|
County well represented at Democrat state
convention
by Kathy Kilmer Moak
Simply put, Democratic state conventions
are nothing less than organized chaos. Amid the patriotic sparkles
and boisterous fun, delegates and officials manage to conduct
serious party business, gearing up for November elections. June 6-7
in Austin was no exception to this tradition - apart from the fact
that every aspect seemed magnified tenfold this year.
The 2008 convention drew a record 12,000 Texans, including 7,239
delegates. Cherokee County was officially represented by Craig
Caldwell, Judy Durland, Terri Franklin, Elizabeth Glass, Phillip
Gordon, David Ham, Angela Harwell, Teresa Hibbler, Stacy Hinton,
Malinda House, Candra Lacy, Eldridge Moak, Pat Moorehead, Joanna
Reagan, John Ross, Trey Rousseau, Delores Roy, Maxine Session, Cindy
Sloterdljk, Charles Ann Smith, Sarah Summers, Terry Thompson,
Arnetta Williams and Horace Williams. President-elect of the Texas
Democratic Women, Susie Blackmon, along with Madeleine Ross, and
state Rep. Chuck Hopson and wife, Billie, also attended.
In the past, I have been either a delegate or alternate. This time,
I held press credentials and experienced the action from an entirely
different point of view.
Both the size and diversity of the crowd reflected the record 2.8
million voters who took part in the Texas party primary. Long-time
convention attendees Madeleine and John Ross agreed the primary
campaign and candidates captured the imagination of many people,
resulting in delegates reflecting the diversity of the state. It was
a convention that looked like Texas.
"I wish that everyone could have felt the excitement and sense of
history our delegation felt in that huge hall in Austin this
weekend," said Joanna Reagan, president of the Cherokee County
Democrats. "I am confidant that in the face of rising gas prices,
the tanking economy and extraordinary costs of the war, change is
coming."
The call for party unity to facilitate that change was repeated by
virtually every speaker throughout the weekend. The typical glitzy
hats, clever T-shirts, and multitude of political buttons
immediately identified Obama and Clinton supporters, and there was
some degree of awkwardness and tension at times. Overall, however,
there seemed to be a genuine spirit of cooperation from both camps.
On Friday night, a smiling Chelsea Clinton told everyone, "My mother
wants it to be very clear that we are going to unite our party and
take back the White House in November..[she] will be making a speech
tomorrow supporting Senator Obama."
The former first daughter's short speech was accompanied by
enthusiastic cheers. A live-feed of Hillary Clinton's speech the
next morning was met with thunderous applause from the thousands
watching it on huge screens throughout the convention hall. After
that point, tensions seemed to ease.
Click here to continue.
|
