The Edmond Sun - Tim Reese's Blog

Working to Bring Denver to Your Computer

By Tim Reese

We have been busy getting ready for Denver. I leave Saturday by plane. Calvin will be coming up by car and we have been busy preparing for a hectic week.

Most of our readers know that we have opened temporary shop here at DenverOkie.com. This site will be dedicated to convention coverage because the software that the page operates on is more friendly with other bloggers across the nation. Lively discussion will still happen at good old DemoOkie.com. Readers will still get the regularly scheduled emails like normal, however during convention week we will be putting out the email daily, or so we hope.

DemoOkie joined with 57 other “State Bloggers”. I guess the DNC has granted statehood to Puerto Rico and American Samoa”. It started with Yanque Mike, from Argentina. He will be blogging for the Americans Abroad. Using the internet, Mike researched contact information and reached out to bloggers from across America (including territories and possessions). I called Mike and had a great chat with him. He used the internet to make the phone call. Man the world is getting smaller.

From there our friend Steve from Wisconsin, who is infinitely well versed in internet stuff put together a media aggregator. What’s that you ask. It’s a web page that goes out and reads all of the web pages and puts posts such as these in one central location. The results can be seen in the far right column of this page or you can visit www.rootswire.org to visit over 30 states blog entries. DemoOkie will also share it’s stories and pictures with local Oklahoma media outlets.

We also joined the “Big Tent” which includes the national blogs such as DailyKos. For a complete list Click Here. I can assure you the free food and beer had nothing to do with it.

So Here’s the Plan

If you want Gavel to Gavel, watch the news. It will be better than we can do. However, since we are embedded with the Oklahoma Delegation, we will be with them all day. You will get to meet them and see what really happens at these conventions. Delegates usually start with a breakfast at 7:30 am and continue until late night. I know when I went to Boston I was exhausted when I came back. You’ll go with them to receptions, caucuses and just hanging around.

We’ve brought digital cameras, digital videos and digital audio recorders. We plan on making a few of the attendees YouTube stars. Dr. Earl Mitchell from Stillwater has been drafted again as a special correspondent. We also will be sharing photos taken by the delegates themselves.

Hopefully we will fulfill Howard Deans vision of bringing the other parts of the convention home. We look forward to the opportunity.

August 21, 2008 11:11 pm

Recognizing Katrina Relief Organizations

Just a quick post, the Oklahoma Delegation is on the move. By the time we get photo’s uploaded it’s time to pack up and go. We thought we’d share some more photos with you from Sunday night.
Instead of having individual state parties the DNCC chose to hold one huge party. Skeptics say it was because they were short of money. I’m not sure about that. Giant shrimp, muffelettas, crawfish bread, red beans and free flowing alcohol, trust me there was big money spent.
Guest Singer Randy Newman and Howard Dean headlined the event with some funky zydeco music. The shrimp was fantastic. Check back we will update these stories when time permits.
Lots of more photos Here
http://denverokie.com/images/katrina/
Back as soon as we can

August 25, 2008 01:48 pm

Tim, Calvin and Jeremy take a field trip

How can you go to Denver without taking a side trip over to Golden. We traveled less than a half hour north and west of Denver and landed in Golden. Home of the Adolph Coors Brewery. I remembered when I was in college, we always talked about a road trip up to Golden, but we were too poor to buy the gas.
The tour was free and fun. The best part was the end of the tour in the “tasting room”. I’ve got to figure out how they make the beer that cold.

Beer is living proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. Benjamin Franklin

I’ve posted the photos at
http://denverokie.com/images/coors

August 25, 2008 01:46 pm

Tastes like chicken

Congressman Boren and several prominent democrats treated delegates and spouses to dinner Saturday night at Buckhorn Exchange. The restaurant has been feeding the fine folks of Denver since 1893. Guests enjoyed a cocktail before the dinner and enjoyed hors devours of alligator, duck, buffalo and the private parts of bulls.
This was a meal that a vegetarian should skip. Meat, meat and more meat, eaten in rooms filled with stuffed hunting trophies.
During dinner guests got to chose between buffalo, elk, salmon and beef. Personally, I had the Elk. It really wasn’t a hard choice. When will I ever eat Elk again? It was great, kind of like a lean steak. No kidding.
I asked the guy working the hors devours line where they got their supplies. He told me that western Colorado is full of farms that are raising this kind of game.
Some folks were risk takers, skip the prime beef filet, and go for the buffalo or elk, others chose to play it safe and stick with salmon or beef. It’s fun to see who were the risk takes and who liked to be safe.
The Elk was good, the wine was good and the company was good. Thanks to Senator Boren for giving us the nourishment we need to finish out a tough week.

August 25, 2008 01:44 pm

Walters rules committee with iron fist

With former Governor David Walters at the gavel the Rules Committee of the 2008 Democratic Convention, Saturday morning, conducted its normal business of nominating the convention officers and setting the rules of procedure for the convention. After being introduced by Governor Howard Dean, Walters ran the debate over the establishment of a 35 member “Democratic Change Commission” that next year will begin to focus on three key items, 1) the timing of the presidential primaries and caucuses in 2012, 2) reducing the number of unpledged delegates and 3) improving the planning and implementation of the caucuses.
Two competing resolutions were withdrawn after Chairman Walters ruled that their content was covered by the language of the Democratic Change Commission resolution. The resolution passed unanimously.
Walters will deliver a report from the podium to the full convention at 3:30 p.m. on Monday. He will also co-host with Chesapeake Energy a reception for the Rules Committee at the Denver Acquarium between 2 and 4 p.m. on Tuesday.

Governor Walters Remarks to the 2008 Democratic Convention Rules Committee

This is my fifth convention and, while each has been unique, this convention – this “moment” as our nominee says – is truly extraordinary.
Our task at this committee meeting and this convention is to provide a firm foundation of officers, procedures, resolutions and rules.
You remember rules? Rules have been a foreign concept to the current administration. President Bush has shown repeatedly over the past eight years that he cares about the rules of the land about as much as he cares about the rules of grammar.
In Philadelphia in 1787, in a convention much like this, 55 Americans gathered to draft a document that would become the rule of land, the US Constitution.
In the last eight years that document has been under attack. We’re here today to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our country’s founding fathers to defend the Constitution. We’re going to support our party and our nominee to re-establish the rule of law to our country.
That, as our nominee would also say, is change you can believe in.
I hope you share the sense of honor that I have in being able to serve our party – and our country – in this small way today.
I don’t know if this is the most visible and popular committee. We’re kind of the committee behind the curtain. Being a member of this committee is probably not going to get you invited to MTV’s Rock the Vote party or some of the other exclusive events … but our work at this convention is important.
We can help shape the way our party chooses its president and, in doing so, help shape America’s future.
And it certainly gives us all a sense of satisfaction to be a part of a unifying and historic convention – one that will send us into the general election and on toward the inaugural next January of President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden.
The great Will Rogers, who hailed from my home state of Oklahoma, famously said, “I am not a member of any organized political party. I am a Democrat.”
It’s a funny line and all too frequently true. This committee will help make it a little less true. And this convention will conclude after having presented America with a party that is both organized and unified – and ready to lead.
Thank you for arriving to this convention early for this meeting – I appreciate your time and hard work going forward. My deep appreciation to my fellow co-chairs, and the DNC, as well as the Obama and Clinton staffs, for working together to make sure that we have a successful meeting today.

August 25, 2008 01:42 pm

It's Obama and Biden

I don’t know if you got the text message that woke me up finally about 3 a.m. this morning or not, but Sen. Obama has selected Joe Biden to be his running mate. I’ve been a Joe Biden fan for a long time, he was always my number 3 pick. I know he made a lot of my friends' short list during his presidential run.
Joe is a blue collar Catholic which will most likely contrast McCain’s presumed pick of a rich Mormon. Wow what a contrast. There are certain voting segments that will be torn.
Biden is smart and sharp in his wit. He speaks his mind. In my mind, he’s a great pick.
Below is the letter that I got from Obama. I took a moment to fill it out. Will they really read it? Probably not, but I bet they give them a count of X number of well wishes. I want to part of that number X.

Friends –

I have some important news that I want to make official.
I’ve chosen Joe Biden to be my running mate.
Joe and I will appear for the first time as running mates this afternoon in Springfield, Illinois — the same place this campaign began more than 19 months ago.
I’m excited about hitting the campaign trail with Joe, but the two of us can’t do this alone. We need your help to keep building this movement for change.
Please let Joe know that you’re glad he’s part of our team. Share your personal welcome note and we’ll make sure he gets it:
http://my.barackobama.com/welcomejoe

Thanks for your support,
Barack

August 23, 2008 11:05 am