Delegate Diary: It is enough

Van Mobley
Delegate diary
The coffee made things clearer. "I am done with this speech," I thought. "I need to get my kids some souvenirs." So I went upstairs and changed into a sweatshirt and some shorts and then went over to the Minneapolis convention center to the exhibits they had set up. I had heard they had souvenirs there -- and that was what I needed.
They were right. They had lots of souvenirs there. I bought 10 political buttons, four little lapel pins in the shape of Wisconsin with "McCain" on them and one little pin in the shape of Florida with "McCain" on it. That was for my cousin in Florida. He is a teacher. His kids will like that. They need to see it.
After I made my selections, it was time for lunch. I had a hard time finding a suitable place to eat. In the end I wound up in a bar in the lobby of the Radisson hotel -- which was across the street from where I was staying. There were only a few people in the bar. They looked like security guys and sounded like it too. They were talking about all the work that they had been doing and that they were about to have to go back on duty for one last shift. "Thanks guys," I thought. I liked them. Having them around made me feel better.
When the bartender came back, he gave me a big menu. I had trouble reading it because I was tired and could not focus. Finally I gave up. "What do you suggest?" I asked. He gave me a couple of suggestions and then said "But what you really need to have is the lamb sandwich." I had the lamb sandwich, and he was right. It was a good choice. I also thought about drinking a beer. Instead I got a Coke. That was the right choice, too. I was happy eating my lamb sandwich and drinking a Coke and sort of half listening to the security guys. My friend Diane Robertson from Ozaukee County sent me an e-mail on my BlackBerry. She wanted some tickets to the big McCain rally there. I sent her back a reply "talk to Andrew Petzold, he is the McCain kingpin in Ozaukee County, not me." I copied Andrew on the email too. A few minutes later Andrew sent an e-mail back my way. They had gotten it taken care of. "That Andrew is damned efficient," I thought.
By now the afternoon was getting far along. I decided to go back to the hotel and sit in the steam room. I felt like if I went in there all the wine remnants that were floating around in my body would get sweated out and the lamb and Coke that was in my belly would replace them. I was right about that, too.
After I showered I put on my best Burberry suit. This was a big night and I wanted to look my best. I also pinned on one of the lapel pins that I bought at the civic center. It was a flat black Wisconsin pin with McCain on it in gold letters. It really looked sharp on my lapel. "That is nice," I thought. Good choice.
When I got off the phone with my Dad, I went down to get on the buses. Guess what? The guy I met from Xcel Energy on Wednesday during the boat ride was waiting in line to get on the bus. Brian was their jurisdictional communications manager. He had read this blog. He said, "It is kind of like in the stream of consciousness style." I explained to him that I had been reading some Fitzgerald and Hemingway and was sort of emulating it -- but adapting it for my own purposes. We agreed that everybody needs good models.
I also saw Michelle Farrow and Ashley from the Wisconsin delegation. They had some volunteers from their county who were coming along for the night. They had guest passes. I took off my credentials and gave them to one of the volunteers. "I will be content to sit up in the top tonight," I said. He gave me his guest pass.
It took us a while to get to the Xcel Center. Those ridiculous hooligans were at it again. But the security guys were smarter than them. They took us on a roundabout way, and we arrived safe. When we got to the center, I took Brian with me on the secret way in. We stopped along the way to talk to a cop from St. Cloud. We all agreed that we were tired and looking forward to going home. Brian and I thanked the cop for all his work.
After we went in the center, Brian and I split ways. I went up high to the guest areas and sat and watched the speeches. I was tired and had been working and had not been able to watch speeches much this week. It was nice to watch the speeches from here way up high. They did a good job.
Before John McCain went on, I got hungry. They had opened up some of the food stands, and I decided to buy a hamburger and fries. One of the volunteers manning the stand saw my lapel pin. He said, "That is a great pin. Where did you get it?" It turns out he was leaving in the morning and couldn't make it to the convention center to get a pin. I gave him the pin.
When I got back to my seat, Michelle called. She wanted to know if I wanted to come down on the floor. "Nah," I said. "I am content to sit up here."
The speech was a good one. Not too flashy, but good. Energy policy, reform, low taxes, security, COUNTRY FIRST! I think people from all walks of life and all political persuasions will rally to the standard. I like the speech better this morning than I did last night. It is growing on me, I think. GOOD JOB, JOHN MCCAIN. Somebody asked me whether I thought Palin would overshadow John McCain. "Nah," I said. "But I am pretty sure she will flourish." That John McCain sure knows how to build a team, I thought. CRAFTY!
When I got back to the hotel, some guys asked me whether I was going out. "Nah," I said, "too tired." Some other guys asked me if I planned to drive home for the rally Friday morning. I thought about that, too. I really was tired. Driving back last night didn't seem like a good idea. I might go to sleep at the wheel. I have got a family, and they don't need me to do some fool thing like fall asleep at the wheel. If it were something really necessary I could have done it, but in this case it didn't seem like a good idea. Too risky and not enough upside. Besides, Andrew, and Mark Gottlieb, and Mike Duffy, and all the guys in Ozaukee County can handle things on their end.
"It is good to be a part of a team," I thought. "They can do things without you."
I had a nice sleep. When I woke up this morning, I finished this blog. I think the McCain team is going to win in November. I am proud to be a part of it. I look forward to watching the Cedarburg rally on TV. I wonder who they are going to put on stage with John McCain? I guess I will have to watch and find out.
-- Mobley is associate professor of history & economics at Concordia University Wisconsin, a trustee in the Village of Thiensville and an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention.




