Rain on Charlotte's Parade

Watch out Democrats, my dad and I are in Charlotte! I’ve never been to a political convention before but I have a feeling that the Democrats throw a better party than the Republicans. The big events of the night, however, were a bit of a bust as Carolina Fest was swept away by rain. The rain started a few songs into Jeff Bridges’ set but stopped long enough for James Taylor to take the stage and tease us with a song or two before it sealed the deal and washed away the rest of the show and ultimately the festival. We were SOAKED as we trudged through the rain to get on the train and head back to the hotel. With how dry we’ve been out west, I must admit I kind of enjoyed the insane weather.

In other news, we met a bunch of the Utah delegates and got to chat with some cool people including Mayor Becker. We even got to help the delegates build part of a house for a homeless vet and see Mr. Ty Pennington of Extreme Home Makeover fame. We also saw Dennis Kucinich who seemed quite proud of his much younger and prettier girlfriend/wife. I wish ugly old guys wouldn’t have young wives because they make me judge them. And my judgment, regardless of if it’s fair or not, is always that they’re gross. Both of them.

Today was more fun than political but we did get talked to a bit about the Affordable Care Act. I don’t feel like I have a good grasp on the pros and cons for that one yet. It sounds good but everything President Obama says sounds good and the reality doesn’t always measure up to the rhetoric. I’m hoping to understand it better during my time here. I do know that we need some reform in that area but I just don’t know which side has the better arguments. Regardless, I’m looking forward to tomorrow and delving a little further into political mumbo jumbo. 

Dad being charitable.

Ty being handsome.

Dad and me hiding under an overhang with a bazillion Democrats from the rain.

My DNC Guest

I get to bring a guest with me to North Carolina and my choice was obvious—my daddy. While I try to play the middle of the road politically, he’s a real Democrat. My paternal side is Democrat and my maternal side is Republican. I tend to be the opposite of whoever I’m talking to. I'm excited to share the experience with him. 

The Results

Every day for a week the contestants had to answer questions from Doug Wright on-air about politics. Each day one contestant from each party was eliminated. I was certainly out of my league with the other contestants but fought through my feelings of inadequacy and ultimately became the DNC Star Correspondent. I wish I could say I won because of my stellar responses but I think we all know it’s simply because my friends were kind enough to vote. So kind, in fact, they voted well beyond the allotted time and drove all the KSL hosts crazy (still makes me giggle)*. Nonetheless, I’m SO grateful for this opportunity and hope to make Doug and my liberal daddy proud.

Oh yeah, and I apologize to the other candidates that deserve this opportunity more than I do. What can I say? I’ve had a lucky year, I need to run with it while it lasts. 

* My sister-in-law, after voting over and over again, received a text back that said, “We heard you the first time.” It was also reported that the anchors of subsequent shows begged listeners to, “Please stop sending in texts for Summer. She made it through today so you can vote again tomorrow.”

Pantsuits and Presidents

My 2012 political journey began with this video. It was my entry to be the “Star Correspondent” for The Doug Wright Show at one of the national conventions. What seemed like a long shot, suddenly became a 1 in 5 chance to be the correspondent in the less popular (I live in UT) Democratic National Convention competition.