Got an email from the John Edwards campiagn last week, asking if I'd like to attend a speech he'd be giving at a Tyson's Corner hotel. Since I don't get out of the house often enough, and the hotel is only about 20 minutes away, I thought that sounded like a good idea. I RSVP'd and headed out on Friday morning to the Sheraton.
Was suprised when I got there to see all the Hillary signs - guessed her people just wanted to make their presence felt at the Edwards' event. But then I discovered - after finding the parking lots full and a crowd at the hotel door - that this was not simply an Edwards event. This was the whole dang dog and pony show, with practically all of the show horses due to make an appearance.
Camera crews and scads of volunteers, tables full of pins, bumper stickers and T-shirts...and a line for general audience admission that snaked through the building and out the door. I'm not good with lines. Besides, I doubted there was a ballroom big enough for all these people AND the state DNC reps as well. If I was goingt o put put in an overflow room, I might as well go home and watch CNN. Time for Plan B. I went searching for the Edwards crew, thinking maybe my RSVP was worth somehing. Found these two sweet college boys who were manning (boy-ing?) the table, anxious to give me a T-shirt and thank me for coming.
Alas, they said, even with an RSVP I needed to go the end of that horrible line. So I pulled out my massive digital SLR camera with the big telephoto lens (it's heavy, but makes an impression) and went into freelance reporter mode. I never once mentioned the Washington Post connection, since
a) I am not on staff,
b) I don't do politics for them and
c) they would snap me in two if I dared to even think it.
Instead, I stressed my blog ("cultural affairs" I pegged it) and showed off that telephoto lens. My "good luck charm" fellows told me they'd point out the campaign manager when she came by, and that alone emboldened me to walk across the hallway to the press credentials area. Again, I dropped no important names, just mentioned the blog and cradled my camera. The kindly young wonk said she'd see what she could do, walked off and came back moments later - with a "BLOGGERS" pass.
I never had of those before! And so, I strolled merrily into the ballroom...
My Edwards pals had gotten a seat in the small GA section in the back, while I parked my bag at a seat in the MEDIA section, also in the back. Wormed my way along the wall towards the front, where I was able to watch the color guard, pledge of allegiance (yes, we leftist commie pinkos do that) and the opening remarks by Howard Dean, who is a handsome man in a white-haired, Steve Martin kind of way, though I doubt he and I share the same sense of humor.
A grumpy guy with a clipboard saw my pass and told me to go back behind the red rope to the media section, so I had to catch the rest of the session with my telephoto. The first presidential hopeful to speak was Bill Richardson, whom I've touted in past discussions with friends as a guy to watch. He was lucky he went first, since his speech was adequate, but nowhere near as stirring as those that followed. I'll say now that he'd make a fine VP contender, but doesn't have the "It" factor to top the ticket.
And then my "inviter" Edwards appeared. Threw me a curve ball by walking in the side door and walking right past me. The best I might have done with my telephoto was get a nose-hair shot, so I waited while he gave a good, fiery speech about tearing down the wall around government that's been built by the Republicans and their Big Bizniz cronies.
But, betting on the fact that Edwards would leave the way he came, I got him on the return trip.
Obama was due next, so I cooled my heels at my seat, and observed the press types around me. Saw The Post's Dana Milbank, whom I recognized thanks to his appearances on Keith Obermann's Countdown. On the whole, the press was cool to all the activity going on around them...
But I was getting a kick out of seeing these movers and shakers in the flesh. I did see a guy carrying a FOX News camera and wearing a Hillary sticker (is that allowed at Fox Noise?) And there was a buzz when Barack Obama appeared, with a thunderous ovation from the overflow room, whose chanting and stomping could be heard - and felt - even as the quieter crowd in the main room waited for him to start his speech.
Like Edwards, he got the crowd riled up, but I was a bit dispppointed to hear him go negative, never mentioning Hillary by name, but obviously calling her to task for telling people what the polls indicate they want to hear rather than what she truly thinks. I agree, but it still felt like the wrong target.
I couldn't stay for the afternoon session, when Hillary, Kucinich and Biden were scheduled to speak, but that was fine with me. As it was, Hillary cancelled due to the hostage situation at her campaign HQ in a small New Hampshire town, so this is as close as any of us got...
all in all, a fun trip to the sausage factory to see how our tasty democracy is made.
Back again soon with music and CD tallies.
Happy Hanukkah!
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