What Will Happen Next?

Greetings Polar Bear Nation from the Mile High City!Yesterday was our first full day and our first real day at the 2008 Democratic National Convention Seminar. After a not-so-busy day on Sunday arriving in Denver, getting settled into our home away from home at the very hospitable Regis University (the apartments we are in are absolutely incredible), having initial introductions to the people who made this program happen from the Washington Center, and to the rules of the program, we jumped in headfirst on Monday morning. Our speakers yesterday morning were Drs. Thomas Cronin and Michael Genovese, who are giants in the political science field. In fact, if you have ever taken Dr. Alexander's class on the Presidency or even Intro to American Government, Drs. Cronin and Genovese probably sound familiar as they are the authors of the book Paradoxes of the Presidency. After seeing them lecture in person, I can tell why they are two of the most respected people in their field and why students love to have them as professors. They are both tremendously engaging speakers and after just a one-hour lecture by both of them, I could tell that a semester-long class with them must be one of the most amazing experiences ever. One thing (among many) that Dr. Cronin talked to us about was the idea of "what-ifs" in this recent primary and election season that hammered home just how fickle politics can be at times and how if just one circumstance had been different, the whole outcome of the primaries could be too. These "what-ifs" ranged from what if there was a national primary, what if Michigan and Florida results had counted, what if John Edwards had not run or dropped out of the race much earlier, to what if Barack Obama had not been the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote speaker, among many others. Needless to say, they gave me lots to think about and I think for you too. After our morning speakers and our small group discussion time, we finally got the chance to explore downtown Denver for the first time. After a fantastic dinner at Pulcinella, we went exploring. That included a trip to the Pepsi Center, where the majority of Convention events will take place. CNN was already there and they provided us with not only one of the coolest events of the day, but of our lives. We walked past the CNN Express, where CNN has done interviews with all of the major candidates. As were walking past it to go back the 16th Street Mall, Dr. Alexander suggested that we ask if we could go on. Luckily, the CNN employee there, who just happened to be from Lima, let us on the bus. We got to check out the how the feeds were transmitted from the bus and got to sit where Hillary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama, along with every other Presidential candidate along the way sat. I don't think that any of us can even put into words what it felt like. Today we go back at it again with more speakers, including the Executive Producer of the Democratic National Convention, Ricky Kirshner, as well as the CEO of the Democratic National Convention Committee, Leah Daughtry. Later today we get to Red Rocks, an amazing natural outdoor amphitheatre along with our official tour of Denver. I can't wait to see what happens next!

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