I received the following in an email from Montana delegate, Ryan Rusche. I thought the ideas expressed, and sentiments espoused, so powerful and beautiful, I asked for permission to post the email on Left in the West. Permission was granted. The text is all Rusche's, but I added the videos and images.
Rusche is a Roosevelt County attorney and a member of the Assiniboine Nation.
Ryan Rusche at the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Photo courtesy of Michele Reinhart.
It's good to be home on the beautiful prairies of northeastern Montana under the Big Sky where my friends and family call home. After a week in the temporary hub of American politics, hearing the most gifted speakers the Democratic party has to offer, and being a part of what I suspect some will call the most significant convention in history, I have spent the last twenty-four hours basking in the beauty of my wife and children. They are, after all, the reason I took an interest in this race in the first place.
I had originally hoped to spend some time each evening reflecting on the day and sending home a summary of the activities in which I participated. But evening had long since past by the time I reached my hotel room each night and the 7:00 a.m. delegation meeting came far to early for me, the morning person that I am. So I had resolved to sit down at the computer when I got home and reflect a bit, both to share with my experiences with the folks at home and to record for myself the truly inspirational event.
Now that I'm home and have had time kiss my children to death, I still find it a little hard to express that which I've witnessed. I can tell you that I have come away from the convention with a renewed sense of purpose in working for the betterment of the least of our sisters and brothers as well as confidence that our efforts are paying off. I can also tell you that I suspect any characterization you might have seen on the news has probably missed the mark. This convention was about much more than winning Hillary's supporters over to Barack's side.
Every night after the convention, I was approached by a reporter asking for a reaction or comment of the night's speaker or convention happenings. After Hillary Clinton's speech, I was asked by a reporter if I'm a Clinton or Obama pledged delegate. Clinton, I replied. How did I feel about the night's speech? he asked. Proud, I said. Clinton hit all the right notes and said everything she needed to say; it was perfect. She strongly and enthusiastically endorsed Obama, and there was no tone of "it should have been me" anytime in her speech. She was gracious and committed to supporting Obama in the November election. The reporter asked if I was bitter that Hillary wasn't the nominee, or the VP choice. No, I said. Clinton was my choice in the primary election, but she didn't win that election. And that election's over. In the upcoming election, there are two candidates, and Obama is my choice of those two candidates. I don't think there's room for bitterness now; it's counterproductive. Too much to do to dwell on what might have been. And besides, Clinton is strong and serves well in the US Senate. I'm excited to see how she'll serve next.
Nicely put. A sentiment that was shared my most Clinton delegates I met. Let's hope that Clinton supporters keep up the pressure after the election's over. There are a lot of good issues those folks battled for -- among them a strong health insurance plan than Obama's. There's no use pretending the primary wasn't a close race.
But then, Obama doesn't seem to be the type of politician who ignores input. Isn't that refreshing?
What the h*ll. Let's give JP two hundred bucks, shall we?
Senator Jon Tester missed the first two days of the Convention last week, because he was harvesting. He did arrive Wednesday night to the Convention floor, and address our delegation on Thursday morning.
I managed to record Jon's talk with us Thursday -- and I write "talk," because it wasn't quite a speech. His comments were often interrupted by applause, laughter, and interjections that started off debate and commentary. In short, it was a raucous, boot-stompin' old-time town-hall-style stump speech, the kind of folksy discussion you see with Tester. He doesn't talk to you; he kinda kicks things off with some comments...
Like I said, I did grab a recording of the meeting, but, frankly, with all the cross-talk and clapping, the sound quality isn't too hot. So I transcribed the event, and below the fold is the best of that transcription:
So last week, as I was negotiating the bowels of the Convention, drifting in and out of panels and mixers, conventioneering, and parties, I missed a lot of the news stories being generated about the Convention by the talking heads on their cable shows.
The biggest story of the DNC was the supposed Obama-Clinton rift. What would happen during the roll call? gleefully mulled the punditocracy, would there be a split Convention, a power play by disgruntled Clinton backers? Of course, no such rift was manifestly evident if you were actually at the Convention. Yes, Hillary Clinton supporters thought the best candidate was speaking on Tuesday night. Yes, tears were shed, applause bittersweet from many quarters. And certainly after Clinton's speech, maybe the best of her career, with her strong endorsement of Obama and passionate advocacy for women's issues, maybe a few of us had some mild regrets. But there was no rebellion manifest. Nobody was going to cause trouble. And there was no trouble.
On Thursday night, I got a peek into why the traditional media talking heads were so removed from the real stories of the Convention -- like Sirota's take on the Convention setting possible "building blocks for change," say -- and focused on wild speculative nonexistent plots. That was the night Obama spoke in Invesco field, and, because of my credentials, I was pretty much allowed to roam free. I ended up meeting New West's Jill Kuraitis in the elevator, and we rode up to the Press Box to find a place to plug in and file our stories.
We found the biggest media celebrities from the most influential media corporations enclosed in a quiet glass box litterally hundreds of feet above the spectacle.
I can imagine them, chatting with each other on what they think the biggest stories of the politics and the Convention are, free from the noise and distraction of the actual Convention. And those media folks who did wander down went as celebrities, not journalists. There was Ted Koppel in the basement snapping pics with his admirers. There was Joe Scarborough on the floor of Invesco field, one blonde woman under each arm, grinning foolishly for cameras.
Schweitzer's name has come up pretty dang often since his speech a week ago today. Touted as the "Barack Obama" speech of the 2008 Convention -- referring to, of course, Obama's 2004 speech, "The Audacity of Hope," that propelled him into the national consciousness -- Schweitzer's speech was the talk of the town for the rest of the week, he became known as "that Montana guy" on the street, and we, Montana's state delegates, minor celebrities because of it.
Whatever. It was fun. I admit it.
Anyhow, I'm still finding interviews and clips of the Good Guv from last week. Below the fold are a sample...
Man, I'm behind. It's to experience a convention and write about it, too. I got home last night late and exhausted, Invesco field didn't have wireless, and the trad media hogged all the network cables, so I wasn't able to write much there...
I took video, but it might a while before I get it online. I can't find the transfer cable; it's somewhere in my hotel room, which is littered with clothes, potato chip bags, backpacks, business cards, and Convention swag.
Quick thoughts.
I was down on the floor with the Montana delegation, and they had amazing seats, a couple dozen rows or so back from the podium. Our New York friends were behind us, we were now flanked by Missouri and Alaska and Florida.
I can't express how awe-inspiring it is to stand in the middle of Invesco field with 70,000 excited people in the stands. Like standing at the bottom of an enormous barrell, and when the crowd yells you can feel it in your bones. Imagine what Schweitzer would have done with this crowd.
I decided last night not to bring my computer to the Convention floor. Last time I did it, I sat hunched over my laptop in extremely cramped quarters and typed up a few hundred words of ineffective and unpoetic observations. This time, I thought I'd go without and experience what the delegation did.
Not a bad idea, actually.
And this is probably a good time to describe what it's like to be a delegate and be on the floor...
Spike Lee, Darryl Hannah, Dan Rather, Matt Modine...
The Big Tent is hot and stuffy. And, frankly, on Monday folks were a little cool. Today is completely different. Lots of camaraderie.
Ran into Cotton Mouth's Jeff Walters while getting accreditation to the Convention yesterday. Stand up guy, very cool. Walters and Cotton Mouth did a lot of work on the Travis Childers' special election victory this year...Cotton Mouth was denied state blog credentials, a decision that helped spur Matt's and my letter to the DNC protesting the state blogger selection process. Walters did get general press credentials to the Convention.
Markos Moulitsos is handing out and signing free copies of his new book, "Taking on the System: Rules for Radical Change in a Digital Era." Nice guy. Tho' that old dude whispering in his ear the whole time was weird.
I ran into George Lakoff yesterday at the Media Matters Lounge. I almost wet my pants and acted like a fanboy. Kind of embarrassing.
And, finally, check out the post I wrote for the UK Guardian's blog, "Comment is Free," on Montana's Swing Left.
Everywhere today the talk is Brian Schweitzer. That's the buzz. From national news sources to bloggers, the reaction is nearly the same. Schweitzer brought the crowd to life. Schweitzer stole the show from Warner.
But not everyone's happy. Erik Iverson's response to the Schweitzer coup? "'He took it up a notch in the partisan department,' said Erik Iverson. 'What struck me about (the speech) is it's not the Brian Schweitzer he tries to portray back here in Montana, where he runs with (Lt. Gov.) John Bohlinger being a Republican, and working in a bipartisan fashion.'"
Everyone says Iverson is a smart guy, but I think he's in a little over his head here. Incredibly lame response to a stellar performance on a national stage by the Governor. Iverson's response is going to look petty, mean-spirited, and partisan to Montanans who, today, are proud of how their governor wowed the nation.
Okay, I've been a little lax in describing what it's like here at convention, I admit. In short, it's complete chaos. A "Fear and Loathing"-style Convention would be easy enough to do. Who would notice that you're completely drug-addled? And frankly, between all the different events and forums and panels and meetings and dinners and conventioneering, there's not much time for reflection, let alone writing.
Brian Schweitzer in the Big Tent. Courtesy of Left In Alabama.
My typical day:
Up at 6:30am. Stumble groggily into shower. Dress.
Breakfast at 7:00am. With the delegation downstairs. A great way to start the day. Lots of good people hanging out and talking politics. History of Montana politics, gossip, districts or races in trouble, etc & co. I like to sit near Michele Reinhart because she's cool. Typically Matt Singer sleeps through breakfast. Lots of coffee, lots of liquids...
All Denver is abuzz with the Good Guv's performance last night. I could feel it even as I left the convention and wound my way back to the hotel. "The Montana guy" I'd hear on the sidewalks.
I'll collect some of the buzz later.
Anyhow, you've got to think a lot more folks are paying attention to Montana now. And you've got to think Sen. Casey's visit to our delegation this morning may have been influenced by that speech. You know, to come over and check out the kind of people that Brian Schweitzer sprung from and all of that...
Nice speech by Casey, by the way. He praised Max Baucus' work on the recent Medicare payment bill, orchestrating the votes and getting Ted Kennedy to cast the suprise 60th vote.
But the most praise was saved for Jon Tester, who Casey called that rare politician -- that rare person -- who's authentic. Who embodies where he came from.
The rest of the speech was to urge us to spread the word on McCain's actual record (he's no "maverick"), and to emphasize Barack Obama's personal history, which Casey felt was greatly influential in creating the man who's running for president.
Good speaker. Funny. My future Senator. Whaddya know?
All heck broke loose while Mark Warner was speaking and Matt Modine showed up with his posse, and we were pretty much squeezed in our section. With staffers and family there was definitely more Montanans than seats. Being the good, generous blogger I am, I thought I'd strike out for a seat in the back and watch the proceedings from above.
What I didn't know was that the Fire Marshall was complaining about all the folks clogging the aisles and every seat was taken -- so I ended up watching Deval Patrick, Brian Schweitzer, and Hillary Clinton on a television inside the conference center...
Quick thoughts: Deval Patrick was a great speaker. Almost too like Barack Obama in speaking style to stand out at this convention, but any other year, any other nominee, and Patrick gets a lot more attention.
Hillary Clinton gave a great speech. Right from the beginning she made it clear she supports Obama -- and I really thought her rhetorical question to her recalcitrant supporters was right on. Did they support the woman? Or did they support the causes and people represented by those causes?
Now Schweitzer...man, that was fun to watch. The Good Guv was a little...er...animated at the beginning of the speech, almost like he was intoxicated by, and playing to, the crowd. (As opposed to, say, Warner, who talked to the camera and ignored the crowd, which was ignoring him, too.) And I could picture the Obama folks cringe when he went off script, which to my untrained appeared to be pretty often.
Still, I think he had some of the best lines of the night. Calling for our energy policy to be "clean, green, and American-made"? Awesome. The crack about how we wouldn't get enough oil "even if we drilled in McCain's backyards, including the ones he can't even remember"? Biggest laugh-getter tonight.
The best? "Petro-dictators will never own American wind and sunshine." How do you respond to that if you're a Republican? That issue's defined now.
The Good Guv is brilliant at framing issues like that in one sentence zingers that people remember and spread. By the end, he also redeemed himself by getting the crowd going and unleashing their energy. He's great with crowds, no doubt...
I think if he's serious about jumping up a level, though, he's got to find another gear. A great speech has a kind of rhetorical formality and a kind of structure that slowly builds towards a passionate crescendo. Humor has a place in those speeches, but as a stutter or slight backtrack to break up the pattern and cause a kind of pleasing disharmony. Or something.
Anyhoo, I had a great time. The venue was amazing. The people are fantastic, and d*mn am I conflicted about leaving Montana.
But then Mr. Proud has taken off the training wheels on his bike while I was off gallivanting in Denver, and it stings a little to miss that, you know?
7:12
Governor Sebelius spoke. I might wait until I see Biden speak, but I think Sebelius would have been a good choice.
In completely unrelated news, I saw Spike Lee! Heck, I was two feet away from him. Because, see, the New York delegation is seated across the aisle from us, and he stopped to chat with them. Some guy from New Hampshire asked to get a picture, but Spike wouldn't have anything to do with it.
Let me see...I've seen Daryl Hannah...Dan Rather...and now Spike Lee! Wheee.
6:35
Janet Napolitano, governor of Arizona, is speaking. I like her! She dings McCain pretty good...calling him just one in a long line of failed Arizona candidates running for president...
Napolitano's the poster child public financing; I recall there was a PBS NOW segment on that...here it is!
6:12 pm
I'm on the Convention floor!
Wow.
It's packed. Blue lights, yellow lights hanging from the ceiling. Media folks jammed in the seats, delegates from all over. I have to say, this is quite a beautiful facility, but man! There's quite a spectacular effect with the video screens over the center stage creating an artificial sky...
I'm with the Montana delegation. Music's rocking, spirits are high. Walt Scheitzer's here, Ed Tinsley, Dennis McDonald, Kevin O'Brien, Carol Williams, JP Pomnichowski...Anthony Jackson...somone got ahold of pink kitty ears, and things got ugly. JP's off with my video camera somewhere...
(I got this email about 3 am last night...and, yes, I was awake. - promoted by Jay Stevens)
Hello family and friends and fellow delegates from Denver.
There is so much I want to share with you, but I'm sleep deprived already, and it's only day 1. It's now 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, and I write you not wanting to forget the history I witnessed today. Please forgive the typos. It needs editing, but I wanted to send it to you now, since tomorrow is another packed day.
The messages of social justice and public service were echoed strongly tonight in Sen. Ted Kennedy's and Michelle Obama's speeches. My take-away messages were these: Use your time and talent to give back to your community. The rewards from serving your community are more precious than gold, more precious than money. Invest in your children. Honor your parents. Cherish time with family -- you never know how long you get to have them here on earth. Love thy neighbor as thyself. Say goodbye to the failed Bush/McCain policies of the past.
Also, other Montana delegation members and press are bringing other angles and sweet digital photos/video to this historic documentation. Please check out their sites at the following locations:
Well, my friends, the bus is moving democracy. You get on a bus with a bunch of strangers, and you share a communal experience while going someplace. Every social and economic strata rides a bus together. It's one of the few remaining public places where that happens -- a refuge of sorts from the usual refuges we enclose ourselves in.
Okay, so maybe that's a bit flowery for a bus.
Or is it?
Anyhow, that's the basic premise of the Oregon Bus Project. People power. Face-to-face interaction with voters. Making politics fun. Making policts meaningful. A strategy - a destination - a plan. And they use busses.
And I rode from Twin Falls, Idaho, to Denver, Colorado on their bus.
Sorry for the absence of posts. To be honest, everything's been a logistical nightmare, and right now is the first time I've been able to get an Internet connection.
I'm in the Big Tent; today was jhwygirl's day to sit with the delegation, but she's been given the runaround on her accreditation. She's been looking for credentials all day to no avail.
I'll keep you posted, and hopefully we'll be seated in time for Schweitzer's speech tomorrow night...
I'll have a post in a little while about the Oregon Bus project and the rest of the trip to Denver, as well as some posts on other topics later...
It took twenty-six hours to get from Denver. That's right. Twenty six. Basically we zig-zagged across the West, visiting some of the region's finest cultural landmarks, crawling, crawling to Denver.
MediaGeneral's (?) Billy House asks the questions, why Denver? Why not a swing state, like Ohio or Florida?
The selection of Denver for this year's Democratic convention Monday through next Thursday is cast by some as a well-timed outreach to the so-called "New West" - in particular, the mountain states of Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming, Montana, Utah and Idaho that have been taken for granted by Republicans, but may now be turning purple.
With the nation's the fastest population growth and economic changes, including big influxes of Hispanics and professional workers, experts say this part of the country could flirt with being a key presidential battleground this fall, and almost certainly will be so in the years ahead.
Ta dah! Introducing a cool new theme for this year's Democratic National Convention: the West.
I don't care what political affiliation you are, that's good news. National Democrats targeting Western states mean that national Republicans must respond -- or should respond. But judging by McCain's absence from Montana and his recent and complete botching of water rights, maybe he won't. Go figure.
Anyway, I've seen a recent spate of articles with a similar theme -- which means that Western issues may be played up hard at the Convention and on through until November. Not a bad thing, not bad at all...
The big question in presidential politics this week is, 'who will be Obama's VP? He's got to pick before the convention - and the buzz is building.
The CNN report identifies the favorites: Joe Biden, Bill Richardson, Evan Bayh, Tim Kaine, Mark Warner, Kathleen Sebelius, Wesley Clark, Chris Dodd, Chet Edwards, Chuck Hagel, Sam Nunn, Jack Reed, and Ed Rendell. Brian Schweitzer's name is not mentioned in the CNN article, but a number of folks among the Internet crowd are still high on the Good Guv winning the second slot on the national ticket.
Still, the buzz is that anyone who's not been scheduled to speak at the Convention on Wednesday - during the spot reserved for the VP nominee - is not going to be tapped as Obama's running mate. Schweitzer is scheduled to speak on Tuesday. Kathleen Sebelius is also speaking Tuesday. Those speaking on Wednesday include Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, and Evan Bayh.
Other opinions:
MSMBC's First Read points to a New York Times profile of Joe Biden and says "the CW buzz seems to be pointing in Biden's direction right now."
The WaPo's Shailagh Murray speculates that Tim Kaine and Evan Bayh's appearances on Sunday talk shows this week may be more than coincidence, but then can't resist Joe Biden's trip to war-torn Georgia this weekend.
The odious horse-racer, Jake Tapper, lists his favorites, in order of his perception of likelihood: Joe Biden, Tim Kaine, Evan Bayh, and Sam Nunn as the dark horse.
The Washington Note's Steve Clemons "knows" it won't be Evan Bayh, Tom Daschle, Wesley Clark, or Jack Reed. Clemons thinks it's Biden, although "one well placed political expert just told me on the phone that we may all be wrong and that Obama could come out with something completely unexpected," like John Kerry, Hillary Clinton, or Al Gore.
Frankly, none of the pundits' favorites really inspire me. If Biden is the pick, I'm with Chris Bowers, who says, "I won't be screaming about Biden," which is a kind of endorsement, sort of. Honestly I'd expect more out of the Obama campaign. Someone to really dazzle the country for a little while, someone that complements Obama, not contrasts him. And why would the Obama campaign draw out the suspense and announcement of its VP choice...for Joe Biden?
