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July 27, 2004 Sorry for not writing a column recently, I know my small but fierce Conservative readership has been breathing a sigh of relief. I write to you from scenic Boston, Massachusetts, the most confusing city in the world. I have learned in the three short days I have been here that there is no straight route to anything (feel free to make a same-sex marriage joke out of that) and cobblestone is hard on the feet. Thanks to connections within the Indiana Delegation, I managed to score a hall pass for yesterday’s opening events, probably the last day I will be able to get in, what with the credential crunch going on in the Midwestern Delegations, despite receiving the most credentials overall. The night, to say the very least, was memorable. I do not recall ever seeing – or hearing – a crowd as energized as the one that packed the Fleet Center, amid all its security checks and police, to hear Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and Al Gore speak, and to hear commentary from Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson, Boston Mayor Tom Menino, and a swift boat mate of Senator John Kerry. Gore, in a departure from his presence there in 2000, seemed alive, vigorous and angry, but not beyond poking fun at the Supreme Court and the 2000 election. I had originally planned a column before this titled Boston Dispatch - I may still get that one out, but a day late – but time constraints and the sheer amount of things to do here have prevented me from writing as much as I would like. Keep in mind all of these columns are penned down on a yellow tablet and simply waiting for transcription onto the website. It truly is amazing how united the Democratic Party is, and how far we have come since the moral failing of Bill Clinton cost us the White House four years ago. The base of the party, the youth, the minorities, all have been energized against President Bush and against the concentration of wealth. They rail, as Bill Clinton so eloquently said, against using Social Security to pay for tax cuts, against the deficit and annual debt, against pre-emptive war on flimsy evidence. Amid the shouts and chants and screams of “Ke- rry! Ke-rry!” a great mandate has been formed. Not only is the White House just a political goal for the Kerry-Edwards team, now it has become something for all Democrats, all Americans, to take part in. This is slating itself to be one of the most partisan, polarized elections in American history. People simply cannot commit the sin of not caring. Senator John F. Kerry will come out of Thursday with a points bounce, though not as much as Bill Clinton’s sixteen points against then-President George H.W. Bush in 1992. It will lead us into the thick of a race that has been gathering steam and mud an partisanship since March. We will all go into it on one side or another, and by the looks of it, President Bush will have a good run for his money. The delegates, special guests and party officials have all gathered in this cradle of Democracy for the purpose of nominating their candidate for President of the United States. This, the town of the Revolution, will once again give us the start of a Revolution that promises to change the face of American politics, and put a strong Democrat in the White House. In response to Bill Clinton’s speech, when he spoke of how he did not go to Vietnam, as Bush and Cheney did not, the streets of Boston still echo with the new rallying call of the Democratic Party: “Send me!” ------------ About the author: Max Burns lives in Indianapolis and interns with the Indiana Democratic Party. Visit The Rabid Demoncrat or read the fantasy-fiction novel "Alcardia". He is currently a senior at Lawrence North High School and is active in political clubs and associations. Max thinks it's time to hatch a real environmental policy and plant George W. Bush back in Crawford. Email: MBurns_NS@hotmail.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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