Thursday Excitement

Tonight was everything it promised to be, with the magnificent speeches, the patriotism, and of course the stoic Republican values all wrapped up into a series of presentations by people I’d previously only seen on t.v.
Here's a shot of the Arizona Delegates:

The crowd was very receptive and excited, chanting whenever a speaker gave a pause in their speech. There were more people dressed to impress, and some new signs that read “I Love Cindy” out in the crowd.


I know if I had a friend at a major national event, I’d be impressed if they called me and let me hear the ongoings over their phone. So I kept texting people, asking them if they wanted me to call them. Nobody seemed to be that much into it. Well, okay, I’ll just keep texting.
Of course everyone was waiting to see McCain. Funny how inspiring this 5’6” guy has suddenly become.

The presenters leading up to his appearance gave details of his life, and at one point I texted Sergi that his story always gets me choked up. He endured torture for five years and kept alive merely with a spirit that most Americans will never have for their country. Could I stay afloat in such a circumstance? Don’t know. He’s likely a much stronger person than I.


Tom Ridge spoke to the audience, as a close friend and a colleague of McCain’s. He said when he first saw McCain, he was pointed out to him then just as he is with most people now, “Hey, THAT’S John McCain!”

Cindy McCain spoke and I have to admit she has the same bad habits in public speaking that I have. I’m not letting you know what those habits are, just know that I’m working on it. We’ll get better, in time.
When John came out, the crowd once again came unglued. I thought it was a nice touch, with the podium coming up out of the stage for him. Viewers at home didn’t see that part. I have a video of it.
His speech made a lot of promises and the consensus was a huge hope that he’d actually follow thru with them all. We’ll have to see how that goes.
The balloon drop was a much anticipated, and I was glad to be where I was when it happened! I had a great view of everything, and managed to get a lot of photos of the confetti and balloons as they started dropping. The music made it feel like a rock concert, and everyone just had a great time bouncing the balloons and dancing around.
Here's the balloon drop from Buster's perspective on the floor:

And here it is from my perspective in the balcony:

Buster and I met outside and immediately began negotiating with the souvenir salesmen for some presents to take home. Steve’s dad is a big-time Republican and I wanted to be sure to get him something from the convention.

We also got some more pictures of protesters and the “Free Hugs” people. If you ever go to YouTube and look up the Free Hugs thing, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

Buster was interviewed by a newspaper guy from San Francisco, and it turns out the guy was really familiar with Havasu.
We need to remember to find out why Buster was in the Atlanta newspaper this week. The people from the Georgia delegation had to get more photos of him because they were doing some sort of story and it had to do with his bolo tie. Here is a picture of a reporter from California interviewing THE MAN after we left the Convention Center:


We packed our boxes of souvenirs (yep, got a few) and labeled them for Fed Ex on Friday, and said goodnight to everyone. We had a 4:00am shuttle to take us to the airport, so we attempted to get a few hours sleep before then.
Upon leaving in the morning we met up with Lou who is a delegate from Tucson. He managed to stay up ALL NIGHT in the hotel lobby talking with other people from the Convention. Trooper.

Now that I am home I plan to organize everything from the Convention--newspaper articles, pictures, stories, etc, so I can have something to show around the family.
It was a great experience, and I am humbled as well as proud that I was able to take part in it.

Uh Oh

I saw on the news that the protesters were once again forming a mob on the bridge down the street. It's less than a block away, their goal is usually to keep delegates from getting into the convention center. Information like that is disseminated to the different delegations and their response is to require the delegates to be in their seats inside the convention center much earlier than planned. It keeps them safe, and guarantees they'll be able to attend.
Buster found out this afternoon that he needed to be in the Convention Center by 5:15, so I opted to stay in the room with a blanket on. I'll assume that position for a while, until I absolutely have to go get in line to get in the Convention Center.

After I saw the protesters on the bridge on tv, I looked outside and sure enough there were vans full of SWAT members heading that way. They were riding with their doors propped open so they could hop out at a moment's notice.
I'm sure we'll be safe, when I do decide to go get into the Convention Center, but I regret that my bodyguard won't be available because it's a luxury I've had all week. Whenever I am walking somewhere with Buster nobody even THINKS of screwing with me. But as soon as I'm alone I've got a protester or demonstrator of some kind getting in my face. Hey, peace and love man, back off.

Tonight should prove to be just as exciting as last night, with McCain's appearance. We're all McCain worshippers and it's fun to see how pumped up everyone gets. I don't think I'd ever aspire to be a politician at a federal level, because of the amount of uncomfortable attention that they get. I'm more interested in something state level. I really do feel I could help straighten out the state of the state. That's several years away, I know I need a lot more experience and support before I go and do something that ambitious.

I suppose I will get some rest before I make the huge committment to the Convention Center journey. Wish me luck.

Yeah Baby

We are in our formal wear today, because that is the dress code for Thursday. We met with the Arizona Delegation this morning for our group photos, and now we are getting everything packed. We will be shipping our stuff in boxes since it's a much more reliable option to checking luggage with the airlines. And probably a lot cheaper. This afternoon is yet another reception, and then we have to be in the Convention Center at 5:45 for the proceedings to begin. I think tonight will be one of the more exciting things about this whole experience, and I am definitely looking forward to it. Buster won't admit it but I'm sure he's excited, too. I told him to get good pictures of McCain tonight or I'd beat him. If I'm feeling up to it, I may walk around tonight and get some photos.

These Shoes Were Made For Walkin

I bought these shoes at K Mart several years ago, and they have been the shoe of choice for me this week as we have walked literally miles and miles and miles. My other shoes that I packed are not possible as they look really great but they are torture devices.
This posting is an ode to the "Old Faithful" shoes that have gotten me thru a lot of walking this week.

Electricity Incorporated

We certainly had a full day of activities, with the volunteering and meetings and stuff. I tried napping, but my phone wouldn’t stop and then as soon as I fell asleep “Ping Pong” the guy who turns down the beds came to the door. STOP IT I AM SICK.
While I attempted to rest Buster attended the Quest Reception for the Arizona Delegates. Once again, very impressive. I've taught him how to photograph ice sculptures and food, because that's more important than politicians and stuff like that.

I headed to the Convention Center about an hour late, but it was fine because just like yesterday it took them while to get going. I was feeling surly tonight and didn’t want to sit thru more unnecessary speeches.
On the walk over to the convention, I encountered numerous demonstrators. I plan to have a blog posting dedicated to all the protesters I’ve photographed over the past week. There were plenty.
I stood in a line approximately a city block long to get thru the security check. There’s always a line, but because I was going in late I had to wait with all the other last minute people. Buster had gone in already, so I didn’t have my bodyguard.
The convention was moving right along once I got into my seat, and unfortunately the balcony was FULL this time, instead of the usual ghost town atmosphere that I’d been enjoying all week. Everyone was there to see Palin.
I walked by an area and noticed the ENORMOUS equipment in the balcony, I am assuming they're cameras:







Obviously I wasn't trying very hard to get great photos, because I was feeling pretty awful and all I wanted to do is sit in the balcony and space off.
We enjoyed great speeches from Romney, Huckabee, and several others, but the place just about blew the roof off when it was time for Palin. We watched her family get escorted to the seating below our balcony, and the two very enthusiastic young guys next to me were literally giddy over seeing Palin’s husband Tony in person. Giddy.
Her speech was strong, she stood her ground, and it was fun to watch. She mentioned her critics, like MSNBC. As if on cue, the delegates behind the Arizonans on the floor began pointing to the photographers and chanting, “MSNBC! MSNBC!” It was as if they were saying “Shame on you!”
I watched the journalists turn around at the suddenly hostile crowd, confused, as if they were shocked that anyone would criticize anything they had to bitch about on national t.v.
John Kyl appeared with the Arizona delegates for a time:

Directly across the convention center, during Palin’s speech, I saw a flurry of activity. A female protester had managed to push her way past a security guard and she was tumbling and running down the stairs toward the stage. She was stopped by Secret Service at the bottom of the stairs, merely 15 feet away from the stage. Palin didn’t seem to notice because it was pretty much behind her.
She finished her very powerful speech and then brought her family on the stage to introduce them. Of course we all had eyes on the 17 year old’s baby bump…ooooh…..
Then Palin took her baby from her husband, and held him against her chest. When she turned away from the crowd the baby’s eyes had opened up. What a doll.
Then McCain walked out. To a crowd like ours, it was as if Jesus had popped out from behind the curtain. The place just came unglued. Cheers went on and on for several minutes, and finally when McCain had us calmed down he said only a few words and then retreated to the back stage area. Buster's photos of McCain were all blurry, this one was the best. Perhaps his hands were trembling???
Gretchen Wilson and company came out to sing, but it was mostly lost on me because I was still shocked about McCain coming out like that. The second performer was a country singer and I have no idea what his name was. Oh, Buster just told me it's John Rich, from Big and Rich.

He sang the Raising McCain song and we all rocked out like good little McCain worshippers.


The official business portion of the convention Wednesday was roll call, where the states individually cast their votes for the candidates. Here's Secretary of State Jan Brewer casting Arizona's 53 votes. She had a wall of media in front of her.

Leaving the Convention Center we were freezing our pitooties off, because the weather in St Paul has turned dramatically. We met up with a couple of girls who called themselves the Media Whores, so I took a photo with them.


We ate a quick dinner at MIDNIGHT in the hotel's restaurant, and while we were eating Chris Matthews came in and sat nearby. I hear from people that he was pissed about what Palin said during her speech. Isn't he always pissed, though?

Election

Many people attending this convention are involved in politics in their respective communities, be it a volunteer like me or a paid politician such as Buster.
So yesterday was Primary Day for a lot of us.
Buster won over his opponent for the County Supervisor seat, and I won a position as a Precinct Committeeman. I've been bummed out all day because Dana didn't win his bid for the Superior Court Justice position. That's been on my mind.

I can see some delegates who'd previously been in good spirits this week are kind of muted today, and I can only assume Primary Day wasn't good for them. I suppose we'll drown sorrows after the convention tonight.

As I write this I can hear yelling outside; there are protesters doing something out there. Just as long as they leave me alone!!!

Not NOW!

I haven't been sick in ages, but today I woke up with a sore throat. As the day progressed I found myself feeling worse and worse. So now I'm taking it easy to let my body try and fight off whatever it is.

Our day began with a delegate meeting on a real paddleboat. We were bused out to a place called Stillwater, Minnesota, and we boarded the boat there.
Our brunch included entertainment from a band playing good old New Orleans style music, and as always the food was lovely. I spent some time getting to know the band.

We sat with John Munger, who has big political plans for the State of Arizona. Everyone will see soon what he's got under his hat.


After the brunch meeting we were bused into Minneapolis to take part in a big volunteer effort; we stuffed care packages for hurricane victims in the gulf coast states. The big sponsor was Target stores, they donated the materials such as deodorant, soap, toothbrushes, tooth paste, and hand sanitizer. We assembled the bags in a somewhat orderly fashion and then they were crated up into Fed Ex trucks.


Channel 3 News from Phoenix had given Buster an HD camera to capture some of the day's activities, so he looked like a member of the press today. He videoed us working at the hurricane relief project.

We were then bused back into St. Paul where there was an unusually high amount of activity downtown. Turns out there were protesters and the police had to respond in huge numbers to ensure everyone's safety. Yesterday afternoon after we'd gone into the convention center there were some delegates who were attacked out on the sidewalk as they made their way over to the convention. The protesters (I guess you could call them idiots, or vandals really) threw bleach and pursued the delegates.


So the protesters today were the Pink Army, and they were doing their usual to get attention. I stayed away, I didn't feel like getting bleached or tear-gassed.
And I needed to lie down in bed for a while!

I'm still feeling oogy, I think I will walk down to Walgreens and see what they've got to offer. After that I've got to get into the convention center because it's going to be a very exciting program tonight.

Tuesday Night Magic Time!

Lunch was expensive as usual—it’s always a minimum of $30 to have a simple meal. I needed the food, though, because I was STILL hurting from the martini extravaganza. I did walk over and talk to Fox News’ John Hook from Phoenix, along with his crew. I asked them how they were handling the wintery conditions today (it was 60 degrees at that time) and they were friendly. They were also quite shocked to see a couple of Havasu reps in Minnesota.

We walked over and watched the Chris Matthews circus across the street, then decided to get over to the Convention Center a little early. There were a few protesters, and I was glad to see the Pink Army working at a very minimal manpower. They are the very aggressive protesters who get in your face.
Had a quick dinner in the Members Only room:

The big excitement today in the convention was the press. The big dogs. The ones who have a job on a national level. Buster and I got many great pictures between the two of our cameras, and we were texting back and forth “I got Wolf Blitzer!” “I got Katie Couric!”


At one point, Cindy McCain and the kids came out onto the floor to greet people. Then I noticed that the Arizona Delegation had cleared four seats in their front row. It was for Cindy and the kids to sit with them. So Buster got to sit only a few feet away from Cindy. She abruptly got up and walked over to the other side of the Convention when George and Barbara Bush came in. She joined them in the balcony below me and I got to sit and stare at the back of their heads.
Buster was kind enough to switch credentials with me so I could come down out of the balcony and sit in his spot on the floor. That was a great experience, to be out there with the press and the others chanting and waving the McCain signs. The atmosphere was very electric, and everyone was pumped up.
Fred Thompson is obviously a very powerful speaker, he put his all into his speech. We noticed that when he was done he actually looked a bit tired!
Lieberman was fantastic, he had a great welcome from the crowd.
Laura Bush of course was well loved.
Ann Curry from NBC was right next to me for a while. I stood with the press during much of my time down on the floor.

Newt Gingrich walked down the red carpet and sat right in the middle of the Arizona Delegates. I stuck around after the convention to get some pictures.

But you have to agree with me, the best picture was definitely Triumph the Comic Insult Dog.

And I'd Like to Thank the Academy...

It occurred to me that I wouldn't be here if it hadn't been for some very wonderful people. And one who isn't so wonderful but apparently they're fond of me.

Steve has been such a great supporter of mine, whether it's for a fundraiser or a campaign. He's is truly the most amazing person I've ever met, and I know I couldn't be here without his support. He knows I love him, I don't have to broadcast it all the time but I do. And there's a lot of people I've met this week who have heard me sing the praises of Steve! I wish he could be here with me, he'd enjoy this stuff.

There are members of the Lake Havasu Republican Women who have been great inspiration and who have been wonderful mentors. If it weren't for them, I wouldn't be here. I'm sure if I started naming them I'd forget one or two and then I'd be in trouble. But you know what, Noreen Thomas got me involved with the Club and I'm grateful for that.

And if Buster Johnson got along with more people, he would probably have picked someone else rather than me to accompany him to this convention. Luckily, I'm on his good side right now. Of course I'm kidding around but I do feel I need to thank him for letting me tag along and attend this historic event.

Minnesota CVB

We have been greeted every morning by two people sitting at a table in the lobby. Their table is packed with information books about the St. Paul area, maps, freebies, and best of all a very thick book of retailers and restaurants who participate in a discount card program. The discount card is included in the booklet. No charge. And if we have any questions about ANYTHING, they answer them. They are here every day, just for the Arizona delegates who are here. I can only assume that there are similar tables at other hotels.

It turns out, they are directors of the St. Paul Visitor's and Convention Bureau. They have made it their priority to be here every day to assist the visitors and make sure they have access to the many stores and shops around here. They have put a tremendous amount of effort into making sure we're taken care of, and I certainly appreciate it. Would the Lake Havasu CVB do that much for a convention?

The MSNBC stage is out our door, and we've watched the protesters carry their banners and signs around, trying hard to be seen by the cameras. So I finally turned on the t.v., and sure enough I was seeing the protesters out the window and on the t.v. at the same time. Pretty funny!!



Buster traveled in time and met Abe Lincoln. Haa haa...actually Abe was our keynote speaker at our morning session and afterward he stuck around for photos.

In his speech, he alluded to something he'd said during his "abbreviated second term as President of the United States," and I couldn't help but think how weird that was, for a dead person to be referring to their death.

We will be heading out again shortly, Buster is on the speaker phone having a Supervisors meeting and once that is over we'll get to eat.

GO VOTE!!!
Yay, Dana!!!!

And Don't Forget Monday Midnight

Apparently we can't stand to go a night without hanging out in our host hotel's lobby. We mingled with our cronies and talked politics till well after midnight.
Here's Bill Bidwell:


And Randy Pullen:


And Peppermint Pattie:

Okay so I need to explain, the creator of the Peanuts cartoon, Charles Schultz, was born and raised in St. Paul. So there are Peanuts statues all over the place.


The fountain in the MSNBC courtyard is lit differently every night. Sunday it was Red, White, and Blue, and Monday it was all Red. Republican Red, I get it!!


This is the grass in the MSNBC courtyard. It is currently being trampled by protesters who are struggling to be seen on live t.v.

Aaah, Tuesday part 2

Before I get too far into this post I should remind everyone that if they wish to read any of the older posts they just need to click on the "older posts" link at the bottom of this page. My posts are lengthy with all the discussion and pictures, and the more I type the more gets pushed to a second page.

Also, I remembered to write down the blog address for Buster's page. It is
www.azcentral.com/members/user/johnsbd
He tells me that his feedback on his blog has been sometimes less than positive. I'll have to read what he's written and see what he's doing wrong....

Monday night Gathering
Medtronics, a medical technology corporation, hosted an enormous dinner party for the delegates last night. We were confused, we didn’t know what to expect because this is a company that specializes in devices such as personal defibrillators, pacemakers, and products like that. Well, they’re a Fortune 500 company, a major sponsor of our convention, and they’re fantastic people on top of that!
We were bused into Minneapolis to their headquarters, which is situated on several hundred acres. On our way there, our bus was rushed past a scene out of the 60’s; protesters cresting a bridge coming towards us and police unloading out of vans with their riot gear on. Seriously!! As a van stopped in front of our bus and the police jumped out, there was a collective “UH OH” on the bus. Pretty funny.

Once we arrived at the Medtronic HQ (once again, BEAUTIFUL architecture) we were ushered into a dimly lit lobby that opened up to a very nicely prepared reception area. The lighting was like that of a posh night club, and there was music playing. I was intrigued by the wonderful wall of Lemon Drop Martinis, and was excited to discover they were free for the taking. So I took. And took. And took.



The food was delightful, we scarfed it down as quickly as we could because we were anxious to walk around and explore the rest of the facility.
I was introduced to Betsy Bayless, and former Attorney General Grant Woods, which was a nice treat.
We walked outside to the courtyard and there stood a great big party tent with a stage and singers next to it. Here's one of the light fixtures out in the tent:

This is a fountain inside the tent:


Ice sculptures, fountains, floral displays, and beautiful lighting were everywhere. We had to have been standing there with our mouths dropped open. Stunning!
Inside the reception area was an ice bar. AN ICE BAR!!! Whenever I needed to wash my hands I went over and rubbed them on the bar for a little bit.

The decoration on some of the windows was huge hanging ice cubes. Buster’s got a picture of me sticking my tongue on one of them.

We managed to take the time to talk to some Medtronics employees, who summarized some of the new technology and innovations they’ve got going. The employees just happened to be doctors, so they knew their stuff. Very interesting conversation. The doctors we spoke with were very familiar with Arizona because Medtronics has a facility in Tempe. Awesome.
The governor of Minnesota gave a brief speech, and it was then that I realized I had been calling him Pitaki and that’s not his name. Well dang it I can’t know everything!!

I ran into Cindy Collins, from the Federation of Republican Women. Notice I had yet another martini in my hand...