Take a brief break from Puerto Rico and the RBC decision and please take a look at what happened in Maine this weekend. And, more importantly find out why this young lady is wearing a dress made out of Obama stickers!
First off, the young lady in the sticker dress is from my home town and she is going to the DNC in Denver! She was one of four Obama delegates elected as a congressional district delegate from Maine's CD-2. So heads up to anyone still going to a state convention looking for a trip to Denver as a delegate to the DNC: apparel made out of stickers gets attention--and votes!
This was my first trip to a Democratic convention and I was pretty excited. I was chosen (or more accurately volunteered!) to be an Obama delegate back at the February 10th caucus. And since that date I was looking forward to traveling to our capitol of Augusta and casting my vote for Senator Obama. I was also looking forward to seeing what exactly goes on at these events. Well, as many of you know it involves a lot of waiting around and debate on what most people (non-politicos) would consider a little arcane. So, I'll skip that stuff. What I want to convey to you, Kossacks, is what is going on in Maine. Because, it's pretty exciting.
First here is a nice picture of the convention floor:
(Thanks to Spud1--I ripped these pix from his Turn Maine Blue Diary)
First Point
We are united. Yes the Hillary folks were there. And yes, some of them were unhappy. Some carried "Count every vote" signs and I heard a couple of Clintonites bitching about Father Pfleager. I also heard scattered reports of tension between Obama and Clinton supporters. But there was none of this at my county caucus (much of my time at convention was spent in a sweltering room with just the delegates from my county). During the frequent pauses between votes (and there were many!) our county chair asked us to talk about why John McSame would be a disaster for the United States. This was a great unity exercise. Calls for unity came from Obamabots and Clintonites alike. And by the end of day 1 we were all literally singing "Kumbaya"--we were of course all a bit deranged by the end of the day!
Second Point
New Obama Democrats aren't going anywhere. Many Obama delegates were "new" Democrats (myself included). Old party hands have questioned whether we will be in it for the long haul. Well, we have passed the first test. We took the time and paid the expenses necessary to support our candidate at the state convention. We preserved the 15-9 delegate split won on February 10 by showing up to cast our votes at the state convention. The new Obama Democrats are fired up and ready to work not just for Senator Obama but for the whole ticket. And, most importantly many of these new Dems are young Dems. There were so many young delegates under 21 that the state party created a "chem free" suite for them to hang out in and socialize in on Friday night.
Third Point
We are going to win back Senator Mitchell's old seat. Peter Chandler, Director, Maine Democratic Party Coordinated Campaign, gave a great speech on Sunday about his efforts to continue building the grass roots in Maine. Maine Dems will have offices in all 16 of Maine's counties open by June 30th. We have received generous funding from the DSCC. We are ready to remove Susan Collins from office in November and give our Democratic President a working majority in the House and Senate. Tom Allen, our likely Senatorial candidate has strong recognition as our current 1st District Congressman. He brings a wealth of experience, a solid health plan, a commitment to the environment, and a true understanding of middle class struggles to the table. Susan Collins brings 8 years of carrying "W's" water to the table--having voted with his position 81% of the time.
Finally
I sense a tidal wave brewing here in Maine and hopefully across the country. As I listened to our speakers and ordinary delegates like myself I felt the deep commitment to change our country now. I felt a deep sense of urgency to remove the Rethugs now--before it is too late. I also thought "what the hell could the Rethugs be saying at their convention?" They are saddled with the legacy of one of the worst Presidents in history, complicity in $4 gas, complicity in a foreclosure crisis, a weak economy, and a recored of appalling dishonesty and civil liberties abuses. And, oh yeah, that war which has now lasted, for no good purpose, over 5 years and cost over 4000 lives. Don't forget their "inspiring" candidate . . .
What can they say? Nothing. So they will roll out the slime, and the hate, and the division. This time we can't let them succeed. We've got to fight them tooth and nail each and every day until November. Then we'll have one big party and get back to work.
I hope things are going as well in your state. We're gonna' win. Check it out.