I’m here at the DNC convention with Kate, who I believe has done a couple of posts already. The reason I don’t know for sure is — it’s friggin’ insane here! I’ve been running at a full sprint since I got off the plane this afternoon. I’m typing this before collapsing into bed at almost 3am.
Some interesting stuff to hash over later, but for now, here’s the first two things I saw heading into downtown Denver this afternoon:
- A giant electronic billboard, right across the street from the convention hall, with the blazing, blinking message: Drill here, drill now, pay less. Yes, the "American energy" people are thick on the ground in Denver. There’s even a clean coal truck circulating around downtown. Suffice to say, the forces of clean energy have neither the organization nor the money to effectively counter this presence.
- A T-shirt, being sold by a very, very large black man (I’m serious — he was like 6’7"), that had Obama’s picture on the front, and on the back: "A black man’s running — and it ain’t from the police!" It’s funny, but there’s a serious sentiment behind it, something I sensed as I watched the crowd as Michelle Obama spoke tonight. Are we really going to do this? Elect a black man president? A black woman first lady? A black family to move into the White House? It’s at once thrilling, scary, inspiring, and, in a strange way, not quite real. Everyone is holding their breath.
More from Denver soon, if Kate and I can find a decent internet connection. Turns out the "Big Tent" wireless sucks, and there’s no connection at all inside the convention hall. Don’t these people know we’re trying to blog!?
