As a staunch conservative, attending the largest Democratic Party event has been quite an experience. There’s the obvious hostility towards John McCain and all Republicans. But there’s also a shocking amount of ignorance about important issues like national security. It’s actually quite sad to engage in discussions with people so close-minded that even broaching issues perceived as conservative or Republican elicits vitriolic reactions. 

But apart from the clash of worldviews, there are many lighthearted, humorous occasions that accompany every political convention. For instance, running into the “Nader’s Raiders” in front of the capitol and being invited to their party this week. Nader for President sponsored the huge liberty bell balloon advertising his plea to be included in the upcoming presidential debates.

No political convention would be complete without a vast variety of paraphernalia, many very clever and funny.

And the “Right-Wing Deprogrammer” tried his darndest to “fix” me, but to no avail—I’m a pretty hard case to crack when it comes to being “right wing.”

Earlier this evening some of our team were just blocks from the convention center outside the Sheraton, where the California delegation is staying (last night we ran into Gavin Newsom there). Unfortunately, they were there at the same time Recreate ’68 and other anarchists decided to battle the Denver police. Tear gas and rubber bullets were used to disperse the violent crowd. The anarchists have been shutting down roads and generally creating chaos in small pockets around downtown Denver. The unrest blocks away from the Pepsi Center tonight didn’t seem to hamper the festive spirit celebrating Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama.

For those looking for a humorous take on the DNC Denver convention, take a look at this hilarious locally-produced "orientation" video. It’s politically incorrect and has some "colorful" language, but it’s funny. With apologies to native Coloradans…

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog Posts.