Convention Coverage: Reporter's Notebook

DemCon 08: What Was it Like?

By Jill Kuraitis, 9-01-08

	One of many crowded press rooms.

These questions are from email received during the Democratic National Convention in Denver.  Plus I made a few of them up.

Q.  What was it like? 
A.  The whole town was a big party around the clock. Street music, hawkers with every kind of Obama product you can name, Denver “hosts” in official tee-shirts directing people everywhere.  The 16th Street Mall is like a long Main Street with open space in the middle, which was occupied by vendors selling everything from political memorabilia to on-the-spot neck massages. You had to walk this mob scene every day to get to the Pepsi Center, but it was great fun.

Q. Did you meet anybody famous?
A.  I shook Caroline Kennedy’s (who is very short) and Michelle Obama’s (who is very beautiful) hands, and got ten feet from Jimmy Carter (who is looking frail) who turned and smiled at me when I stupidly called out, “Mr. President!” (what was I going to say next? Come over here and talk to little old me? I was without a master plan.) I met Clinton’s Secretary of Labor Robert Reich (who really is 4’5”.) I sat next to either Judy Woodruff or Leslie Stahl on a press bus, but she was asleep so I’m not sure which one it was. And around the press halls it was hard to miss Diane Sawyer (who is tiny) Keith Olbermann (who wears very expensive clothes) Joe Scarborough (who is skinnier than he looks on TV) and Rush Limbaugh (whom it’s really hard to miss). And I met quite a few Congresspeople, but I’ll be danged if I remember who.

I got squished between humorist Dave Barry and a fence at Invesco Field, which I didn’t know until I turned and we were almost face to face. Over the deafening din, “DAVE!” I said, knowing he has Idaho ties through his friend, author Ridley Pearson:  “I’M FROM IDAHO!” “WHAT’S UP IN IDAHO?” he shouted. “I HAVE FOLLOWED YOUR INSTRUCTIONS AND OWN A MAIN DOG AND A SMALL AUXILIARY BACKUP DOG!” I said, idiotically quoting my all-time favorite Dave Barry line. “IDAHOANS ARE SO GOOD THAT WAY!” he yelled, and we parted.

Q. Weren’t there too many police?  Looked scary on television.
A. I didn’t see any actual police action, but they were freakin’ everywhere. 99% were friendly and helpful.  There were Denver police, Secret Service, SWAT teams, cops with sniffing dogs, scores of mysterious black SUVs, private security cars and trucks, imported officers from as far away as Brooklyn, bicycle cops, cops on scooters, cops on horses. The intimidation factor was clearly the idea.  If anyone with designs on sabotage or violence had thought of pulling something off, they would be eligible for the Darwin Awards.

Q. If I go to a convention as a vendor, what should I sell?
A.  Band-Aids.  Clean socks. Sneakers made of clouds. In fact, hire a podiatrist to sit in the street and dispense advice.  You’ll make a fortune.

Q. What was your favorite behind-the-scenes memory?
A1.  Watching Joe Biden in a basement hallway with his new young campaign staff, soothing them about how everything would be fine, instead of the other way around.

A2.  The sound of Keith Olbermann yelling his brains off at his staff about something that had gone wrong, and the sound of them yelling back and calling him names that implied he has a bit of an ego problem. 

Q. What did you do in the evenings after the convention was over?
A.  Let’s just say it involved mojitos and music, and leave it at that.

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