Democratic National Convention, Day Two
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Aug 27, 2008 Posted by Bill Luckett
Where to begin in summarizing Tuesday's Democratic National Convention experience for your Wyoming delegation? How about at the very end, with Sen. Hillary Clinton's amazing speech to top off the night? Sen. Clinton is a fabulous orator on a normal day, but I've never seen her in this rare of form. She laid it on the line, in no uncertain terms: If you supported Clinton's candidacy and what it stood for - be that its historical ramifications or its policy significance - if you care about the things that Hillary was fighting for, then you must vote for Barack Obama this November. Our nation will be much better off in every imaginable way under an Obama Administration than it would with McCain as president.
Arbitrary note: The "Hillary" signs that were passed around the convention hall were, in this blogger's opinion, the coolest signs we have seen so far in the convention. Check out this photo. It's a little hard to see the Hillary signs in all their glory, but with the written word "Hillary" on a white background, they provided a nice contrast to the standard blue signs with white typed letters - always in the same font - that have been floating around the Pepsi Center all week. That photo is important for another reason, by the way: You can see the Wyoming delegation! OK, I'm fibbing, but you CAN see the "Wyoming" sign that shows you where our delegation is seated in the convention hall.
I hope you managed to catch Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer's incredible speech that served as the lead-in to Clinton's headliner. If Gov. Schweitzer doesn't watch out, he's going to propel himself to national stardom. You may remember our neighbor to the north from his speech at our State Convention in Jackson earlier this year. The raw text of his speech from Tuesday doesn't do justice to the governor's great energy or his animation. You can check out the Billings Gazette's write-up for more.
And that's just the stuff you saw on TV. One of the day's real highlights for the Wyoming delegates on Tuesday was our afternoon event with former Vice President Walter Mondale at the 8 Rivers Carribean Cafe downtown. The 1984 Democratic presidential nominee said this year's spirited campaign between Obama and Clinton for the nomination was "the most energizer primary process in the history of America." And, although Vice President Mondale was a Clinton supporter, he agrees that "the only way we can implement the things that Hillary supported is to support Barack Obama."
Mondale took the time to visit everyone in our delegation. This meeting, and Mondale's warmth, was particularly significant to one of my favorite people, delegate Shirley Davis of Casper. With tears in her eyes, she told me, "I just wish my parents were alive so I could tell them I shook his hand." That was a very moving moment.
Earlier in the day, Gov. Dave Freudenthal and the folks from FMC hosted a luncheon at the VERY nice Restaurant Kevin Taylor, which provided one of the best meals I've eaten in a very long time. This event was the first time Gov. Freudenthal - fresh from delivering an address at Amherst College - joined the group, with his wife and daughter Hillary in tow. I will always remember Hillary as one of the managers of her dad's first campaign for governor when I was a reporter for the Casper Star-Tribune, and how she might cringe when her dad would make certain comments. For what it's worth, to this day, her dad continues to make comments that cause his press secretary to cringe, but somehow he manages to overcome it and keep the state heading in the right direction.
For breakfast yesterday, Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle joined us and talked about our states' interdependence - they use a lot of Wyoming energy in Wisconsin, while we here in Wyoming consume our share of Wisconsin cheese. We helped Gov. Doyle sharpen his speaking skills - which were already considerable - in time for his speech Tuesday night before the full Democratic National Convention.
More coming tomorrow if I don't collapse from sleep-deprived exhaustion. But, since I'm fueled by several extra doses of adrenaline from the sheer excitement of everything that's happening, I think I'll be OK. More tomorrow!
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Re: Democratic National Convention, Day Two
Aug 30, 2008 | christina frank | christinafrank@ymail.comSimilar to Obama’s 2004 address, Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer stole the show with a powerful and entertaining primetime address. Governor Schweitzer’s incisive analysis of our energy problems, as well as his unabashed critiques of John McCain got the crowd excited and the issues on the table. Does this make Montana winnable? Maybe not. Still, Schweitzer gave the best speech up to that point and enriched his political future. ------------------------ christina. Wyoming Alcohol Addiction Treatment
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Re: Democratic National Convention, Day Two
Aug 28, 2008 | pat schroeder | mountainmama42@bresnan.netCan someone tell me what the duties of a Precinct Committee Woman are? Thanks