RNC - Thursday

Thursday -

Everyone knows that the last day of the Convention is really just the ramp up to the acceptance speech by the nominee. After Sarah Palin's explosive speech last night, McCain was going to have to connect with voters in and outside of the Convention Hall. Before entering the convention hall, I believed that this challenge was going to be difficult for the senator.

I wasn't always a McCain supporter. I volunteered for Mitt Romney's campaign starting about a year ago up until the day he dropped out of the race. I was devastated when I read the email from Mitt Romney. I truly believed that he was the GOPs best choice for president. However, the math didn't add up, and it was time for Mitt Romney to step aside and allow the man with the most delegates pledged in the primaries move forward and try to win over the rest of the party.

I never did make it to the floor. Because of the change in floor plan, Colorado's delegation was going to be front and center on prime time television and the networks didn't want any empty seats, so there would be no switching of seats.

I have to admit that I was not blown away by McCain's speech. I didn't expect to be, but I knew that the message he would be deliver was meant not for the base of the party -- he already has our vote, but instead for the undecideds. Every presidential candidate has to work for the undecideds and independents...the more people we can put into our column and not our opponent, the better off the Republicans will be.

Before Thursday night, I hadn't heard in-depth what McCain thought we needed to do about improving our schools and preparing our students for the future. McCain said, "We need to shake up failed school bureaucracies with competition, empower parents with choice. Let's remove barriers to qualified instructors, attract and reward good teachers, and help bad teachers find another line of work. When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parent -- when it fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them.Some may choose a better public school. Some may choose a private one. Many will choose a charter school. But they will have the choice, and their children will have that opportunity...I want schools to answer to parents and students."


IT sounds to me like No Child Left Behind is going to get a makeover, which my friends who are teachers tell me is necessary.

I wasn't sure what to expect from the convention. I had always watched them on TV with great interest. Being from Denver, I was able to experience both conventions in two completely different ways. In Denver, I attended events that were open to the public and watched politicos, pundits and some celebrities take over my town. In Minneapolis, I watched some of the same politicos and pundits descend on the Twin Cities. There are no words to explain the feeling when Sarah Palin stepped on stage to introduce herself to the country and the conventioneers.

I met some amazing people in the Colorado delegation. Many of the delegates and alternates were significantly older than me, but it drove the point home that members of BOTH parties need to reach out and involve younger voters in their campaigns. This doesn't let the younger crowd off the hook. We have a responsibility to care about more than just our technological gadgets and for things we can only see in front of us. Both candidates have encouraged their supporters to look beyond the four walls of their homes and schools and to serve others.

There's a leadership style called "Servant Leadership" and I think both candidates use different aspects of that leadership style in their campaigns. Servant Leadership is essentially basing your decisions and actions on how it will affect the people you serve, not just yourself. I see elements of Servant Leadership in both John McCain and Barack Obama.

The sound of the crowd Thursday night chanting "USA! USA! USA!" over the Code Pink protesters who got into the hall was intense. I am a staunch defender of the First Amendment. However, the convention is for delegates, alternates and guests of them. The Code Pink protesters were not there to hear the messages from John McCain or anyone else in the convention hall.

I'll be back in the Mile High City on Saturday, today I am visiting friends and family in the Twin Cities.