiny bit different than the one at the RNC). I can also attend a community open house at the Pepsi Center (a.k.a "The Can") and maybe some of the daily caucus and council meetings. I'm hoping to saunter, sneak, or beg my way into as many speeches and parties as possible. J will be extremely busy with her committee and delegate work, so I will also get to spend time with friends in the area, and go check out what my old hometown, Broomfield, looks like 24 years after I left.

I would love to see something like this:

But it'll probably be more like this, if I'm lucky: