Yes We Can!

It's Friday afternoon, and I'm sitting in the lobby of the Sheraton Hotel in Denver.

It's been a wonderful, amazing week here during the DNC convention. I have had the opportunity to be part of history - throughout the week as a delegate to the convention and then last night, as I sat in the seats on the floor of Invesco Field, I heard Sen. Barack Obama give an eloquent and inspiring speech.

There were speeches and receptions and breakfasts and parties. I got to spend time with some of my best friends and meet new friends. I connected with people I only knew through Facebook or had heard of through others and I shared this experience with 80,000 people at Invesco Field last night.

The following posts are my impresions of the week, breaking it down by events or time at the Pepsi Center.

But beyond the fun photos and the great opportunities that I had this past week is a unified message of hope that was sent throughout this convention. Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. Joe Biden offer a change of course for our country, and opportunity to move to a new legacy, a 21st Century America, that deals with the tough realities that working men and women in our country face. Together, we have the ability to reject the failed policies of the last eight years and focus on the

During last night's speech I was most struck when Obama spoke not only of our differences, but our shared vision. To quote Sen. Barack Obama:

We may not agree on abortion, but surely we can agree on reducing the number of unwanted pregnancies in this country.

The reality of gun ownership may be different for hunters in rural Ohio than for those plagued by gang-violence in Cleveland, but don’t tell me we can’t uphold the Second Amendment while keeping AK-47s out of the hands of criminals.

I know there are differences on same-sex marriage, but surely we can agree that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters deserve to visit the person they love in the hospital and to live lives free of discrimination.

Passions fly on immigration, but I don’t know anyone who benefits when a mother is separated from her infant child or an employer undercuts American wages by hiring illegal workers.

This too is part of America’s promise – the promise of a democracy where we can find the strength and grace to bridge divides and unite in common effort.

What a message.

When I got involved in politics 5 years ago, it was because I was inspired by Gov. Howard Dean's candidacy. But Sen. Obama has brought that to a whole new level, and inspired a whole new group of young people and those who have felt disenfrancished by politics.

This week was not the end -- it is the beginning of the next stage of the '08 presidential campaign.

Sen. Obama cannot do this alone. Each one of us must take the responsibility to talk to our friends and neighbors. To volunteer at a phone bank or register voters. Together we can make a statement to the world that the United State of America is ready to for CHANGE and ready to tackle the real problems that we face.

Thursday Night Photos

Here are photos from Invesco Field - in opposite chronological order.

After the speeches...

(Becca, Cecilia Cabello and Jim Kennedy.)

(Becca and Board of Equalization Chairperson Judy Chu.)

(The crowd celebrates!)

California for Obama!


Senator Obama inspires the nation!

(Mayor Newsom and his new wife watch the Obama speech.)

Becca is ready to hear Sen. Obama speak!


Joe Biden -- the next Vice President of the United States.

(Joe Biden is ready to hit McCain and Palin hard during the campaign.)

Al Gore!

(Al Gore speaks as the sun starts to set on Invesco Field)

(Al Gore gets an energetic welcome.)

Becca takes a moment to get pictures with fellow delegates and special guests...

(Becca poses with CDP Chairman Art Torres, who was so happy to have his work done for the convention!)

(San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, who sat two rows behind me.)

(West Hollywood City Councilmember John Duran, who sat next to me for the Obama speech.)

(Super Delegate Ed Espinosa - on of my two Obama speech watching seatmates.)

(Former CA Governor Gray Davis - looking a little blurry.)

At Inveco Field -- and the musical performances ...

(Sheryl Crow rocks out!)

(will.i.am performs "Yes We Can" and fires up the crowd.)

(Nancy Pelosi opens up the ceremonies at Invesco Field.)

(Outside the field ... but inside security.)

Monday Night - On the Convention Floor

I am in absolute awe of this amazing opportunity to be at this '08 DNC Convention. I was in Boston, but not as a delegate. And it was fun and a great experience. But yesterday, when I walked into the Pepsi Center, it took my breath away. The place was decked out with red, white and blue.

The perimeter was pretty far out - and the whole week is going to include a LOT of walking. But you walk through the securtiy gates and see the huge Pepsi Center with all the DNC banners. You walk by the CNN Grill, where the exposed brick building has been painted with the CNN logo. And then you get into the convention center itself, and you can feel the buzz...

(Holding up my credentials outside the Pepsi Center)

I got there extremely early (2:30 PM), because Fox 11 was following around myself and another Young Democrat, Rachel Pellam, and asked us to get there early. So while the energy of the crowd was just beginning to build, it gave us a great chance to walk around and get up close to the stage.

Wow.

(On the floor, waiting for the Convention to begin)

(Near the stage, at the beginning of the programming)

The CA Delegation is not on the actual floor, but our seats aren't horrible. We're actually right behind the CNN booth...

(CNN's Wolf Blitzer reporting -- right in front of the CA Delegation)

(CNN's John King, checking his blackberry at the CNN stage)

... which is how I was able to get this picture with Anderson Cooper!

(CNN's Anderson Cooper poses with Rachel Pellam and me)

Once the event really got rolling, we got to see just how impressive the production was. The stage has huge video screens that wrap above the stage to the ceiling, where images, colors and shapes are played, accenting the speaker. For instance, for the innvocation and benediction, they played what looked like stained glass. For the Sen. Kennedy introduction, there was a video and behind the major speakers are shapes or colors.

(The stage during Speaker Nancy Pelosi's speech)


(The stage during Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s speech)

In between the speakers, there are short Obama videos and lots of shots of delegates on the floor, waving and dancing. Yes, there are a lot of the stereo-typical delegates - decked out in buttons and weird hats. Several delegations have themes - for instance, Florida is wearing flamingo sunglasses and Alaska has matching jackets.

(Yep, this is Florida!)

As the evening moved on, more and more of our well-known local delegates showed up -- Mayor Villaraigosa (and his son), Controller Laura Chick, Councilmembers Garcetti, Greuel and Hahn, Congressmembers Maxine Waters and Diane Watson and School Board Member Yolie Flores Aguilar. I also sat two seats away from Delores Huerta for the majority of the major speeches. There were sightings of San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris (a wonderful young, dynamic political figure) and, celebrity-wise, Bill Maher.

(Council President Garcetti shows off his Obama Pride)

(Councilmember Janice Hahn was a huge fan of Michelle Obama's speech)

.... I'll break down the individual speechs in a later post. But the initial impression of the experience was a breathtaking one, and reminded me how incredibly lucky I am to be a part of this historic convention.

Hanging with the Minnesota Delegation

So, as a girl from Minnesota, I can't help but be excited that the California delegation is right next to the MN delegation. And though I have yet to see Garrison Keller, I did get to see a couple of my Minneapolis City Councilmember friends and they introduced me to the mayor of Minneapolis, R. T. Rybak...


... and (this is so cool to me!) former Vice President and Minnesotan Walter Mondale!


I just missed Al Franken (running for Senate in MN), but did yell "yay Minnesota!" to him when he walked by, and he waved. :)

Since we often have time to mill about and chat with people during the early convention proceedings, I expect to be stopping by there again!

Fox 11 News -- Becca & Rachel are Interviewed

I was on Fox 11 News tonight. Check out me and California College Democrat Rachel Pellam here:

Sunday Night - Sen. Padilla's Reception

The final party that I went to Sunday night was a "Project Vote Strong" party hosted by California State Senator Alex Padilla. It was held at the Limelight Supper Club, right down the street from the Convention Center and the hotel. (Denver reallyis a great city -- almost all of the events have been near the main pedestrian mall (16th Street), and there is a free bus that runs along until 1:30 AM or so. Very helpful for those of us walking around with high heels...!)

What I really liked about this reception was that it wasn't too full or crazy -- it was a good number of people, but with a very comfortable atmosphere. Lots of friends from Los Angeles, including Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Sen. Padilla's former colleague, City Councilmember Tony Cardenas and the Democratic Candidate for the 40th AD, Bob Blumenfield.


It's great to see the Los Angeles Delegation and other local Democratic activists out.

That's the last main party of the year ... went back to the Sheraton Hotel and hung out with a few friends...



... before going to sleep WAY too late! Have to get to the CA Delegation breakfast in the AM!

More Sunday Night Parties - At the Convention Center

After leaving the Phil Angelides party on Sunday night, I moved on to the Denver Convention Center which was hosted for all of the delegates at the convention.

(Reggie Jones Sawyer, Kellie Hawkins and me at the Convention Center)

The theme was "Salute to New Orleans" and I got there just in time to see the end of a speech by Governor Howard Dean. He is still a rock star to a lot of us - especially me.

I actually got involved in politics for the first time because of the 2004 Dean for President campaign. So it's always a pleasure to hear him speak.

The speech was good, but nothing new. Unity. Needing to get beyond the failed Bush policies. The 50-state strategy and taking it to the Republicans in every city and every state. And for mt superficial comment of the day -- boy has Gov. Dean lost weight! :)

After the speech I roamed around with a few friends and ran into a Facebook friend of mine that I actually met during the Dean campaign - Minneapolis City Councilmember Ralph Remington. And he introduced me to City Council Vice Chair Robert Lilligren and Andrew Falk, who is running for the Legislature in Minnesota. Here's picture:

(Minneapolis City Councilmember Robert Lilligreen, myeslf and Councilmember Ralph Remington)

This place was packed ... it was a wonderful start to the convention, with old friends, new friends and hundreds of delegates ready and excited about the coming week. Not to mention New Orleans themed food, include some kind of macaroni with crawfish and gumbo.

Sunday Night Parties - The Apollo Alliance

I think of the Democratic National Convention sort of like Sundance for political people. Sure, there are lots of things to do during the day and work to be done, but most of the fun and the networking happens at the parties.

Which means that all of us delegates have a list of lunches, receptions and parties that we have been invited to, the vast majority of which are free. (Not to mention open bar!)

Sunday night was a relative easy night of events. After checking in and getting my DNC and CDP (California Democratic Party) goodie bags -- and yes, there is a Mayor Villaragosa bobble-head in there! -- I headed out to a 6 PM reception hosted by the Apollo Alliance and a man that I'm a big fan of and consider a friend, Phil Angelides.


The Apollo Alliance is focused on "Clean Energy and Good Jobs" ... the reception was very nice, and I ran into a few Young Democrats that I knew, as well as some not so young Democrats. The highlight of the speaker section was Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who spoke in strong support of the Apollo Alliance and the need to reduce our dependance on foreign oil. Sure, that's nothing new. But hearing it so articulately being spoken about by the Speaker of the House of Represenatatives gives a person hope for action in the future. Especially when we have Sen. Barack Obama as our president!


Soon after Speaker Pelosi spoke, I headed out, and missed the rest of the program. But I had to get to the Convention Center for the big delegate event honoring New Orleans, with main speaker former Governor and now DNC Chairman Howard Dean!

Sunday Afternoon LA Electeds Sightings

The positive and energetic atmosphere in Denver is contagious. Everywhere you go, there are people you know - Democratic activists, labor leaders and elected officials.

Even as I stepped into the Sheraton, I ran into Congressmember Diane Watson, Senator Alex Padilla*, Assemblymember Lori Saldana and Assemblymember Mike Davis.

A few minutes later I ran into Council President Eric Garcetti, and later Councilmembers Wendy Greuel and Janice Hahn with him. Later I saw Councilmembers Bernard Parks and Tony Cardenas and Mayor Villaraigosa.

Los Angeles is out in force!

* I know that Sen. Padilla is on an AM flight back to Sacramento on Monday, so he can get back in time for floor session ... never a break for the Legislature! (And I'm sorry to miss all my other friends who got stuck in Sacto because of the budget impass ...)

Friendly Denver

Let me tell you, delegates and convention goers are being treated incredibly well in Denver. As soon as Jim and I got off our plane, they gave us information and cards for our return flight, so we could get priority boarding and priority luggage handling. Then they whisked us off in a little golf cart to the baggage claim before giving us free super shuttle rides to the Sheraton Downtown, where the full California Delegation is staying.

In Downtown Denver, there are volunteers on most corners, ready to assist and point us in the correct direction. I've already used them a few times ...

So, thanks Denver volunteers!

Denver or Bust!

Sunday morning I set out to Union Station to grab the Fly-away to LAX for my 10:40 am flight. I wasn't too surprised to see several people I knew at the airport, all on our way to Denver. I traveled with my good friends and former LACYD Executive Board Member Jim Kennedy.

Here's a photo of me checking in for the flight ...

And here's a photo of Jim! (Breakfast of champions!)



Having been to the Convention in Boston (but not as a delegate), I knew that we were in for what would be a very busy, incredibly exciting week. But with 7-10 things happen every day in addition to the regular convention procedures, I actually put together a full binder to keep track of the events and parties...



There was a great energy on the plane and in the airport. People with Obama shirts and buttons, Democrats talking about Biden as the VP choice or comparing notes on where they are staying or what their plans are in Denver.

Even just looking at my friends' Facebook status updates, I could tell that Denver would be packed with people I knew. Over half of my friends status included the word "Denver" and either "in" or "going to" with a few sad "wish I were going to" notes added in.

I think that Obama would have been smart to give away luggage tags with his logo on them for donations -- with the number of people from across the nation and the world who will be attending the convention, he could have made a killing!

Other than a few minutes of the worst turbulence I think I've ever experienced, the flight was uneventful and we arrived in Denver... Ready to help elect Barack Obama as the NEXT PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!