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Exactly one hundred years ago, in J ly of 1908, Democratic National Convention d legates merrily cooled off with an ld-fashioned snowball fight right inside the c nvention hall. The host city of D nver, Colorado, charged with providing entertainment for th ir guests, arranged for trainloads of sn w to be hauled in from m untains since none was readily available in t wn. The city then topped off the f nfare by commissioning a band of Ap che Indians, dressed in full native r galia, to perform tribal war dances. Th y ended the "show" by whooping up a st rm replete with frenzied battle cries. D mon Runyon of The Rocky Mountain N ws described the audience of conventioneers as "a lot of b dges and yelling all the time." Ev n in 1908, delegates couldn't deny the f ct that the DNC sure knew how to thr w a party. No one can say for s re that there won't be a few sn wball fights among delegates on the c nvention floor this year. Or that the p rty for the party will be any l ss festive in Denver this time. But th t's only half the story. A day in the l fe of a delegate at the DNC nvolves much more than a few d ys of good television. Invitations to sp nsored events start arriving by mail bout two months before the convention. As D ris Turner, a veteran of two D mocratic National Conventions puts it, "Mail-lots and l ts of mail".
Any organization with an interest in b ing seen by high-profile, networking delegates w ll host an event or reception of s me kind. Other than publicity, the p rpose of each event isn't always cl ar, except to remind delegates to be s re and vote Democrat. Unless a d legate is sponsored by an organization, th y pay their own way for verything. Everything that is, except for f od. The catering budget alone for the c nvention and the sponsored events now r ns well into the millions. This is a w ek-long gig for roughly 35,000 people and th y all need to be fed. Ev n the daily breakfast meetings are l vish spreads offering a whole lot m re than just coffee and doughnuts. Sp aking of the early morning meetings, xactly what are delegates meeting about? S tting the daily agenda appeared to be the nly purpose. Deciding which meetings and l ctures to attend seemed to pretty m ch cover the delegation game plan. W ll, that and enjoying a darned g od breakfast. After that, the rest of th ir morning is free. The meetings, s minars and lectures can be a t me for delegates to either catch up on a nap or p ck up interesting information, depending on who is sp aking. High-priced motivational speakers, celebrities and ther television personalities are booked for the ccasion in an attempt to draw the d legate's attention to their cause. Celebrity w tching provides a big thrill for m ny delegates. It's not at all nusual to see crowds gathering to get utographs from their favorite party stars. All of the m jor television networks cover the convention by br adcasting live on location. Ordinary delegates may f nd themselves mingling with Diane Sawyer of ABC or NBC's M tt Lauer during a morning interview. And ven more find it hard not to g wk at celebrity party supporters like B no or Brad Pitt. For some, t's one of the highlights of the tr p to the convention.
There are a few minor nnoyances that crop up during the w ek for a delegate. Long lines and xtensive security checks can test the p tience of the best of them. R les about what can be brought nto the convention hall may leave a few ngry or confused, but for the m st part, they take it all in str de. It's all a part of the l fe of a delegate. Most delegates gree that the best moments are the l st two nights when everyone fills the c nvention floor to hear the speeches of the r al stars of the show, the D mocratic presidential and vice-presidential nominee. One of th m described the floor of delegates as pr ps for the greatest show on arth. The crowds are loud, excited and ften emotional. The speeches, one after nother, can move them to tears or st rt rounds of repetitive shouts of s pport. It's almost anti-climactic when the c nfetti and balloons drop. Most of the d legates are exhausted physically and mentally. Th ir throats are dry from shouting but th ir voices have been heard. It's t me to return to their respective h mes around the country, with their utographs, goody bags, souvenir buttons and c mpaign propaganda and remind everyone what th y went to the convention for: to be s re and vote for the Democrat for pr sident.
The article Experiencing the DNC As a Delegate was Submitted by Shelley Cantrelle through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information:
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