Decompressing from Convention

We survived the 2008 Democratic National Convention--the most spectacular and meaningful experience of our lives! We took our kids to Estes Park Friday-today, for the first family vacation we've had since this campaign started. I'm still working on the photos, and will write more later!

Democratic National Convention, 2008

We've been so incredibly busy that I have not had a chance to devote time to this blog, but I am making myself sit down to do it, even if I don't have time to add photos until later.

(BE SURE TO GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THESE NARRATIVE POSTINGS, FOR SOME OLDER PHOTOS. I'LL ADD MORE RECENT PHOTOS IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS...WE HAVE SOME GREAT ONES!)

The energy and excitement of the convention experience is all that I had imagined, in terms of it's intensity, and it is more than I could ever possibly have imagined, in terms of the crowd control and logistics.

We continue to feel richly blessed and extraordinarily grateful to the people who got us here.

Kelvin and Sarah were interviewed by Rocky Mountain news guy with a video camera as soon as we arrived at Denver International Airport Sunday. Monday night an ABC news person interviewed Kelvin for about 15 minutes, as we were entering the Pepsi Center. At the hotel where the Missouri delegation is staying, someone who is doing a documentary about voting did an interview/audition with Sarah and Kelvin. Some of that may be on Pacifica news radio. Whether or not these interviews will ever be seen or heard by anyone is beyond us.

We received invitations to SO MANY events that it became impossible to sort them all out. Kris Stock with the Missouri Democratic Party cautioned us to try not to get too stressed out about having everything planned out in advance.

I (Sarah) have been a bit bothered by the way that so many corporations who make gigantic contributions to Republican causes and candidates are spending vasts amounts of money on entertaining Democratic Convention Delegates. We have tried to select activities on the basis of the merits of the organizers/sponsors/topics, not just for our own entertainment. We attend the Missouri Delegation breakfasts each morning, where we receive instructions and hear from elected officials (First day was Claire McCaskill. Wow. We are so proud of her). We went to the Celebration Recognizing Katrina Relief Organizations, and the African-American Committee 2000 and Beyond Celebrating Civil Rights event. We attended a reception for the 18 social workers who are delegates, sponsored by the National Association for Social Workers. We went to the Caucus of Veterans and Military Families Council. The most fun we had was at the Planned Parenthood Sex, Politics, and Cocktails party late Monday night. We danced, heard from Ashley Judd, and some other celebrities we can't identify because we don't watch TV. The party for Missouri Delegates Tuesday night was a good place to visit with our friends from back "home," who we also get to see in the mornings and on the convention "floor."

We are actually in the first section "up" from the convention floor. Monday night was an evening of inspiring speeches, by Claire McCaskill, Caroline and Teddy Kennedy, Jesse Jackson, Jr., and Michelle Obama. I'm so happy that a national audience had the opportunity to get to know Michelle. We went crazy when Barack appeared via live feed from a home in Kansas City, as we had earlier, when Claire was introduced.

Most of the early speeches Tuesday night were less riveting. The highlight was Montana's Governor Brian Schweitzer. Kathleen Sebelius looked fabulous and said all the right stuff, but her speaking style is a bit subdued. The final speaker, Hillary Clinton, was a true Democrat, and we are so appreciative of her strength in telling her supporters that a vote for Barack Obama at the Convention was a vote for her. There were tears in the audience, including in the Missouri delegation. I know it was a very sad and disappointing evening for the people who wanted so badly for Hillary to be the candidate. And I am so grateful that they are able to set aside their own feelings of personal loss for the unity of the party and the good of the country and the world.

Getting around has been a challenge. We had been warned that security would be intense, but we had not expected this level of disorganization. A policeman let our son get on a bus with us, from the hotel to what we thought would be the Colorado Convention Center (open to non-delegates part of the time; it's not the same thing as the Pepsi Center, where the convention is held). Instead, the bus took us to the perimeter of the Pepsi Center. Our son could not get in, and the buses were not returning people to hotels at that time. The light rail stations near Pepsi Center were closed. Finally, a very kind and youthful volunteer pulled us aside and gave Kel a perimeter pass, so we could go SOMEwhere. But, after we went through security (metal detectors, etc.) we could not get OUT of the area inside the perimeter. We went from one "exit" to the next, only to find that the Secret Service or whoever had said no one could leave through that gate, etc. We finally got out, and walked to the CO Convention Center.

When our daughter (who'd come from California) tried to get on the train to come downtown from the hotel, the police had blocked off the area to get to the train, because they were arresting someone. The police would unexpectedly cordon off various areas where we were supposed to meet our bus, etc.

There were more people with credentials inside the Pepsi Center than there were seats. MO delegation coordinators had to throw out people who were sitting in our delegation's seats...delegates from California, etc. This overcrowding happened, despite the fact that people were not allowed to enter the secured area around the Pepsi Center after about 7:30 p.m., regardless of who they were.

I completely understand why such tight security is necessary, but, nevertheless, it is still a creepy feeling--dozens of armed police and highway patrol, riding or walking or standing around in groups.

Some of the protestors are pretty scary, too. And I fully appreciate our Freedom of Speech.

GRASS ROOTS, BOTTOM UP!

The most remarkable thing about this campaign, besides the leadership of Barack Obama, himself, is the totally new way of "doing" politics, which will lead to a totally new way of "doing" government.

In this blog I will comment on the network of people who have done massive amounts of work for the movement, often before there were paid staff or organizers in a geographic area. Some of the people who attended the first Kansas City volunteer organizing meeting led by Josh Reed, at Sara Keiser's house in April, 2007, are now paid Obama staff, or are running for political office, or are Neighborhood Leaders and in various ways devoting tons of time and talent to this exciting endeavor.

When we canvassed in Dallas and reminded people about the "Texas Two Step," (vote--early, if possible--and caucus the night of the election), we got the walk sheets from a VOLUNTEER, prior to the opening of the Obama office!

A friend who had an Obama yard sign in her yard called me when someone trying to locate a house party for Obama came to her door, trying to find the address (I was able to look it up on myBO).

An Obama staffer who was driving from Montana to Chicago but had to detour down into Missouri to avoid the highway closings in flooded Iowa, was able to shower and sleep overnight at our house, enroute to Chicago.

We exchange information with other Obama volunteers via e-mail, phone calls and text messages, learning important details and resources from them, and sharing what we know.

Before Super Tuesday, I would be leaving the house to go to work and guys in suits would be coming downstairs...they had arrived about 3:00 a.m. to "crash" for a few hours, arriving with the Obama staffers who were temporarily living with us. They included the state campaign director and state communications director, who had brought their own air mattresses. I kid you not.

When I found out Senator Obama was going to be speaking in rural towns in Missouri, I contacted friends I'd met at the Missouri Democratic Convention, or Eastern Missouri people we'd met while canvassing in Indiana, to make sure they didn't miss it. Don Necessary, in Union, MO, excitedly told me that he had been contacted by the campaign and was the lead local person in organizing Barack's pancake flipping there! Steve Kimberling in Nixa was able to get tickets to the rally in Springfield, and we've stayed in touch, exchanging advice about voter registration, etc. A wonderful 70+ year old gentleman in Iron County, Ralph Trask, contacted me before staff had been hired for his part of the state, and I sent him a framed color photo of Barack and some bumper stickers for his "meet the candidates" event.

The groundswell of support and hard WORK that everyday people have been doing on behalf of this movement to elect Barack Obama has been TRULY AMAZING!

We talked to Michelle Obama!

We had the wonderful fortune of meeting Michelle Obama on July 10. Sorry for the late post. We've both been working full-time jobs, trying to remember which camp our 11 year-old son, Kel, was attending each week, holding house parties for Obama's Movement for Change, and registering voters every weekend--this is exactly the kind of too-many-demands-on-our-time thing to which Michelle referred in her speeches in Kansas City! I will summarize/paraphrase Michelle's afternoon remarks, to the best of my ability to recall them.... Michelle essentially said: Barack is who he is and does what he does because he sincerely believes it is the right thing to do; he doesn't change depending on what seems to be politically expedient at the time. He won't make all of us happy all of the time. He doesn't make MICHELLE happy all of the time. (Don't you just love how genuine the Obamas are?) Barack empathizes with working women, just as he loved, respected and honored his hard-working mother and grandmother who raised him. People for whom small amounts of money are huge have donated to Barack's movement for the first time in their lives, taking a very personal interest in his success.

Now, Sarah's observations--this is a first-spouse-to-be, a couple, a family, an election, and a voter base like this country has never seen! And in all the best ways! Sarah's impressions of Michelle are that she is not only brilliant, strong, accomplished, devoted, and compassionate, but that she is vulnerable in ways that make her totally human. She is someone with whom you could sit down and automatically start pouring out your soul, because you'd feel she would completely understand.

When we shook hands with Michelle, Sarah told her, "We love you, keep being yourself," told her we'd met Barack and we hope to see them in Denver, where we are delegates. Michelle asked, about Kel (II), "Is this guy going to be there?" Kelvin (numero uno) gave Michelle a big hug. Although it felt like we only had a few seconds with Michelle, the person in charge asked us to move along. :)

We got to meet KS Governor Kathleen Sebelius, MO State Auditor Susan Montee, and MO Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. (What wonderful women leaders!) Kel (II) respectfully asked Governor Sebelius if he could hand her his camera so she could take Michelle's photo, with which the governor graciously complied. Kathleen's 'da bomb!