Musings on Political Heroes and 'Sheores'

Boyd Lewis is going to follow my blog - omg! I am so honored and rather intimidated –like to the point of distraction. I’m going to have to meditate and repeat a montra before I put finger nails to key board for my blog from now on. I am a HUGE Boyd fan! He has done shit I can only dream and plot about. He relayed his 1988 Democratic National Convention story to me in an email recently; “I did "The Democrats and Democracy" for WRFG at the 1988 convention using a big press badge i copied from an official White House badge I got when Reagan visited Atlanta. I got in everywhere except places where they knew just how
goddamn bogus my badge was.” Now just how cool is THAT!!? He encouraged me to be original and creative – oh the pressure! Boyd is one of my heroes – so I’ll try not to let him down.

I have other political and practical heroes and ‘sheroes’ (a term my girlfriend Frani just gave me). They have inspired me all my life – literally. My parents are my first heroes (Bud, Miki and Ruth Anne [adored wicked step mom]). Many of you reading this blog know and love them, too. My folks have been involved in politics for over 50 years so it courses through my blood like the high cholesterol I also inherited. Raising money for Elis Arnold by cruising a local fundraiser in my cutest dress, big blue eyes and sand bucket with an Elis Arnold bumper sticker firmly affixed – how old was I Miki - 2? 3 yrs old? The songs of protest taught to me by my father – many written by him. The marching. The organizing. The fundraising. The campaigning. It’s as natural to me as breathing and as much a part of me as my freckles. I don’t think of it as ‘being political’- it’s just what you do.

Boyd knows all this about me. So he sets the bar high for me as I blog through this experience. Thank you Boyd for reminding me to include the fun and adventure and sense of wonder that Molly Worthington brought to the 1988 convention.

Here is Molly’s 1988 adventure as conveyed to me by Boyd: One of most popular features ["The Democrats and Democracy" for WRFG ] was a series of imaginary letters on the air by Molly Worthington who was a delegate from Hahaira, Ga. on her first trip to the big city. She satirized politicians, culture and the media with a razor sharp eye on the absurd irony of it all. The report that had the town rollicking for months was her wide-eyed visit to a lesbian bar on Cheshire Bridge Road, never really understanding where the small town girl had gotten herself into. A frikkin hoot!!
Molly is my new ‘shero’!

More Parties!!!! Is there actually a convention?

Cousin Debbie read my blog last night. Then she laughed and reminded me that I have to wear my cowboy hat and cowboy boots on the plane because when she picks me up we are headed to our first 'theme' party! Seriously folks - it's one program/ party / 'unconvention'/ event after another and 'THE' actual convention is an incidental activity that happens at the Pepsi Auditorium. Okay - now for those of you know I work for Cola-Cola have GOT to see the irony in that!!! Seriously, I have to bring my own Coke Zero with me.

I occurs to me that at some point I am going to have to confess to my boss that I am going to be spending an entire week at the Pepsi Center. I wonder if I have to file a special request with Coca-Cola for permission to go inside a Pepsi facility?
(note to self..check into that) Think I'll have to go through a scrub down when I get back to work - or worse! a piss test to prove I didn't drink any Pepsi - God forbid!!! (Dan - promise, I will resist the temptation.)

I was talking about a cowboy hat and boots - which I don't own because I live in Atlanta, not Dallas. So I went to EBay and bought a $29.99 cowboy hat. Got it last week and I think I look kinda cute in it. My son disagrees but who listens to a 13 year old anyway?

Cowboy Boots? hhmmmm.... the flip flops I intended to wear on the plane are clearly out. Damn. You know how hard it is to take off and then put boots back on while you are standing in front of a hundred people trying to get through security at the airport? Of course you do! They are going stampede right over me. OK Cousin Debbie - I'll do if for you. This party better be good.

Gonna have to borrow a real cowboy looking bandana to make the outfit complete. Perhaps Chris will lend me one of his - he has like a hundred of them. He's from Texas after all.

What am I going to Denver for? ... oh yea, to make history.

Unconventional Women - sounds so like me!

here is a cool link http://www.unconventionalwomen.org/info.htm
The home page reads:
Monday, August 25, 2008

8:00 am – 2:00 pm
Buell Theatre (near the Convention Center)
Denver, Colorado

Be part of a historic symposium uniting 3,000 women,
advancing their political leadership and participation

Politics without women like you is a recipe for injustice.

Cousin Debbie got us tickets - and the program looks awesome, filled with some fascinating women (even one Republican - perhaps she'll change teams and come over to the winning side! LOL) and great discussion topics.

Looks like my own Mayor (the Honorable Shirley Franklin) will be there. Perhaps I can fuss at her some more about how screwed up our City's budget is and she can tell me, again that it's all City Council's fault (but that is for a different blog). Where was I?

Oh yes!, so this is like the 3rd program / party that Cousin Deb has set up for us during that week. I am beginning to wonder if we are in fact going to be doing any real volunteering for poor Brook at all.


So, assuming we make it to this program I'll be following up here on my blog with all the details - who I saw, what I did and who I did it with!!!! Stay tuned.


In the meantime, I encourage you to be 'unconventional' too!

I'm going to Denver - DNC Watch Out!

It seems incredible to me that we are only 2 weeks from the Democratic National Convention and I AM GOING TO BE THERE. Cousin Deb got us a gig doing volunteer work for 'Brook' (Head of IT for the DNC - kind cool, huh?) who I don't know but already love! And we might actually get some work done in between the programs and side conference that she is getting tickets for us to attend!

So - I will be blogging as I prepare and then while I am there. Join me and Cousin Deb for a rowdy and fun filled time in Denver as we get 'Mile High and Down and Dirty at the DNC!!!'