NEWSWEEK's Matthew Link files this report from Denver
As a longtime friend of Rep. Barney Frank, I was offered the chance to
bunk on an extra bed in his driver’s room at the Denver
convention--giving a whole new meaning to the idea of a literally
embedded journalist.
Following Frank around the convention has been both eye-opening and
exhausting, not only because of the crazy schedule and hours (three or
four worthwhile events, parties, speeches or caucuses happen
concurrently at any given hour of day or night), but for the incredible
access to the stars of the Democratic Party. I plopped myself down at a
delegate luncheon, and realized my tablemates were three Democratic
members of Congress--Frank, Lynn Woosley of California and Jerry Nadler
of New York, with Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin waving to us from the next
table over. At Nancy Pelosi’s ballroom party on Monday night, I watched
Tony Bennett and James Taylor sing a duet, and that afternoon I nearly
spilled my Sprite on a smiling George McGovern as I passed him in the
hallway of the Pepsi Center.
Like many journalists, I was expecting at least some drama at the
convention--maybe not as tumultuous as the riot-heavy 1968 Democratic
Convention in Chicago, but at least some shouting matches between
Hillary and Obama supporters. Instead, protestors were hard to spot in
Denver. The only skirmish I witnessed was a predictable shouting match
between pro-choice and anti-abortion proponents, politely occurring
across one of Denver’s clean, spacious downtown streets. Police in riot
gear on horseback quickly showed up, but seemed unfazed by the
goings-on. The city seemed quiet and intent and focused on one goal:
Getting Obama into the White House no matter what. I’m sure there are
some Republicans somewhere in Denver, but I didn’t see much of them.
After Ted Kennedy’s appearance on the convention floor on Monday, which
electrified the audience of the Pepsi Center, Frank was invited to join
his fellow Massachusetts resident for breakfast Tuesday morning. It was
a small, intimate get-together with family and friends of Kennedy. I
asked how the senator was doing, and Frank told me, “Ted looked great,
and his memory was amazing. He remembered a letter I had sent him some
months ago. I think he’ll be around for a long while.” Perhaps the
torch wouldn’t be passed as soon as people think.
Later, I followed Frank to a gay and lesbian delegate luncheon he was
hosting. Michelle Obama showed up and the crowd went insane with
standing ovation after standing ovation. Frequently peppering her
speech with the pronouns “we” and “us” when talking about LGBT
citizens, Obama finished her pro-gay oration by proclaiming, “Change
never happens easily. We need you. I am grateful to you.”
Even though it’s my first convention, I had a feeling that something
profound is happening in Denver. No matter what the outcome, history
has occurred before my eyes. As Barney so understatedly put it to me,
“The first convention I went to was in 1968. I can tell you this one is
a little bit different.”
