Denver: Tuesday – oh, what a night!
This series is written by Jennifer Rapach, a delegate representing PA-4.
Now do you see why I adore Brian Schweitzer? Wasn’t he just awesome? He is a damn good governor, who is down-to-earth, very entertaining and can work up a crowd. The guy has done remarkable things for Montana, and has something like a 70% approval rating out there.
Only a couple of minor celebrity sightings Tuesday. Chris Matthews from MSNBC was at our delegation breakfast, although he didn’t speak. He was there because he’s from Scranton (Who the hell isn’t from Scranton these days?! And who knew it would become a hotbed of politics?). Another person is someone you won’t know unless you’re a complete geek like me – nerdy comedian Mo Rocca. I got a picture with him, although when I asked for a picture, he gave me a look like, “why are you asking for a picture with a guy like me.”
Oh, and there was Morgan Fairchild (Morgan Fairchild??) sitting with Governor Rendell in our delegation section. All I’ll say about that is she has a great plastic surgeon.
The only bad experience I’ve had so far is I can’t believe how rude people can be when someone is speaking. Both in the PA delegation breakfast meetings and at the convention, people talk openly, and loudly, during the speeches. Politicians work the crowds. I’ve only seen this kind of behavior at political events, and it really, really, REALLY bothers me. Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but I can’t stand it when people do that. If you want to talk or take a phone call, have the courtesy to leave the room. The only person I’ve seen do anything about it is Bob Casey, God bless him.
And how about Bob Casey?!? That’s the best I have ever heard him speak – ever. We were cheering really loudly for him, so I hope you could hear it. That line about McCain not being a maverick, but a sidekick…brilliant.
Of course, the speech of the night was Hillary’s, and I thought she did great. I don’t know if you could see them, but we all had vertical signs that said ‘Unity’ on one side and either ‘Hillary’ or ‘Obama’ on the other side. I am an Obama delegate, but I felt a great affinity for Hillary last. She was a classy lady. I’ve been listening to some of the news reports this morning as I get ready, and getting a little frustrated with the commentary trying to stir up controversy. But I guess when someone does well and people are happy, it’s not a story. You can’t stretch that out for 24-hour news.
Now for some inside info. After the convention, I went to a party at Invesco Field. It was sponsored by the PA, NY, NJ and FL delegations. There was signature food from each state, and I had quite possibly the worst attempt at a cheesesteak imaginable.
So anyway, we’re having our great microbrews and crappy cheesesteaks, when the program starts, consisting of Governor Rendell, Governor Patterson (NY), Governor Corzine (NJ), and…..Hillary and Bill Clinton. It was a complete surprise. They all spoke and reinforced the idea of uniting the Party behind Barack Obama, because the issues are too important. His policies were almost identical to hers, and John McCain’s policies are not anywhere near hers. She also said that even though many Republicans are not thrilled with McCain, you can bet they’re not willing to cede this election to the Democrats, so they can run their favorite candidate in 4 years. I later heard from a Clinton delegate that they have a meeting with her today, so we’ll see what happens.
Here are a few pictures, although they are backlit, so they’re not very good:
Afterward, Hillary and Bill worked the crowd. I didn’t get to shake her hand, but I did pat her on the arm and tell her I thought she did great. I had met Bill before in 2004, so I was willing to let some others get the chance.
Then Mike and I went out into the stadium where they were busy working to set up for Thursday. Here’s a few pics:
On the jumbotron
News booths on the left. The PA delegation will probably be on the floor up close.
Oh, and I got this picture as I left Invesco Field. Hey, this guy has the same number as Ben Roethlisberger! 
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