YES WE DID!

What an incredible journey and an amazing moment we are in! It's taken me a day or two to really let it sink in. With this election, we have taken a giant step toward re-claiming our democracy; we have reclaimed and restored the true meaning of the word "patriotism" and what is means to have "family values," which to me means respecting diverse families, supporting poor, homeless and struggling families, providing appropriate and exceptional care and education for our children, and creating a world in which children can not only survive (i.e., eat, learn, live without violence, sleep with a roof over their heads, have access to health care), but thrive, grow and share their gifts with the world. President-Elect Obama (I really enjoy saying that!) forged a movement that was able to reach people from many walks of life, across typlical "party lines" and throughout the world, by holding out a commitment to justice and fairness; by reminding us of the importance of taking care of our children, our neighbors, our communities and our world, committments that are imbedded in many spiritual and philosophical traditions that have frequently been distorted to justify actions that undermine those very commitments; by touching the inner "angels" in all of us, inspiring us to choose hope over fear and collaboration over division; by asking us all to move beyond the road-blocks, stalemates and inaction that comes from dualistic, either/or thinking ("I'm right/you're wrong) so that we can work together and synergystically to develop creative and more effective solutions for our country's and and world's challenges. And while this election is a truly amazing historical achievement, it is not just a victory for for African-Americans and for people of color (which is truly is!). It is also a victory for participatory democracy, not just in the US but throughout the world; for patriots and for those who believe strongly in constitutional freedoms and in human rights; and for those who prefer popular participation over authoritarianism, involvement over passivity thoughtful decision-making over reactionary backlashing, respect over one-up-man-ship and put-downs, and the freedom of vision over the prison of fear. President Obama (I like that even better!) has now challenged us to be a part of this new direction, to take responsibility for our democracy and our government, and he reminded us once again on Tuesday night that our work has just begun and that the climb will be steep. And, not surprisingly, his remarkable team has already created an awesome website to facilitate our ability to do just that. Check it out and spread the word. http://change.gov/Now that we've elected him to the presidency, "Yes we can" takes on a new meaning: yes we can be a part of making the change a reality. So, I will keep saying it: YES WE CAN, AND WE WILL!! :-)

INVESCO: A Historical Moment

I made it through screening and I'm here! This is incredible! Only five more hours untill the speech!

Patrick and I up high in the Nevada guest section, 506, where Patrick, Barb Muscutt, Dave Baker, Wendal and Joyce Newman and other Nevada folks had seats. What a birds-eye view from the 50-yard line! It was fun and important to come up from the floor with delegates Matt and Lance to visit the folks we are representing! It's starting to fill up in here!

Sheryl Crow and Will I Am entertain us.

Military Generals supporting Obama. We were waiting for Colin Powell, but alas, he was not there.

Gov. Bill Richardson from New Mexico

Members of the Nevada delegation on their feet.

Al Gore speaks strongly about what is at stake in this election for our planet.

From Patrick's vantage point, Obama takes the stage to 80,000 screaming supporters waving "Change" signs.

The speech of a lifetime. And the greatest one I've ever heard. With a strong message to those who would allow a third Bush term: "Enough!"

A celebration of confetti and fireworks.

The Obama family takes the state. Look at the crowd!!

The Obama and Biden families on stage enjoying the fireworks and confetti.

We've redefined the term "patriot!"

What an emotional moment! And to end with the music from "Remember the Titans." I can't even begin to describe what this was like.

Thursday's Women's Caucus

Women's Caucus Day 2

Madeline Cunan -former gov of Maine, and author of
"Pearls, Politics and Power: How To Get More Women in Office." She made the following comments:
We need more women in elected and appointed office.
Only 16% of our legislators in the US are women. In contrast, the parliaments of Iraq and Afghanistan have 25 percent women. The US ranks 77th out of 142 countries in terms of % of women in office. "We need to do more to help women to run. Yes, we need to support them financially; but we also have been able to support a few working moms to run for office helping in other ways: delivering home-cooked meals and driving their kids to their activities, like dance lessons and soccer games. Quoting Gov. Karen Sebelius: "anyone who can organize a birthday party for a 5 yr old can run a campaign!" Women also need support from other politicians to endure the "vulnerability of being a politician." Cunan also stressed the importance of having optimism that anything is possible. Other great lines: "Pessimists are usually right. Optimists can change the world."
"Barack Obama has inspired folks to get energized; and we hope that women will be inspired to run." (As an aside, this political experience hs inspired ME!) "The choice is no longer between BO and HRC, but between John McCain and Barack Obama."
She closed by saying that Rwanda has highest % of women in parliament, with 46.8%!! When she asked Rwandans about this, their response was "After the slaughter of so many, we knew we had to get into office for the survival of our children." So Cunan concluded, "we must get into politics for our children and all the children of the world!"

{Disruption by anti-choice activists who were escorted out by law enforcement.}

Linda Chavez AFLCIO introduced Sen Babara Boxer of CA, a leading defender of a woman's right to choose. "We know the right choice in this election in order to protect our right to choose: Barak Obama." She shared that McCain has a ZERO rating from NOW and NARAL, which Boxer is very rare and reflective of a very radical stance. "McCain has voted against women all the time: even voted to remove insurance coverage for birth control. Barack Obama's rating, in contrast, is 100%. Mc voted against funding for progam for children witnessing DV. "John Mcain is a zero. Barack Obama is a hero."

Debbie Waserman Schultz, Congressional Rep from CA, said that she had been told that no woman could be both a mom and in Congress at the same time. As the national co-chair of the Clinton campaign, Wasserman had the honor of seconding BO nomination last night, which she did because "we in this party are united in fighting for critical social issues and to change the world for women and our future."

We heard from the second-highest ranking woman in Congress, Rosa Delauro, an advocate for working women and men whonhas served 10 terms. " We have to live up to our values, women's values, and make a difference in the lives of American women and families. So let's get to work and elect BO."

Michelle Obama was there! She seemed a bit tired at first, but livened up as her remrks continued. "Thanks to HRC, my husband has has become a better candidate." She encouraged dialogue and connection as the best way to solve the critical socio-economic problems facing women and families. "There is nothing more powerful than when we connect with one another." "We need an advocate for women in the White House." She had some serious commentary about how so many working women and mothers are struggling. "We internalize this struggle and keep a game face on, always minimize how hard thigs are and focus on our blessings. They need real help!" "THESE STRUGGLES are not new to me or Barack. He watched his own single mom struggle to pay the bills and, in her final months of battling cancer, worrying about paying the bills. He saw his grandmother struggle to move up in her profession, and he sees me struggle to balance the pressures of career and the campaign with being a mom." "Instead of just talking about 'family values,' we need to develop policies that value families: sick leave protections, equal pay, ecomomic support to deal with mortgages and gas prices, protections for reproductive choice, and affordable healthcare." "Equal pay for women is not just a justice issue, but also an economic issue since women are the main breadwinners in many famies." "We have a lot of work to do. You might imagine I am proud, emotional, lots of tissue." :-)
"We cannot take women's votes for granted. I need you to be there for my husband. I need you to be there for me, to fight for our values - fairness oppounity equality justice - for our children our grandchildren for our world."

Amy Kloubchar- Sen From MN. "Are you tired of sub-prime leadership in the white house?" "People who live in 7 houses shouldn't be throwing stones." We will never be able to get the policies through congress without a strong democratic majority in Senate. We must get Dems elected in state races. If we had 5 more votes, we would be able to override presidential veto on stem cell research.
TWO more votes and we would have been able to pass the infrstructure bill which would provide funding to repair bridges (like the bridge that fell down in MN, "a bridge that is 6 blocks from my house, the bridge that I drive over every day with my 13 year old. Bridges should not just fall down!!)" "One more vote and we would have passed a bill which would have enhanced our energy independence."

WHAT A POWERFUL GROUP OF WOMEN and a great caucus!!!

Reflections on Wednesday

Las Vegas Delegate Ray Pedrazza and I.












Reno Delegate Matt Dickson and Las Vegas Delegate Manita Rawat








Me with Xiomara and Gio. Xiomara was scheduled to speak on Veterans issues, but unfortunately, got bumped because many of the speakers, including Kerry, Clinton, and Madeline Albright, ran over their time.

Melissa Ethridge Rocks the house!

Patrick got the golden ticket to attend tonight! To explain, each morning our delegation has breakfast at 7:00 at which time we hear from various speakers, are advised of any scheduled activities, get our convention credentials, and we hold a drawing for the one extra pass we have for one of our guests to attend the convention (aka the golden ticket). And I got it for Patrick! And it was the best of the three nights to attend: roll call of the states, Bill Clinton and Joe Biden.

He was WAY up high but what a view!

During the state roll call each state had the opportunity to cast its votes for the nominees. Everyone knew who the nominee would be but their still some buzz about what some of the Clinton supporters would do - would there be tension during the roll call? Would the party look un-unified? Each state had completed an official delegation ballot form that morning. Ours was passed around at breakfast and we each individually cast our votes (we had two choices, Hillary and Barack). Then during day, Hillary released her delegates and said they should feel to vote as they wished. She had also set a great tone of unity and support for Barack with her speech on Tuesday night. So, I was hopeful that things would go well during the roll call.

What ended up happening was an interesting expression of democracy and politics.In some of the states, Clinton delegates switched to support Obama and allowed the state to declare its support for Obama unanimously. Other states did not. Some of the Clinton delegates on the NV delegation did not want to change their votes. A few of them were approached by some of the party leaders who tried to convince them switch so that our state could present a show of unity. Despite the pleas, eight of the Clinton delegates held firm, which I actually found impressive. Then we got word that an arrangement had been made that might result in Nevada passing/yielding to a subsequent state (as CA, NH and NJ did), followed by a suspension of the roll call. Well, fortunately, we were able to cast our state’s vote, 26 for Obama and 8 for Clinton.

Delegates from New Hampshire, who were sitting directly behind me, at first expressed criticism of states who did not demonstrate unity" by voting unanimously for Obama, and when they heard our vote, they looked disparagingly at us (“you all aren’t unified??” one NH delegate asked). My response to them was very direct and clear: unity did NOT mean unanimity, i.e., not voting as a block did NOT mean we were not unified. What our delegation chose to do was to express that unity in a democratic way, i.e. with our delegates performing their roles as representatives of the communities that elected them to speak for them at the convention. In fact, I thanked one of the more outspoken Clinton delegates for being a true warrior for democracy by holding firm to her vote for Clinton.

The whole process reminded me of what Barack says: we don't have to agree on everything to have common goals and find common ground and that the richness and true essence of our democracy is having the ability to disagree with each other AND with those in positions of authority. One of my friends on the delegation received a text message from an Obamaniac in Reno, asking her who the "eight detractors" were. She and I were both really miffed by the request, and she refused to share that information. We all agreed to keep the votes confidential. I wish people would just stop the nonsense! But, I digress...

After we cast our NV votes, the states following us started to yield to the next states, until New York was called. Sen. Clinton spoke for the NY delegation and made the motion for suspending the roll call and naming Obama the nominee by acclamation. It was a classy move that allowed all the votes to count but to also lead to a unifying resolution. Having the opportunity to cast their votes, watch Hillary herself resolve the process and then hear President Clinton's strong endorsement of Obama and Biden, helped the Hillary supporters, at least those in my delegation, feel closure and resolution. In fact, our staunchest Hillary supporter wore an Obama button for the first time the next day.

Then we heard from a variety of speakers, including John Kerry. Wow, was he great! I wish he had been that strong and direct in hammering the Bush/Cheney/McCain Republicants in 2004!!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (from NEVADA!) addresses the convention.

And, what an amazing speech by Bill Clinton. He didn't waste any time clearly stating his support for Barack Obama, and for Joe Biden. He is a great speaker - if he used his teleprompter, you would never have known it. My favorite line: “the rest of the world has always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.”

And, then the emotional introduction of Joe Biden for VP. His son Beau (the spitting image of his dad), shared the story of the traumatic accident that claimed the lives of his mother and sister and seriously injured him and his brother Hunter, and how his dad originally declined to be sworn after winning the election as Senator, but was convinced to do so by Sen. Kennedy and took the oath by his hospital bed. And, my favorite line: “and three years later, we married our mom Jill.” What a wonderful story and demonstration of Sen. Biden’s commitment to family. Biden’s speech was powerful, direct, clear: McCain is clearly out of touch with what most average American’s are going through. Biden’s commitment to women’s issues, equal pay, violence against women, choice, health care, is so refreshing and I’m so pleased with imagining him as VP.

And, the surprise guest: Barack Obama who showed up with "a little something to say..."

It was an amazing night!

WOW!

I can't tell you what it was like to be here for this historic moment: a first for our nation and a moment of real grace by Hillary Clinton. That was a classy move and a great way of finalizing the nomination. I can tell you that even the diehard eight Hillary supporters felt their voices were counted and are resolved and onboard with the decision.
And, the most amazing thing: TO WITNESS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN receive the democratic nomination for president in the history of this country!! Moreover, to see a true visionary and leader emerge as the nominee who is such a breath of fresh air, who does things so differently, someone who has already inspired so many and who will lead us in a new direction and motivate us to stay invoved, reenergize this democracy, and change the world.

IT'S OFFICIAL!!!

Clinton moved to nom O by acclamation!!

In the Midst of Wed's State Roll call

After all the "M" states, we finally cast our NV votes, 8 for Hillary and 26 for THE NEXT PRESIDENT! We hope we made NV proud. Wait! What's going on: Illinois yielded,.. To NY..... What?! Hillary is here, what is happening????

Convention Day 2 (Tuesday) - Part 2

Tuesday Night
The second night of the convention was a powerful tribute to women and to America's middle and working class. The line up was an amazing list of governors, congressional representatives and senators. I arrived first from my delegation and was the lone Nevadan saying the pledge of allegience. Sitting there bybmyself, I got a bit of attention, and ended up being interviewed by an Indonesian TV news, and then again by the UNLV news webream. The Florida delegatio (a truly fun bunch)also let me play beachball volleyball until my fellow delegates from NV arived.
One of my favorite speeches was Dennis Kusinich who implored us to "wake up America and realize that the nightmare that the republicans have created in terms of our country's relationship to the world, the economy, and in terms of government corruption and criminal behavior is not just a bad dream, but is REAL! He really got the crowd going!! The Senate women -- Barbara Mikulski, Barbara Boxer, May Landreau (LA), Blanche Lincoln(AK), Debbie Stabenow (MI), Maria Cantwell (WA), Claire McCaskill (MO), Amy Kloubichar (MN) -- laid out the "to-do" list and highlighted that President Obama will be the leader who will get those things done. PA governor, Ed Rendell, stated how Obama and Biden will lead us down the road to energy independence. Rep. Tammy Baldwin from Wisconsin talked about O is the change we need to ensure the 9 million uninsured and the many millions more under-insured in this country. Rep Xavier Becerra said that all workers should know that "they are in this house tonight," and labor issues and the dem party's issues. " I walk with those who build and those who dig, those who cook and those who clean, those who protect and those who serve. I walk with the workers. And so does Barack Obama!" John Sweeney, Pres. Of the AFL/CIO, said that, "Bush and Cheney have crushed the workers in the name of big-business, destroying the foundation and the hearts of our economy and our country."
Rahm Emanuel talked about the whittling away of the middle class during the republicans' last 8 years and said, "We will forever be in 'mission NOT accomplished'."
We heard storiers from "normal" peole like Katherine Mercano who is, at age 25, supporting her ailing mother and a sister with Cerebral Palsy, who said she is tired overwhelmed and frustrated with a system that says it doesn't have enough $ to help the disabled and she doesn't want to wait anymore for support. She said, "Barack Obama understands the needs of families like mine. Our country will move ahead when we all move ahead together."
The the big names arrived: Janet Napolitano, Karen Sebelius, Ted Strickland, Deval Patrick and Mark Warner.

Gov. Bill Schweitzer of Montana preceded Hillary and got us charged up. HE WAS FIRED UP!!! "What is John McCain? More of the same," was our chorus in a fun call and response. Actor Matthew Modine joined us for that speech!

And then Hillary arrived. Most of you probably saw it. But she was fantastic!! My favorite line: "No way, No how, No McCain!!" She received a tremendous, thunderous welcome and was greeted with thousands of very nice Hillary signs.

Hopefully the media will let it lie now and TALK ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE, like REAL issues!! There was a real sense of unity here tonight (and the signs were fun too!).

Photo from the convention floor

My buddy Xiomara Rodriguez, who is addressing the convention tomorrow night! We're on the convention floor.

Convention Day 2 (Tuesday) - Part 1

Kathleen Sebelius addresses the convention. (she's my pick for the first woman who will be president. You heard it here first!)
Great speeches so far, especially Dennis Kusinich who pleaded with Americans, "Wake up America!"
The Senate women took turns outlining the different points in a checklist for America, including equal pay for equal work, protection of the environment, a balanced checkbook, affordable healthcare, and more. There was a union leader who said, "I want a president who understands that organized labor is what creates and supports the middle class and is the foundation of a healthy economy.
More to come....

Tuesday Women's Caucus

Today after a lovely breakfast where we heardabout renewable energt projects and a health care policy lnstitute, I went to te women's caucus. The hghlight was hearing from Donna Brazile as she spoke quite strongly about how critical it is that we elect Obama in November to work with Nancy Pelosi and the Senate to lift our economy and put the needs of women, a living wage, health care, equal pay, reproducive freedom, education and many mire, on the front burner again. She told a story about a reporter who commented on the side to her after interviewing a female politician that the woman "must have PMS." Donna said, "I know a bit about PMS. That was NOT PMS. That 'PMS is not knowing how you're going to keep your job when you can't afford the child care to keep it or for the gas for the car to drive to work. That "PMS" is not beingb able to take your child to the doctor because you not have health insurance and can't pay the doctor bill. That 'PMS' is not being able to fee your abusive spouse befcause the shelter is full. And that 'PMS' is not knowing how many more tours in Iraq she will have to do." she was AWESOME!!

What a first night! Michelle Obama wows the world

Tuesday morning. I'm still amazed at last night's experience! Six hours flew by. The convention floor was incredible. We are right behind Florida, a fun bunch wearing hawaiian shirt and straw hats, flamingo sunglasses and tossing mini beach balls around. They did let us play too! The NV folks ssmed a bit dull next to them, but once Gibran (our youngest delegate at 18 and I got everyone up, we were dancing and having a blast. At times it felt like a big party, a great band playing Earth, Wind and Fire, Aretha, and more. And the speakers- WOW! Rev. Leah Daughtry set a great tone with a focus on justice and improving our world; Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi did a wonderful job as leaders; we heard moving presentations and tributes to Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, and so many more. I cried and realized how much I miss MA listening to Uncle Teddy - what a speech, and he gave it his all. John Kerry was in th crowd cheering his friend and colleague on. Caroline and many of the Kennedys were a great reflection of THE STRENGTH OF FAMILY. Caroline's tribute and the film with the K brothers was beautiful. And there were so many great women on that stage: Janet Napolitano, Sen. McCaskill, Pelosi and the woman who wowed the world: Michelle Obama. Like most of the people around me, I was in tears as she talked about her dad, her daughters and the man she loves. When she described the day Barack drove their baby home, I totally connecfted with that moment of feeling the greatest responsibility in life: raising a child. And she connected with every parent in the world, who has the dream and goal of making a better future for their children. That's what this election is all about: the future for her daughters, for my daughter, for all the children. What a great first lady she will make. What a DIFFERNT example she will make, as her brother said so well, a remarkable, brilliant, beautiful person IN HER OWN RIGHT. And when Malia and Sasha came out and interacted with their daddy, the world saw the democratic party's version of "family values," of what a family looks like and means. If they hadn't seen it befor I think the world saw Barack and Michelle Obama as the REAL and caring people they truly are. I loved the "Hi Daddy" from Sasha and the "Hi Erardo family" from Malia. The first thing I wanted to after the event concluded was to callb Krystina, who wants to write to Malia and ask her what t's like to have Barack Obama as a dad. She was teary when I called, telling me that she misses me a lot, but once I started telling her about Michelle's speech and seeing the girls, she said, "Mommy, I know that's why you're there: to change the world for ME." When I hung up with her, reflectng on what an amazing little girl I have and watching Michelle's speech on MSNBC, I cried some more, overwhelmed with a combination of exhaustion, emotion and adrenaline crash! And, that was just Day 1!

John Legend

Inspiring us with his voice and message: if you'tr out there, then you're ready now!

My first view of the convention floor. WOW!

I'm here! It's started!

HILLARY CLINTON addresses the Hispanic Caucus

She was great and STRONGLY moved everyone to strongly support Obama/Biden,

Hispanic caucus SURPRISE

Hillary Clinton was here!! She has had such great support in the latino community. She said loud and clear: "those who wish to divide Barack Obama and me, those who are trying to use my words and Joe Biden's words to show that we don't see him as a strong leader, I DO NOT APPROVE THIS MESSAGE!!!" She also said, "all of us came out during the primaries not to fight for a particular person, but to TAKE BACK THIS COUNTRY!!
Howard Dean is here now. More to come...

Sunday Faith In Action, Interfaith Gathering

It's the end of an incredible day. We attended the Interfaith Gathering this afternoon at the Convention Center (see photo with the blue bear and the beautiful white sculpture). This kick off event set the perfect tone for the convention, celebrating the diversity of spiritual traditions, but also highlighting the common themes among all the traditions: justice, the need for social action, care for others, especially the weak and vulnerable, and personal responsibility.

After a moving welcome by CO Gov. Bill Ritter and Rev Leah Daughtry (who said "We did not bring faith to the democratic party, faith was already here"), the prayers and reflections by spiritual leaders from Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish and Christian traditions were divided into responsibility to our children, to our neighbor (including those in other countries), to our nation and to our world.

Key messages and moments:
a pro-life bishop, Charles Blake, who emphasized how, while he may disagree with many dems on the issue of abortion, stressed that the dem party is the one that stands up against poverty, and for health, education and the future of our children and hit the nail on the head when he said that some of the loudest, ugliest voices who claim to be "pro-life," advocate for the rights of the unborn, but constantly refuse to support the rights of those ALREADY BORN.
Sister Helen Prejean moved the crowd of thousands to their feet by passionately imploring us to challenge violations of human rights, torture and the death penalty; and she reminded us all about the power of compassion and true forgiveness through the words of a murder victim's father, "I am not going to let hatred and bitterness take over my life, or then I will be dead too."
Rabbi Dr. Tevi Hersh Weinreb shared the message from the story of Hillel that "what is hurtful to you, do not do to your neighbor."
Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America reflected on the beacon of hope and freedom that the US has been and must continue to be as an example of a just, true and free people and how important it is to the world that we not lose that example.
The event put me in such a compassionate place, that I was able to keep smiling at the angry "pro-life" man leading a group of protesters with large horrific photos of mutulated babies, and it seemed that he was so thrown off by my smile that he became unable to keep spewing his anger into his megaphone, at least as long as I had him locked in a gaze with my smiling face. (I was glad to have felt differently than I did when I had entered the event - those protesters and their photos had really been getting under my skin and the event helped me let go of that ire).
We'll, ater a fascinating day, which culminated with a lovely dinner reception for our NV delegation, it's time to rest up for Day 1 of the Convention More tomorrow....

Sunday thoughts and more

PHOTO: Gov. Deval PatricK addresses the Stonewall convention

It's Sunday afternoon. What a contrast of experiences. After watching and discussing Biden and Barack's spech all afternoon, in the evening we strolled down the 16th street mall with all of its kiosks and t-shirt shops replete with obama gear. So many different buttons to choose from, even toilet paper with a drawing of Bush on it. As I thought about which of my friends might get the biggest kick out of it, I was struck by how, when I was growing up, we had faith in and at least a modicum of respect our political leaders, and how my dad would not allow us to show disrespect for our presidents, even the ones we didn't agree with. Now that changed a bit with Nixon, but the era of Bush has lent such embarrassment to the office of the president that I know my daughter feels no obligation to respect his leadership. As I looked at the toilet paper, I thought about how much I hope my daughter can once again, soon, respect the presidency as an office deserving of admiration and to see the president as an honest, committed, decent person! And, after this reflection, I decided not to buy the TP!

Walking down the 16th Street Mall is a bit risky as the very wide buses barely miss the sidewalk and the street looks more a pedestrian walkway then a road! But there is a BIG law enforcement presence here with large groups of uniformed officers on many corners. I think weve seen cops on horseback, on motorcycles on bicycles, in riot geae, riding on running boards of SUVs. They are letting their presence be felt!
And then it got interesting. We were eating at the Chilis in front o our hotel, when all of a sudden there were sirens and 3 SUVs surrounded the entrance to an alley that runs alongside our hotel. Cops were blocking off the entrance to and the sidewalk in front of the alley. They let us go back into our hotel, but from our room we could see the alley and it was full of law enforcement and the parking lot had oficers checking under cars. Sowe decided to get out of the building. On the way ou I asked one of the cops what was going on, and he said something about a "suspicious device." When I asked him if residents of the hotel sould be concerned, he said it might be a good time to take a stroll! By the time we came back 0 minute they had evacuated the entire block of the Mall in front of our hotel. We heard an explosion wwhen they detonated the device and about 10 minutes later they reopened the street. (One side note: before going back to our room, we stopped at the 7/11 and we met Donna Brazille from CNN - I think she's awesome and I loved her during the hearing on MI & FL. She told me she'd come look for me on the convention floor! But I digress...) We saw a huge van and FBI folks with sniffing-dogs out in the alley for a couple of hours afterwards.
Today there are even more officers out on the streets, one of whom explained that they had found a homeless person's backpack in the alley and it had originally tested positive for explosives, although it turned out to be nothing. Today the so-called pro-life folks have been marching and there have been various protests with standoffs with police, some arrests, but nothing that serious.
This morning I went to the Stonewall Brunch for the LGBT community, where we had great presentations from the co-chairs Loir McBride fro CA and Steven Driscoll from MA. Both have been able to marry their same-sex partners because of groundbreaking laws in their states (CA's is being challenged, unfortnately). One of favorite lines was from Steven: divorce threatens marriage, domestic violence threatens marriage, poverty threatens marriage, but marriage doesn't threaten marriage! I was moved by a presentation from a PFLAG member (parents & friends of lesbians and gays) emphasizing the power of connecting to folks with their love of their children. He said that he had 3 children, 2 who are heterosexual and married and the other who is a lesbian and with a life-partner, and that he would never imagine loving any of them less because of who they chose to love. It was so inspirational! Stonewall as made great strides in moving GLBT rights to have a stronger place on the agenda of the Dem party.
A highlight of the breakfast was hearing and meeeting DEVAL PATRICK, Gov of MA. He has been such an ally on ga rights and made links between the rights of GLBTs and everyone's rights to live, liberty and pursuit of happiness. For those who say LGBT issues aren't "their" issues and aren't "that important," he said, we need only remind them that once we deny freedom and rights to one group, we start denying them for all of us. It was great to shake his hand.
I'm off to a reception. More on the day, including the amaing "Faith in Action Interfaith Ceremony" later..

Here's a view from our room at the Coutyard Marriott in downtown Denver. Can you see the wall art? Wonderful!You can see the Pepsi Center in the distance to the right of the cranes.
WHAT AN EVENT today! Biden was fantastic! Listening to his strong voice made me remember his voice not only on Nicaragua, but also during discussions about the Violence against Women Act. As I neglected to mention that in my previous email, Biden was one of VAWA's original sponsors and has always been one of the champions of the domestic violence movement in Congress.
I am FIRED UP!! I can't believe I'm here and a par of this!
Denver is abuzz, people everywhere. I had the great fortune to sit next to a talented young man named A.J., who is the lead assistant to Rep. Clyburn, Majority Whip in the House of Representatives. What a fascinating job! From his perspective, all the buzz about issues with Hillary supporters at the Convention are just media hype because it makes a good story.
In addition to A.J., we met delegates from Iowa, D.C., & Minnesota, all "real" people (i.e, grass roots folks like me.) I LOVE THIS CAMPAIGN for how I has inspired so many people to get involved!
More to come...

So here we are on the United flight to Denver! We're on our way! This morning we met a wonderful Obama volunteer, Trinidad, who is here from Palm Springs. He'll be staying at our house while we're away and maybe longer. There are a number of folks here from California, dedicating their lives as volunteers because Reno is "ground zero" for the election - it is very possible that winning Reno for O will be what wins the election for him, NV is THAT imporant.
So far this morning everyone we meet seems to be O supporters. The sky cab guys noticed my button and Patrick's "Contender" t-shirt (from the TIME magazine cover). One of them said, "We need a big "W" - not, he was quick to point out, for "George W," but for a 'WIN' for the rest of us!" Then, when we were boarding the plane the flight attendant told me she liked my O button. When I mentioned I was going to th DNCC, she said she was volunteering at the Presidential exhibit there. The other flight attendent said he was happy about O's choice of Biden for VEEP and joked that Barack must have been "BIDIN' his time." :-) (We were quick to make sure everyone we spoke with was registered to vote! I ask everyone I meet that these days!)
I know I'm pleased with the choice of Biden. (I was rooting for him). He's experienced, carries a strong presence, and a bit of a bull-dog; moreover, he has terrific foreign policy experience as well, which adds a lot to ticket. I remember his name as co-sponsor of lots of bills in Congress dealing with US policy toward Central America during my time in Nicaragua, legislation that I respected. In fact, I remember his being one of the strongest voices against continuing US aid to the Contras during the Congressional debate in 1986, which I listened to on my radio from my kitchen table in Managua with my Nicaraguan friends (I remember the strange feeling as I listened, knowing how much the vote of my government, minor perhaps in the eyes of most Americans, meant to the Nicaragua people and their country, the difference between being able to rebuild their country and invest in their health and education programs, and, most importantly, bring their men -some as young as 15 - back from the war zones). My respect for Biden grew during those years and continues today.
With this announcement of VP, the mood at the convention will be fired up even more (if that was even possible!). I'm also hopeful the pick, along with the convention, will be boost in momentum and push back on the recent developments in some of the polls (showing McCain gaining ground - INSANE!)...
As we travel over the gorgeous and isolated NV desert, I am reminded of how important it is for us to preserve this beauty and of how critical it is for us to make a change in how we develop and impact our earth. What has prompteed me to throw myself into this campaign and the thing that is carrying me to Denver is my commitment to Krystina and all the children and future generations, to ensure that we leave them a clean environment, as well as a world with leaders they can trust and respect, more hope, more collaboration than conflict, and real opportunities to learn, succeed and contribute their gifts to the world. We can't continue in same direction. As Barack says, we are at a critical moment in our history as a nation and as a planet. Wemust' and will' make a change NOW!!

Meeting Barack Obama

Hello friends and family,

First of all, thank you for your support and generosity in helping us get to Denver.

I know it will be exciting!

However, I have to tell you that Sunday was probably even more amazing then Denver will be We held a town meeting for Barack Obama to which only 250 people were invited (mostly union folks). Patrick and I volunteered for the event so we were able to attend as well. After the event, Barack spent a lot of time meeting people individually and shaking hands (I think he met everyone) and Patrick got to exchange a few words with him, and I did as well, during which he signed the picture I have of Krystina with another 10-year old named Mariah. (Mariah's grandmother, Xiomara Rodriguez, is another one of the Nevada delegates, so we'll be in Denver together).

Then, in an incredible turn of events, he offered to spend some time with the northern NV delegates after the event was over, and I was able to talk with him and have him sign my copy of his book, "Audacity of Hope." He was so kind, genuine, and even more handsome in person! We talked about how hard we are going to work on the ground to win Nevada for him, since Nevada is one of the battle-ground states and Reno/Washoe County is where the most of the work needs to be done. In addition, we talked briefly about our children and about education, and I shared with him Krystina's suggestion that teachers and pro basketball players swap salaries. He thought that was a good idea!! I also mentioned that Krystina and Mariah want to write to Malia Obama, his 10-year old, and ask what it's like to have a dad running for president. Krystina would have loved to have been there, but she is in western NY with her dad for her half-sister's wedding.

I can't say I've been toungue-tied too many times in my life, but this was one of those moments that I felt like I didn't know what to say. All I know is he has to win in November!!

Thanks for letting me share this remarkable moment with you. And thank you again for your love and support!! YES WE WILL!!

Love and hugs,

Veronica