Denver Dispatch 11 - The Magic and INVESCO and final thoughts
(Stlo7 here - Last dispatch. How about a round of applause for some one on the ground reporting? It wasn’t a regurgitation of the speeches, but from a perspective generally not covered. I mean, as you read on, you will see what I mean. Big round of applause for our delegate.)
GOVERNOR DAVID
Yesterday morning at breakfast, the Governor addressed the New York Delegation. The more I hear this guy, the more I like him. He’s personable and bright. He’s also self-deprecating. At one point in the speech, a group of women shouted “We love you David” to which he replied, “I see my past is coming back to haunt me again.” At the time, the crowd ROARED with laughter. Since then, I have heard several people say it was inappropriate. Either way, it was a moment to remember.
MORE ON FREEBIES
The picture I sent of the freebies was taken only after a day and a half. The wealth increased. So I shipped all of it to my house via UPS. It will take 5 days to get to Rochester. I have no idea what I will do with myself without my QWEST Slinky or disposable Rock the Vote rain poncho during my long wait, but I do know that $30 for a box and shipping is way too much for free crap.
BLACKBERRYS AND BUSES
The transportation system in Denver was definitely over-taxed. There was shuttle service to and from the evening events for all delegates and guests. The problem is that it took way too long and was very disorganized. A bit more forethought would have been appreciated. As an example, upon leaving Invesco field last night, there were SUPPOSED to be lines to take the shuttles back, but there was just a mob scene. For those of us persistent enough to find a bus driver (and police officer, since there was one on every bus) to let us on without having to sort through the mob, we got back to our hotel within 2 hours of the event ending. The others had to wait until all the buses made that 2 hour trip, then come back and get the rest of them. One person in our delegation got back at 1:30 am …. 4 hours AFTER the event ended. Another took alternate transportation and got back at midnight.
When you are on a bus with people of like political zeal and convictions for two hours, you tend to make friends. After being at the field for 8 hours (necessary in order to get a seat) we had little contact with the outside world. Conversation turned to McCain and his choice for a running mate. No sooner did that conversation start than all four people in the back seat took out their Blackberrys (no iPhones allowed apparently) and started looking for answers. As I wrote before, the use of technology has been incredible.
CHECK PLEASE
One would think that the city of Denver would have anticipated that after spending an entire day in a stadium, 75,000 people might have been hungry. Upon our return to the hotel at 11:30 (MT) we went on a search for food. Every restaurant on the 16th street mall had closed their kitchen when we arrived. All we could find was McDonalds. Not offense to Mr. , but his fare is hardly a break from stadium food. The funny part is, even McDonalds closed after serving two more customers after us. They then proceeded to kick us out. Didn’t these businesses get the memo? What a missed opportunity for them to earn some more cash.
CONVENTIONS, CONFETTI AND CON-MEN
The air was absolute magic last night at Invesco. I can’t even believe that I was a witness to history. When the fireworks started and the confetti was flying, it was like I was in a dream. As absolutely exhausted as I am however, I was very saddened when Speaker Pelosi closed the convention. It was an incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience that I hope many of you get to experience some day.
Apparently, people are willing to have the experience at any cost. We were told by several security guards to not wear our credentials unless we needed to. Apparently, people were distracting delegates while someone else would cut their lanyard and steal the credential. I can only imagine the going rate from scalpers was quite high for the stolen creds, but I can’t help but think, it would have been a lot less violent to make money by just keeping a restaurant open past midnight.
Related posts:
Hi everyone, your delegate on the ground here … I hope you all enjoyed my entries. The only comment I saw was that I spelled Governor David’s last name incorrectly. I’d love to hear whether or not you found the entries to be entertaining or informative or just dumb. It was an exhausting and exhilirating experience. I hope you were able to feel more a part of it.
Great report - thank you so much. For the first time in a long time I feel proud to be an American! The historical implications of this election cannot be understated.
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