28Sep
Wow. It’s already been a month since my time in Denver. I am spending my time in classrooms amidst tests and assignments–quite a contrast to my DNC adventure. The first presidential debate just occurred, and the nation had been struck by a financial and economic crisis. I have gained perspective since last month.
In retrospect, the same words I mentioned on one of my first days in Denver ring true about the entire DNC 2008 experience: expectations exceeded. Coming to Denver with The Washington Center and my Elon classmates was an awesome decision, and I’m so glad I just happened to come across the brochure for this program back in the springtime. It has been a wonderful experience to be in Denver for a political convention with other like-minded people. I’ve had the chance to come face-to-face with famous and important people, meet and speak with delegates, interact with CNN personalities and workers, and so much more. Please ask me about it; there’s only so much I could write about my experience here and I would be happy to share.
This blog is officially complete. If you haven’t already and would like to read this blog, I’d suggest starting at the beginning as it is in reverse-chronological order. Scroll to the bottom of this page and click on “previous entries.” Enjoy!
Best,
James
28Aug
DNC 2008: Thursday night at Invesco Stadium
Thursday, the last day of the convention, was highly anticipated for the obvious reason that it was the big night: Obama’s acceptance speech. What’s more, he was straying from the norm of acceptance speeches by holding it across the way at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium in the name of “breaking down the walls” of the convention and opening it up to more people. That he would do, as more than 75,000 people were expected to attend. And they did.
But there was a risky aspect to the whole situation. McCain’s campaign had been harping on the notion of Obama’s “celebrity status” for the past couple weeks, a notion that plays right into the act of filling an entire stadium of supporters for what many perceive to be overhyped candidate. Additionally, images of the Invesco stage to be used by Obama had leaked out during the week; apparently, it was an “Athenian” themed setup resembling the Parthenon that also lent to Obama’s elitist/celebrity/Godly perception of character that many felt could backfire and cause issues for the Obama campaign. So, all in all, how did the night go for Obama, you ask? Continue reading »
27Aug
At The Washington Center, they refer to our DNC volunteer work as “fieldwork.” On Wednesday, I took my fieldwork to a new level by tagging along with a CNN correspondent to a state park outside of Denver. Our mission was to track down some DNC delegates and get a few words from them as far as their thoughts on the recent speeches and progress of the convention this far. Why did we go to a state park, you ask? The delegates were expected to be there doing a service project for the area as a way to give back to Denver. They were clearing out on an invasive species of weed in a field (hence, fieldwork!). This convention brought with it a strong message of environmental friendliness and clean energy, and the delegate service project played right into that.
We succeeded in finding delegates from Hawaii, New York, Delaware, and more. I took audio/video with my camcorder while Jennifer (CNN correspondent) asked questions and a photog (Brendan) got some great shots. An objective of this assignment was to get feedback from delegates who are regular people as opposed to all the coverage big names and celebrities get at the DNC. The state park was beautiful, by the way, as was the weather. See the video below. Continue reading »
26Aug
- CNN Grille (DNC Headquarters)
Let’s talk about Tuesday, day 2 of the convention. I spent the majority of my day at the CNN Grill, running errands for whomever needed them. There’s not a whole not to say there other than the fact that I did a lot of running around the place! I did see a few cool people as usual around here…at one point, Al Sharpton and his entourage passed by while I was talking on my cell phone. There are people who look exactly the same in person as on TV and there are those who look entirely different; Al looks completely the same! Haha. Continue reading »
25Aug
Me at the DNC
I had a great first day the the Democratic National Convention 2008. It began around 8am, when I headed out to make the commute from Regis University to downtown where the Pepsi Center is. The Washington Center charters a few early morning buses, but apparently I wasn’t early enough so I ended up taking the city bus to town. After getting dropped off in the heart of Denver, I had to trek towards the convention area. The security is immense (it’s controlled by the Secret Service as a National Special Security Event) and there is a perimeter that begins several blocks away from the actual event. To even cross into the perimeter, one must have one of the many DNC credentials–I have a press one. Continue reading »
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