I am a Texas delegate who participated in the Denton County Democratic Convention and was in Vegas for the Nevada Caucus. These are my thoughts throughout the 12-hour day:
3/29/08
Tis the day of reckoning. The Denton County Convention. After three hours of sleep last night since it was a Friday and I am after all, a college student, I arrived at the Convention at 8:30 to find hundreds, building to over a thousand people.
Signing in wasn't that bad and was orderly compared to the March 4th caucus and the Nevada Caucus. I'm sure the Vegas guys had fun at the Clark County convention. Mr. Goodness and I have staked out our Texas flag fold-up chairs way in the back of the outdoor theater which will be the stage of the chaos to come.
Hillary and Obama signs and stickers and tables everywhere, good turnout on both sides. The rulebook they gave everyone has paid advertisements in it right next to the delegate rules. Our spot in the back is under a tree, and it's a cloudy day cold day. I'm pretty out of it but I assume that it will wear off in time.
There is a big piece of public art right next to our camp. It sort of looks like a concrete playground. Some fellow students were crawling through them. All of the smokers are chilling in the back to stay away from all the crazy liberals who will get in their face about it. I was too tired to remember my camera this morning. I guess I'll be stuck with cell pictures.
Ha! There is an RV parked close to our camp in a good spot. Looks like they chilled here for the night so they could be the first one's here. Probably Clinton cheaters. It's a little colder than I would have liked, but I'm just by myself laying back in my flag chair while Mr. Goodness is out taken pictures.
A 30-something black lady just walked by the camp and said "just chillin?" I said back "Yeah, gotta make room for the smokers." In what other situation would something like this happen. Oh, looks like they are about to start at a prompt 11:30, only 3 and 1/2 hours of waiting.
Well, it's official. They have used their first announcement to tell all of the smokers to "stay on the perimeter." A big cheer roared through the crowd. God I hate liberals. Am I some sort of leper or something?
"This is the largest political event in Denton County History," says the temporary chair. A group called 'Vocal Magic' sang the national anthem, only after warming up to a version of Bon Jovi's "You Give Love a Bad Name."
The boy scouts did the pledge. Texas and American flags flying, being sat on and used for shelter and too boot, sponsored by State Farm Insurance (I would later find this was just a false flag, an employee had "borrowed" the tent).Very American of us.
Contrary to what most would think, yes cowboys do exist and no, they don't ride horses around town. At least not in Obama Country. But they do vote in the Democratic Convention. I spotted the lone cowboy liberals smoking cigarettes outside the "perimeter" as told to do. They seem out of place, but this is still Texas.
The 377 train keeps making noise and it interrupts all of the speakers who I am dying to hear. Most of all Tom Love. The speakers all have their southern drawl. Oh Tom, you let me down.
It's funny all of the Obama groups split off or openly planned strategies to gain more delegates in their precincts (Note: This caught the Clinton people off guard, planning seemed to be beyond them). We are learning the reality of politics. Democracy.
This is a crazy festival. Cowboy hats, dreadlocks, white, black, walking canes and toy dolls all represented at this Convention. And with Mr. Goodness' nifty iPhone, we are watching clips of that Michael Jackson movie that they play in Disney Land in 3-D. Seems Mr. Goodness has realpolitiked his way to going to Austin. That would be hilarious.
This is probably the only place I'll ever go where there is a 50-something country singer opening for a teen rapper and everyone is cool with it. The rapper's song is called "A Change Will Come" XXX-scratch that, "A Change Gon' Come."
There's a group of Obama supporters trying to take a group picture and two Hillary people keep flashing her sign in the photo. Bastards. The party people (which is a misleading term. Party people as in big D Democrats with official such and such, not one who is a partier) are trying to get the party back together. Good luck.
This whole process seems to be confusing people since it's taking so long. We are coming up on 6 hours now. It's going really slow. We haven't even taken a vote yet. But the Obama people are doing everything they can to score some delegates. It's like two-opposing armies negotiating a cease-fire. Most people here look down on not falling in behind the nominee but I'll never get behind Clinton.
I didn't get much of a chance to argue that I should go to Austin, but it's cool, I'd probably rather be outside the convention anyway. Some hippy or kid, not that there's a difference, started blowing bubbles. Still just waiting...
This process is sooooo slow. But we've done the math to try to maximize our delegates. Some precincts seem very organized, others are just going on the fly. All the seperate encampments seem like they are getting antsy. The party loyalists are funny and there is a good amount of the crowd who will not vote for the other candidate.
This sucks. My feet are cold and I'm freezing. Even though the stereotypes aren't perfect, for the most part the older women and their pussy-whipped husbands are voting for Hillary, and everyone with Obama is under the age of 50 and happy!
I wonder which side brought the heart balloons. Not gonna lie, it was probably the Hillary people. Hopefully the Obama people can fill up their delegate spots and put a nail in Hillary's coffin. It has stayed completely overcast all day but it hasn't rained yet.
This guy is playing with a rubix cube. It's about as simple as this delegate process. Bazzzing. There is this old, around 75 year old black woman who got here late andshe is sitting by herself. I wonder what she is thinking about this election after all she's probably been through. How long she has waited to cast this vote for a black man, in Texas.
I've been taking a lot of pictures with my sidekick and e-mailed them to myself. The technology we have today. "Put it on the internet, she can read it on there," someone screams from the back when a lady tried to get a motion to read the rules of the delegates. That came with a big yell of "Nay." People are getting frustrated in hour 8.
This guy William "Jake" Smith seems to really want to be elected chair an/or secretary, but it's just making everyone pissed off. Over 1,600 people came today.
After 8 and a half hours we finally have voted, my precinct went 1-1, but most of the the others went 1-0 Obama. We were one person away from getting 2-0.
I left after this, since my responsibilities had finished as a delegate. But Mr. Goodness was elected to be the alternate to go to Austin. He stayed at the Convention til 8 PM, a full 12-hours after it began.