Tears of Excitement?

Obama convention delegates and supporters had a grand night last night. Their time had come and they were throwing a party to prove it. The Democratic Convention hall was packed to the brim with delegates, supporters, media and gawkers. The stage is huge, the lighting fantastic and there is even a huge platform of a podium that disappears into the floor. Yet, something was lacking, excitement.

The cheers and demonstrations seemed forced and short-lived. While it was Iowa’s night to shine and there is important symbolism in former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, a Republican, addressing a Democratic Convention, Leach is hardly the guy you rely on to fire-up a crowd.

Convention organizers planned a night of pomp and circumstance, but forgot to pump up the believers, build momentum and generate enthusiasm. Michelle Obama connected with the audience. She even made the woman next to me weep out loud (and I mean out loud). So, while I must admit the evening got to some people, it came off as kind if flat to me.

After the official activities ended for the night, a friend and I set out for the Trojan Condom event. Denver is a city that befuddles even GPS mapping devices. It would not surprise me to discover the early settlers of Denver had asked the local school kids to lay out the streets as an afternoon activity one day and then had the surveyors plot them after long evening in the saloon. Eventually, we found the Condomvention, long before Bill Maher did. The makeshift stage awaited his arrival. The single bar in the corner was doing a slow business. After a few minutes we decided that this might be the spot to be in a couple of hours and opted to cede our spots to a younger crowd who had yet to arrive.

For now, I am off for another day of conventioneering. Later I will tell you about picking through the hotel garbage for my convention credentials and will explore the probing question, “who orders hot wings for room service?”