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July 27, 2004

A City Taken Over

By David S. Kerr

As I write this the Democratic Convention has just begun and the weather is picture perfect. The sun has been out all day and the normally warm Boston summer has retreated temporarily making this first evening of the convention feel more like mid September than late July.

The City, for a few days at least, has been utterly and completely taken over by the Democrats. Vendors, hotels, restaurants, museums, and stores, most sporting Kerry stickers and buttons, all seem like extensions, at least temporarily, of the Democratic Convention.
To say that the security in and around the convention site is intense is an understatement.

So far this evening I have seen officers from the Massachusetts State Police, the U.S. Park Service, the Federal Protective Service, what I think was the U.S. Secret Service, the Boston Police, the Boston "T" Transit Police, and the Harbor Police. However, that's just the police presence. There is also the military presence, with Navy, Army and Marine Corps personnel, several hundred of them, if not more, stationed all around the city, helping to beef up what is already an impressive security force.

All in all, this is one time when I visit a big city that I'm not worrying about my wallet.

The Democrats, to put it mildly, are in a jovial mood. There are delegates from every state and territory as well as Democratic congressmen, senators, governors, and state legislators from all around the country. But, it would be trite to say that they are just here to have a good time. Though that most certainly is on the list there is a lot more going on here than just a big party.

No, what's going on is a lot deeper than that. These folks are here with a purpose. Underneath the smiles, the hand holding, and the backslapping is a unity of purpose. Something, I can tell you, that as a long time watcher of politics, doesn't happen that often at Democratic events.

Sure, Democrats always want to beat the Republicans, but this year its different. There are none of the usual little squabbles, animosities, or rivalries left over from the primaries that usually, even at this point, still linger at the convention. There are no credentials fights, no platform debates, and no arguments over the lineup of speakers. No, this year, these people know what they're here for. Uniformly, this is a convention that is resolutely focused on beating George Bush.

I was in the audience this evening at a live remote broadcast of a session of the CNBC's Hardball with Chris Mathews and got a taste of the sense of purpose the Democrats have this year. Bill Richardson, Wesley Clark, and Senator Debbie Stabinaw from Michigan, were all guests on the program, and try as Mathews did to bring out their differences, goad them into saying something that would offer a hint of disunity in the Democratic Party's intensity, he couldn't.
Of course, that may be a bit of their problem at the moment too, and I have heard several delegates making this point.

The party is understandably focused on getting the President out of office, but at the same time, many of the delegates aren't quite sure they have really gotten to know the man they will nominate the day after tomorrow.

That's what many of them are hoping will happen this week. Namely, that the Convention, the speakers, and finally the acceptance speech, will offer their nominee, John Kerry, a chance to define himself and start a momentum that will carry them all the way to November.
Several delegates have reminded me of the 1992 Democratic Convention.

That year, the Democratic Convention gave Bill Clinton the bounce and the energy that propelled his candidacy into front runner status. A position, in that year's race against President Bush, that he never lost. Many are hoping that maybe this week, John Kerry can take a page from history, and do it again.

Posted by laura at July 27, 2004 10:23 AM

Comments

I'm enjoying your website so much. If I can't be there I can at least see what's happening with VA delegation! You guys may not know that Mark Warner was on the Al Franken show on Air America radio at noon today. He did a great job -- no doubt just a preview of things to come in Thursday's floor session. Please pass along congratulations to him. Franken's show, by way of computer audio streaming, is an almost daily luncheon companion and it was great to hear Mark. You guys have a wonderful time, tell Susan Swecker, Larry and Lindsay hello for me. All of us back home are very proud of you and look forward to getting to work when you get back home.

Posted by: Georgia Reynard at July 27, 2004 12:59 PM