Here's my question for those attending the Democratic National Convention: Is there anybody there who is not blogging?

This has got to be the most personally chronicled event in history.

We, of course, have Philip Baruth blogging on the Free Press Web site. This morning he gave us the scoop on the going attire for eating pancakes, plus some pix that show our peops hob-nobbing.

Over at Green Mountain Daily, they have about 14 people blogging from the scene. With some amusement I read the part where they discover how hard this kind of thing is:

"The other day, as odum and I were planning what what we would do, I
ambitiously thought there'd be a whole lotta posting going on. Then those pesky
logistics get in the way - bus rides that should take 10 minutes take 45... the
line at the Pepsi center takes 45 minutes just to get through security. Or, when
you finally make it to the convention floor, the computer situation is not what
you wanted. "

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Gaye Symington blogged on her Web site, falling just short of telling us anything interesting. Here's a snippet:

"There’s lots of energy everywhere. My morning events were
mostly hosted by organizations that support women running for office or target
women voters – most of them non-partisan organizations with various specific
interests – pro-choice women, Latina women, unmarried women, as a few
examples. Maria Echaveste, the Deputy Chief of Staff for President
Clinton, began the morning by referencing the writing of Abigail Adams and the
mid-1800’s Seneca Falls conference on women’s rights where Elizabeth Cady
Stanton first proposed that women be allowed to vote. "

I appreciate any reference to Seneca Falls, hometown of my mother, but what we want to know, of course, is what kind of reception did Symington receive from these people. Did they tuck checks into her Vermont-made Obama "Flash Bag?"

I got an e-mail yesterday from Tax Commissioner Tom Pelham, whose 20-year-old daughter, Rachel is a delegate from California, where she goes to college, and is blogging it. She offers some candor:

"The big opening day was somewhat of a let down, but the pundits (sitting
10 yards in front of me on the Convention Floor) disagree with me on what was
amiss in the Pepsi Center. The media wants a good show, and they didn't
really get it. I want something that can't happen with a made-for-the-media
political event; I want discussion and inspiration without the corny show.
LIke Michelle's speech last night, the Convention must speak to target
audiences, allay secret fears, reassure and energize the masses. This is
necessity. But I can't help yearning for a more genuine approach at all levels:
a Michelle who does not introduce herself as an auxiliary human being defined by
her role as daughter, mother and wife, a Convention without all the trappings of
a football game, a public dialog that is not demagoguery. Delegates are not
cheerleaders."

Candor is what we want.

- Terri Hallenbeck