Thursday Night: "E Pluribus Unum"

This morning was super busy at the delegate breakfast in our hotel. We were lucky to have a few special guests representing the Basque President. We also had two featured Idaho native speakers. First up was Jim Messina, the Chief of Staff for Sen. Obama’s campaign for President. He described some strategy to us but also fielded many questions from the delegation. It was so exciting to hear his thoughts on the campaign and we were honored he took time out of his busy day to speak with us. The second speaker was Aimee Christensen. She is the CEO of Christensen Global Strategies. She was the energy policy expert on the panel for America’s Town Hall at the DNC last night. She took a lot of time to answer our questions ranging in topic from: how we legislate energy use reductions to how we create a green energy policy with nuclear energy. It was a wonderful discussion that we all took part in. As a graduate student in public policy, you can be sure I asked her alot of questions!

Because today was the final night of the convention, we moved to Invesco Field. They asked delegates to be there around 1:30pm because the lines were expected to be so large! I and several other delegates decided to forgo the morning caucuses in order to reach our seats by the prescribed time. It took us around 45 minutes to get from downtown to security. Security was very tight because around 60,000 people were expected to show up. I was excited at the thought of being around so many people who believed in America.

As we walked up to Invesco Field, I was amazed at how big it was. Being from Idaho, I don’t know that I have ever been that close to a building that could hold so many people! But my impression of how large everything was outside was immediately replaced by the awe I felt when we got onto the floor of the stadium. “How are they ever going to fill this stadium?” I wondered as I turned full circle on the floor of Invesco Field. While I was exploring the area where the delegates were seated, I wandered over to where the news crew were stationed and saw Michelle Obama! She was interviewing at all the different channels and would stop and wave at the few of us watching between interviews. She was so graceful, it was easy for me to imagine her as First Lady.

We also saw many stars wandering around (e.g. Jessica Alba, Fergie, and Spike Lee). On my back to the Idaho Delegation, I was privileged to get a hug from Jesse Jackson Jr., shake Rev. Jesse Jackson’s hand, and take a picture with the Governor of Kansas. The person in the crowd who most impacted my life was an older man from Vermont. He told me of his experiences fighting for civil rights and marching with Dr. King. To be together in such harmony to elect Sen. Obama was a miracle he wasn’t sure he would live to see. Holding hands with me (a young white woman) and my fellow delegate (an older white male), this man (an elderly African-American) was telling us the story of how we got here tonight…on the shoulders of those who carry us still. Nothing speaks to me more than than the simple fact that we have only come as far as the sacrifice the generation before us was willing to make. How far will we, will I be willing to go?

As the night progressed, the stands continued to fill until the point that every seat was nearly full in the stadium. According to early estimates, there were around 84,000 people in that stadium when Sen. Obama began to speak. What I found so telling about his words, wasn’t necessarily his prescription for a better America and a way to fix the evils done upon this country (and the world) over the last eight years; but his introduction by ordinary Americans. Several people told personal accounts of how their lives had deteriorated far from the American dream and how Sen. Barack Obama gave them hope for a better future, a future America deserves. His speech was detailed and policy oriented, giving us a map for a better future by showing us how he could make it possible. But his legislative brilliance is almost shadowed by something bigger than a political office.

This man has given us back our hope in a time that our economic and social situation has become more desperate than ever. For a long time, I have wondered how I can make people believe that they hold the power to change this country. Sen. Obama has people believing in good, wise government again. He has shown us that government does not have to be petty or corrupt and that the ultimate power lies in the people. In short, he has given many people without hope something to hope for. And that alone makes him a hero, election or not.
Listening to Sen. Obama’s speech, I was moved by his brilliance. But I was also moved by the reaction of the crowd. The feeling of hope, solidarity, and pride was so vibrant my heart was full. Full of love of country and my fellow citizen, I was overwhelmed every time I looked to the people surrounding me. The bottom line is that, whatever the pundits say, this week was about people coming together and believing in our better selves. This election is not about “the lesser of two evils” as these elections have typically become, it is about the possibility of being all that we have within ourselves. I cannot remember the last time I have seen so many people have so much pride about being American, and that is so sad. I love my country but it has come to mean something disgraceful in the eyes of the world over the last eight years and it breaks my heart. But being a part of history on Thursday night has started to heal the cracks in my heart and make me believe in the America that is promised to all of us.


The most amazing part about being on the floor of the convention was meeting all the different people from so many different states and walks of life. As another delegate and I were dancing our way around the different delegations, people would stop to dance with us or shake our hands. The feeling in the crowd was of pure love for your brothers and sisters. It was amazing to feel that vibe of one-ness. Vice-President Al Gore addressed this with our country’s motto “E pluribus unum” or “out of many one.” The spirit of America is found in the people. When we come together with a common purpose, we can accomplish anything. From the church group banding together to build a new house, to the Boy Scouts of America and their annual canned food drive, from the community donations that pay for a child’s medical bills, to tearing down the walls of racism, Americans can accomplish anything when we do it together. Let this be the year that America says, enough is enough. Let this be the year that we come together and say “I believe in a better tomorrow, I believe in the American way, and I believe in Sen. Barack Obama.”