One of the Most Amazing Days of My Life

Today was one of the most amazing days of my life. I got to sleep in a little bit, until almost 6:30 am! When I got to breakfast, I had the privilege of listening to Greg Carr speak about human rights issues. He is a founder in part of the Idaho Human Rights Education Centers, including the Anne Frank Memorial in Boise. He gave a wonderful presentation and was our guest on the floor of the convention hall for the day.

After breakfast, I immediately went to work on Delegate Service Day. Delegate Service Day was Co-chaired by Michelle Obama and Colorado’s First Lady Jeannie Ritter. It was organized across Denver as a way to give back to the community that so graciously hosted our DNC 2008. Our hotel was the site of food sorting and boxing for the Meals on Wheels program here in Denver. Over a hundred people turned out to give back to the community, including many in the Idaho Delegation!

The afternoon had many events from caucuses to symposiums. However, Larry LaRocco, future Idaho Senator, hosted the Idaho delegation at his hotel. It was awesome to watch him speak and know that when he is elected Idaho’s next Senator, we will have someone in Washington who understands the working people in Idaho.

Jeannette Wolfley, Ryan Robinson, John Greenfield, and I left the LaRoocco function a little early to head to a meeting hosted by Senator Hillary Clinton for all her delegates. At her speech she was insistent on her belief in Sen. Obama and that her delegates support his campaign. Because she supports him whole-heartedly, she released her delegates. At first people in the crowd seemed a little sad that the long journey of her candidacy had come to an end, but they cheered as loud as they could when she said that while she wouldn’t tell them who to vote for, she proudly cast her ballot for Sen. Barack Obama. I think her speech showed complete unity with Sen. Obama and the Democratic Party. It left no doubt that she is commited to electing the President America needs, Sen. Barack Obama.

When Sen. Clinton left the stage, we rushed to the shuttles in order to make it to the Pepsi Center in order to place our votes for the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee in the Roll Call vote. We reached the Pepsi Center with just minutes to spare. This was my first experience taking part in a Roll Call vote and I wept after placing my name on the ballot. I felt like I was taking part in the creation of democracy and the creation of a new future for America. After the entire delegation cast their ballots, the secretary of the convention started the Roll Call. State by state, each party chairperson introduced the state to the convention via microphone and television camera. Then, they gave the secretary the number of votes for each candidate. It was inspiring to see Arkansas, a state that went entirely to Sen. Clinton, change their delegations vote to unanimous nomination of Sen. Obama. When it came to Idaho, Keith Roark gave the finest introduction speech I heard at the convention. We did Idaho proud! See our pic on the cover of http://www.msnbc.com/

When the Roll Call reached New Mexico, they yielded the floor to Illinois, who yielded the floor to New York. I was on the edge of my seat, hoping that we were about to see a special guest. Then, the state chair of New York yielded the floor to Sen. Hillary Clinton! She moved to suspend the rules of the convention, end the Roll Call, and nominate Sen. Barack Obama by acclimation! The entire convention went nuts! I have never seen such an emotional reaction by so many people at one time! Even Speaker Pelosi shed a tear! We all affirmed her motion and let me tell you, I have never been prouder to say “aye” in my whole life! It was one of the greatest acts of selflessness I have witnessed on a political stage and afterwards there was no doubt that all of us were firmly bonded together by our belief in the better America Sen. Obama will deliver.

The rest of the convention was just amazing. Former Secretary of State Madeline Albright, Sen. Tom Daschle, Major Tammy Duckworth, Bill Clinton and John Kerry all spoke. When John Kerry spoke, he did an excellent job of showing that Sen. John McCain from 2000 is very different than the candidate McCain of 2008. He pointed out that the John McCain the GOP is selling is a myth. He votes against children, women, the members of the military, and the environment. He did a wonderful job of identifying John McCain’s ideological mis-truths. President Bill Clinton delivered a speech that point by point showed people just why we can’t afford, as Americans, to elect John McCain in November. By addressing the policies that John McCain has supported, Clinton was able to show that the trends of the last 8 years will be continued if McCain is elected. He showed irrefutable belief in Sen. Obama and his policies being able to create a better America. The ovations he received were tremendous and unrivaled until the very end of the evening. Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden gave a moving introduction to his father, the next Vice President of the United States, Sen. Joe Biden. Sen. Biden gave a great speech that, in my opinion, really introduced how very qualified he his to be the Vice President. His love of family, hard work, and honesty make him a truly great statesman. At the end of the speech, Biden received as surprise when Sen. Obama joined him on stage! The arena was so stunned, there was a pause before the cheering began and went on and on and on and on! It was so awe inspiring to see these two men together, making history tonight.

What is so amazing about this whole convention is that we all played a role in getting to this point. Robert F. Kennedy was right when he noted the greatness of a generation is defined by the many small acts that change the course of history. It is the many small acts of individual people that helped Sen. Obama become the next President of the United State of America.