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So, the Democratic National Convention is in town this week, and I'm spending most of it volunteering or going to events or otherwise trying to use it to network.
Yesterday I volunteered for the Kerry campaign and we were tasked with handing out bumper stickers and such around Quincy Market. MSNBC has a media tent set up there and they're carrying live coverage, as well as live editions of Hardball at 6 pm. So we were asked to do "visibility" and whenever the cameras rolled, try to get our signs and such in the shot. Bully. It was interesting, but as I expected, extremely low-level. Not that I'm complaining, mind - I wouldn't have volunteered if I weren't willing to do the small stuff.
In contrast, today I attended the inaugural event of the "Revolutionary Women." Someone on the T asked me if that meant Socialism. As I suspected then and told him, no, it doesn't. It's Revolution as in the American Revolution, as in the 2nd, necessary revolution to fully involve women in politics. I'm still piecing together how I feel about my experiences this afternoon.
First off, there were men there. For those of you who attended Nimbus, the scene would have felt familiar - except perhaps four times as large. I'd estimate there were *at least* 2,500, maybe as many as 3,000 people in attendance - and I'd say that just like Nimbus, about 6% were male. So it wasn't actually as estrogen-heavy as I feared it might be - nor was it as militant, though there was enough "progressive" propaganda to go around.
I attended a workshop entitled "The Inside Scoop: Polling, Political Consulting and Campaign Management." It was moderated by the top guy at Emily's List, Joe Solmonese, and featured Donna Brazile (Gore 2000 Campaign Manager) - who is freaking AMAZING, btw - Mary Beth Cahill (Kerry Campaign Manager, for those non-political folks out there), a pollster named Anna Greenberg, and a DNC representative named Teresa Vilmain (who had laryngitis after a Rock the Vote event last night!). All of them talked briefly about their experiences in politics, but unfortunately the panel started *very* late and they didn't extend it, so we lost almost all the Q&A time.
Then on to the exhibitors. NOW, Emily's List, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood League, the Women's National Democratic Club, the SEIU - you name it, it was there. Picked up dozens of business cards, brochures, etc. - all of which have websites to be perused (and Job Opporunities to be checked out) later.
In the same room was the rally. Introduced by Howard Dean, Revolutionary Women creator Barbara Lee (apparently from Boston, but now in California in State politics), Massachusetts Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, Secretary Madeleine Albright, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, and none other than Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton herself all spoke to the issues that confront women in this election and around the world, now and in the future.
Yeah. Let me say that again: Six incredibly gifted, dedicated, inspirational speakers, all of whom are leaders in politics, most of whom lead on the world level, spoke about the need for women to become involved in politics all over the world, and right here at home. Carol Moseley Braun pulled out a statistic that I had seen on a poster earlier today: only 14% of the current Congress is female. Numbers are lower at lower levels of government. Other stats as I remember them: only 61% of women voted in 2000. If only 600 of them had voted for Gore....
I've never been all that political. My kneejerk reaction to "politics" is the media machine, the mudslinging, the polarity of the right and left in the country today. There have always been issues I cared about, and for example, when I joined MoveOn, it was because I believed that we couldn't simply vote this time around in order to ensure victory - we had to do more than *just* vote. Imagine my amazement when, merely 50 yards from my seat, Howard Dean said the *exact same thing* - that voting in and of itself is no longer enough. The vote alone will not do it.
Now, Dean and Barbara Lee and the Revolutionary Women would have us out there, bringing people with us to the polls, working with "activist" organizations, supporting them with contributions and time, and yes, even running for office. I am not sure where or how I fit into that yet. But damn, what an exciting time to be shaking up my life.
I'm just still overwhelmed. I think for the rest of this week, the best I can do is roll with the tide, and maybe during Pennsic I'll take stock.
Yesterday I volunteered for the Kerry campaign and we were tasked with handing out bumper stickers and such around Quincy Market. MSNBC has a media tent set up there and they're carrying live coverage, as well as live editions of Hardball at 6 pm. So we were asked to do "visibility" and whenever the cameras rolled, try to get our signs and such in the shot. Bully. It was interesting, but as I expected, extremely low-level. Not that I'm complaining, mind - I wouldn't have volunteered if I weren't willing to do the small stuff.
In contrast, today I attended the inaugural event of the "Revolutionary Women." Someone on the T asked me if that meant Socialism. As I suspected then and told him, no, it doesn't. It's Revolution as in the American Revolution, as in the 2nd, necessary revolution to fully involve women in politics. I'm still piecing together how I feel about my experiences this afternoon.
First off, there were men there. For those of you who attended Nimbus, the scene would have felt familiar - except perhaps four times as large. I'd estimate there were *at least* 2,500, maybe as many as 3,000 people in attendance - and I'd say that just like Nimbus, about 6% were male. So it wasn't actually as estrogen-heavy as I feared it might be - nor was it as militant, though there was enough "progressive" propaganda to go around.
I attended a workshop entitled "The Inside Scoop: Polling, Political Consulting and Campaign Management." It was moderated by the top guy at Emily's List, Joe Solmonese, and featured Donna Brazile (Gore 2000 Campaign Manager) - who is freaking AMAZING, btw - Mary Beth Cahill (Kerry Campaign Manager, for those non-political folks out there), a pollster named Anna Greenberg, and a DNC representative named Teresa Vilmain (who had laryngitis after a Rock the Vote event last night!). All of them talked briefly about their experiences in politics, but unfortunately the panel started *very* late and they didn't extend it, so we lost almost all the Q&A time.
Then on to the exhibitors. NOW, Emily's List, the Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood League, the Women's National Democratic Club, the SEIU - you name it, it was there. Picked up dozens of business cards, brochures, etc. - all of which have websites to be perused (and Job Opporunities to be checked out) later.
In the same room was the rally. Introduced by Howard Dean, Revolutionary Women creator Barbara Lee (apparently from Boston, but now in California in State politics), Massachusetts Suffolk County Sheriff Andrea Cabral, Ambassador Carol Moseley Braun, Secretary Madeleine Albright, House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi, and none other than Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton herself all spoke to the issues that confront women in this election and around the world, now and in the future.
Yeah. Let me say that again: Six incredibly gifted, dedicated, inspirational speakers, all of whom are leaders in politics, most of whom lead on the world level, spoke about the need for women to become involved in politics all over the world, and right here at home. Carol Moseley Braun pulled out a statistic that I had seen on a poster earlier today: only 14% of the current Congress is female. Numbers are lower at lower levels of government. Other stats as I remember them: only 61% of women voted in 2000. If only 600 of them had voted for Gore....
I've never been all that political. My kneejerk reaction to "politics" is the media machine, the mudslinging, the polarity of the right and left in the country today. There have always been issues I cared about, and for example, when I joined MoveOn, it was because I believed that we couldn't simply vote this time around in order to ensure victory - we had to do more than *just* vote. Imagine my amazement when, merely 50 yards from my seat, Howard Dean said the *exact same thing* - that voting in and of itself is no longer enough. The vote alone will not do it.
Now, Dean and Barbara Lee and the Revolutionary Women would have us out there, bringing people with us to the polls, working with "activist" organizations, supporting them with contributions and time, and yes, even running for office. I am not sure where or how I fit into that yet. But damn, what an exciting time to be shaking up my life.
I'm just still overwhelmed. I think for the rest of this week, the best I can do is roll with the tide, and maybe during Pennsic I'll take stock.
