The Lean Times

Oh lordy, no lobbyists to pay for breakfast this morning. Bagles and fruit, not even a toaster. What's a poor delegate to do?

Not only that, but the receptions with food and drink are starting to dry up. Delegates are having to face the grim reality that they will actually have to pay for meals and liquor. Oh, the humanity.


So, I got lucky in the elevator. ( No, not that way.) I met someone from Kentucky ( we share hotel with their delegation.) We exchanged the usual " where you from" chat, then I joked that the Maine delegation had been hoping that the Kentucky delegation would bring bourbon samples to give to us. The guy winks and says " Follow me". We go to his room, and he hands me a goody bag with gift samples of 5 different Kentucky Bourbons. A discussion of the various merits of each product followed, along with an offer that if he ever comes to Maine, I'll treat him to lobster.

( Ken Bosley, whose wife is a delegate, runs a place called Moonlite Bar-B-Q. He also sells BBQ stuff, www.moonlite.com. Hey, least I can do is promote his website.)

I voted for Barack Obama this morning. We were given a sheet to vote with. The roll call results will be later today. Sen. Clinton is meeting with her delegates later this afternoon, so at 3 p.m. local time, they will vote based on how those discussions came out. I predict that Senator Clinton will get at least 2 votes from the Great State O' Maine.

So, Mark Penn is going to write Bill Clinton's speech. Wonderful. I'll be watching to see if he will be as supportive of Obama as his wife was. I'll also be watching to see if Clinton goes too long, forcing Biden's speech to get off schedule.

A tidbit on Clinton that didn't show up on TV: Deval Patrick, governor of Massachusetts, was giving a speech. In the middle of it, Bill Clinton gets up and starts to acknowledge the crowd. The Arkansas delegation starts to chant "Bill! Bill!" Part of the California and New York delegations chime in. Sort of makes it hard for people near those delegations to pay attention to Gov. Patrick's speech. I'm sure the fact that it was during the speech of a prominent black politician who supported Obama was the merest coincidence. It's all about the Clintons.

Heard a great symposium yesterday on media and politics. Basically, the problem with "new media" is that so many people just talk to or read the blogs of people who reinforce what they already believe, leading to more hardened, extreme positions on both sides. With the diminished role of network news, and the fragmented sources of information available to people, debates on any issue can't even include the same set of facts over which to argue.

At the delegation breakfast this morning we heard an Obama advisor on environment and energy. Damned if I can remember his name. He essentially explained that Obama's energy policy sees offshore drilling as a possible small part of a component of an overall energy strategy that will focus mainly on alternatives to fossil fuels.

If I were advising them, I'd say " What would we drill with? There is a world-wide shortage of oil rigs. They take 2 years to build. What do we do between now and 2010?"

There was also a woman who spoke in favor of the Employee Free Choice Act. People need to be reminded that the current system allows employers to delay elections and pressure employees into voting against a union. The new plan allows them to sign a card, and if there are enough signed cards, that signifies a pro-union vote. It's no more invasive than asking someone to declare a party preference when they register to vote, which everybody does.

ok, off to today's events, and the search for sustenance.