College Perspective

From the RNC. Today's talk of the town. Hilda Moeller

2008-09-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

A little while ago I was eating lunch at Zeldas, a little cafe inside the St. Paul Public Library. While I ate, a reporter from The Washington Times asked if he could interview me about last night's speech by Sarah Palin. I had just been interviewed by Hannah, another reporter from the Washington Times, so I invited him to talk to Cuca, the Panamenian owner of the shop. Cuca told him that she is an Independent, who was quite impressed by Gov. Palin's speech. A middle age woman was sitting at the next table. She wanted to give her opinion, and she did. She thought that Palin was wrong, because she should stay at home and take care of her children instead of putting herself and her career first. An employee of the cafe came in defense of Palin, and a young male customer offered a weak support of the dissenting opinion. It was great to see everybody, invited and uninvited, joining in the conversation. It was exciting to see how many people are paying attention. According to today's news, Obama's speech was watched by 38 million people while Palin's, a name unknown to most until last Thursday managed to gather 37 million viewers, and generate a lot of conversation.
The atmosphere at the Xcel Energy Center was phenomenal last night. The Washington Center got passes to make sure that every student experienced at least one night at the convention with good seats. Last night was my night. I sat just three rows up from the red carpet. Granted, it was a side view, but we had the large screens to see the close ups, while we were close enough to take some pictures. I am at the library's computer so I can't post pictures, but I will do as soon as I can.
The professors and students who enjoyed the priviledged seats yesterday, arrived around four in the afternoon. Shortly thereafter the entertainment started with live jazz music and, compared to the ones later in the evening, insipid speeches by lesser known personalities. It was interesting to see how things work in real life. When I have watched the conventions, I always thought people brought their own handmade banners. For security, or whatever reason, banners are not allowed through the security gates. Before the event starts, young people came out with stacks of different banners that were distributed according to people's choices. There were Catholics for McCain, Hispanics for McCain. I held one that said Women for McCain. There were many others, and also for Gov. Palin. Someone behind me had a "Hockey moms for Palin" banner. They also brought smaller printed banners with McCain-Palin, and others with slogans. They are distributed where they know they will be picked up by TV cameras. By the way, during the speech I got a txt message from one of the students of The Washington Center, and another from my husband in Texas, telling me that they had seen me on TV during the Paling speech. My three seconds of fame!
Gov. Palin wasted no time setting the record straight as to her experience. Since she is running for VP and Obama for president, and they are both fighting against the inexperienced image, it created an interesting triangulation Obama, Palin, McCain. Interestingly, this week the Republican Party seemed to have changed strategy. Intead of distancing themselves from the last eight years, now they are accepting the past. They are talking about the benefits of the surge and how right was McCain in voting for it.
The only problem with the excellent performance by Gov. Palin is that it creates a higher expectation for McCain's speech. She is going to be a tough act to follow.
About 30 feet from the library where I am, there is one of the gates to enter the convention. I have been fortunate enough to be able to come Tuesday, yesterday and today. What a fabulous experience this has been! Next time I will tell you about tonight's events. Until then.

From the RNC - Go with the Flow - Hilda Moeller

2008-09-03T07:46:00.001-07:00

I signed up for a Sunday luncheon with Dick Cheney and Karl Rove. How exciting! Then the luncheon was moved to Sunday at noon. Oh no! I was scheduled to work with Lifetime TV from 11 AM to 6PM. Then I received a call from Lifetime, would I please work from five PM to one AM at the Rock the Vote Party? Yes! I get to go to Cheney’s luncheon. Seven hours later, I got another call telling me that someone had to drop of the program and they needed me back at 11 AM, so I had to cancel my reservation to the Cheney luncheon. Shortly later, it was announced Cheney will not come to the Convention because of Gustav. This is just one example of why Eugene Alpert, the Senior Vice President of the Washington Center keeps telling us to keep our expectations low and to go with the flow. Good advice, otherwise one could get discouraged. (By the way, Daniel, another Texas student got to go to the luncheon today and was nicely surprised to see Mike Huckabee in Cheney’ place as speaker).
During the weekend, I attended several parties. Saturday evening I went to a Media Party where I was able to take the enclosed pictures of the Mississippi River.

Sunday I attended a reception before the private showing of the movie “An American Carol.” After the movie I found myself (by accident, believe it or not) at a great reception given to all the Delegates and their guests. I visited with a number of them, including the Puerto Rican delegation that was most friendly. Every person I talked to was excited about McCain’s pick for Vice President. Apparently, the Republican Party is ready to support an even more conservative vice president than John McCain. It is also apparent that the lack of experience of Gov. Palin is not important at all, as it does not seem important for the Democrats, the lack of experience of Obama. A delegate from Florida told me that there was a lot of excitement for McCain in her state and even more now that they know about Palin.

By the way, I got a picture taken of me with an unexpected guest.

Today, the Convention started. Since it only lasted two hours and my fieldwork did not end until six in the evening I was not able to be at the Xcel Energy Center. However, across the street from where I was doing my field work there was a lot of action. A group of “anarchists” tried everything they could to stop the busses that carried the delegates to the convention from going through the bridge into the Xcel Center. They tried to block the streets with anything they could. They also joined, uninvited, peaceful anti-war protests. Then things turned violent. There were store windows broken, slashed tires, a garbage can set on fire and thrown at a police car and other mischief. Riot officers who carried batons, rifles and tear gas guns were present. Two hundred and twenty three people were arrested across, one hundred and thirty of them with felony charges. During the demonstration, people from the media tried to find out what they are protesting or what they believe in, but they would not say. The police were in high alert and were prepared to stop this self-described anarchist group of people that call themselves “The RNC Welcoming Committee.” This group was not related to the organizers of the peaceful anti-war protests.
Tonight there are many parties around town. However, they have quickly turned into fundraisers. This morning Laura Bush spoke at the Convention and urged people to help those who, because of Gustav, will be needing help and people swiftly followed her advice.
I hope that in my next blog I will share with you my experience at the Xcel Energy Center. See you next time.

From the RNC - Exciting Friday! Hilda Moeller

2008-09-03T07:44:00.001-07:00

What exciting times these are! First, we got to watch Obama’s impressive stage production and impeccably delivered speech. Of course, though flawlessly delivered, his speech invited analysis. However, people were just catching their breath to begin commenting on it, when John McCain surprised the nation with his phenomenal choice for Vice-President. By the reaction of my fellow students at the Washington Center, the timing and the announcement could not have been more astonishing. Mrs. Palin automatically added spice to the race. However, this news was being overshadowed by Gustav, a hurricane threatening to cause havoc somewhere between Louisiana and Alabama and threatening the Republican National Convention. We will not know what will happen until probably Sunday. In the meantime, we have a day to catch our breath before the convention.
Yesterday we saw a side of politics that is nothing like the presidential races. Minnesota State Rep. Patrick Garofalo, a Republican, and Minnesota State Rep. Steve Simon, a Democrat, spoke to The Washington Center. They came together, declared to be best friends; (and by the way they joked and teased each other, it is obvious that they are close friends) while at the same time presented their case for a subject that is sensitive in Minnesota: transportation and roads. Politically they could not be in more disagreement. However, they respected each other’s views and told us the way they have worked together to find a common ground to their ideas. I know this is not extraordinary. Anybody who has evere watched the House in session on C-Span knows that in general, that is the way politics is played. At the presidential level, though, it gets ugly.

The students have received their assignments. I will be working with Lifetime TV. None of us has credentials to go into the Xcel Energy Center the days of the convention. We all hope to get them through the organizations with which we will be working. Since we have no guarantee that we will get them through the organization we will work for, we try to meet as many people as we can and see if there are other venues that may provide credentials. Credentials are given a day at a time. Even with credentials, the access has degrees, from very limited to not so limited access. Credentials are needed to attend other events and there are tons of them. There are breakfasts and luncheons people from the media or politicians, receptions to delegates and other dignitaries and evening parties from interest groups. I plan to attend some of the receptions this weekend, and next time I write I will tell you about them. See you then.

Tuesday-Matt

2008-08-31T18:29:00.000-07:00

So it was the day of the Daily Show event. I was hoping to be there by noon but I missed the bus so I called a cab. I figured I wouldn't get there by the time I wanted but I knew I had to be there by 1. After about 50 minutes the cab never called or showed and the free shuttle was ready to head downtown. So i jumped on that went to Union Station, then took the free 16th Street Mall shuttle up to the light rail. Luckily the light rail went straight to University of Denver, where the show was being taped. I was able to get a hold of one of the faculty members who was there to let her know what was going on. She said it was fine so I wasn't so stressed. I showed up at the University of Denver and started walking toward the event. The University has a beautiful campus. I walked halfway across and started going down the street I thought would take me to the event. But after about 2 miles I realized I was going the wrong way. On the plus side I was able to see more of Denver. It's an impressive city. After an hour and a half or so of walking I finally made it to the event. They official staff got the message I would be late and didn't hold it against me. They put me to work watching the outside line. It was extremely hot and after walking for about 3-4 miles I was ready to go inside. Thankfully there was an ice cream truck parked next to the line so I was able to get some.

After a while of waiting and watching the line security came out and told the people waiting there was no more room. Needless to say people were very upset. It was about then when one of the staff members knocked on the window and motioned for me to go inside. As discreetly and quickly as I could I grabbed my bag and headed inside in front of the line. Up to that point I wasn't sure if I would be able to actually view the taping of the show. I was so excited. Inside we waited a bit until someone came out to the floor. I soon learned his job was to get people loose, excited, and loud with a comedy act and instructions. He was hilarious! He would talk and poke fun at members of the audience. He made sure everyone knew they were "more than half of the show" because people at home would enjoy the show more with laughter from the audience. After he was done John Stewart came out to answer questions. Soon after the show was under way. It was absolutely hilarious. If you happen to see the first episode of the Denver edition of The Daily Show, I was there!

After that I headed back toward downtown. I had nothing to do, Peter and April were in their fieldwork and professor Jasperson was in the Pepsi Center. Unfortunately, I didn't get back into town till about 6.30pm and by 5 it would have been too hard to get into the Pepsi Center. So Dr. Jasperson gave my day credential to another student because otherwise it would have been useless. So I went over to Leelas to watch Sen. Hillary Clinton's speech. By the time she was on the cafe` music was turned off, the t.v. turned up, and just about everyone there was attentively watching the speech. It was such an amazing speech. She really did a great job in showing her party unity. After the speech there was a small applause in the cafe`.

Dr. Jasperson had texted me to meet them all at the Pepsi Center because Rep. Ciro Rodriguez wanted to meet everyone from UTSA. I didn't make into the Pepsi Center but was able to speak to him briefly over the phone. It was a good thing because I intern in the Commissioners Court where Rep. Rodriguez's younger brother "Chico" Rodriguez works.

Soon after I met up with Dr. Jasperson, April, and Peter at the Cheesecake Factory. As it was the night before, the city was filled with people heading to after-convention parties and events. We didn't have any access to any for the night so we made out way back to the dorms at Regis.

It was such a great experience to view the taping of The Daily Show. I really want to thank Dr. Hicklin for giving me her slot! And to Dr. Jasperson for taking me to the training session and for giving me so much support!

Monday-Convention is in full swing-Matt

2008-08-31T13:42:00.000-07:00

So, last week I seriously began to have my doubts about what I could get out of this program. It seems The Washington Center dropped the ball with my fieldwork, so I really don't have anything to do. Definitely, not what I had expected. But thanks to Dr. Jasperson and Dr. Hicklin, another one of our faculty leaders, things really started to turn around.

The day started out with Peter, April, Dr. Jasperson, and I meeting up at one of the many Starbucks, downtown, to discuss our game plan for the day. After that we all headed to the Texas delegation lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe` downtown. There we were able to mingle from delegates from cities such as Houston and Dallas. Soon after we arrived Peter and April had to go to their fieldwork assignments. While we were there professor Hicklin showed up. While we were there we heard an interesting speech by Charlie Wilson about how he got started in politics. It started when during his childhood when Mr. Wilson's neighbor poisoned his dog. To get revenge Mr. Wilson burned his neighbors lawn. But that wasn't enough. When they were older Mr. Wilson ran for the same political office as his neighbor and was able to influence votes by telling the story of his poisoned dog when he would drop voters off at the polls. In the end Mr. Wilson won by 16 votes. "That's the day I fell in love with America and the day I fell in love with politics" said Mr. Wilson.

While we were there I was also lucky enough to meet and interview Texas Rep. Charlie Gonzalez. I will put up the interview at the end of this posting. Also, a staff member from Sen. Leticia Van de Putte's office provided us with credentials to get into the Pepsi Center for that day and for Invesco Field on Thursday for Sen. Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech! I was so excited. I knew that this trip was now worth taking now that I was guaranteed access to see Sen. Obama give his speech.

After the lunch reception I made my way over to an "Unconventional Woman" event where Speaker of the House Nanci Pelosi was to speak. Unfortunately, I had just missed Speaker Pelosi but I stayed to hear other key note speakers, including female senators, to talk about the importance of women in the political process. They also showed a sneak peak of an independent film entitled, "14 women", about the first 14 women senators and their personal stories and successes.

After I left I stopped off briefly at Leela's, a European Cafe` that soon became our favorite internet cafe` hangout. I didn't stay for long because I was to meet Dr. Jasperson and Hicklin at the Pepsi Center. I soon learned what the actual convention is all about. It's full of speeches to get people excited and emotional about putting democrats in office. It's also about officially passing resolutions by groups such as the Rules and Credentials Committees. And of course it's mainly about officially nominating the candidates for the office of President and Vice President.

Because my fieldwork position fell through, professor Hicklin was kind enough to give me her volunteer slot for The Daily Show with John Stewart. So professor Jasperson and I left the convention center to make the training session at the University of Denver. It was madness around the Pepsi Center. It took us more than 30 minutes to get a taxi. Even though it was close we made it to the training session. It was pretty straight forward though. All we were going to do was guard certain points of the building until the show began.

After that Dr. Jasperson and I made our way back to the Regis University. The original plan was to head back to Regis, rest up for a bit, then make it back to the Pepsi Center for Michelle Obama's speech. Unfortunately, we got times confused and we realized she was speaking earlier than we thought. So we wouldn't make it to her speech. But there was a Texas Gala event afterwards that we began getting ready for.

After waiting forever for our taxi to arrive we hopped into another students taxi despite there being 5 people to 4 seats. Haha, we made it though. We met up with Peter and April at the gala event. We talked to some delegates and hung out for a while. They had some amazing food. We didn't stay too long though. So after that we grabbed another taxi, cramped again, and headed back to Regis University.

This day was very important. I learned what the convention is really about and I also learned that things were going to get much better.

I would like to thank Dr. Jasperson, Dr. Hicklin, Sen. Leticia Van de Putte, and Rep. Charlie Gonzalez for making this day so great!

I would also like to apologize to all the readers for such a late posting.

Here is my interview with Rep. Charlie Gonzalez.

When I asked how Rep. Gonzalez got involved with politics he said he didn't really have a choice. He was raised in a political family. His father was a major source of political exposure. After his father retired he followed in his footsteps and became a lawyer, practicing in many types of law such as family, criminal, and workers compensation. He go his basics taken care of at San Antonio College and then graduated from UT Austin. From there he went to St. Mary's to study law. He says he was just "trying to survive". After that he became a county judge.

When I asked him what his personal key issues were he responded by saying that they always revolved around his assignments as Chairman of Environmental Study. Those issues included energy, commerce, telecommunications, and technology. As far as energy goes he was looking for alternative energy sources to help cure global warming and independence from foreign oil. He was also very interested in the "digital divide". The internet is becoming a growing tool and to advance ourselves we need to get more people involved as it impacts all aspects of life. It has become a center and tool for commerce.

I asked Rep. Gonzalez what he thought were the most important things he thought people should walk away from the convention with. He said there are two main things he would have people walk away with. The first was a true recognition of what's at stake with this campaign. The second was a focus on what the republicans were doing and a more vivid contrast between them and the democrats.

Computer Problems Revisited-Matt

2008-08-30T18:57:00.000-07:00

NO!! Once again my blog was deleted before I could post!!!

I really apologize to all the readers. I will start posting in shorter bursts so this won't happen as often.

From the DNC- Goodbye Denver -April, Matt and Peter

2008-08-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

We would like to thank Leticia Van de Putte, Ciro Rodriguez, their staff, and Time Warner Cable for all of the assistance and favors you did for us these past two weeks in Denver. We have some great photos to post, but Matt and I are boarding the plane for San Antonio right now! Peter is about to board for Austin too. We are all very appreciative for all of the opportunities and hope that we gave a glimpse of what the DNC looked like "from the ground up."
-April, Matt and Peter

From the RNC. Pics I could not post yesterday

2008-08-28T14:05:00.001-07:00

Eugene Alpert, Senior Vice President The Washington Center

Reception at the gorgeous Landmark Building.

Six of the seven students from Texas. The seventh one took the picture.

Jill reading over a Peanut's character shoulder.

Frank ouside the St. Paul Hotel

From the RNC - Xcel Energy Center and fieldwork - Hilda

2008-08-28T07:33:00.001-07:00

The enthusiasm increases in the students attending The Washington Center seminar as the days go by. Today there were two important events. First, the students got fieldwork assignments. Second, we got a special tour this afternoon of the Xcel Energy Center.
First, let me tell you about the fieldwork assignments. Each student will give several hours of volunteer work to this convention. Students will be working with the Republican Party, with the media or with interest groups. These jobs provide great opportunities for students to network, to make a good impression that in the past has resulted in internship or job offers. It also provides the excitement of working hands on with those who will be reporting the news (CNN, Washington Times, Fox News and many more) to the nation, or in receptions given to dignataries attending the convention. These are just two examples, but the list of jobs and the list of benefits from giving our time to the volunteer work is long.
The second thrilling event was the tour of the Xcel Energy Center where the convention will take place starting next Monday. Those in charge started workin on the center July 20th. The amount of work that has gone into it is astonishing. A giant screen, second only in resolution and size to the one everyone saw during the Olympics in China, is behind the podium. The Xcel is a well-designed building with nice view from just about anywhere in the center. Just being there built up our excitement. We all could imagine how it will look next week and cannot wait to be there.
We walked from the Xcel Energy Center to the Landmark Building to attend a lovely reception offered to us by The Washington Center. The park between the two buildings has sculptures of the Peanuts characters honoring its creator from Minneapolis, Charles Schulz. Around the corner is the Fitzgerald Theater (named after Scott Fitzgerald, also of Minnesota), where Garrison Keillor's Praire Home Companion shows take place.
Starting this weekend there will be a number of events, parties, and of course, the convention itself, all of which promises excitement and fun. We will continue to keep you posted.

Matt-DNC

2008-08-28T00:48:00.001-07:00

So my blog was deleted when I tried posting. I apologize and will re-post tomorrow.

From the DNC, Hillary Clinton- April

2008-08-26T23:09:00.000-07:00

Around 2:30 p.m. Around 8:45 p.m.

Sen. Hillary Clinton Sen. Hillary Clinton

With U.S. Rep., Ciro Rodriguez

Tonight Hillary Clinton spoke. It was eloquent, practiced, and a very sad moment for some. I met a delegate today on the bus and he had Hillary stickers on his pants and buttons on his credential pass and shirt. I asked him what he planned to do once Hillary legally released him and other pledged delegates this week; he said that without-a-doubt, he would still put in his vote for her. He told me that he and his constituents were Clinton supporters so it only made sense that he would continue to show that support.

I met many Clinton supporters tonight and I saw the slight disappointment that they carried with them. I continue to ponder the "what-ifs" of the long primary season, and I assume others are as well.

I am not sure there is any better way to promote unity than what Hillary Clinton is doing. She has shown more grace, dignity, and integrity than she should have to.

Unity. Interesting concept.

The convention is half way over and I am exhausted!

A delayed perspective of the DNC protesting (April)

2008-08-25T23:45:00.000-07:00

I spent Sunday afternoon following protesters through the streets of downtown Denver, and I was able to see a LOT. The media covered it, so I am sure you all have already heard about it. Compare your local/national coverage and photos to these.

From the RNC - First day of seminar. Monday

2008-08-25T21:30:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed what our group leader said was one of the slower days of the seminar. First, the faculty members who are leading the study groups were introduced and asked to answer two questions: Is Biden a good pick for Obama’s vice-president? and, who will Mc Cain pick for VP? In general, everyone agreed that Biden’s foreign policy experience was a plus. Someone mentioned David Brook’s editorial where he mentioned that Biden has more: he is Catholic, comes from a working class family and did not attend an ivy-league school. However, some professors thought that because of Biden’s tendency to speak carelessly and become next day headlines, he might be a risk to Obama. As to the question of who will McCain pick, most of the professors answered by saying who they wanted McCain to pick, but three professors mentioned Mitt Romney, Tim Powlenti and K Bailey-Hutchison as possible picks. From 8:30 AM to noon, we listened to former Oklahoma Congresman Mickey Edwards. Congressman Edwards recently published a book “Reclaiming Conservatism.” He talked about the fact hat for the last few decades, the vice-president is chosen with one goal in mind, and that is to get the president elected. Congressman Edwards and Dr. Meena Bose, a Political Science professor, answered a number of questions from students on political parties, role of the President and the Supreme Court in issues such as abortion, term limits for congress members and more. It was quite an interesting session.

After lunch, we had a three hour study group session. We discussed the electoral process, its strengths and weaknesses, and why even with its weaknesses we admire those who envisioned the wisdom of this complex process. We also looked at the syllabus. We have been given assignments that seem a bit overwhelming. They include a lot of reading (textbook, editorials, newspapers), writing (short essay, journal), and conduct a minimum of six interviews, including at least one Convention Delegate, one Elected Public Official at the local or state level, an Elected Public Official at the national level, a Media Representative and a political consultant or other individual not included above. We also need to do our fieldwork, which may open the door to meet the people we will interview.

The Augsburg College has been a great host to this seminar. They are providing meeting places, encouragement from the College President and faculty, and today they organized an ice cream social for us.

Tomorrow, after a morning session and our study group session, we will have a tour of the Twin Cities, and then we will go to the Minnesota State Fair.

The pictures are from the Texas study group that Frank and I attend, and a picture of the all the students and faculty attending this seminar.

From the RNC - First impressions, Sunday evening. Hilda Moeller

2008-08-24T20:29:00.000-07:00

This seminar promises to be an intense, exciting, fun- filled work week, put together by the Washington Center. At the orientation, we became aware of the extraordinary amount of work and attention to detail that goes into putting it all together. Very soon, I noticed how smoothly everything was running. From handling our baggage, so that we could be free to roam outside of the hotel while the rooms were ready, to the well organized and delicious Italian dinner, to the orientation itself and the meeting afterwards with our group leaders; all seemed to flow well. The obvious purpose of this seminar is educational, but the Washington Center is making sure that we have fun while learning. At the same time we are motivated to bring out the best in ourselves.

We were told that there will not be much sleep, and I believe them. Today I started the day at 4:15 am to catch a 6:00 AM flight. Right now is 10:00 PM and before I can think of rest, I need to do reading that we will use at 8:00 tomorrow morning. We will have study, field work, and of course, the convention itself next week. We were warned that we can sleep when we get back home. I don’t doubt that to be exaggeration, but expect it indicates long days and short nights.

So far my first impressions are of friendliness, efficiency, motivation, excitement, and fun. I can't wait till tomorrow when we get into the thick of the action.

Left: Orientation. Right, Frank Carni II who won the first prize in the ice-breaker game.

From the DNC - A Busy Couple of Days - Matt Shelton

2008-08-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

So as the title suggests it truly has been a busy couple of days. Thursday is where I last left off. It was an interesting set of morning lectures. We had the President/ Chair of the Denver Host Committee, Elbra Wedgeworth. She talked about her involvement in getting the Democratic National Convention Committee to choose Denver as the next host of the convention. The part of the lecture that stood out the most for me was a disappointing one. When asked about the rumor that the city was paying to transport their cities homeless Councilwoman Wedgeworth talked about the cities homeless initiative, which she claimed was the best in the nation. Students, including myself, were obviously not satisfied. She was asked two more questions about the cities homeless but were only given dodgy answers.

On a quick note, as I'm sitting outside of Tokyo Joes, there is a walking protest coming down the street. It's an anti-war protest. "No justice, no peace. US out of the middle east". Signs that say "Prisoners for profit is a crime". We have been here for a week before the opening ceremonies took place last night and the changes that are underway are clearly evident all over.

Back to the lectures. After Councilwoman Wedgeworth stepped down Agent David O'Connor of the Secret Services Dignitary Protective Division, took the podium. It may not have been the most informative of lectures as we all have a pretty good idea of what the Secret Service does but it was still one of the more interesting lectures.

More protest signs are making their way down the 16th street mall. "Funk the war". It's going to be a very interesting week.

Anyways, later Thursday night a reception in the VIP section of Invesco field, home of the Denver Broncos and site of Obama's upcoming acceptance speech, was held for all the students and teachers of The Washington Centers program. Afterwards Peter and I made our way downtown but not for long. We then returned to the dorms. I didn't get any sleep that night because I had a lot of work that I knew would keep me up for a while. I also had to be at the Pepsi Center, location of the upcoming Convention, at 7am because I was to be access control for public school group tours and VIP access. I was able to get a sneak peak of the convention hall. The one picture of the DNC screen was taken with my cell phone. It was an impressive setup. I finished that up around 10am. From there I attempted to take the bus back to Regis University but got a little turned around. I eventually made it back. By then it was time to get ready for a concert I had planned to go to myself. It was an adventure to get to the venue, Red Rocks Amphitheater. Unfortunately the buses don't go out that far and taking a cab from Regis would have cost 50$. The plan was to take the bus as far as I could and then I would come up with a game plan after that. Well there was some confusion with the bus system. But I eventually made it to where I needed to go and then hiked my way through part of the Rocky Mountains and made it to the show. It was truly a memorable experience to see these bands, The Bouncing Souls, The Might Mighty Bosstones, and NOFX at the infamous Red Rocks Amphitheater. After the show I took a taxi back to Regis and fell asleep.

Saturday morning I made my way downtown to the Convention Center for my housing fieldwork training. Later that day I was scheduled for my first fieldwork assignment but apparently it was cancelled. It was incredibly lucky because The Washington Center presented us with media credentials to get into the media party that was taking place at the cities amusement park located two blocks from the main city street.

Soon after we arrived at the park we were directed to the stage area where a group of Native American tribal leaders along with Governor Bill Ritter, Councilwoman Elbra Wedgeworth, and Mayor Hickenlooper began the official opening ceremonies very much like the way Denver did 100 years ago when the Democratic National Convention came in 1908. After a short welcoming speech Mayor Hickenlooper opened the stage for The Flobots. It was an amazing show! I had heard of them before but hadn't heard their music. They just put on an excellent show. After that Peter and I rode one of the roller coasters and watched an amazing firework show. We played some games until the park was starting to close down. After that we headed back to the dorms.

It was a great couple of days. The music shows were so exciting. I have to admit that after the opening ceremony last night I am looking forward to the coming week even more than before.

DNC Friday & Saturday Pictures - Peter, April, and Matt

2008-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

Today we toured the Pepsi Center, the location for the first three days of the convention. Afterwards we saw Howard Dean speak before we went to Coors Field for the Rockies game.

The Pepsi Center:

Pepsi Center Foyer:

Main Stage:

Outside of the Pepsi Center:

Expression of First Amendment Rights Outside of the Pepsi Center:

Howard Dean at the Colorado Convention Center:

An Awesome Car Downtown:

Coors Field, Home of the Colorado Rockies:

Saturday, August 23rd, 2008

Today we attended the media party hosted at Six Flags at Elitch Gardens. We will let the pictures explain it all.

Heightened Security:

Speakers at the Media Party

Amazing Flobots Concert!!!

Amazing Fireworks Show:

Pictures taken by Peter Sebesta

Transforming Denver, Colorado (April)

2008-08-22T22:32:00.001-07:00

The Capitol

Decorations downtown

We are particularly lucky to have been in the city of Denver for the past week. When we arrived last Sunday, there was not much going on. By Thursday we were hitting mid-day traffic, and today we encountered all sorts of changes. Light posts and buildings are being painted, lights are being put up, people are buying and selling souvenirs, and people are talking. Everywhere. I have heard countless opinions (in passing) about the DNC and the candidates. Everyone seems to be very excited.

We saw some great things today: protesters, the Pepsi Center, the Denver Convention Center, Howard Dean, anti-abortion messages written in chalk on the sidewalks outside the Pepsi Center, and much more.

You are probably wondering where all of the pictures are. We have some great photos. However, I am having some problems with my camera, so check back tomorrow for the photos from the Pepsi Center, protesting, etc.

Here are a few more just to let you all get a bit acquainted with Colorado's capitol city.

Until tomorrow, April Sanchez

View from Inside the Pepsi Center

2008-08-22T12:47:00.001-07:00

Day 4-Matt Shelton

2008-08-22T03:19:00.000-07:00

Todays' lecturers were Travis Dredd, Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) Deputy CEO for Inside the Hall Operations ,Cameron Moody, DNCC Deputy CEO for Outside the Hall Operations, Tom Reed, Journalist for The Washington , Denver Host Committee Chief Operations Officer, and Wally Podrazik, DNCC Director of Media Logistics.

Mr. Dredd and Moody both spoke of the what exactly goes into the planning of this historic convention. Inside the Hall Operations deals with the construction, production, inside design, media logistics, and hall management. Mr. Dredd also deals with four media pavilions and all their wiring, lights and cameras. Mr. Moody on the other hand deals with the outside portion of the convention. Outside the Hall Operations include security, housing for all VIP's, credentials to gain access to important events, and transportation. Transportation operations include meet and greets at the Denver airport to help people get to where they need to be. With the help of GM, 400 hybrid vehicles will be transporting political officeholders, staff, VIP's, and chairs. The transportation department also is charged with coordinating the bus system to and from the convention. It also deals with special ADA transportation services.

The housing department, which is where I will be volunteering during the convention, deals with placing the delegates. About 17,000 hotel rooms have been reserved for delegates from all 50 states. I will be working with the delegates from Utah, so if your a delegate from Utah, find me and I will be more than happy to help you out!

The Outside the Hall Operations Security Department coordinates with local law enforcement to secure the outside perimeter while the inside security is coordinated with the Secret Service.

Lastly, the Credentials Department designs, prints, and matches the access level of credentials to all secure events.

We were then lucky enough to have Tom Reed, journalist for The Washington Post, to come speak to us. Mr. Reed has covered 20 American presidential campaigns and has worked in Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and Europe. He was set to talk to us about his experience in covering elections. He testified to what Michael Genovese said before, covering foreign campaigns was much easier because they only take a fraction of the time American campaigns do. It was less of a lecture and more of a number of stories of his past experience. He had some really great stories of covering the Reagan campaign as well as Tony Blair and Ed Clark.

Last on the list of speakers was Wally Podrazik. He is a writer concentrating a lot on pop culture but who also had some involvement in this convention. He spoke of how the Pepsi Center, home of the DNC, was so dramatically changed. After all of this we finally received our fieldwork positions. As I stated before I will be in the housing department for the Utah delegates. Hopefully it will all go well and I will be able to make into Invesco Field for Sen. Obamas' acceptance speech!

Day 3-Matt Shelton

2008-08-21T22:10:00.000-07:00

Today we received a lecture by Bob Lovey, Ricky Kirshner, executive producer of the Democratic National Convention, Reverend Leah D. Daughtry, chief executive officer of the Democratic National Convention Committee and the Democratic National Convention Faith Outreach Leader, and Michael Genovese. Mr. Kershner went over the different responsibilities of a producer working for the Democratic National Convention such as the music and its timing, lighting, scenic designs, stage design, and the intricate podiums used. He also spoke of the amount of people needed to turn the convention center into a bustling national event that needed to tangibly mirror Sen. Obama's message of change. About 300 people, including over 70 stage hands and 50 technicians, all work on the project, putting into place the software and hardware necessary. It was interesting to hear how much goes into designing the building to carry Obama's theme. He also mentioned the production teams non-partisanship which was an important attribute. Another point he made surprisingly clear was that he and his team work independently from the media. It starts with the Democratic party who decides the theme and how they plan to design the convention to match it. They then contract the production team who do their job and then pass on the the torch for the media to cover.

It was refreshing to hear that the Democratic party has stuck with their going green theme. All products used by the production team are union made and everything that can be recycled will be.

Mr. Genovese then spoke about the age and experience factors of the presidential race. It's important to note that it is the American presidential race, in comparison with foreign races, that deals least with experience. Anyone can sign up to become a presidential nominee and the party systems are weaker, whereas in foreign nations the party is really the gate keeper rather than a major focus of campaigns. In countries such as England, potential officeholders must prove themselves through a series of tests to prove their competency level. Also, in comparison to presidential candidates from Americas early years, the modern American president is very limited in their foreign policy experience. Mr. Genovese used John Wayne as a model to describe American presidential foreign policy. In John Wayne movies he is the hero who comes as an outsider to help fix a problem of the local community. We as Americans prefer this romanticized view of things. Once the problem is solved John Wayne, not tied to any special interests, then departs into the sunset. The point here is that experience alone is not always the answer but the quality of the experience is key.

Next to speak was Reverend Leah D. Daughtry. Being raised by activist parents in Brooklyn, New York was the starting point of her career. She was raised as a devout Pentacostal and her parents put a strong emphasis on education. It was this combined experience that created an attribute that today seems rare in many politicians. "If you're only going to talk about it, shutup!" she says, referring to meaningless legislation and the officeholders who allow it to remain so. She also made a strong point that I have been waiting to hear from a politician for a long time. When asked if being both dedicated to her religious beliefs and the democratic party ever created an internal conflict, she answered, "I am not called to judge". On issues such as abortion rights she refers to the scripture which says," Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. We must start with an understanding of each others differences. If you believe it, do it". It's not an issue of who is right or wrong based on one persons point of view but it's an issue of respect. When she said this I swelled with inspiration and respect for this great individual. Finally, a politician who gets it! She was also asked whether there was enough faith based in the republican party and if it also became so in the democratic party wouldn't that lead to a theocracy? Once again she answered without skipping a step. "I'm a voter and I happen to be a person of faith". Separation of church and state is alive and well. This was a good lecture. We also listened to Professor Bob Lovey, who proposed a new system of choosing our president. It was one that, from what I heard from various students, that did not generally go over well. He criticized certain aspects that offended a handful of people. But he did bring up an important question, which is now our essay topic, is the current system the best for nominating the president?

Later we were treated to a stop off at the famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre. It is an ampitheatre that has hosted such famous acts as U2, The Foo Fighters, Snoop Dog, and The Dave Mathews Band. On a sidenote, I will be fortunate enough to catch one of my favorite bands at the amphitheatre tomorrow night. After the visit we made our way into downtown. It has been getting pretty hectic up here, as anyone reading this may be able to tell by the date and times of these postings. But I am working on making it all work. I will also be posting most of my pictures in one blog.

-Matt Shelton

Campaign Strategies - Peter Sebesta

2008-08-21T21:56:00.000-07:00

Thursday, August 21th, 2008

The 2008 primaries have been very interesting. In both the Republican and Democratic Primaries, the early front runners have been defeated. Sen. McCain defeated Governor Giuliani and Sen. Obama defeated Sen. Hillary. In regards to Texas, Hillary did very well, but Sen. Obama's campaign and appeal to African American voters and the youth vote allowed him to virtually tie Senator Clinton for Texas after all was said and done with the Primary and Caucus. In addition to the exciting primaries, all three categories that determine elections are in play for 2008. These three categories are: Partisan, Issues, and Character. In the partisan area, Democrats have seen registration gains around the country. An unpopular war and concerns about a declining economy are major issues to be addressed. In addition, both presumptive nominees have very compelling background stories to show their character to the American Public. Today Ph.D. Michael Genovese spoke on the two different approaches of campaign strategy. The first strategy is the most commonly used. The candidate first establishes their base (composed of their party) and then work towards the middle to reach the swing/undecided voters. The Second more recent strategy is to first establish the base, then to excite, motivate, and expand the base. This second strategy was utilized by President George W. Bush. The Bush campaign noticed that the number of undecided voters had decrease from the assumed one third of voters to just 7% of voters! The other 26.3% of "undecided" voters tended to vote the same way each election. This worked very well for George Bush, he energized his base and they came out in greater numbers on election day.

This evening was one of the best nights I have had here. A small group of students (Including Matt and April) and I went downtown and hung out at a hookah lounge. It was quite an experience to discuss politics with other politically motivated students who are in similar places in their life. Although there was much expected disagreement, no one was opposed to considering the other's perspective and respect their opinions. We talked of several main issues, but there was one idea put out that has caught my attention. We were talking about the corruption that exist in corporations, and my friend Jacob of Oklahoma University had a proposal. He proposed the idea that the CEOs of corporations should have a salary limit that is a certain percent of the lowest wage paid to other employees. If the CEO wanted to continue to make outrageous amounts of money, they would have to raise the wages of the lowest employees. I really liked this idea. I hope to be able to get time away again with the other students just to "talk politics".

Final Preparations and Sneak Peek - Peter Sebesta

2008-08-20T23:30:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, August 20th, 2008

Once again we started our day with lectures at the Ranger Dome on campus here at Regis University. Today Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) Logistics Panel members Travis Dredd and Cameron Moody spoke about the immense amount of coordination and work that has occurred in Denver for the last year in preparation for this historical event. Moody, DNCC Deputy CEO for Outside the Hall Operations, informed us of the many preparations that have finally been pieced together. From the transportation from Denver International Airport, the coordination of housing the state delegations in more than 17,000 hotel rooms, to the credential and security issues addressed, it seems that Denver is almost ready for the upcoming "organized chaos" arriving this weekend. The transportation department of the DNCC has coordinated an airport "meet and greet" operation, a motor pool consisting of 400 hybrid flex fuel vehicles and a bus system set up with roughly 100 hotels contracted for the Convention. Working with yesterday's speaker and producer Ricky Kirshner, Travis Dredd has been working to coordinate the construction, production, media logistics, and general hall management in the Pepsi Center as well as the DNCC Deputy CEO for inside the hall operations. These two men were well composed, indicative that all the bases seem to be covered as we wait for Monday.

The students from the University of Texas at San Antonio have been honored with VIP passes to the Starz Green Room Event. Tonight Regis University held a reception for the Washington Center Group and Regis Alumni at the Mile High Stadium at Invesco Field. This was a rare opportunity to view the Invesco Stadium where Sen. Barack Obama will give his speech, accepting the democratic nomination. Lucky for us, Regis University had booked this event months in advance and the reservation was not altered after the recent decision for Obama to give his speech at Invesco Field.

Here are some pictures of the Stadium

"Conventions used to be fun" (April)

2008-08-20T20:59:00.001-07:00

Matt, Peter, and I had the pleasure of listening to Tom Reed, a veteran journalist who has covered conventions, among other things, for decades. He discussed the evolution of the media and Democratic and Republican national conventions.

Apparently, bloggers like us make journalism much harder. The Internet has led Americans to a "right now" attitude. We want to hear Obama's speech and read a story over it immediately after. We want commentary on it immediately after, but if we could get it simultaneously, even better. We want the best story with the best angle, and we don't want to wait for the next day. This makes a journalist's job very hard. Instead of wining and dining after the conventions and joking and having fun with the politicians, a journalist has to be the first (of thousands) to get a story out. This, of course, is no fun.

What else about this campaign brings out the "right now" attitude of Americans? Is it Obama's mantra of "Change we can believe in?" Do we really believe that "change" can happen with a simple shift of title? And really, does a president even have the POWER vested in his position to make all of these promised changes? Realistically, no president ever changes more than a handful of policies when he gets into office, and he usually has influential power but is not an agent of change.

So I wonder, and I will ask you: who is an agent of change? Is it a constituent, a legislature, or even a court of law? Technically the legislative branch (who represents the interests of its various constituencies), is granted this power by the Constitution, but think harder. Can Barack Obama change everything? I would be less apprehensive if his message was more realistic (and consequentially less dynamic): "The first small push toward change."

I realize that is less tantalizing. No wonder he has stuck with what he has.

That's all, San Antonio. -April Sanchez

Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium

Site of Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech, Thursday August 28, 2008

This is the third floor of the stadium where we had a reception tonight. I will probably not get back into this area. Ever.

Before the stadium is decorated and revamped

Day Two - The Second Coming - Peter Sebesta

2008-08-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, August 19th, 2008

Today's guest speakers were Ricky Kirshner, Producer of the Democratic National Convention, and Reverend Leah D. Daughtry, the Democratic National Convention (DNC) Committee Chief Executive Officer. Ricky Kirshner is a very prominent producer in the United States. His team sets up all the sound, video, props, and staging for various events. He has produced the half-time show at the Super bowl for a number of years, and also produces the Tony Awards. Just to put the size of the DNC into perspective, there will be: 150 speakers, 350 moving lights, 250 stationary lights, 15 spot lights, and 8000 sq. ft. of video production surfaces in place for the Convention. Also several stages have been built and a very cool podium has been set up. The podium on the main stage has built-in air conditioning, a prompter, and even a "stop light" to warn speakers of their scheduled speech times. The light is just like a regular mini traffic light visible to only the speaker, and when there is one minute left the light turns yellow, then red when the speaker's time is up. Also the podium actually adjusts height based on the speaker's height. The recent decision to have Sen. Barack Obama's presidential nominee acceptance speech at Invesco Stadium at Mile High has brought in 200 more technicians in addition to the 300 who have been working at the DNC main site, the Pepsi Convention Center. The second speaker was Reverend Leah D. Daughtry. Rev. Daughtry is the Chief Executive of the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC). Daughtry emphasized that legislation must be followed through conscientiously to the level of the communities which it governs. As the Chief Executive of the DNCC, Leah was proud to announce that the goal of the DNCC is to have an "open convention". The DNC Committee is "removing the walls of the convention" and is attempting to let the nation see more of the Convention overall. After our guest speakers, Facility Leader Ph.D Bob Loevy made a proposal for a new presidential nominating system. Dr. Loevy first underlined the main problems with the current nominating system. Let's face it, the votes of voters in Iowa and New Hampshire count more than the votes of any other states. Whereas this is not literally true, these two states set up the basis for which primary campaigns start. In most primaries both parties have presumptive nominees shortly after Super Tuesday. The Democratic Primary of 2008 was a major exception to this trend, every state was necessary to determine the party's presumptive nominee, Senator Barack Obama. Dr. Loevy would change the nominating system to have an eight week long primary that would have five groups of ten states holding their primaries two weeks apart from each other, respectively. Loevy would have the group of ten consist of the smaller states (including Iowa and New Hampshire) vote in the first primary. Additionally, the ten largest states (which make up over 50% of the electoral college votes) would vote as the last group. The smaller states would narrow the candidates down while the larger states would be more prominent in the final decision of the nominee (keep in mind that more constituents are in these larger states). This system, although still flawed would at least allow all the states to have a more equal and actually existent say in the nomination process.

After the lectures we took a bus to Red Rocks Amphitheater. The Amphitheater, once considered one of the seven wonders of the world, exists between two huge 300 foot monoliths of beautiful red sandstone. The monoliths provide great acoustics and Red Rocks holds concerts of renowned artists including: Willy Nelson, Nine Inch Nails, Foo Fighters, Snoop Dog, and many more bands. After Red Rocks we took a bus tour of the Downtown/Metropolitan Area.

(from left to right: Matt, Me, Jacob)

(from left to right: Me, Jacob, Matt (front), April, Haley)

Here are a few pictures of Regis University

Library

Ranger Dome

"I see four key battleground states..and TX isn't one of them" (April)

2008-08-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

...According to Karl Rove, that is. But it is true. A few months ago, when BOTH Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton came to San Antonio and other Texas cities, it almost seemed for a moment that Texas mattered. Why? Because there were a large amount of delegate spots for Texas compared to the remaining primary elections.
Texas has two types of delegates: PLEDGED- those that are chosen after the primaries and caucuses and the UNPLEDGED- a.k.a. superdelegates.

Some of these delegates were very pro-Hilary. And some of them will not let go too easily. This poses a slight problem for Barack, because he needs her supporters on his side.

What could be the potential impact of these delegates' votes? According to Karl Rove, nothing. Nobody is really paying any attention to this matter, but I think it is certainly interesting.

We met the CEO of the 2008 DNC today. She is a Reverend. I was pleasantly surprised to hear how she integrates faith into her work and I enjoyed how candid she was. Here she is.

Leah Daughtry

More Barack support

Pepsi Center, location of the DNC

Invesco Field, location where Barack Obama will accept the nomination

We are not the only ones in town early

That is all. Feel free to ask any questions, and I will post again around this time tomorrow night!

-April Sanchez

Day 2

2008-08-19T11:55:00.000-07:00

We started the day with an 8:30 lecture by Professor Thomas Cronin and Michael A. Genovese, Ph.D. Professor Cronin was the first to speak. He spoke of what Sen. Barack Obama needed to accomplish to make this convention a success. He had three main points; unifying the party, making sure everyone knew that Sen. Obama is still indeed the candidate of change, and reintroducing him to the undecided voters. It was all very straightforward facts of the campaign up until now.

The next speaker was Michael A. Genovese, Ph.D. He focused less on the campaign and more on presidential elections in general. He first referred to James Burns when he was quoted as saying that we as Americans have the worst top leader recruitment system in the world. Today the "entry fee", referring to needed campaign funds, is 100 million dollars, contradicting that age old belief that anyone can be president if they just work hard enough. Mr. Genovese, who has been interviewed numerous times on CNN, began explaining his point further with examples of Great Britain's selection process which, among other things, is considerably shorter than ours (six weeks to be exact). He continued about the American selection process by rightfully calling a "horse race" and "media driven". Recently we've heard a lot about the media being slanted towards Sen. Obama. It seems they have made themselves out to be a central issue in the presidential race which gives some general idea as to the extent of how influential the media actually is in campaigns.

Two campaign strategies were introduced. One strategy, which was used by Sen. Hillary Clinton, involves going after the independent vote and then solidifying her base without too much concentration on the far right. Contrasting this strategy was the one used by President Bush which focused on going after the "true believers" of the Republican party. This strategy is based on the belief that the number of independent voters is shrinking.

Something that has become an important factor in the American selection process is branding. This is what the voting public sees in a candidate. For example, Sen John McCain is known for his war and foreign policy experience and as a republican maverick. It is the qualities in a candidate that sticks out to voters.

Another topic Mr. Genovese touched on was the new technology used. For example, Barack Obama is much younger than John McCain, and also has much of the youth vote. He takes advantage of this fact by utilizing the internet which is not always they easiest tool for older generations to keep up with. The use of the internet as a communication tool between Sen. Obama and voters has led to 750,00 volunteers and 8,000 infinity groups behind him.

It's been fascinating to hear these well known and respected speakers talk to us. It's so insightful and inspiring.

Later in the night we were able to go into downtown Denver for the first time. It's a beautiful city and the weather is still amazing. I will try to load pictures a little later.

-Matt Shelton

First Impressions -Peter Sebesta

2008-08-19T05:57:00.000-07:00

Monday, August 18th, 2008

First Impressions - Academia

This morning started with speakers in the Ranger Dome. We had the pleasure of hearing two prominent political writers, Ph.D. Thomas Cronin and Ph.D. Michael A. Genovese. Thomas Cronin was the first to speak, first lecturing the participants on the task that lie before Sen. Barrack Obama at the Democratic National Convention (DNC). Cronin hit on three main tasks: unifying the part, remaining the candidate of change, and reintroducing himself to undecided voters. As we all know and have observed over the past few months, the Democratic party was split with the close race for the presumptive nominee that finally ended on the doorstep of the DNC. Barack Obama needs the support of the many Hillary Clinton supporters that remain loyal to Sen. Clinton. Thomas Cronin predicted a range of one thousand to one thousand and three hundred faithful "Hillary Delegates" to who Sen. Obama must win over. Another concern Barack with be facing is keeping realistic expectations as the "Candidate of Change". In Cronin's opinion as a political analysis, presidential nominees with more concise mandates do better than nominees who try to promise too much change. Obama is indeed the candidate of change for the '08 election, but must concern himself with the reasonable influence the president can have on public policy. After all the system is designed to disallow and one person from having too much influence. Another high wire to traverse in the next two weeks is the reintroduction of Senator Barack Obama, the Democratic Party Nominee for the President of the United States. First of all Obama must continue to reach out to young voters and help keep the youth vote strong. Secondly Sen. Obama, as all presidential nominees before him, must rise above the baggage that comes with association with a major political party. Barack Obama must confront the paradoxical expectations we have of our president-to-be. Dr. Cronin outlined a few of these paradoxes from the book that he co-authored with Ph.D Michael Genovese. We expect our president to be a common American, yet have uncommon intellect, wisdom, and conduct. The public wants a President who is above politics, but obtaining the position requires being the best politician. Furthermore we want our president to be self-confident and steadfast, yet able to admit errors and attempt to correct them.

The experience here in the Washington Center Program is absolutely phenomenal, even after just the first day. I did not know what to expect of the program other than the guaranteed and imminent chaos of the actual convention itself. This first week we (the students) are attending lectures from prominent political figures. We have already heard from Ph.D. Thomas Cronin and Ph.D. Michael Genovese. Tomorrows speakers include Ricky Krishner (the executive producer of the Democratic National Convention "The Show Must Go On") and Reverend Leah D. Daughtry (Democratic National Convention Committee Chief Executive Officer). We will continue to concentrate on the academics of the program this first week, yielding to fieldwork that will be assigned on Wednesday and then events of the DNC the following week.

Tonight we were able to hit downtown Denver. Denver is a very beautiful and well designed city, but don't take my word for it, here are some snapshots of the urban/downtown scene.

Day one of the program (April)

2008-08-18T20:54:00.000-07:00

Today was the first actual day of The Washington Center's program Campaign 2008. I would like to introduce a few (semi) rhetorical questions that were brought up in our morning meetings. Basically we were talking about how Barack Obama became the presumptive Democratic nominee and all of the what-ifs surrounding the past year during early campaigns. I will share a few:

A. What if John Edwards had dropped out earlier in the race, say in November or December? How would this have affected the "pie" that Clinton, Edwards, and Obama were sharing? Most of Edwards' supporters have very similar characteristics of Clinton's. Who would be the nominee in that case?

B. What if Oprah (as silly as it sounds, many people are impressionable, and celebrities such as Oprah have mass supporters) and other Senators had endorsed Clinton rather than Obama? How far did a simple announcement of endorsement sway people one way or another?

C. What if Obama does not have a successful convention?

D. What will happen with the Texas delegates who supported Hilary Clinton?

I think all of these questions are important to reflect on because there were only a few factors that led to an Obama over Clinton victory, and the convention very easily could have been for Clinton if some of these factors changed or changed earlier. A speaker made the point this morning that even with all of the Republican "woes" of a bad presidency, unprecedented debts, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama does not have the landslide poll support one would expect. The Democrats should easily be ahead and the election should easily be decided already, but it is not. Obama only has a small advantage over John McCain, and that is the biggest question I will leave you all with tonight. Why? Why isn't this campaign and election going to be a landslide victory for Obama (at least not as of August)?

On a lighter note, I saw the very first signs, flags, and souvenirs on our trip downtown this evening. It will be interesting to see how much more will be put up during this next week. Enjoy. Goodnight.

Union Station, downtown Denver

The first decorations and memorabilia for the Democratic National Convention

Obama gear and University of Oklahoma students (center) with Matt (UTSA, right) and myself (left)

I don't know what this is yet or what purpose it serves, but I will find out.

--April Sanchez

Day 1

2008-08-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

Today began the first day of our two week journey in Denver. Luckily April, another student participating in the program, and I were on the same flight so I had someone to talk with during that and check-in. The Denver airport was very impressive and the weather felt amazing. There is an extreme lack of humidity here.

After a relatively short shuttle ride we arrived at Regis University where we immediately began the check-in process. During the check-in we were given a brand new shoulder bag with informative brochures and books related to the program. From there April and I made our way to our separate dorms. I was excited because this was the first time I would be staying in a dorm room for more than a couple of days.

After I unpacked all my things I received a text message from Professor Jasperson to meet her in the main building at four. After the brief meeting April and I met up with Peter, another student from UTSA, and had a small dinner. It was really exciting to be given the chance to meet all the new people.

We were told about a mandatory orientation that did not sound interesting in the least. Although it wasn't very informative it was a lot more interesting than I had originally thought. The "icebreaker" exercise was a fun and easy way to meet new people. We were given a grid list of certain activities and we were supposed to find who had done those activities, which included "jumped off a bridge", "dated someone you met online", or "been to Bangkok, Sydney, Jakarta, Krakow, Vilnius, Johannesburg, or Cairo". We also heard the national anthem of India, Mexico, England and Liberia, sung by nationals of those countries.

Then the opening speeches began. We heard from one of the priests of the university who gave an interesting speech. "Politics is the art of possibility" was one of his key points. That was a quote that really stuck with me.

Despite some funny and well spoken introduction speeches the orientation became a little too redundant. Afterwards we made it back to our dorm rooms to get some rest.

This first day was a good one. It has become obvious that this experience will be so much more than I had first thought. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

That will do it for tonight.

-Matt Shelton

Arrival

2008-08-17T16:59:00.001-07:00

We have arrived and registered at Regis University, the journey begins.

Meet The Students

2008-08-13T12:45:00.001-07:00

Frank Carni II is a junior attending the Honors College at UTSA. As a junior studying Political Science, Frank is interested in the defense of our country especially within the intelligence community. In his free time, Frank is an avid amateur golfer as well as an all around sports lover. He plays and watches just about any sport you can think of and stays physically active. Frank will be attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

“Attending the Republican National Convention is an amazing opportunity that any Republican, especially a student of politics,
would cherish. I hope that this behind the scenes experience will
enhance my excitement for American politics and open new doors for
my future involvement within the political spectrum.”

Hilda Moeller is a junior at UTSA majoring in History. Hilda will be attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minneapolis.

“The world of politics is fascinating. To attend a national convention has to be an extraordinary learning experience. To write about an experience is a good way of assimilating it. Any good experience is better if shared with others. TWC is kind, not only by sponsoring two students to attend the conventions, but also to offer the way in which our experience can be shared with the
viewers of this area.”-- Hilda Moeller

April Sanchez is a senior at UTSA, majoring in Communication
with an emphasis in Public Relations. She is also minoring in Politcal Science and Legal Studies and plans to attend law school in the fall of 2009. April is originally from El Paso, Texas. Sanchez will be attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver Colorado.

“I am excited about attending the Democratic National Convention because it will be one of the most historic moments in American History, and I will have a rare and opportunistic vantage point from which to view the convention. I am
also excited to be able to share this perspective with the local, state, and national community, and I hope that my insight will be unique, relatable, and will help peak an interest in the constituency to vote in November."

Peter E. Sebesta is a sophomore at UTSA majoring in Architecture who hopes to one day become a licensed architect or possibly open an architecture firm. Originally from Austin, Texas, Peter is interested in going to the lake, designing, playing soccer, spending time with friends, playing Xbox 360, and pretty much anything academic-oriented. Peter will be attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

“I have been honored by UTSA and Time Warner Cable to be on
the sidelines of history in the making. At the convention I will gain a greater understanding of the political system and gain greater insight on the views of the Democratic Party.”-- Peter
E. Sebesta

Matthew Shelton is a sophomore at UTSA majoring in political science. He’s lived in San Antonio his entire life and graduated from St. Anthony Catholic High School. Matthew’s goal is to graduate from UTSA and then go to law school in Austin. From there he hopes to enter the political field to eventually work his way up to federal politics. Matthew will be attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado.

“I'm excited to be attending this event because I have a strong
interest in politics, and not only is it the first presidential election I can vote in but it is also a historic even in American politics. I will also be able to learn so much about how these
elections are run.-- Matthew Shelton

Meet Their Professor

Amy E. Jasperson (Ph.D.) is an Associate Professor of Political Science, Director of the Media & Elections Studio at UTSA, and a political analyst for local, national, and international radio and television news sources on the 2008 presidential campaign. She teaches courses on American politics and political communications and has published research on these topics, including recent work on political communications and the youth vote in the 2004 presidential campaign. She is excited to be leading a group of Honors students who will participate in a non-partisan academic program through The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars at the Democratic and Republican Conventions.

“The opportunity to be on the ground in the convention cities, witnessing, participating in, and surrounded by grassroots politics-in-action is a hands-on experience that will shape these students as citizens for the rest of their lives. UTSA is grateful to Time Warner Cable for their generosity in supporting our students to attend both the Democratic and Republican convention programs.”--Amy Jasperson

An alumnae member of Leadership San Antonio, she also received the San Antonio Business Journal’s Forty-Under-40 Award for Rising Stars in 2003. She was awarded the UTSA President's Distinguished Achievement Award for Excellence in Core Curriculum Teaching for her work in American Politics and Government courses and she has been recognized by Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She received her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Minnesota and she is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley College in Massachusetts with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Art History (magna cum laude).

Students' Perspectives of the Party Conventions

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Time Warner Cable San Antonio is proud to sponsor five University of Texas at San Antonio students who will be attending the 2008 Democratic National Convention and the 2008 Republican National Convention.

As part of this sponsorship, students will provide daily, timely and relevant written and photojournalistic updates from the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention through the means of this blog.

These students are part of a delegation of students from around the country who are taking part in The Washington Center’s Campaign 2008 National Political Conventions academic seminar series. For more information about The Washington Center visit www.twc.edu.

Follow the students’ experiences throughout the party conventions.

The blog postings are the opinions expressed by the UTSA students and those providing comments are theirs alone, and do not reflect the opinions of Time Warner Cable San Antonio, L.P. or Time Warner Cable or any parent or affiliate company or any employee thereof (hereafter “Time Warner Cable”). Time Warner Cable is not responsible for the accuracy of any of the information supplied by the students and assumes no responsibility for the opinions expressed therein.