Monday, August 25, 2008

Monday, August 25

The day began with our delegation breakfast--eggs, bacon, sausage, pastries--I'll gain 10 pounds!! After breakfast we received our credential cards--to be guarded with our lives. The light rail (very cool) took me downtown to the Unconventional Women's symposium, where I heard Nancy Pelosi speak about her book Know Your Power. She said the first time she sat in the Speaker of the House seat it felt very crowded--since she was sharing it with Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and all the women who had sacrificed to make it possible for her to be there. She is wonderful--powerful and eloquent. She was interrupted frequently by screaming protesters, who had to be dragged out by the SWAT teams.


I next attended the NEA (National Education Association) lunch featuring women governors as speakers. We heard Ruth Ann Minner from Delaware, Janet Napolitano from Arizona and our own Kathleen Sebelius. She makes me proud to be a Kansan, and a teacher, as she stated there is no more powerful voice in politics than education


On my way back to catch a bus to the Pepsi Center I had my first celebrity sighting--Ted Koppel!!!




He is the old guy in the sun glasses, not the stranger asking me to take his picture with Ted!!














Then on to the Pepsi center!!! What amazing energy!!! Speakers Nancy Pelosi, Jesse Jackson Jr. and Reg Weaver (NEA President) warmed us up for Carolyn Kennedy and then.... Ted Kennedy!!!!! They handed out signs that said "Kennedy" to everyone and the crowd went crazy yelling Kennedy, Kennedy for about five minutes. He is an incredibly strong man. He said "This is a season of hope!, I will be there on the Senate floor in January!


Congressman Dennis Moore dropped by and sat with me, and two other Kansas delegates! I told
him about Joe being in Iraq, and he gave me his card and told me to call him if there was ever anything he could do for me. He is a very caring person!

Then our keynote speaker Michelle Obama--what can I say, every time I hear her it is just fabulous. She told us this time to listen to our hopes and not our fears, and dedicated the speech to her father's memory and her daughter's future. The evening ended with Barack greeting us live from Kansas City! I'm dead... Goodnight!

PS. One more thing--I ate a soy bar at a snack table with John Grisham! :)

3 comments:

angel said...

oh, jan.
i still am emotionally charged from Michelle's segmant last night. what touched me the most was her mother's voice... and her mother's face... and those sweet little girls.

i am just in awe.
I can only imagine what
it must be like to be there...

Hillary tonight, eh?
can't wait to read your
post about it.

take care and see you soon.

JeanH said...

Jan -
I cried during Michelle Obama's speech. She is a great speaker. And so is Hillary. I keep looking for you on TV. I can't believe I actually know someone who is there!
Jean

Val said...

Mim! I'm so excited for you! Looks like you've had your share of run-ins with celebrities! (I would have loved to have shared a snack with John Grisham!) I'm so proud of you for representing us at the convention! (by "us" I mean McConnells and Democrats) Sounds like you are having a great time!