"You can sleep when you get home"

Was the advice offered by Ron Kirk to the rest of the Texas delegation during one of our weekly pre-convention conference calls. I followed his advice. I don't think that I went to sleep prior to 2 AM on any night and still made it down for breakfast each morning at 7am or so. On the last day, I did fall asleep on the bus from the convention center to Invesco Field. I really needed that power nap! The last night of convention we didn't get back to the hotel until after 2am. I still needed to pack and take a quick shower. It was probably 3:20 am when the head hit the pillow and 4:40 am when the wake up call came in so that I could catch a 5am shuttle to the airport. Upon landing at DFW, I caught a cab and went into work. Surprisingly, I made it until 5. It still must be all of that adrenaline. O BAM A OBAMA!

The 300 Pin

Certain Clinton Delegates wore a small green pin with a pen through "300". This was a special pin given to those of us who chose to sign a petition requesting that Hillary's name be placed into nomination. The minimum required signatures was 300. Each pin was numbered in order of the received petition. We had around 400 or so signatures. Wearing the pin was almost like a secret handshake. Each of us knew what it meant, however, probably a lot of other folks didn't know what it means. I'm sure that this petition had something to do with the Clinton and Obama camps coming together and allowing having her name placed in nomination. I heard that someone has already been offered $35 for their pin. I'm hanging onto mine.

DMN video

I am in the background holding my video camera during the Ron Kirk interview. My friends, Darlene Ewing and co SD8 delegate Dr. Parnell are interviewed. Also, I am the one holding the sign for the closeup. My friends Kathy and Julie are waiving flags also.

http://www.dallasnews.com/video/dallasnews/hp/index.html?nvid=277241&shu=1

The Party Doesn't stop at Invesco

After star gazing, Kathy, Julie and I made our way to the buses (we took at least one lap around the stadium.) to find our way to the Texas party hosted by AT&T. We waited and waited for a bus with hundreds of other people. We finally got on one and had a nice conversation with a couple from South Carolina. After being on the bus for at least half an hour, I figured we should have been at our stop. I looked out of the window and we were still near Invesco? What? Was it security detours? Who knows.

They pulled out all of the stops for the party. It was on the 39th floor of an office tower and had a gorgeous view. I was drinking champagne. Once again, the food at the Texas party was dissappointing. However, they had a 8 or 10 piece band and they were great! And they played the 70s and 80s music that I loved to dance to. We were yelling O BAM A from the dance floor. The energy was great. We stayed until the end of the party which was at 1:30 am. State Senator Leticia Van Puete, co-chair of the convention, was the hostess and was so nice! She gave all of us hugs and said that this party was a thank you for all of our hard work. We also got goody bags from AT&T.

Invesco Field

It felt like being at the Super Bowl. Except that the results will determine the fate of the country as opposed to who will get the bigger commercial endorsements. Barack has the better plan and more enthusiastic fans. Let's see if that will translate into victory.

We arrived at Invesco around 2:30 or so. After clearing security, we tried to get the best possible seats. The Texas Delegation had a good location, much better than our spot at the Pepsi Center. However, it was like a narrow triangle, if you got there early, you would have a much better chance of getting up close. We were not so lucky. My friend Alice got a great seat.

It was hot out on the field when we arrived. I wore my hiking hat until the sun went down. Shawn Johnson said the Pledge of Allegiance. Was Nastia not available or is she a Republican? Maybe she was afraid since she lives in Collin County.

The energy and excitement out there was unbelievable. I was thrilled to hear Sheryl Crow, one of my favorite entertainers. Stevie Wonder also performed. I kept thinking the boss would show but that didn't happen. It felt like a Super Bowl show!

It was great to see Al Gore. Still thinking What if. Also liked the 10 ordinary people explaining why they are for Barack.

Needless to say - Barack gave a great speech. It is about you and not about me truly resonates. I can't remember how many times that I got up to cheer but it was a lot. O BAM A. Still saying it. I thought that Oprah might introduce him, but that didn't happen. They were right, it was Obama's night and that would have distracted from it. Also, Hillary and Bill were not there. That would have also taken away from Barack.

After the speech, Julie, Kathy and I stood behind the CNN set up to get into the camera shot. Julie's husband saw us but mine did not. I will need to find that feed. We got Donna Brazille to say hello to us. And we got Anderson Cooper to turn around too.

We went to the other news outlets. Kathy is great at talking to celebrities. We had our pictures taken with Charlie Rose. Kathy arranged this of course. Charlie seemed tired but Kathy flattered him so much that he was willing to have his picture taken. Even though we were sleep deprived, we kept going. The adrenaline was incredible. A historical night.

Janice Schwarz at National Convention 2008 - a set on Flickr

Janice Schwarz at National Convention 2008 - a set on Flickr

I had the time of my life!

I will finish up over the long weekend. Have to go to bed now. A lot more to come.

Crashing the NY Party

After the gavel fell, we were talking about what we wanted to do. We had an invitation for a party, but it didn't look very exciting. Julie and I were both exhausted from lack of sleep, however, we had so much fun at the Lifetime party the night before, we wanted to keep on truckin'! While walking out of the Pepsi center, we saw signs for a NY delegation party. I said, this is a once in a life time experience, we need to do what we can. We followed the signs out to the NY buses. One guy asked us where our button was but then said - go ahead and get on the bus. We had to check in and said that we lost our NY buttons. We only had to fill out a form with our name and they gave us the NY button. Since both Julie and I had lived in NY we figured that we could try to pass off as New Yorkers. She suggested calling herself Art Vandalay. I told her that it would be full of middle aged Jews and I would fit in just fine. And I was right. It was full of middle age and older Jews and African Americans. There may have been some others but those were few and far between. There was even a guy wearing a streimel (beaver hat) and peyos (side curls). I think that he was speaking Russian to some Orthodox guy.

The best thing for me is that there was finally some food that I could eat! They served whitefish salad stuffed in cucumber and cheese baked mini-potatoes. They also had corn beef sandwiches which looked delicious but I doubted were kosher. A big change from the Texas Delegation party which served bar B Q and shrimp. Plus the NY party had delicious desserts including cheese cake, eclairs etc. I was in my element!

We wound up sitting by a State Assembly man from Crown Heights. He told us that only two CDs in NY went for Obama, his and another in Brooklyn. We got stuck in the elevator with the Governor. He was so nice and allowed me to take a picture with him. Then he told Julie to give her camera to his aide and we took a picture of the three of us. He was so very gracious!

And the art at the museum was great. I recommend the Denver Contemporary Art Museum if you head up here.

You Don't Understand

On Tuesday morning at credentials an older African American lady was talking to a younger African American lady behind the desk trying to get her to give credentials for that day's convention. The young lady was polite but firm. The older lady said " I didn't come all this way not to go to the convention". She also explained "You don't understand". To her it was something that she probably could have never imagined. She probably thought that she would never see it in her lifetime. The younger woman said that she understood but the older lady didn't this so. This exchange put a face on how important this event is to the history of this country and how far we have come.

The Roll Call

If you didn't get to see it, the roll call was an amazing and incredible event. We arrived that afternoon and the roll call had already started. Julie and I scrambled to our seat as soon as possible. We were told to move down and to the right in order that the Texas camera shot was full of people. I rushed down, forgetting my camera. I wanted to may sure that I would be in the shot! Well, as you probably know, NM passed to IL and IL passed to NY. Then the crowd started cheering. I looked down and saw Hillary in an aqua pantsuit surrounded by secret service coming toward the NY delegation. She started speaking and I started crying. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it. Pam Durham was really bawling. Hillary was incredible and poised. When it was over, I turned to Trent Hagler and we hugged each other. I have only met him once, but it was a moment for all of us Clinton delegates. No man would have ever been as magnanimous.

Barbara Rosenberg is a star

Barbara Rosenberg was chosen to introduce Hillary Clinton today at the delegate event where she released us. This event was packed and full of media. For those of you who don't know her, Barbara is the SD 16 Clinton delegate and truly worked her heart out for Hillary. I attended one of her training sessions for delegates to state convention. She gave a great speech. What an honor. I will try to upload the video when I can.

Tonight at the Convention

We made the national feed! Thanks to my sister Barbara for sending the attached. Will update tomorrow am with today's adventures. Highlights will include Hillary releasing her delegates, the roll call vote and crashing the NY Delegate party.

Watch the Daily Show Tonight

Last night while we were waiting, Jon Oliver and the Daily Show crew was in front of the Pepsi Center. It was doing a bit about UNITY with some woman who claimed to be a Democrat. She looked Republican (blond, perfectly coiffed with a 4 or 5 carat diamond). She was trying to say that we are not unified. She complained how the process was unfair to Hillary. I was trying to get in the shot, so look out for me. Jon Oliver's nose in person is HUGE!

We are getting a lot of reporters coming up and asking the following:

1) Are you a delegate?
2) Who did you support?
3) Are you unified behind the ticket?

It sounds like they were seeking out those Clinton delegates who are not supporting Obama. One good thing is that it gets more people interested and watching our convention.

Ted Kennedy

Paul Begalia spoke at our breakfast today. He told us that Ted Kennedy had to be wheeled to the edge of the stage before he spoke. It wasn't until the last minute or so that they were sure that he could go on. But Paul also said that getting out there was the best possible medicine that he could have received. It was an inspiring moment.

Where Was Jimmy Carter?

This morning at breakfast, someone asked the question "Why didn't Jimmy Carter speak at the national convention?" I raised my hand as said "I know!" During the NJDC meeting on the Jewish vote on Monday, the Republican panelist said that putting Jimmy on during primetime would be a kick to the stomach of the Jewish people, and he was surprised that as smart as Obama would allow him to speak during prime time. I hope he was surprised that Jimmy Carter did not speak.

Jeff Strater, Clinton Delegate SD 16, said that a National Stonewall event there was an autographed book for a silent auction from Jimmy Carter that no one bid on. Then someone came by and wrote on the front page "Jimmy Carter is an anti-semite". Then people started bidding on it! The book came with the picture of the guy scribbling that in.

I voted for Hillary

We voted this morning after breakfast. Once I received my credentials, we went to another room and got in line to cast our vote. This was an agreement between the two campaigns that the voting would be done this morning. This afternoon, the Clinton delegates will have a private meeting with her and it is expected that she will release her delegates, which is a moot point now that we had voted.

Hillary

was wonderful tonight. I got teary eyed and so did she. I am so very proud to be representing Hillary. I think that I always liked her because I felt that she and I were similar in certain respects. But when I heard tonight that she couldn't sing also - that was the icing on the cake. There was a large African American Obama supporter standing behind me and when Hillary started talking about Harriet Tubman he was yelling his support for her and clapping loudly. It was a great moment. The entire convention was enthusiastic for her.

It made me sad that it wasn't her.

More updates tomorrow.

The Convention Last Night

I would say the hightlight of the convention last night was Ted Kennedy's speech. I didn't expect him to come out but he did and it was great to see him. He got a huge ovation. Michelle gave a great speech and the kids were cute. I liked Michelle's brother too - I had no idea he was a basketball coach.

Being at convention was like nirvana for political junkees. There are stars at every corner, not to mention media from all over the world. The arena looks great. It seems much bigger on TV. These conventions have become very staged. We received at least four signs last night to hold up at some time during the convention. What a waste of paper.

Security is worse than going through an airport. They have blockaded the area around the convention center and you need credentials to get through any of the check points. I walked from the Convention center and had to make several detours due to the blockades. Then I had to walk half way around the Pepsi Center to get through security. They allowed me to take my water in only because I took a sip. These stations were also being run by the TSA. On the other side was free ice cream from CNN. That was the best thing I ate all day! I bought some cheese pizza at the Pepsi Center - it was so awful that I had to throw it out! I will remember to eat something tonight before the convention starts.

Also, we have assigned seating at the convention. My friend Julie saved me a seat. I had gotten a call from the Hillary coordinator telling me to come early so that the Hillary delegation could all get seats together. Well, I thought going to the NJDC event was a lot more interesting that getting to the Pepsi Center early for a good seat.

I met Alice London, the Austin Director for Annie's List. She started talking to me because I was wearing my Carol Kent button. Really enjoyed chatting with her. We were sitting together when they introduced Jimmy Carter. Neither of us applauded.

What a busy day

The highlights included:
Delegation breakfast with Kathleen Sibelius and Chet Edwards. Going to the Buell Theater to see Unconventional Women. Really interesting program. Featured speakers included Nancy Pelosi, Donna Brazille, Barbara Boxer, Claire McCaskell (sp?) and new comers on the political horizon. Afterwards, I attended the NJDC program about the Jewish vote. It was extremely interesting to me - a Jewish political junkee. From there, off to the convention and the Texas Delegation party afterwards. We are sitting right under the ABC studio and I am about 15 feet away from George Stephanopolous (sp?)

I'll give more details tomorrow - need to sleep.

Security

Security is everywhere. We have secret service and an armed marshall on our shuttle busses from the hotel. BTW - we are out in the middle of nowhere. Why would anyone build a hotel in Aurora? In four years I expect Texas to be a swing state and we will have a better hotel location.

Hillary to Release her Delegates on Wednesday

What will this mean for me? I am supporting Obama, but do I still have an obligation to those that elected me to support Hillary. More to come on this. I will be at her meeting where she will meet directly with her delegates and make the announcement. I hope that we can all come together as a McCain presidency will be a disaster. I'm proud that Hillary wants to unite the party.

Sunday in Denver

Waited 30 minutes for the hotel shuttle in the heat - but finally made it to my room. I had one hour to relax change and get ready to get on another bus to go to the Friends of New Orleans reception. While waiting in the lobby saw Matt Angle check in while he was on his cell phone the entire time, shook hands with Royce West and ran into my fellow SD8 Delegates Dr. Chad Conner, Sean Stevens and Precious Gholston. Grommer Jeffords (sp?) was also in the lobby chatting it up. I met up with fellow AA'er, Julie Tandy, another Clinton delegate and former mayor of Keller. We hung out together much of the evening.

The New Orleans party was huge - open bar with giant Obama beers and mixed drinks (but no Dr Pepper or Coke, only Pepsi products) and New Orleans food - basically a trafe (non-Kosher) smorgasbord of bottom feeders. Ray Nagin was hanging out having his picture taken with everyone. Should have brought my still camera! Lots of people and loud jazz.

Julie and I went to the NJDC event and got to hear a few Jewish Senators and Congressmen speak (Henry Waxman, Carl Levin, Jerry Nagler, Frank Lautenberg to name a few). Good speeches that I wish my father could hear on why it is important to get Obama elected from a Jewish and Israel's perspective. Martin Frost was also there but didn't speak. I wanted to say hello but didn't get a chance. Julie knew him and got to say hello. They also had food at NJDC event - needless to say, no shrimp or crawfish like the New Orleans event. It was held at the Golda Meir house, an actual home that she lived in when she lived in Denver. We walked back to the convention center with Sam Rosen who established a scholarship for DNC summer interns in memory of his daughter. As a big macher (contributor) he was an honored guest of the convention.

Got to go to bed now to be awake for my 7am breakfast!

Waiting at the Airport

It is finally here! I am so thankful that I bought tickets! I could not have dealt with the stress of non-reving (for those of you who are unfamiliar with "non-rev" that is an airline employee flying standby) to Denver (see previous post). I checked the flights last night and they were all red (IE hard to get on). It is an hour before flight time and I am trying to chill out. Tongiht, I may try to make the NJDC event or I will go to the "Friends of New Orleans" Major Event. I think $100 is a little pricey for the NJDC event - Golda Meir film starring Valerie Harper (AKA Rhoda) and hobnobbing with the Jewish senators and congressmen. We will see. Updates to come. The Friends of New Orleans is free, but will be huge.

The Day Before Departure

Things did not go well on Saturday. My phone wouldn't charge. I had upgraded my phone service to unlimited internet and Friday and something happened to it. I sent Ed out to get a new battery - $48! For not much more I could have upgraded to a better phone. Oh well. I didn't want to be rushed into a phone decision.

In the evening I dumped out my purse to clean it out and my wallet was missing. I think that I lost it at the manicurist, which was closed at that time. I went back and left a note on the door. The owners called but couldn't find it. It had over $200 in it, not to mention $200 worth of Macy's gift cards. On the good news side, my DL was in another wallet along with two Visa cards that I typically don't use. But it had both ATM cards. I cancelled the cards and my Dad came over and gave me some cash. Someone probably just took the cash and dumped the wallet. The last thing I needed to deal with on my way to Denver

Getting Ready for Convention

Everyday I am getting e-mails and snail mail for different caucuses, events and parties. So much to do and so little time in Denver. I feel tired just thinking about it. A friend who was a delegate in Boston told me that he would fall asleep during the actual convention. Our day will start at 7am with a state delegation breakfast. The gavel drops each evening at 9pm, however, there will be parties each night until late. I hope I can find Dr. Pepper in Denver to keep me going!

The Red Carpet Affair

Friday July 25 was a special affair sponsored by Democrats United in honor of the National Delegates. It was an interesting and fun evening. It was good to schmooze with my fellow delegates, after all, we will be spending a lot of time together in Denver. As one of the honorees, I had to introduce myself on stage and walk down the catwalk! Haven't done that since I was 12 years old. It gave me a chance to plug Carol Kent, our candidate for HD 102. And she gave the best speech out of all of the candidates!