Three Days at the DNC

When I first started this blog, I promised to provide a behind the scenes look at the DNC.  Little did I know that I wouldn’t have time to write this until I returned home.  We were busy from early morning to nearly mid-night! 

Eight Delegates and 1 alternate represented our 33rd Congressional District at the DNC in Charlotte.  The California delegation had over 600 representatives from every region in the state. 

We arrived during Labor Day weekend so that we could participate in Charlotte Fest on Labor Day – along with the residents of Charlotte.  The food was great!  And we enjoyed Jeff Bridges and his band as well as James Taylor.  And we didn’t mind the deluge of rain that interrupted the event.

The people of Charlotte showed us that famous Southern charm and hospitality every day and made the hot and humid weather a bit more bearable. 

The convention began on Tuesday and ended Thursday night.  The daily schedule provided a morning breakfast meeting for the California delegation, which included excellent speakers. 

Then from 10 am to 4:00 pm there were caucus meetings, council meetings, and special sessions, sponsored by outside organizations.  Emily’s List, National Women's Political Caucus, and Women’s Campaign Fund held events to support women running for office.  Bloomberg and Politico also offered interesting sessions.  I attended many interesting sessions, including a meeting with Madeline Albright, in which she spoke about international politics and another panel discussion about education reform. 

The Convention started at 5:00 pm on Tuesday and Wednesday and at 4:30 pm on Thursday.  Each day the convention ended around 11.   It was really difficult to leave our seats to use the restrooms or get food because the speakers and presentations were scheduled one right after the other. 

My impression was that it was a very well-run, effective convention - exciting.  The commentators all agreed on that, including Joe Scarborough, who is a conservative Republican.  And we have now seen that the President and Vice President have received an up-tick in the polls. 

Regarding my initial posting about Tom Brokaw and the viability of conventions today, when we already know the outcome: 

Having watched RNC and DNC conventions throughout my life – and now having attended the DNC convention as a Delegate, I believe that there is some value in the convention – for the participants.  You get to see and hear new faces in the party.  I especially enjoyed listing to Julian Castro, the Mayor of San Antonio, and Kamala Harris, the Attorney General of California. 

But I’m wondering if we don’t need to change how the event is televised.  For example, what if people could log on to watch different speeches and also participate in interactive distance learning events.  There could be local viewing in communities throughout the US – with facilitated conversations after the speeches. 

Perhaps more people would feel more connected to the political process – and more would vote!!