The title quote is from a speech Russ Feingold gave tonight to the Wisconsin Democratic Party Convention. This diary, my first, is going to be a brief impression of some of the things I saw on day one of the Wisconsin convention.
First of all, unity is in the air. We're all feeling very good about this year, for Democrats at every level in Wisconsin. The best statistic I've heard so far is that we already have candidates for 91 of 99 assembly districts, the most we've had since 1984. With luck, and hard work, we'll get candidates for every district this year.
First of all, I don't want to duplicate what other's have done, but I haven't had time to read up on the blogs today. I tried dragging my computer around the convention, but in the end it wasn't worth it. Now, back in my hotel room, I'm going to recap the highlights of my convention day.
The speaker who got my fullest attention tonight was Congressman Dave Obey (WI-7th, Wausau). Congressman Obey began his address with a call for a moment of silence for Tim Russert. (I had been in the audience of the Administrative Committee earlier in the day when the sad news was announced, and the mood here in Wisconsin is shock and sadness.) Obey briefly, but eleqountly, paid tribute to Russert, saying that Tim showed "continued devotion to hard news in an era of trivia."
Moving on to policy, Obey said that while some claim there isn't a dime's worth of difference between the two parties, last year that was actually true. Last year there were $40billion in difference between the two parties. That, he said, was the difference between the president's priorities and the nation's.
Pretty positive reaction to Obey. I'd never met him before today, but I was impressed. The best thing he said tonight was to someone after the speech: that he is a "policy guy". I'm glad we still have some. Now, I don't necessarily agree with everything Obey has ever done. He's not my congressman, so I don't follow him as closely. But it is so important to have "policy guys" in the party. The GOP has none, as far as I can tell. The permanent campaign has pervaded all aspects of the GOP. And that's why they just plain can't govern.
Rep. Ron Kind (WI-3rd, La Crosse) gave a speech that struck me, too. Every speaker, of course, extolled the virtues of Sen. Obama. But Kind made it clear how change wasn't just about changing the politicians in Washington. Change begins with us. We have both the power and the responsibility. It was a pleasant refresher if, like me, you've been so caught up in the primary campaigns. It's good to remember that change we can believe in isn't mandated from Washington, it comes from all of us. Change doesn't just come on election day, but we need to work for it every day.
Don't get me wrong: I don't think it can be overstated how important it is to elect Obama president. But Obama isn't running for president for himself; Obama is running for all of us.
I'm sure you've seen in the news that we've had some flooding here in Wisconsin. Many delegates had to deal with detours an hour or more out of their way to go around highways that are closed due to floods. Rep. Kind shared several anecdotes of Wisconsin neighbors helping neighbors who are in the flood area. It's helpful to remember that we all rely on eachother, not just the government.
Having said that, I thought the language Kind used was a little too "anti-big government." He made good points, but I feel that he was giving into the other side's framing a little to make his point. It's too bad that the party of FDR constant feels the need to disavow public projects; projects that are by and for everyone.
That's just some of the highlights of day one of the Wisconsin convention. If I'm going to get any sleep, I should wrap this up. But first, I should explain the title. Senator Feingold (who should have been the keynote if you ask me) mentioned that he recently went to India and Pakistan. Before he left, he told us, a Harley Davidson executive asked him to bring up with the Indians the fact that their 60% motorcycle tariff is a bad idea.
Apparently, the Indian officials will lower the tariff so that we can sell motorcycles in India, in exchange for allowing more Indian mangoes into the US. Senator Feingold was speaking of how Senator Obama would bring fair trade agreements to congress.
By the way, Feingold says the "mangoes for motorcycles" compromise is worth study. We shouldn't leap into it without knowing how it will affect American farmers. But that's why we need a policy-minded president in the White House.
I appreciate feedback on my first diary. I may not be able to check the comments till I get home, but I willcheck them.
P.S.: Please vote in my non-scientific straw poll.