And The Dream Continues...

The last couple days working for the New Jersey delegation has been fantastic. Aside from meeting every major politician from the state and the state party chairman, I have been put in contact with several people who have given me insight on my project. Everyone here has been very welcoming and receptive to a college volunteer.

The first night of the convention was deemed by many to be an emotional and inspiring event. The two standout speakers of the evening were in my opinion Michelle Obama and Senator Ted Kennedy. A convention hall (and the NJ delegation watch party) was filled with tearful supporters who were moved by messages that continued to promote the American Dream as well as party unity.

Some political analysts, such as James Carville, believe that the Democratic Party may have wasted the first night of their convention by pressing unity behind Obama and not going on the immediate offensive against Senator John McCain. Given the lackluster poll response from Joe Biden (Gallup has Obama trailing McCain by a statistically insignificant 2 points), the Dems need all the help they can get. We will see if tonight's address from Hillary Clinton can put aside some of the party differences and give Barack Obama the convention he needs.

Convention Update

Today, another student and I made the decision to go the New Jersey delegation office in an attempt to get hired. We were successful, and I am incredibly excited with this new opportunity. Not only do I have the ability to serve my home state, I have immediate access to all delegation events and the opportunity to meet delegates and elected officials.

A very exciting development that comes along with this new placement is the ability for me to add depth to my superdelegate research by actually being able to interview them about their views on the system. I will be updating as frequently as possible.

Additionally, I would encourage everyone to follow this year's DNC very closely, as it is shaping up to be one of the most exciting and involved political events of our lifetime.

Obama-Biden Ticket and My Weekend in Denver...

Yesterday was a day of wonderful opportunity. After spending my morning at the Pepsi Center and receiving a sneak peak at the convention floor, I had the opportunity to meet and be addressed by Gov. Howard Dean, Chairman of the Democratic National Committee. His address, speaking about the importance of my generation, was one of the most inspiring speeches I have ever heard in my life.

On another topic, at roughly 1:15AM mountain time, I received my text message officially declaring Senator Joe Biden as Barack Obama's running mate for the 2008 Presidential Election. I see a lot of parallels between this year's contest and the election of 1960 between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard M. Nixon. It is the the idea of the familiar past challenging the progress of the future. The inexperienced Obama's pick of Joe Biden, a very experienced Senator, is reminiscent of Kennedy's selection of Lyndon Johnson, who was one of the most respected and experienced senators of his time.

The selection of Joe Biden provides a nice balance to the Democratic Ticket. His six terms in the US Senate, and his great level of foreign policy experience help to counter Barack Obama's relative lack of foreign policy experience and time in Washington. It also seems as though Biden will be attack dog on John McCain. It will be interesting to see how this developes, and if John McCain will use his VP selection as an opportunity to strike back.

Finally to Denver...

This post is going to serve as an introductory, journal-styled entry until I gather more of the academic information we have been discussing in seminar. I am currently staying at Regis University with The Washington Center, who will be providing academic preparation and fieldwork placement for the Democratic National Convention, which starts in six short days. We have been getting academic lectures and been placed into small discussion groups to foster intellectual growth and critical thinking on various political matters. Much of the discussion has already given me further insights on other positions and ideas to consider when writing the substantive portion of my paper to accompany the data set(s). I am looking forward to the next two weeks I am to spend here in Denver and will try to post daily as new ideas, information, and insights become available.

Another Edwards VP Nominee?

Speaker-of-the-House Nancy Pelosi has made a point to start pushing for a Congressman, Rep. Chet Edwards D-TX, to be considered for the VP nomination on the presumptive Obama ticket. Edwards name is now being considered with the likes of Sen. Joe Biden of Delaware, Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana, and Gov. Tom Kline of Virginia.

The most powerful woman in America could have pushed Edwards name on to the list for a number of reasons. One dominant reason may have to do with geography. Rep. Edwards is from Texas, and his district includes President George W. Bush's ranch in Crawford, Tx. In an attempt to try and sew up a state that has been held by Republicans for the last two Presidential elections, Pelosi's geographic variation tactic may work. A lack of name recognition may be hurtful, but time will truly show if the Democratic party will run another "Edwards" for VP.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/150485

100 Days To Go

Today, July 28, 2008 marks 100 days until the 2008 Presidential Election. On the Democratic side, Senator Barack Obama has just finished up his world tour throughout parts of the middle east and Europe.

Obama's journey gave him a large jump in the Gallup poll. He now leads Senator John McCain by a 9 point margin, 49 for Obama and 40 for McCain.

It appears that the positive response from people around the world may have ignited a bit more support for Obama in the United States. If Senator Obama can continue this type of support building and strengthening of momentum, he should be a very strong candidate come November 4th.

P.S. 17 days until I leave for Denver, Colorado for the 2008 Democratic National Convention.

Obama's Fund Raising Woes...

At this point Obama has had Clinton appear with him on numerous occasions to promote party unity, as well as raise money that both Senators are in need of. Clinton still has $22 Million in campaign debt, and Obama will have a hard fought general election campaign against Senator John McCain. Obama's biggest problem with regard to fund raising thus far is getting Clinton supports to financially back his campaign. Many are hesitant to do so unless he shifts some of his positions to be more aligned with Clinton's point of view. It will be interesting to watch the dollar drama continue to unfold, and to see how it actually ends up.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/07/09/clinton.obama/index.html

A little project update:

The initial data set with superdelegate information is about 80% complete. The second set should not take as much time, but I predict the final datasets and report will be completed or near-completed prior to my attendance of the DNC.