The Silver Spring Penguin

DENVER — Monday started off with me and my boss headed for an interview on NPR’s “News & Notes” program. One the way, we ran into Jon Meacham, top editor at Newsweek, who just wrote an interesting cover article on Barack Obama’s relationship with his father. Famous people were everywhere — at least famous for DC. People like George McGovern, Al Sharpton, Howard Dean and Nancy Pelosi were there.

Later, I attended a Progressive Book Club luncheon with a host of amazing authors who sat around a table and discussed whether the conservative movement was dead. Editors with The New Yorker and The National Review, and New York Times best-selling authors, covered everything from terrorism to the downfall of the religious right. At one point I looked over at the guy next to me, and he was playing Brick Breaker on his BlackBerry. I just had to laugh — a kindred soul!

I attended a few more interviews and then headed to the Pepsi Center for the night’s political speeches. Buses idling outside designated hotels picked up credentialed people, then crawled for 45 minutes in two miles of traffic, security points and a hundred other buses full of political junkies.

Fortunately, I got there early and received a guest pass to CNN’s “grill”. It’s a diner on the ground floor of a brick building within the security perimeter — a blessing, because once inside, I didn’t want to leave. It was a terrible pain to wait in line and go through security checks, like the airport but with a few hundred people at one check point.

Courtesy of Flickr user LEH4.

The CNN Grill itself was awesome! It had a western theme and outdoor seating, with huge flat-screen TVs for watching CNN’s live convention coverage. The best part: Everything was free! Burgers, pasta, booze and desserts. I sat down and got a good buzz going, considering it took one and a half hours to get my food. The server must have thought I wouldn’t notice the long wait if she quickly refilled my glass. I still noticed but wasn’t feeling any pain.

After watching Ted Kennedy’s speech, I raced into the Pepsi Center. My press credentials got me near the main floor but didn’t permit me to stay there for some reason. Being opportunistic, I noticed a clear path towards the West Virginia delegation, which was half empty. I snaked my way down there and quickly found a great seat. I turned my “inadequate” credentials inside out and settled in for a great night of entertainment — I mean, political speeches.

Courtesy of Flickr user Spotbott

The stadium was jammed with thousands (if not tens of thousands) of people, packed in at all sides and angles. They went a long way to make a big show of it — balloons, banners, pretty lights and plenty of red, white and blue. In between speeches, Obama volunteers ran up and down the aisles handing out signs reading “Common ground” or “Change”. Right before Michelle Obama went on, they handed out tall picket signs that read “Michelle”. Political crackheads collected dozens of these things to take home. Don’t judge, I told myself. Just enjoy.

Suddenly, Madeleine Albright sat right in front of me with her posse. This is really cool, I thought. My boss, who knew everybody there, walked up and down the aisles, hugging and kissing everyone. I just tried to remember their names so I didn’t look like a total idiot. This was all very new to me, and while it was exciting, I had to force myself not to get caught up in the drama of it all — the glamor of the lights, music, speeches and personalities.

In reality, the convention process isn’t about attendees, or the candidate, or which party wins the most seats in Congress. It’s about change within each American — not just those whom we elect — to recognize that we too play significant roles in our country’s evolution. Relying on the next president to solve the nation’s problems won’t cut it. We’ve got some serious work to do ourselves and in our own backyards.

Obviously, all this “change you can believe in” had seeped into my pores. It was late and I had to get my boss back to the Pepsi Stadium by 6:00 a.m. for a CNN interview. Too bad the CNN Grill wouldn’t open until 3:00 p.m. I sure could use a bloody Mary to start my day!

Jason Gedeik is a member of the South Silver Spring Neighborhood Association and a political junkie (at least for this week).

Lead photo courtesy of Flickr user Spotbott.