Massachusetts State Dem conv (hall pics only)

I attended the Mass State Dem Conv this weekend. Guess what banner was right over my Senate delegation?



That was pretty cool! The convention was alternately fun, boring, really boring, interesting and then boring again. (Vote counts. Don't get me started on vote counts. How friggin long does it take to count votes? Sigh! We all voted publicly and loudly. Why did it take 3 hours to count these. Get a friggin intern from MIT to help link spreadsheets and move this along. Everyone was too tired to party last night from just sitting there.)

Isn't that banner cool?

Did you talk to, you know, anybody famous?

At least hopefully all of the votes were counted.

Your senators are better than my senators btw. x(

Cuz I was too shocked when Our Intrepid Interns brought Cam Kerry over to the M1 delegation to get my camera and a pic.

VEK: "Hey, Tay, look who's here."
Tay looks up from whatever she is doing, proably navel-gazing, and sees Vek and WEL and Cam Kerry standing 3 seats over from her. Tay is shocked. Thinks to herself, "You brought Cam Kerry over to see me? Ahm, ????????????? Ahm, gee, ahm, wow!" Tay can't think why anyone would want to met her, but is also happy to see Mr. Kerry, younger brother of Our Taller Senator. Ahm, gee, I hope I combed my hair at 630 this morning when I left my house. Geez Vek, could you phone ahead next time? I would like to have something to say besides doofus speech.

I scrambled out of my seat, probably elbowed my husband in the head, stepped on Harold's foot, (hey, he's 80 or more, he won't need that foot much longer, right) and passed right over the Chair of my delegation. I didn't bother to introduce anyone like a nice human being would do and everyone had to fend for themselves while I tried to think of something to say. (Ahm, that part worked out well. Everyone else apparently didn't take stupid pills for breakfast or got a night's sleep.) I did introduce myself. We talked about the Victory '06 Mass effort and I mentioned a conversation I had had minutes before with Cam's Co-Chair on this effort and how I hoped to help by bringing in bloggers and such. (Hey, that almost sounds intelligent. Maybe it wasn't too bad afterall.)

We talked a wee bit about the efforts here to 'help out' with the blogs. Mutual names were exchanged. Then Vek and WEL left to escort Mr. Kerry to another delegation so he could check in and get volunteers for the Victory '06 effort. Then I got a lot of questions from other delegates and funny looks. (ahm, why did they bring Cam Kerry over here to meet you? I can see him just coming over, everybody makes the rounds. But how come they knew about you? Ahm, I sort of answered it and then distracted people cuz I didn't want to answer ten million questions while the all exciting and tingling 'questioning of the credentials of delegates' who had 'pissed people off' was going on. Couldn't miss that one.) Ahm, Vek and WEL will check in shortly and correct my mistakes. I am certain that all the delegations were visited, it's just that it was a bit shocking to look up and have VEK pointing at me and having us talk. (Well, it was.)



Ahm, WEL, tell people that my ego is now out-of-control and that I misperceived this. I should have introduced more people that I was sitting with and been more together for this. I could have helped maybe get more Victory 06 volunteers. Damn.

Ah to live in Mass., where one can run into their buddy Cam Kerry . . . hopefully, you, WEL, and Vektor will still talk to us mere mortals!!

I thought I might see Mr. Kerry around the hall because he is Co-Chairing the Dem Party's election effort campaign and where else would you go to get peole to commit time and effort for that. But I never thought I would meet him like that. It kind of surprised me, to tell you the truth. (I certainly don't expect to see people all the time like that. On the other hand, it was a political convention, so there you go.)

And I told him the story about the young woman who had graduated from high school and gone straight to the US Marine Corp. (Marty sponsored legislation in the US House in her brother's name. It deals with Veterans health care. The brother lost a leg in Fallujah and the use of most of his arm. He has been in extensive physical therapy, except for a six week period last year when he lost full Veteran's health coverage and had to wait until the first of the year to transfer to another plan. I cannot even write how angry this makes me.)

Cong. Meehan was unaware that injured Marine's sister had enlisted. We talked about the unbelievable sacrifice of this family and the trust they are still placing in a government and a commander in chief that doens't deserve it. (Those bastards had better start earning things like this, because it's so unbelievably noble. I can't even imagine what the mother of the new enlistee must be feeling.)

I will bring a copy of the high school program to DC next week for the TBA conf and drop it off at Marty's office. I asked him to call the family or send a letter to just talk to them about this incredible event. He said he would and thanked me for telling him about it. (Yeah, he was just shocked by this as well. We did exchange that sad look that this present Admin doesn't deserve devotion and honor like that. Our service people are being betrayed by this present government.) Oh and Roger, who I met at last year's convention when he worked for Sen. Kerry, now works for Cong. Meehan. He was escorting him around the delegations in his Cong. district. Nice to see him again too!

You all are wonderful. So cool that you were able to share the young woman's story with Cong. Meehan in person. I really hope that Iraq withdrawal gains a lot more support in the next few weeks! That's one of the best things that could happen for the new enlistee.

So how DID the vote count end up? Did Gabrieli get his 15%? I haven't watched the news yet. Meeting Cam Kerry, eh? Is he as nice as John?

He needed 15% to get on the ballot, so he squeeked by. But all three Dems are on the Gov's ballot.

It was very nice to meet Cam Kerry. I liked him a lot. He is a really nice guy, very smart and I think he must have bags and bags of patience. (He meets a lot of people and has to put up with a lot of folks who want to tell him or have him tell his brother stuff. Must be tiring after a while.)

It was an honor to tell that story about the Marine enlistee. And something that alarmed me greatly. Sigh! (Cong. Meehan has introduced legislation in the US Congress that had this young woman's brother's name on it. He should know about it if the sister enlists, I think. This is where having some 'netroots' can come in handy, I can inform Meehan's office of little stuff like this. )

Opps, almost forgot. This is just a pic of some of the 'free stuff' I got at the conv. I adore the 'I am a blue state Massachusetts Democrat' shirt. I just adore it. It has the name of a Sec of State candidate on the back, but I love this shirt.)

I hadn't heard the story about the vet's sister enlisting. You're right - this is something Meehan should be aware of. Are you looking forward to going to the TBA conference? It sounds really interesting. I wish I'd have thought of it sooner, because that's definitely an event that's worthwhile.

provided I get some rest this week and put my house, quite literally, in order. This is going to be fantastic. I believe we will be doing some work with KarenDC and her husband and that is very exciting. It should be a fascinating time.

I haven't been to DC since 1994. I would love to also go back and see the Vietnam Memorial Wall. I have only seen it once, at night. And I want to see the WWII Memorial and the FDR Memorial and so forth. That would also be great!

I almost put the TBA conf at the back of my mind so I could get through last week. (I hosted VEK and WEL at my house for 4 days. Then I helped them move to Boston, then had y son 's graduation and then the Dem conv yesterday. I am a wee bit tired. Thank goodness I am off from work tomorrow. I am just going to catch up on other things and rest up a bit. I am hoping my brain is in fairly decent working order for DC, but you never know. (It could have showed up yesterday at the conv, but that was a lot to ask of it after the business of the last week. LOL!)

Damn, could life get any better? That "True Blue Mass Dem" shirt is very cool.

My husband was laughing when I vocally went for the C-Span bag. (Yes, I must have that. It announces to the world that I am a hopeless C-Span Junkie and a geek. Nothing like advertising that you like to watch governmental hearings and have people shoot you that special, 'you need help' look on the train.)

Honestly, those C-Span bags were the most sought after item of the conv. They had the logo for the convention on one side and the C-Span logo and channel listing on the other. They were like gold for delegates. The poor DCU convention workers would open a box and people would grab 5 or 6 of these things. Ahm, I got one and I am a friggin C-Span Junkie. I hope all the delegates got one, but I suspect a horde of people who scarfed these things up and will bring thme home and then try to remember why getting a C-Span bag was the most important thing in the world to them at the time and they will wind up in yard sales all over the Commonwealth. People are strange.

I love the True Blue Mass Dem shirt. I might bring it to Washington. Hey, nothing like walking around Capitol Hill and announcing to the world that you are a Massachusetts Liberal and those Rethug people better get their shots now or I might infect them with uber-liberal cooties. LOL!