This weekend thanks to Art Torres and Crystal Strait and the internet outreach team of the California Democratic party (thanks Matt and Penny!) I joined a crew of local California bloggers from up and down the state at the California Democratic Party Convention in San Jose.
I have a really simple message to convey from that convention (which was ably covered among other places at the local California blog Calitics.)
Despite what the media and a false impression on the blogs might tell you, in 2008 we Democrats are in this together. Not only do we know how to get along but we can do so with respect for our array of identities and backgrounds and our diversity of viewpoints.
This weekend in San Jose was my first California Democratic Party Convention.
When you walked the main hallway between the caucus rooms and the two main convention halls you could see California Democratic Party activists in all our diverse voices and viewpoints. Labor leaders and urban activists, rural voters and aspiring candidates, Democracy for America club members, DNC organizer Martha Gamez and Californian supporters of candidates for races up and down the state.
What I wanted to convey to readers at Dailykos about the California Democratic Convention is that my overall impression was of the solidarity, fellow-feeling and easy camaraderie among the Democratic delegates to the convention. The conversations we had, the new friendships we made, the blog friendships we kindled and made real, all of these flowed with a marked sense of our common commitment to grow this party and fight for dynamic candidates in every Assembly District and Senate Seat.
Now this fellow feeling extended across the lines of those wearing buttons for Hillary and those wearing buttons for Barack.
I remember sitting in the hallway outside the dramatic Migden/Leno endorsement caucus battle and having a veteran Democratic Los Angeles activist and Hillary supporter commend me for coming to the convention for the first time. We bonded over our support for California Secretary of State Debra Bowen. Later that night in a different setting I took part in an excellent impromptu round table discussion about why each of us, at core, supported our candidate. I was also really inspired by the size and dynamism of the Latino caucus and was very proud to have attended.
What I'll take away, more than any political "take" from the convention was the essential unity of Democratic activists. We're friendly. We're regular people.
And, if there's a message to the blogosphere, it would be this one. If the Obama and Clinton tables can thrive at the CA Democratic convention directly across from one another, we can do so in the comments and diaries on the blogs.
There was even a moment after President Clinton's speech where the chants of Hillary and Obama from the hall timed perfectly together.
In San Jose it was clear, whatever our differences, and we do have some, we're on the same team.