So here I am, less than 12 hours before leaving for Charlotte and my first national convention as an official delegate. I've actually been to 2 others as what would best be described as a spectator. 4 years ago, I crashed the party in Denver because I wanted to be a part of history. And because of a chance meeting with someone who was willing to sell a credential, and support from some dear republican friends who were willing to provide a place to sleep, I made it into Invesco Field for a night I will never forget. The other convention? That would be the republican convention in 1980 in Detroit. Home from college that summer, and at the time a registered republican, I went downtown with a buddy just to check things out. I think I still have a poster somewhere in the garage.
Before leaving for Charlotte today, it seemed only natural that I spend some time registering voters and sitting with the Beach Cities Dem Club at the Fiesta Hermosa. To me, registering voters is always one of the most rewarding things I do around elections. Always interesting sitting on "free speech row" where they put us these days. Our table was right next to the John Birch Society. Yes, they're still around.
One thing's for sure, there just isn't enough time in a day, or throughout the week, to attend all the caucuses, parties, rallies, lectures and other festivities during the week. I'll try to post at least once a day to let people know where I am, what I'm doing, and give a little bit of an insiders perspective. One thing that I hope to do is meet one of my favorite bloggers, DocJess from Demconwatchblog.com. Not only do they give excellent commentary on the conventions, but they're also a great resource for the what's happening in all the congressional races across the country. I highly recommend you check them out.
One closing thought...as I said above, at one time I was a registered republican. Certainly there were many things that caused me to change perspective on issues over the years, but I also truly believe that the mainstream of the republican party has moved so far to the right I don't even recognize them as a party I once belonged to. And that transition is best summed up by this scene from my new favorite show, HBO's The Newsroom. The American Taliban
And with that, good night from Manhattan Beach. See you in Charlotte!
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