Day One, wherein my confidence in a Kerry victory is restored.
Last week I found myself at a general training session for Republican Convention volunteers. I had originally applied months ago as a lark, certain that my application would be summarily rejected due to my political registration and affiliations, not to mention posts to blogs like this one. As the weeks passed, however, I came to realize that this could be an incredible opportunity to witness the empty pomp and pageantry of an empty campaign, bereft of all vision save stagecraft.
The initial training session was held at a local college; as it happened, it was the same venue chosen by Golan Cipel, Gov. McGreevey's lover, to issue his statement on Friday. I exited my taxi to a collection of news vans from ABC, Univision, NBC and the rest, and all I could think of was "they're actually going to televise our training? Has the navel-gazing sunk to such depths?" Needless to say, I was a bit disappointed the news trucks weren't there to get MY closeup...
I won't discuss the actual training, not because it was of such secretive import but rather because it was so goddamned boring. Much of the training was to get us to fight against our normal New Yorker natures and be friendly to the delegates. What struck me, however, was the reception received by the Buch/Cheney apparatchiks and images of the chimp himself. At one point during the short video presentation the narrator mentioned what a good friend to New York Bush has been in the wake of 9-11. The audience responded to that BS with audible snickers. When an image of Bush appeared on screen, only about 1/3 of the audience clapped. That same 1/3 applauded at the end of the video, their attempt to generate even more enthusiasm by clapping more loudly falling desperately flat. A Bush campaign flunkie then clambored on to the stage, asking rhetorically "How do you follow President Bush?" Someone near me muttered "With President Kerry."
If THIS is the level of enthusiasm of the Convention volunteers, presumably people who are, if not Bush supporters, then at the very least not nauseated by the very thought of him, then victory will be ours in November.