Political Stimulus

Finally, I’m in Denver.

And quite unexpectedly, internet is hard to find.

I arrived yesterday in the morning and headed straight to a College Democrats and Students for Barack Obama joint luncheon, although I was late and missed the food thanks to my ridiculously ungifted sense of direction. Apparently the taxi driver also gets confused when you invert two numbers of the address and wonder why you don’t end up at a restaurant. Let’s just say that I involuntarily got an expensive tour of downtown Denver. The taxi-cab driver and I talked politics on the way. He’s an Obama supporter from Ethiopia who got his citizenship a few years ago, and since, has voted in every single election. It’s amazing what kinds of stories you run into through making conversation with strangers.

Later, I met up with Ben Goodman and Adam Scholl, the former Maine High School State Director and National High School Developmental Director, respectively. Ben is the youngest delegate of Maine, and Adam is here as a page with the Maryland delegation. We met in person for the first time back in November in Des Moines, Iowa when all of the high school state directors met at a summit in the Midwest.

The highlight of the night was hearing Deval Patrick speak at a College Democrats event. It was an intimate event of only students, but they used a huge theater, so only about 1/15^th of the seats were filled.

Day numero dos: This morning was the first breakfast for California’s delegation. Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Lieutenant Governor John Garamendi were the highlights. I met up with Roger, Julie, and Matt, and we sat with some delegates from neighboring districts.

I then headed over to the University of Denver to be on a panel with a few other delegates to discuss the delegation process, my experience, and answer questions for the Junior Statesmen of America.

I flagged a cab down and headed to the Convention Center. I had to do a live radio interview, so I just positioned myself into a corner and hoped that my cell reception would suffice. No idea how that turned out.

After a 40-minute bus ride to go 2 miles, I’m currently sitting in the Pepsi Center as Howard Dean begins the convention business. Art Torres is a few rows down working the computers under the recognizable California delegate sign. The delegation of Delaware is quite the scene. They’re standing at the front of the floor and chant “YES WE CAN” anytime there is a mention of Joe Biden. They’re wearing bright costumes and wave signs like it’s their job. The delegations, in general, have such distinct personalities. At the video on New Orleans and the Katrina aftermath, the Louisiana delegate held up American flags as they watched the screen intently and said nothing. It was pretty moving. When Ted Kennedy came out, the Massachusetts delegation began to jump up and down. After every few speeches, the DNC stops everything and starts playing live music. The Pepsi Center actually turns into a huge democratic dance party. Barack Obama and dance parties? Did they plan that for me?

Nancy Pelosi just walked on to the stage, and as the California delegation stood up and went crazy, she gave us a shout-out. There are reporters everywhere; Fox News, CBS, CNN, PBS, Associated Press, BBC, ABC News, and C-Span makeshift studios surround the arena. When I went further down on the ground, I turned around and saw Anderson Cooper standing right in front of me by the CNN stage on the convention floor. He talked to me for a sec and let me take a picture with him. Wolff Blitzer is avoiding the crowds off on the stage. The CNN Political Team is comprised of demigods. Basically.

Well I’m here, hyper-politicized, and most likely over-stimulated due to the mixture of bright lights, well-known politicians, and my cell phone that goes off every five minutes.

This convention has made me look back a lot at the year-and-a-half of work we've done to make this nomination happen. Seeing each state delegation reminds me of every single primary we went through. From South Carolina to Nevada, Pennsylvania to South Dakota. What hit me the hardest was seeing the delegation in the front, right-hand corner of the floor. Because of this campaign, this nomination, and this convention, I feel forever indebted to Iowa.

And, as Ted Kennedy said tonight, “This is a season of hope.”

And so it is.