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The afternoon I drove down to Norfolk for the Virginia Democratic Convention, the sun was shining, and the weather was hot. Even the traffic in the tunnel connecting Hampton and Norfolk wasn't too bad. I found my hotel on Military Circle without too much trouble. The Doubletree Hotel was attached to the mall, and I had reserved a room using Priceline.com for about $65. The information sent to me by the state party had listed hotel prices starting at $90, which, on a student budget, was not going to happen. My room was comfortable and located about 10 minutes from the convention site at the Norfolk Scope. The convention started around 7:30pm, so I headed immediately over and parked on the street. Walking in, I turned to the left and found the 7th District's check-in point to receive my credentials. We got a packet of information about the resolutions of the convention to be voted on, as well as the location of the parties later that night. We also got a nylon necklace to hold our huge blue placards which listed our name, our locality, and our Presidential choice. I made my way to the convention floor, which was accessible only by the basement. The walls were covered in signs touting the candidacy of Chuck Robb for Senate, Mark Warner for Governor, and Donald McEachin for Attorney General. The 7th district was seated in the front row, to the left. I certainly felt like I was one of the youngest in my district, but the people from Northern Virginia brought all kinds of folks. In fact, the 8th district up in Northern Virginia had over 200 delegates present. The convention started with a welcoming speech by Delegate Plum, the party chair. At this point, we moved through a nomination and acclimation process for the state committee. We also had to approve the various committees which needed to get to work. The only renegade element to the convention was the smattering of delegates for Lyndon LaRouche, who I think is in prison in New York state. He is a perennial candidate who attracts the fringe element, and their attempts to hijack portions of the party apparatus were soundly defeated. Before too long, we heard from Delegate McEachin of Henrico County, who hopes to be the party's nominee for Attorney General. There are, however, two other candidates also interested: Senator John Edwards of Roanoke and Delegate Deeds of Bath County. Delegate Deeds was merely "exploring" a run, but he worked the convention like a man trying to make an impression, which he did. He came across as an extremely charismatic and competent individual. The race for Governor is pretty much over, as Mark Warner was basically anointed the candidate and savior of the party. The nomination for Lt. Governor has only one candidate, Senator Emily Couric (introduced as the "sister of the most famous colon in America!") of Charlottesville. Once the convention went into recess for the night, the parties began. I found it to be a little jarring to be surrounded by people who have similar values and views of the world as I do. Being in Richmond the last three years has left me thinking that I'm on oddity and amusing as a Democratic freak. Everywhere I turn, I see right wing Republicans, or moderate Republicans who shrug off the threat of the Religious Right. At times, I think I might be one of the only people who views the world as progressively as I do. At the convention, though, I fit in just fine. The next day, when I wore my T-shirt that says, "Doing my Part to Piss Off the Radical Right", I got more compliments from more people than I ever thought imaginable for just wearing a shirt. I even had people asking me where I got it. (Washington, D.C.) The parties that night were in the Marriott and Sheraton hotels. My first stop was Mark Warner's suite. I expected that a multimillionaire would be the place to be. I was right. The purpose of the hospitality suites is to ply delegates with liquor and food and get them to meet the candidate. The goal is to make as positive an impression as possible and get people excited about your candidacy. Mark Warner stood at the door and personally greeted every person who entered and said good-bye to every person who left. Being around him, you could not help but feel that here was a man who very well might be our next governor. The liquor available at these "hospitality suites" is not the cheap stuff either. Mark Warner had nothing but hard liquor, and the cheapest beer I came across was the Corona available in Emily Couric's suite. Speaking of Ms. Couric, she was in the middle of her suite and also talked with anyone who approached her. Out of all the candidates, she impresses the most. She's got a famous face, a famous name, but she backs it all up with substance. She's very friendly, approachable, and genuine. Her issues, especially regarding health care, are top notch, and I look forward to heartily supporting her candidacy for Lt. Governor. The suites for the other candidates running for office, including Chuck Robb's, were more of the same. Senator Robb, however, did not meet and greet the people at his suite. He was preparing for his convention address the next morning. I ran into some kids from Chesterfield and Fairfax that I ended up hanging out with. I was very pleased to find that there were other "young Democrats" in the Richmond area. We traveled from hotel suite to hotel suite as we were plied with liquor, pizza, fruit, and beer. How I managed to wake up the next morning at 7am I may never know. I do know that my preordered breakfast was botched. My food was cold, and I did not get the drinks I ordered. The management also did not help much in the resolution of the problem. A
local high school marching band greeted me at the Scope. They
were quite talented, but considering it was already over 80 degrees
at 8am with high humidity, I felt sorry for them. The convention
was quite strict about letting no one on the floor until 9am,
so I had to wander and look at vendors. It is amazing the types
of jewelry, T-shirts and stickers you find at a convention. Several
of them were tempting to buy, but I had not brought money to
make such purchases. The convention ended in a rousing pep rally full of balloons, flags, and little airplanes. I had a great time as a delegate at the convention, but I am glad we approved a primary for the next year. The Republicans, however, opted for a convention, which spells doom for Lt. Governor Hager's candidacy unless Bush is elected President and appoints Gilmore to his cabinet. The process is much more inclusive when you have a primary, and it is cheaper for the party, which can focus resources on the campaign. The Religious Right in control of the Republican Party apparently does not appreciate moderate to liberal voters entering the primary elections and producing wins for the more moderate candidate. If the Republicans want to have ideological purity over a win, that would be fine for me. The Democratic Party may be on hard times, but these things tend to be cyclical. The party may on life support right now, but it has the opportunity to come alive in 2001.
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