29 August 2008

Delegate Diary: Democratic National Convention

Rhode Island delegate Kim Ahern offers an inside look at the convention

As a delegate from Rhode Island, Kim Ahern will cast her ballot for Barack Obama.

Kim Ahern was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention from Rhode Island's 1st Congressional District, pledged to cast her ballot for Illinois Senator Barack Obama. She is also a contributor to the popular blog, Rhode Island's Future, and a board member of the Rhode Island Young Democrats and the World Affairs Council of Rhode Island. For the past year, she has campaigned for the Obama campaign, serving as the Rhode Island State coordinator of Students for Barack Obama.

Ahern is a 2006 graduate of Providence College and is entering her third year at Roger Williams University School of Law in Rhode Island, where she is a public interest scholar at the Feinstein Institute for Legal Service and also is  involved in the Alliance for LGBT Students. Additionally, Ahern will serve as the editor-in-chief of the 2008-2009 Roger Williams Law Review.

A daily diary of Ahern’s convention observations will appear here.

Thursday, August 28

On the final day of the Democrat National Convention I woke up early, ready to begin this historic day. At our very last Rhode Island delegation breakfast, we had a very special guest stop by – Senator Amy Klobuchar from Minnesota! She’s a first-term senator and a fantastic public speaker! I really enjoyed talking with her about her career as a county prosecutor and how she made the transition to the U.S. Senate. Keep watching for great things from Klobuchar!

After breakfast, I headed to downtown Denver for one final walk through the beautiful, sunny city nestled in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Throughout the week, I had been impressed by the city's infrastructure, commitment to renewable energy and beautification. One interesting thing about Denver is its "free bike program," where you can take a bike for the day and return whenever you end up riding it, even a different part of the city.

I began my trip to Invesco Stadium early – around 1:30 p.m. – because huge crowds were expected. As I took my place in line outside, I could feel the power of the crowd, getting fired up even while waiting in the hot sun. Because I'm a delegate, I had an assigned seat on the floor of the stadium, but late Wednesday night I received an e-mail from the Obama Campaign asking me to sit directly in front of the stage in a section set aside for activists and community leaders – of course I accepted!  As I walked into that special section, I thought back to June 2007 when I became a committed volunteer to Senator Obama and about just how far we have come since then. It was an incredibly moving feeling I will remember all my life.

The speakers last night were all great, from former Governor Howard Dean speaking of his 50 state strategy to Sheryl Crow and Stevie Wonder's performances, they got the crowd fired up! Former Vice President Al Gore did a fantastic job motivating the crowd and explaining the importance of this election. He spent a lot of time discussing the power of the youth vote and just how impressive it has been to watch millions of young voters come alive for Obama. Another compelling part of the event was hearing six individuals discuss their real life stories, from struggles with health care to losing health care – they put a human face on why we need to elect Barack Obama.

After those real stories, the lights dimmed for a video about Senator Obama's background: how he was raised by a single mother and his grandmothers and the values they instilled in him. When the video closed, out walked Senator Barack Obama to officially accept our party's nomination for the presidency! Forty five years to the day after Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream” speech, look at how far we have come! Obama’s speech was moving and also offered substantive points to his theme of "change." As I sat there, a few steps from him, I realized the this election is not just about him - It's about every voter out there who wants to make a difference.

It was a great speech and a great experience that I will always remember.  At the end of his acceptance, the stadium was filled with confetti and fireworks - What an ending to an incredible week in Denver! On to the General Election!

Wednesday, August 27

Day 3 at the Democratic National Convention went by as quickly as all the others!

There have been so many great events throughout this week that allow delegates, activists, fundraisers and elected officials to come together for different causes and issues important to the Democratic Party. We started out at our Rhode Island delegation breakfast. A great thing about being from Rhode Island is that we really do get to know our two senators, Sheldon Whitehouse and Jack Reed and also our two congressional representatives, Patrick Kennedy and Jim Langevin. They've all tried to make it to each of the breakfasts. Additionally, Lisa Codispoti of the National Women's Law Center came to speak about health care for America Now.

After breakfast, I went to a caucus meeting where I heard from San Franscico Mayor Gavin Newsome, Governor Howard Dean and Obama Deputy Campaign Manager, Steve Hildebrand, then on to the “big tent” where convention bloggers can work and attended an event sponsored by the Alliance for Justice. [Find out more about the big tent from Campaign Trail Talk.]

The event addressed the importance of judicial nominations and how the next president will have a great deal of power in shaping the Supreme Court. I also got to sit with Lilly Ledbetter, who was the plaintiff in last year's Supreme Court decision Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. She has been a tireless advocate for equal pay for women and spoke at the convention on Tuesday night about her struggle for pay equity. [See a transcript of Ledbetter’s remarks on the DNC Web site.]

After both of those great events, it was time to head over to the Pepsi Center. Last night was a historic night - We, the delegates, officially nominated Barack Obama to be our Democratic nominee for president. It was really interesting to see the nomination process in person.

First, both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were nominated be the Democratic Party’s candidate to the presidency. After that, each state delegation individually voted for its choice, with the votes based on the number of delegates pledged to the candidates. However, this nomination was a little different from a standard roll call vote. We went through each state until we got to New York, where Senator Hillary Clinton officially moved to suspend the rules of delegate voting and instead adopt Obama’s nomination by acclamation (or voice vote).

It was a moving moment to hear Senator Clinton tell the entire convention hall that we need to support Barack Obama. After that, he officially became our nominee! The rest of the evening was incredible. President Bill Clinton blew the crowd away and made some important comparisons to his run for president with Senator Obama's. After President Clinton, we heard from a number of senators, including Rhode Island's very own Jack Reed. [Find out more about Bill Clinton's speech.]

The night ended with Senator Joe Biden, the vice presidential nominee, giving an incredibly emotional and powerful speech. His family background is one of personal struggle and conviction and after hearing him speak, I think everyone in the audience was impressed with him. It was also super to see our surprise guest, Barack Obama, come on stage after Senator Biden's speech!

I can't wait for Thursday night. It's going to be historic to watch Barack Obama accept our party's nomination. I'll report back later.

Tuesday, August 26

Day 2 at the convention was fantastic and busy as usual! We started off the day at the Rhode Island delegation breakfast where a very special guest by the name of Vice President Walter Mondale stopped by! He spoke very highly of our two senators, Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse.

After breakfast, I headed downtown for the Democratic Party Women's Caucus.  There were hundreds of women there and, although there were many supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton in the crowd, it was clear that we are all coming together behind Senator Obama.  It was great to hear from Donna Brazile.  She gave a passionate speech about Senator Clinton's 18 million votes.

I also was invited to attend a delegates luncheon sponsored by the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus.  Wow, what an event this was! There were hundreds of people at this event, which speaks to how far the Democratic Party has moved on issues of equality and tolerance.  I was happy to meet and speak with Representative Barney Frank and Representative Tammy Baldwin.  We also had a very special surprise guest stop by the luncheon – Michelle Obama!

Finally, Convention night two was another incredible evening! It was terrific to hear from so many female senators speak about women's equality on the 88th anniversary of women's suffrage in the United States.  I thought that Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer did a fantastic job and got the crowd really fired up.  Then it was Senator Clinton's turn.

Clinton’s tribute video was inspiring to many young women like myself.  Then, when she came onto the stage after the video, the crowd erupted in applause and emotion that lasted several minutes!  It was also great to see all the Obama and Clinton supporters holding both "Hillary" signs and "Unity" signs.  Senator Clinton's speech was powerful and moving.

I ended the day by going to "A Taste of America's Cities," hosted by the National Conference of Democratic Mayors (Mayor Cicilline, of Providence, Rhode Island, is the president of that group).  It was a terrific event, at a beautiful loft in Denver. The event was co-sponsored by the cities and mayors of Boston, Chicago, Denver, Louisville, Philadelphia, Providence, San Francisco and Seattle.  It was a super event because each city provided food that represented their cities.

Monday, August 25

It was the opening night of the convention and what a night it turned out to be! One thing that I've found great about the Democratic National Convention (DNC) is that there are tons of events going on throughout the day and night, even if you are not in the actual convention hall.

I began the day at our Rhode Island delegation breakfast, which is where we go to receive the highly coveted credentials to get into the Pepsi Center. We had a very special guest speaker stop by – Al Franken! Franken is the former comedian turned U.S. Senate candidate from Minnesota.

After breakfast I went to hear from Rhode Island's very own congressman, Representative Patrick Kennedy. He’s been a leader in Congress for mental health parity, which would mandate employers and health plans treat mental health diseases the same as physical diseases. Kennedy also has been instrumental in launching "wellness recovery rooms" in the convention hall for recovering addicts, alcoholics and those with mental health problems to seek help while at the convention.

We had a great Rhode Island delegation luncheon hosted by AT&T in downtown Denver. I briefly stopped by an event for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Caucus hosted by the DNC and then it was on to the convention!

Walking into the convention hall was an experience in itself! Of course there is massive security but it is also just surreal to walk into the Pepsi Center with banners, balloons and signs of hope and change everywhere. I literally ran into Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano outside the doors. She is an inspiring woman in her own right and it was great to speak to her and hear about her career.

The speaker line-up for Monday was incredible. Caroline Kennedy's speech made it clear that Barack Obama is the new hope of our generation. It was absolutely inspiring when her uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy came in and surprised the convention with an awesome speech. Senator Kennedy is without a doubt the living legacy of the Democratic Party, but he also said that Barack Obama will be the future.

Finally, we heard from Michelle Obama, who blew the crowd away! Her story is truly an American one and her speech definitely proved that last night. I hope everyone watching her on television felt the same energy and passion from her that we all did in the convention hall.

After night’s official program ended, I headed over to an event sponsored by the Democratic Governors Association held in a beautiful carnival-type park. I got to chat with Virginia Governor Tim Kaine and then enjoyed great food and music to close off a terrific first day!

Sunday, August 24

Although the convention does not gavel in until Monday night, things are quite busy throughout the city of Denver already! On Sunday, I was able to do a number of interesting things:

First, I went to the joint College Democrats of America and Young Democrats of America breakfast and convention. This year is truly going to be the year of the young voter and this past primary season has definitely proven that.

This morning's breakfast had a special keynote address from Mayor Corey Booker. It was very interesting to hear directly from Mayor Booker after reading so much about him over the past few months. (If you don't know anything about Booker, read up about his compelling personal tale.) Also, there's a documentary called Street Fight about his run against the machine politics of Newark at the young age of 32.

At today's keynote, Booker echoed much of what Barack Obama has said of the youth vote in America: We are the future and that the fires of America are igniting again with hope.

After hearing from Booker I went to the morning's press conference featuring the four national co-chairs of the Democratic National Convention. Another testament to the Democratic Party is that each of these chairs are females! It was exciting to hear from Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin and Texas State Senator Leticia Van de Putte all in one setting! They each shared in their own words the stark differences between Barack Obama and John McCain on a number of important issues, including choice and pay equity.

Additionally, I went to an SEIU welcome reception, which was very well attended. It was great to hear from many leaders that represent the SEIU nationally on important labor issues that the next president will address. At the event I was able to speak with Senator Amy Klobuchar and Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Both are outstanding female leaders in the U.S. Congress and it was great to hear from them both.

At the end of the evening I attended a delegate event recognizing Katrina Relief organizations hosted by the Democratic National Convention and former Vermont Governor Howard Dean. There was great New Orleans jazz music and food.  It was humbling to come together with the other delegates and remember that a lot of work still needs to be done in New Orleans.

I'll report back later after the convention begins!