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.