It has not been easy getting around downtown Chicago.
With so much security and traffic, it is challenging to get from one event to another during the day. The city’s local transit system is providing shuttle busses for DNC delegates to get to and from the United Center.
Each bus gets several security checks, from Secret Service to Homeland Security to the Chicago Police and even the TSA. It’s all hands on deck to insure security.
Still, at some point yesterday, protesters breached one of the security checkpoints. One bus carrying members of the delegation the three-mile distance to the United Center was delayed by about an hour and a half.
I chose a different route – taking a rideshare service from one designated restricted zone to another. It was far less painless, but still not easy.
There were long lines to get into the arena for the first night of the convention.
Truth be told, as delegates we really don’t see and are not affected much by the protestors – who are demonstrating over Palestine, over abortion and over other issues, including some wild conspiracy theories. What you might see on TV is different from what we are experiencing.
Inside the arena, the Maryland delegation has a prime location – close to the left side of the stage. In fact, at one point California Gov. Gavin Newsom came off the stage, looked at us, and said “Wow, you guys have a really good spot!”
It’s interesting to watch the dance on the convention floor between media cameras and the party’s floor managers. The cameras rotate on and off the floor, taking space in the aisles and blocking stairways and the managers are always urging them to get their shot and move on.
In the California delegation, cameras were always surrounding Nancy Pelosi to get her reaction to the sendoff for Joe Biden.
Monday night’s speeches were just so captivating. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez rocked the place. The audience broke into spontaneous chants of “AOC.”
As a spiritual person, I was really moved by Georgia Sen. Rev. Raphael Warnock. Many Marylanders are familiar with the message of Elijah Cummings, who would say “our children are a vision into the future we will never see.” What Warnock said yesterday is our vote is the prayers of what we see our vision into the future will be.
To liken our vote to a prayer is an interesting comment. It was a profound statement. For those who are spiritually grounded, they absorbed it in a different way.
When Hillary Clinton was speaking and mentioned Donald Trump and his criminal convictions, a glimmer of a chant of “lock him up” from a new York delegation. It caught on so quickly. Several people next to me said “Isn’t that a 360” from eight years ago.
When the Bidens and the Harrises came onto the stage at the end, it was evident there is a real partnership and friendship between the two families. It was a surreal moment that showed authentic relationships.
Gov. Moore hosted a post-gavel event at a venue called The Game Room, and it attracted tons of people from all over the country. As I was leaving to go somewhere else, I saw Sen. Warnock walking in with Lt. Gov. Aruna Miller.
At this morning’s delegation breakfast, we heard from congressmen Kweisi Mfume and Steny Hoyer. Hoyer (who is recovering from a stroke) is looking well, and was in true form, speaking for between 35 and 40 minutes, and taking us all the way back to Hubert Humphrey in Chicago in 1968.
Mfume got the delegation fired up, warning about the threat of Trump, and leading a recognition of Baltimore’s first family, Mayor Scott, his wife Hana and their baby Charm, who were all in the conference room.
At one point, Mfume asked for the mayor to hold up Charm and receive the adulation of our delegation – a moment that looked like it was right out of the Lion King.
The Maryland delegation is looking forward to tonight’s primetime speaking slot for Angela Alsobrooks, our nominee for Senate. A lot of our colleagues from around the country are also excited about her.
For today, I’m going to take a bit of a break from our transportation challenges and attend some caucus meetings virtually.
State Sen. Antonio Hayes will be authoring a convention diary as the DNC meets in Chicago this week.
