As Pete Seeger sang: "We're waist deep in the Big Muddy, the Big Fool says to push on"

I've spent a lot of time in the 19-teens and 20s lately. A tumultuous time, even if you concentrate on one summer in America as does Bill Bryson in his nonfiction remembrance of 1927. Much of my time has been spent on America's involvement in World War 1 and the decade that followed. The time of my grandparents, you know, those olden days to me or to them, in many ways, golden days. It's shocking to delve deeply into a short span of history and see how much you don't know, how much I didn't know. 

I've written one novel based on my grandmother's diary as a nurse in France 1918-1919. It will be published soon by Ridgeway Press in Detroit. I've written another one set in 1922 in Colorado and other sites in the U.S. That one is in final edits. I read memoirs and fiction and poetry of the era. A few decades ago I read John Dos Passos's U.S.A. Trilogy. I dug out the trilogy from my local library. An amazing series, ahead of its time in its combination of fiction and nonfiction. I read many of the WW1 poets, the very angry ones and others. I read about fascism in its many forms, including its roots in Italy's tragedies in The Great War. 

I read plenty of material and saw many movies of those times. As I worked on my novels, I never thought that the war against fascism would come to America. That was a nightmare scenario best left to writers such as Philip K. Dick. 

But here we are, waist deep in The Big Muddy as sang Pete Seeger. The Big Muddy is 2025 America. Wars come home in so many ways. It also may become relevant as Trump sends his masked goons and National Guard soldiers to Memphis on the Mississippi. The fascist strain in American politics has risen again, much as it did prior to World War 2 with America First. I was shocked to learn how Italian fascist pilots vied with budding fascist Lindbergh to fly the Atlantic. They were welcomed as heroes by our homegrown fascists who sometimes battled protesters, communists and others, as they barnstormed the U.S. There were American fascists in 1927 and they are the progenitors of Trump's fascists (his father was one). 

I looked for feisty poets in the Poetry Foundation's category of "Poems of Protest, Resistance, and Empowerment." Subtitle: "Why poetry is necessary and sought after during crises." Some great ones featured. I saw Maya Angelou's "And Still I Rise" and wondered how rabble-rousing it might be. Angelou was heroic in her resistance but also served as U.S. Poet Laureate and President Bill Clinton's inauguration speaker with "On the Pulse of Morning." These roles require a certain amount of diplomacy, a less-radical approach to topics. I worked in the corporate and government worlds so I know a bit about when to hold still and when to push on with my blog. But maybe I don't care anymore.

"And Still I Rise" is fiery and beautiful when read by Ms. Angelou. I urge you to watch her recite it on YouTube. If the link fails, read it on the Poetry Foundation site.

Part XIII: The Way Mike Worked -- On the road to D.C.

My eight-year-old son Kevin and I were on our third day of cross-country travel from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Washington, D.C.

I had promised Kevin three things to coax him into traveling with me in the U-Haul. No. 1, each night on the road we would stay at a motel with a pool. No. 2, we would eat every meal at McDonald's. No. 3, we would take his dog, Precious, with us.

He asked if he could drive but I said no, even though I could have used some relief behind the wheel. But I did stick to the other three promises and on this, the third day, I had a bad case of heartburn to match my driver fatigue.

We were passing through the sliver of West Virginia between Ohio and Pennsylvania when I spied a rest area and stopped. It was Labor Day weekend and one of the service clubs staffed a coffee stop. I hit the restrooms and then the coffee stand staffed by a pair of middle-aged guys. As he poured my coffee, one of the guys asked where I was headed.

"Washington, D.C.," I said. "I start a job there Monday."

He nodded, handed me the Styrofoam cup. The coffee was as hot as the afternoon. "You aren't one of those Clinton fellas, are you?"

"Afraid so." I smiled. They didn't. I heard the Deliverance banjo playing in the background. I thanked them for the coffee and retreated to look for my son. Clinton fella? I guess that I was, although far down on the list, way below the political appointees and the thousands of full-time D.C. bureaucrats and the hangers-on that accompany any new administration.  The National Endowment for the Arts was borrowing me from the State of Wyoming because, as a writer from a flyover state such as West Virginia, my higher-ups thought that I would lend a new perspective to the work of the government arts agency. I had signed up for two years with a possible two-year extension. I was part of a pool of Intergovernmental Personnel Act (IPA) employees that made their way to D.C. every couple years. There was a surge now as V.P. Al Gore was tasked with trimming the federal work force.

Kevin and I spent one more night on the road. We could have made it to Rockville, Md., by nightfall but our new house wasn't available until the next day.  The motel had a nice pool and we could see the golden arches from our room. This Clinton fella was pretty tired and tomorrow was moving-in day. Chris and our infant daughter Annie were flying in from Denver in the afternoon. Soon we would all be together in a new house in a new town. Chris was going to stay home with Annie while Kevin went to the third grade. We would try to survive on one mid-level bureaucrat's salary in one of the most expensive suburbs on the East Coast. North Bethesda -- that's what city leaders wanted to rename our section of Rockville. The new name would probably bring higher rents and higher prices all-around. Bragging rights, too, I guess.

But that was all ahead of us in this new adventure.

Flashbacks: Denver 2008 and Fear & Loathing 1972

It's not Flashback Friday or Throwback Thursday, but we are venturing back eight years to the Democratic National Convention in Denver. What was happening eight years ago? Well, the convention hadn't started yet as it was late in August, bumping up against football season, which is feverish in the Mile High City during any year but high expectations should be keen this year for the Super Bowl champs as they decide who will fill Manning's XXXL shoes and ego.

To read about first-day happenings at Denver DNC, go here. Other posts are in the archives for August 2008.

Strange as it seems, Hillary Clinton figured prominently in Denver. She relinquished the stage to Barack Obama in '08 but has no intention of giving up the prime spot in Philly. Tim Kaine as Veep? Not my first choice. Elizabeth Warren would have been a dazzling pick. Even craft brewer and Colorado governor John Hickenlooper held more appeal, although he did oppose marijuana legalization. If he had prevailed on this issue, Denver's hipster invasion may have been avoided. I liked the idea of Newark's Cory Booker on the ticket, or Julian or Joaquin Castro of San Antonio. It may be too soon to have Clinton/Castro on lawn signs in Miami or even in Cheyenne. Wait a few decades, when a dead-and-buried Fidel is as ubiquitous on T-shirts as Che, and Havana is a hotspot for Sandalistas in search of quaint bistros, brewpubs and boutique hotels.

Speaking of flashbacks... I'm reading "Fear and Loathing at Rolling Stone: The Essential Writings of Hunter S. Thompson." I was searching the library for "Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72," but found this newer volume instead. I skipped through Thompson's report of running for Aspen sheriff on the Freak Power ticket and his run-in with the Hell's Angels. This may be hard to believe, children of the West, but in the early 1970s, the Roaring Fork Valley was much more like present-day Wyoming than the Colorado of today. Longhairs were not welcome in Aspen or Denver ("get out of Denver, baby, go!) or even Boulder. Hitchhikers were more likely to get a finger-o-gram than a ride. The stoned, half-naked hippies of the Rainbow Tribe were not welcomed to Colorado in the summer of '72. And wild-man Hunter Thompson was not elected sheriff of Aspen in 1970 with his promise of free drugs for all.

Here's Thompson's description of Aspen in 1969, when registered GOPers outnumbered Dems 2-1 -- and both were outnumbered by independents:

"They are a jangled mix of Left/Crazies and Birchers: cheap bigots, dope dealers, Nazi ski instructors, and spaced-out "psychedelic farmers" with no politics at all beyond self-preservation."=

DNC 1968 host Mayor Richard Daley unleashed the city's cops on hippies and Yippies on the streets of Chicago. In 1972 in Miami, activists remembered and were having nothing of Hubert Humphrey. Youngsters and disillusioned older Dems selected South Dakota anti-war war hero George McGovern as their standard-bearer against Nixon. It was a "doomed campaign" from the start, says Thompson. He preferred McGovern over "party hacks" Humphrey and Muskie and "Scoop" Jackson. But he knew that McGovern didn't have a chance against Tricky Dick's tactics. That included the now-infamous Southern Strategy which transformed the Dems of the South into fire-breathing Republicans who were deathly afraid (and resentful) of hippies, women's libbers, school integration, the threat of Ho's legions invading Memphis and Atlanta, and modern life in general. Sound familiar? Trump's people are stoking similar sentiments, especially angst about present and future America.

Here's a strange little quote from Thompson about his experiences in Aspen's 1969 mayoral race and his own race for sheriff in '70. See if it has any bearing on Trump's run this year:

"This is what some people call 'the Aspen technique' in politics: neither opting out of the system, nor working within it... but calling its bluff, by using its strength to turn it back on itself... and by always assuming that the people in power are not smart."

I have noticed everyone from former hippies to right-wing doomsdayers coming out for Trump. They all want to say "fuck you" to the establishment, as Michael Moore pointed out so well in his recent "Five Reasons Why Trump Will Win" article. Maybe Trump has resurrected the Aspen technique for the 21st century? Freak Power, Trump style. Unknown Colorado state rep (later Gov) Dick Lamm used a similar tactic when he urged Coloradans to say "fuck you" to the International Olympic Committee. And they did. The IOC told themselves that nobody ever votes against the Olympics. Lamm and his minions assumed that the IOC didn't know what the hell is what doing -- and they were correct. Behold the Brazil and Russia olympiads.

It is also possible that the people in power in the Democratic Party are not as smart as they think they are. Hunter Thompson and the ancient philosophers knew that hubris can be an Achilles' Heel. Cliches, too -- they knew all about those.

Four years after: Dems emerge from hiding for historic 2008 caucus in Cheyenne

Big crowd of Laramie County Democrats cheer their faves during the 2008 caucus in Cheyenne.

Four years ago today, lines were around the block at the Cheyenne Civic Center for the 2008 Democratic Party caucuses in Laramie County. There were Dems in line I've never seen, and I thought I'd seen them all. The party had to rent the concert hall to accommodate caucus-goers who, four years earlier, had plenty of elbow room in the drafty basement of the American Legion hall.

Even a Denver-based Fox News reporter and cameraman were there to record the event for the nation. When their presence was announced, a chorus of boos rang out in the hall.

Those were the days, my friends.

Read my posts from that day here and here.

Four years after: Wyoming Democrats get cranked up for candidate rallies and a statewide caucus

Return with us to those halcyon days of yore (March 2008) as Wyoming Democrats prepare for their largest-ever caucuses on March 8.

On this day four years ago, I wrote about the upcoming Wyoming appearances of Democratic candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Former President Bill Clinton held a rally for his wife Hillary on March 6 in Riverton that was attended by an SRO crowd of 2,000. Big crowds were expected for a March 7 Clinton rally in Cheyenne and a March 7 rally by Barack Obama in Laramie.

My wife Chris attended the Cheyenne event and I joined thousands of my closest friends at a packed UW Arena-Auditorium Friday evening in Laramie.

Read more at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/03/stand-for-change-in-laramie-friday.html

Four years after: WY finds out that former President Bill Clinton will stump for Hillary in Wyoming

Wyoming was all atwitter four years ago this week when news came via MSNBC that former President Bill Clinton was coming to Wyoming to stump for Hillary Clinton in Riverton, Rock Springs and Laramie. Read all about it at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/03/bill-clinton-coming-to-wyoming.html

Four years after: Getting out the vote in Wyoming for Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton

Four years ago, Obama supporters in Wyoming were brimming with hope. We also were making scads of phone calls to Democratic voters, urging them to get out to the March 8 county caucuses.

In my March 3, 2008, blog post, I regaled my readers with tales of our split household. My wife Chris, whose feminist roots go back to the Equal Rights Amendment and Patricia Schroeder's Colorado campaigns, was a Hillary Clinton supporter. I had migrated from Dennis Kucinich to John Edwards (remember him?) to Barack Obama. Obama operatives had parachuted into enemy territory on a dark January 2008 night. We now worked with them on an aggressive ground game.

Chris and I fought very little over the use of our home phone. We reached an agreement that divided time and space and responsibility, much like the agreement between Barack and Hillary that gave the former the White House and the latter the rest of the world.

Step back in time with me at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2008/03/phoning-cheyenne-for-barack-and-hillary.html

Day Two of the DNC wrap-up

Wrap-up on day two of the DNC:

Made it a goal to miss most of the early proceedings this evening. My ass was deadened by six straight hours of sitting last night. Fortunately, I had other blogging errands this afternoon, and then had to stand in a very long line (see previous post).

Gov. Schweitzer of Montana is one spell-binder of a speaker. He knows his energy issues. I'm still not convinced of his coal-to-gas plan, and the whole sequestration thing. We're dealing with the same issues in Wyoming. Big issues. I'm counting on wiser heads to make sense of this stuff for me.

Sen. Clinton has never been a slouch in the speech department. Not on par with husband Bill, but she also gives shorter speeches. "Unity" was the theme and it should be. The Clinton delegates in our group seemed satisfied with her call for togetherness. Tomorrow comes the voting.

And now I have to get out of here before they sweep me up with all the discarded signs.

This is dedicated to the one I love

To my wife, Chris:

I am in a stadium full of people cheering for your candidate, Hillary Clinton. To judge by the thousands of waving red, white and blue signs, there must be more Hill delegates than those for Barack. I wish you could be here, as I know you would be cheering the loudest. And you can cheer loudly, if the hundreds of baseball, football and basketball games we've seen together is any indication (I'm still having trouble hearing out of that left ear).

Hillary is gracious in defeat and supportive of Sen. Obama. I know it's taken awhile to deal with your disappointment. You're the feminist in the family and you've taught me a lot about being one, too. You're a member of Hillary's Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuits, although I haven't seen you in too many pantsuits (you're more a bluejeans kind of feminist).

You're here in spirit. No doubt you have a few tears watching Hillary deliver her speech.

We'll vote together in November for a Democrat that can lead us out of the morass that the Republicans got us into. We've always pulled in the same direction -- peace and justice for all -- and I hope that all Democrats can do the same.

Meet the DNC delegates: Jason Bloomberg

Cowboy hats and ballcaps outnumber yarmulkes as the headgear of choice in Cheyenne.

Wyoming's Jewish population probably falls somewhere between the numbers for Alaskan natives and New York Yankees fans. However, Judaism has a long history in Cheyenne, according to the Wyoming State Historical Society.

German Jewish merchants came to Cheyenne starting in 1867.... The first Permanent Jewish Synagogue in Wyoming was erected in 1915 by Cheyenne’s Mt. Sinai Congregation. Jewish settlement in Wyoming has been called the furthermost reaches of the Jewish Diaspora since it represented settlement far removed from the limitations that had been placed on Judaism in Germany and Russia. Jewish participation in the life of Cheyenne and Wyoming has made the slogan “The Equality State” more meaningful.

Dr. Jason Bloomberg wears a yarmulke and also speaks out, another factor that increases his visibility among normally taciturn Wyomingites. The first time I encountered the activist physician was at the Democratic Party caucus in March. He was adamant about the country's crying need for a sensible health care plan. His passionate speech in support of Hillary Clinton's health plan over that of Barack Obama's likely clinched Bloomberg a slot as a Clinton delegate to the Wyoming Democratic convention in Jackson. While there, he was elected as a Clinton delegate to the Dem shindig in Denver.

It's tough to pin down this busy citizen for an interview. But he did talk to reporter Lindsey Erin Kroskob for a story in today's Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. No mention is made of Democratic Party politics or the upcoming convention. It's possible he wasn't asked. It's also possible he was asked and replied and the reporter and/or editor chose not to include that in the story. Who knows?

Dr. Bloomberg runs Access Health Clinic, a one-man operation that caters to low-income and uninsured patients.

He told the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle:

"I look at health care and access to health care to be as much a basic human right as food, housing, heat in winter and cool in the extremes of summer."

National statistics show that from 17-20 percent of the population is uninsured, according to Bloomberg. If you apply that to Cheyenne with its population of around 55,000, that means up to 11,000 of your friends and neighbors and their kids could be uninsured. Statewide, that number is close to 100,000. Shameful statistics.

Bloomberg doesn't accept insurance to cut down on processing costs demanded by insurers. He does accept Medicare and Medicaid. Office visits are inexpensive, and the doctor offers a 5 percent discount to those patients who keep healthy by eating right, quitting smoking, exercising, and kicking drug or alcohol habits. Here's how he summed up his approach:

"What I'm trying to convey is that their health is worth it for me to receive a smaller amount of fees for the services I provide.... If you are serious about taking care of yourself, I'm serious about helping you."

Dr. Bloomberg stresses personal responsibility when it comes to health. That sounds like a Wyoming trait to me. I'll bet you can find Republicans who agree with that approach.

But he also knows that health care is a "basic human right" and that insurance companies are a big part of the problem. But Republicans keep insisting that we should put our trust in the same insurance conglomerates that made this mess. Wyoming has a Republican U.S. Senator, John Barrasso, that also is a physician. He's a supporter of Wyo. Sen. Enzi's ten-point health care plan, which touts private health savings plans and other crapola. And, in a recent Wyoming Public Radio forum featuring three of the Republican U.S. House candidates, they all used the term "single-payer health plan" with the same tone Wyomingites reserve for venomous snakes and PETA activists. It's more of the same for these Republicans....

That attitude is reflected on a bumper sticker I saw on a pick-up with Colorado plates driving down a Cheyenne street: "No Thanks, Keep the Change." The "o" is "No" was the distinctive red, white and blue Obama logo.

Meet Wyoming's Dem line-up for Denver

With the Democratic National Convention in Denver only eight days away, I thought it would be a public service to provide a list of those people representing Wyoming Democrats on the national stage. Although it seems like a pretty long list, I assure you that these are not the only Dems in the state. There are a few others staying behind, keeping the homeplace safe for western-style liberalism.

Here's the list, courtesy of the Wyoming Democratic Party web site:

The first 12 people listed here are the 12 PLEDGED delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Those positions were awarded to the candidates based on the presidential preference votes at our March 8 county caucuses and our May 24 state convention. Of those 12, Obama won seven and Clinton won five.
DISTRICT-LEVEL DELEGATES (7 total): Rey Fuentes (Obama), William Neal (Obama), Sara Burlingame (Obama), Jacquelyn Bridgeman (Obama), Kathy Karpan (Clinton), Jason Bloomberg (Clinton), Ann Robinson (Clinton).
AT-LARGE DELEGATES (3 total): Lorraine Saulino-Klein (Obama), Layha Spoonhunter (Obama), Shirley Davis (Clinton).
PLEDGED PARTY LEADER/ELECTED OFFICIAL DELEGATES (2 total): State Sen. Mike Massie (Obama), State Rep. and State Party Secretary Mary Hales (Clinton).

These next six people are the "superdelegates," including Rep. Patrick Goggles, who was elected at the May 24 state convention. The other five were predetermined based on the offices they hold.
UNPLEDGED PARTY LEADER/ELECTED OFFICIAL DELEGATE (1 total): State Rep. Patrick Goggles (Rep. Goggles has announced that he is supporting Obama.)
OTHER “SUPERDELEGATES” (5 total): John Millin, state party chair (announced that he’s supporting Obama), Nancy Drummond, state party vice chair (announced that she’s supporting Obama), Pete Jorgensen, national committeeman (announced that he’s supporting Obama), Cynthia Nunley, national committeewoman (announced that she's supporting Clinton), Dave Freudenthal, Wyoming governor
(announced that he’s supporting Obama).

Those are the 18 voting delegates Wyoming is sending to the Democratic National Convention.

In addition, Wyoming is also sending the following alternates and committee members. These people are NOT delegates (although alternates will replace delegates who cannot attend the convention). However, they will attend the convention. They were awarded to the candidates based on the results of presidential preference votes.
DISTRICT-LEVEL ALTERNATES (3 total): Mike Bell (Obama), Jean Jorgensen (Obama), Dave Lerner (Clinton).
AT-LARGE ALTERNATE (1 total): Marcia Kunstel (Obama)
RULES COMMITTEE (1 position, awarded to Obama): State Party Treasurer Chuck Herz.
PLATFORM COMMITTEE (1 position, awarded to Obama): State Rep. Lori Millin.
CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE (1 position, awarded to Clinton): Story Clark Resor

Wyo. for Obama thanks Fla. for Hillary

The Florida for Hillary campaign is sending me press releases. Actually, they only sent one so far, and that was today. Here are the contents:

FLORIDA FOR HILLARY ANNOUNCES ENDORSEMENT OF SENATOR BARACK OBAMA FOR PRESIDENT

FLORIDA HILLARY SUPPORTERS COMMITTED TO ELECTING DEMOCRAT TO WHITE HOUSE

FLORIDA STATEWIDE - Florida for Hillary, the statewide campaign that was largely responsible for her big win in the Florida Primary announces its endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President.

"Throughout this historic campaign and her incredible life, Senator Clinton has fought for issues that the people of Florida care deeply about, including the expansion of children's health care, the creation a national catastrophic insurance fund and the protection of Israel," said Ana Cruz, Co-Founder and spokesperson for the group. "Senator Barack Obama will fight for these same important causes as President, and we look forward to working with him to make sure that Florida voters are heard."

Florida for Hillary is an organization of Democratic elected officials, party leaders and activists from across the state who mobilized grassroots support to ensure a victory for Senator Clinton in the Florida Democratic Primary on January 29, 2008.

The group now turns its energy and attention to electing Senator Barack Obama the next President. Florida for Hillary will work hard to ensure that every single Floridian who cast their primary vote for Senator Clinton now votes for Senator Obama in November.

"The differences between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are small, but the differences between Democrats and Senator John McCain are enormous," said Co-Founder of Florida for Hillary Alan Clendenin. "John McCain wants to continue the failed policies of the Bush administration. Barack Obama will deliver the change this country desperately needs."

I like this final paragraph the best. Yes, the differences between Democrats and Sen. John McCain are enormous. That's because electing McCain as president would be exactly like electing Bush to a third term. Perhaps you're getting tired of hearing Democrats saying that. If so, you can also listen to McCain say it during his speeches, such as the one he delivered from a shack in Louisiana last Tuesday night. He used it to coax laughter from his audience, which consisted of a half-dozen very bored McCainiacs.

I'm happy to see that Florida for Hillary is communicating with Wyoming for Obama's Cheyenne chapter. We do need unity among Democrats to send Bush and McCain packing in November. There's much to do (stop Iraq War), many things to fix (Constitution, highways, Supreme Court), so we can't waste time quarreling.

This one-time resident of Daytona Beach and Gainesville welcomes further communication from Florida Dems. Don't be scared -- Dick Cheney doesn't live here any more (he visits his mountain redoubt near Jackson occasionally) and we are sorry that we unleashed his evilness into the world. But you Floridians still have to answer for Katherine Harris and Jeb Bush. I'd say we're about even.

Thoughts on the final "Super Tuesday"

On Tuesday, Wyoming super-delegate Cynthia Nunley pledged her support to Sen. Hillary Clinton. Nunley was the last of the state's six Democratic Party super-dee's to commit. The other five had already come out for Sen. Barack Obama.

This makes the final delegate count for Wyoming 12-6, Obama.

Also on Tuesday, Obama clinched enough delegates and super-dees to become the party's presumptive nominee. He won Montana handily, and logged enough votes in South Dakota to claim some of those delegates.

I watched all the speeches last night. Obama looked and sounded presidential in the St. Paul, Minn., convention center. Crowd was estimated at 17,000 inside the building and 15,000 outside. Those are the same numbers we'll see when the Republican party gathers for its convention in September. There will be 17,000 Repubs inside, trying to work themselves into a lather for McBush. Outside will be 15,000 protesters, already worked into an anti-McBush lather. Could be a combustible mix.

Clinton spoke to a large appreciative crowd. She didn't concede, however. That will probably come soon.

McBush spoke before a group of semi-awake bystanders in what looked like a high school gym in Kenner, Louisiana. He called for "the right kind of change," which includes more war on the Iraqis and the U.S. middle class. He contended that he was the candidate for change and not Obama. McCain says that he wants to revamp the entire government so that it's leaner and meaner and more accountable to the American people. Of all things, he brought up Hurricane Katrina as an example of how bloated government fails its people.

Here's a news bulletin for McCain: Bloated government didn't fail New Orleans. It was government in the hands of Bush-appointed, government-hating flunkies. If you remember, government in the form of the U.S. Coast Guard performed heroically. In Iraq and Afghanistan, government in the form of the U.S. military does its job every day, despite the odds. And the most successful program in U.S. Government history, Social Security, provides a safety net for millions of Americans. Ironically, it's one of those "bloated" programs that the Republicans want to dismantle.

Remember that McCain voted with Bush 95 percent of the time during the past year. It's tough to distance yourself from someone you hold so close.

I eagerly await the first Obama-McCain debate.

Closing in on the prize

By the time polls in Montana at 8 p.m., Barack Obama will have enough delegates to call himself the Democratic Party nominee for president. Montana's votes for Obama will put the icing on the cake.

Keep your eyes on the blogs (see below).

John McBush McCain has a big speech planned from Louisiana (just beginning on the TV tubes). Says McCain: "I will bring the right (wing) kind of change."

Barack Obama has an even bigger speech planned in the Twin Cities convention hall where the Repubs will make a mockery of politics this summer.

Stay tuned....

Look to SD and MT blogs for June 3 results

We prepare for the last two contests of the primary/caucus season in neighboring South Dakota and Montana. While the usual MSM outlets will be gearing up to cover the results Tuesday evening, many of us will be looking to blogs for results mixed with first-person dispatches from the trenches (and some wise-ass commentary).

I was dismayed to learn that Ed Kemmick is giving up the City Lights blog he writes for the Billings Gazette. And Matt Singer at Left in the West out of Missoula has fried his hard drive during the feverish run-up to June 3. He's still blogging, courtesy of the local library and his wife's computer, but that can be frustrating for a blogger just itching to get his/her hands on his/her own keyboard.

LITW remains the go-to blog for politics. 4&20 Blackbirds, too. As the polls close tomorrow evening, check out those two purveyors of prog news in Montana.

I have to admit that I haven't paid sufficient attention to South Dakota blogs. I'm a new fan of Madville Times. Great place to read about stops in Madison and other S.D. locales by Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and their surrogates. Photos, too.

Another S.D. source is Badlands Blue, the blog of the S.D. Democratic Party. Great political coverage and links.

Daily Kos, of course, covers national politics like a big blue blanket. The search engines tease out DK posts by state and many end up on Lefty Blogs. Go to the site and click on your favorite state on the left sidebar.

Hardly any politics during mountain trek

Spent the weekend camping with the family in Rocky Mountain National Park (view from the campground above). The first real weekend of summer weather. The sky blue, creeks full, and most of the trails free of snow. I barely thought about the big DNC meeting on Saturday where the fate of the Florida and Michigan delegates were being decided. I got my answer when we dropped out of the mountains into Estes Park this afternoon and saw the Sunday headlines: "Delegate count decided; rancor remains." The lede said that the Clinton camp is unhappy with the one delegate-half vote decision, as well as elimination of up to four delegates. The Clintonites, apparently, are prepared to take the fight all the way to the streets of the Mile High City. I haven't scanned the blogs since Friday, so I look forward to staying up until the wee hours to catch up.

My first thought: good thing they reached a decision. Second thought: bad thing they reached a decision. Nobody seems happy, although the Obama people seem semi-O.K. with it. So, now we await the decisions of the voters in South Dakota and Montana, who likely will side with Obama. But will probably not provide an end to this long march.

Who won Puerto Rico? Bet it was Hillary.

One more thing. For our camping trip, we left the minivan at home and jammed everything into Chris's Saturn Ion. We don't backpack anymore (bad knees!), surviving the weekend on granola and cooking on a stove so tiny it can fit in the palm of your hand. We're not "roughing it" campers, either, just a step up from that. We're car campers, which means that we assemble everything in the basement that looks like camping gear, throw it into the car and take off. No TVs or electronic devices except for the cellphone that my wife needs for work. This plan works well when you're using the minivan which also has a car-top carrier we can use for overflow.

We don't have the luxury of space in the car. We can put a small cooler or a box of food in the back seat with the kid and dog. The rest has to go in the trunk. I had to do triage as we hauled stuff from the house. Yes to the sleeping bag, yes to the roll-up ground pad, no to the gigantic inflatable mattress, no to the camp chair with the cup holder. Yes to the battery-powered lantern, no to the propane lantern and propane canisters and extra mantles. A hue and cry went out every time a tough decision was made. "Dad -- I need that huge air mattress." Says I: "Then the dog has to stay home." Pouting ensued. My wife usually likes to bring about 50 pillows but I requested a two-pillow limit. Fine, she said, I'll use yours. Which she did.

We wanted to prove that a family can go camping without the minivan or the SUV. The family can, but it's a pain in the ass. We saved money on gas, as the Saturn gets 35 mpg on the highway to less than 20 for our Dodge Caravan. We can send the savings the the Democratic Party candidates and causes of our choice. Less fuel used, less carbon in the atmosphere. And we can feel superior to all the SUVs and Hummers on the road. We can feel vastly superior to the RV users, as they are driving the dinosaurs of the open road.

But most of what I felt this weekend was gratitude for national parks and outdoor spaces. And for family. The jury's still out on the dog....

More Wyoming super-delegates for Obama

The Casper Star-Tribune and the Wyoming Tribune-Eagle both carried stories today that Sen. Barack Obama had picked up his fifth super-delegate from the state. Nancy Drummond, vice chair of the state party, announced Tuesday that she'll throw her support behind Obama.


On Monday, I posted news that three super-delegates had announced publicly their support for Obama. I'm not sure whom I missed. It's either Rep. Patrick Goggles or State Committeewoman Cynthia Nunley. I'll check this out and get back to you tomorrow with all the names. If it is five supers that have declared for Obama, that gives him a 12-5 delegate advantage over Sen. Hillary Clinton.


What will the last three state contests bring? More Obama delegates. Will Florida and Michigan get half-votes for their delegates, as rumored by the media today?

Every delegate counts....

Trying to make sense of delegate count

While I was in Jackson over the weekend, I was diligent in tracking the votes for delegates to the national convention. I documented the results in a May 24 on-site post.

Along the way, there was some confusion as to who -- and what -- we were voting for.

Convention chair Debbie Hammonds led us through two sets of delegate votes. The first was fairly clear-cut, as we elected the district and at-large delegates. Those who wanted to run for a spot to Denver had to register in advance. Many lobbied delegates in creative ways. Sara Burlingame from Cheyenne made large campaign buttons featuring her and her very cute (and very bald) baby boy. At her behest, and because she's a fine poet and bread maker, I wore one of those buttons throughout the proceedings.

Other district candidates distributed pens (Willie Neal of Teton County), candy (again, Willie Neal), postcards (Marcia Kunstel, Teton County), pseudo-prescription forms (Jason Bloomberg, M.D., Laramie County), and color flyers on the flip side of Obama placards (Rev. Rodney McDowell, Laramie County).

The most effective pitch came from four Obama supporters from Albany County. Lorraine Saulino-Klein, Rey Fuentes, Jacquelyn Bridgeman, and Mike Massie pooled resources and bought an ad featuring all of their smiling faces in the convention program. They also worked the crowds at the Friday reception and during the convention. Fuentes and Saulino-Klein mailed letters to each delegate several weeks before the convention.

All four earned slots to DenDemCon08. Pretty good marketing, I'd say. It helps that Massie is a well-known and respected senator from the county. And their slate represented a real ethnic and experiential cross-section of Democrats in the county.

But Massie almost didn't make the cut. There was some confusion after lunch as we voted for the rest of the delegates. We Obama supporters had a large slate of at-large candidates to pick two delegates and one alternate. Clinton supporters had a pretty large field to choose their one delegate in this category. Then came the much smaller slates for Party Leader Elected Officials (PLEO). Sen. Mike Massie's name wasn't on the list, which startled the Albany County delegation. The very tall senator went to the podium for an appeal. The Obama slate was quickly amended and Massie was chosen as the PLEO.

The confusion came with the Unpledged Add-On candidate. Only one name was projected on the screen: Rep. Patrick Goggles. Some of the Clinton delegates wondered aloud how Goggles could be a candidate when his name wasn't on the Fremont County delegate list. They were more concerned that Goggles wasn't "uncommitted" but, in reality, a stealth Obama delegate. Some of them brought their concerns to the convention chair and to John Millin, who nominated Goggles. Not sure what transpired, as I was trying to decide among the gazillion names on the Obama at-large list.

Goggles won, making him the sixth super-delegate in the Wyoming delegation to Denver.

My count now shows Obama with 7 delegates and Clinton with 5. So far, three super-delegates have pledged for Obama: John Millin, state central committee chair; Pete Jorgensen, national committeeman; and Gov. Dave Freudenthal. That makes it 10-5, Obama. You can add a "strong maybe" to the list for Patrick Goggles. Cynthia Nunley, the state's national committeewoman, is uncommitted, as is Nancy Drummond, the vice chair for the state central committee. If they all come over to Obama, that will make it it 13-5. Good numbers.

Thanks for your patience with this political arcana. Seems as if politics is made up of such stuff. Stepping-stones to more exciting times, such as the future moment when Sen. Obama accepts the Democratic Party nomination in Denver.

To view some convention photos, go to my web site and click on WyoDemCon08 under "Slideshows" on sidebar.

Friday at the Democratic State Convention

I'm going to have to sharpen my live-blogging skills before the Democratic National Convention in Denver. I prefer to keep track of events the old-fashioned way -- by writing in my journal. And then I transfer those notes to MS Word or the blog. There's something about taking notes that activates some part of my brain and helps with creativity. Live-blogging takes an incredible amount of attention because you have to compose at the same time. I used to be pretty good at that when I was a newspaper reporter, but when I moved to fiction writing, my process changed. I've also added a few decades, which figures into the equation somehow.

So I've been taking notes and making observations during the past two days at the Democratic State Convention here in Jackson. I have some entries in my journal to share and there will be more over the next few days, especially when I get back to Cheyenne and download my photos. I have a great post planned for Memorial Day. Jackson's Bill Broyles delivered the luncheon speech yesterday during the convention. He's a Marine Corps veteran of Vietnam, a lifelong Democrat, and a writer of books and screenplays. His speech was a knockout and, on a Memorial Day during wartime, I'll do my best to deliver it via blog.

Meanwhile, here's a journal entry I put together Friday night....

Dems will meet in Jackson if the Good Lord is willin' and the creeks don't rise.

Don't know about the will of the Lord -- I'll leave that to the Rapture Right. But the creeks did rise, tornadoes spun from black skies, blizzards obscured I-80, and -- according to some unnamed sources -- frogs fell from the heavens.

Still, we all managed to gather across the (Snake) River in Jackson for the Wyoming Democratic Convention.

I don't have a head count, but to judge by the hordes crowding the buffet tables Feriday evening, I'd say that most of the delgates and alternates arrived safely. Some even brought their little kids and babies (family values!). Sara Burlingame from Laramie County brought five-month-old Atticus. The mother-son duop were featured on a campaign button seeking votes as an Obama delegate to the August national convention (she was voted in -- see previous post).

The Dems were in a jolly mood -- and not just from the mass quantities of Snake River Lager. This is a big year for Democrats. We have two great candidates running for president. We have become mightily pissed off during the past eight years of Bush and part-time Jackson resident Dick Cheney. We’ve been working hard for a Dem victory in 2008 and a return to sanity. We also have great candidates running for the U.S. House and Senate, and for the State Legislature.

A truly great time to be a Democrat in Wyoming. This phrase was uttered innumerable times during the course of the convention.

And then there was the free food and beer.

Gary Trauner was at the reception, swarmed by delegates and alternates from Crook County in the northeast corner to Uinta County in the southwest – and everyone in between. In 2006, Gary did well in my corner of the state (southeast) and his corner, the northwest, land of the Tetons and Jackson Hole. He captured the cities but fell short in rural counties, and plans a more concentrated effort this time. So, when I saw him talking to the Big Horn County delegates from Lovell and Manderson, I grew hopeful. You can do it!

Other candidates at the reception included Nick Carter and Keith Goodenough, candidates for U.S. Senate. A number of current, former, and future state legislators were on hand.

Governor Dave Freudenthal and First Lady Nancy were some of the last Dems at the reception. Even after the food ran out, they still were encircled. Gov Dave is a Bill Clinton-style pol (although an Obama supporter) with the ability to stay at any political event until the last hand is shook and the last person is schmoozed (can that be a verb?).

After the reception, and down on the pool deck, Wyoming for Obama Director Chris Farrell briefed us on Saturday’s proceedings. We were charged to be at the Ice Arena/Conference Center early to hang signs and get primed for the day. As Chris briefed, rain sluiced off the Snow King roof onto our fatigued heads. Even this baptism by Teton County rain couldn’t ease my tired bones. So, my wife Chris and I were early to bed Friday night.

Next post: Saturday at the convention

Obama delegates get campaign briefing

This evening, Chris Farrell dropped into a local gathering of Obama delegates and briefed us on our role in the upcoming Wyoming Democrats state convention. To sum up: attend the convention and cast your vote for Sen. Barack Obama.

The tally of confirmed delegates, thus far, is 189 for Obama and 121 for Clinton. In Laramie County, we are sending 34 for Obama and 21 for Clinton. We have the largest slate of delegates in Wyoming. The second largest is Natrona County with 42 total delegates, split evenly between the two remaining candidates.

At the meeting, Farrell handed out call sheets of Obama delegates, and we volunteered to make calls to encourage their attendance in Jackson. I volunteered to make calls to Torrington, Sundance, Hulett, Riverton, Arapahoe, Glenrock, Douglas, Saratoga and Rawlins. These will be friendly voices at the other end, unlike some of the curt and sometimes hostile voices we encountered when making calls leading up the March 8 Wyoming primary and the recent primary in Pennsylvania (still calls to make in Montana). All of us are hoping that a late-spring blizzard does not disrupt the delegate flow to Teton County.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the action gets underway Friday at 6 p.m. with a reception. This will be followed by an 8 p.m. reception in Rafferty's Bar at Snow King to boost the campaign of Kathryn Sessions for national committeewoman. The business of the convention gets going at 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Before arriving in Wyoming, Farrell was the regional director for the Obama campaign in northeastern Indiana. He'll be in the state through the convention and then it's off to somewhere else.

If you need info about "Wyoming for Obama," call Farrell at 319-371-8180. Or go to the web site at my.barackobama.com/page/content/wyhome