By Diane Denish
DENVER — During breakfast today with the New Mexico delegation, I noticed the chair of the Democratic National Committee’s Voting Rights Institute and a well-known political analyst, Donna Brazile, having breakfast with the Virginia delegation. I had met Donna when I was Democratic state chair in 2000 and she was running the Gore campaign.
I re-introduced myself and asked if she would join the New Mexico breakfast to share her thoughts about the convention and Sen. Obama. She graciously accepted and gave us a very inspiring speech about Sen. Obama, the new hope he brings with his message of change and collaboration, and his opportunity considering the party election cycle.
After breakfast, I walked a few blocks to the Electing Women event. Electing Women is a group of Colorado women who have inspired tremendous financial support for Democratic women running for the U.S. Senate, governor and, yes, president. Speakers included Sens. Patty Murray, Amy Klobuchar and Claire McCaskill; Gov. Kathleen Sebilius; and yours truly. The event celebrated their successes and introduced them to potential candidates.
As I made my way from the Crowne Plaza to the LimeLight restaurant, I passed a free bicycle rental that allows you to get on a bike and ride it all day around Denver and drop it off at any of the bike locations. Bike use is at no charge — unless of course, you fail to return the bike! Stay tuned: There is a bike tour in the offing.
As we exited the Electing Women event, we decided to drop in to say hello at the Unconventional Women gathering, a collection of organizations inspiring and encouraging women to run for office and work for women who are running for office. Hosted by Swanee Hunt, a former ambassador in the Clinton administration, there were a host of women scheduled to speak, but we were fortunate to listen in to the conversation with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who poignantly reminded women about the importance of having their voices at the table.
The event was terrific in spite of a distraction by the group calling themselves Code Pink, who used a number of protesting techniques to try and disrupt the event. Thanks to great planning and audience participation, these folks were escorted out of the event in a timely way and the show went on.
As I close, we are returning from the Lifetime Future Frontrunners celebration of young women — women who were chosen to come to the convention based on a national writing competition. What an exciting year 2008 is with the increased participation of young people. These young women were engaged, inquisitive and challenging, and it was refreshing to be able to tell some of my most unique experiences and challenges as New Mexico’s first woman lieutenant governor. Other speakers included Arianna Huffington of the Huffington Post and Betsy Myers of the Obama campaign. Our own Martha Burk, author of What’s at Stake in ‘08, was also a part of the event.
All in all, this was an exciting first day as we look forward to our first evening in the Pepsi Center. Tomorrow, you’ll hear about Caroline Kennedy’s tribute to Sen. Ted Kennedy and Michelle Obama’s moment in the limelight. The Democratic National Convention, a collection of Americans from all walks of life representing the fabric of our country — working women and men, young people, senior citizens, moms and dads, veterans, rural and urban, every proud ethnic background — gathered together to have their voices heard. New Mexico is well represented and I am proud to be a part of it! Hasta mañana.
Denish is New Mexico’s lieutenant governor. She will be blogging on this site daily from this week’s convention.
After breakfast, I walked a few blocks to the Electing Women event. Electing Women is a group of