THE BROWNS AT THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

INTRODUCTION

My wife, Bea Brown, has for years been laser-focused on getting Hillary Clinton nominated as the first woman presidential candidate.  Ever since Hillary lost to Barak Obama in 2008 she has been working on this project. This year she decided to take this passion one step further and run for a delegate position so she could vote for Hillary at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. She and a team of volunteers successfully collected more than 500 signatures to get her name on the April 26 primary ballot. She used yard signs, handouts and visits with voters as she campaigned over her district from Easton on the Delaware to Harrisburg on the Susquehanna. She lost by about 800 votes to a former lieutenant governor. Disappointment? Yes. However in early June she was selected as an At Large Delegate by the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee. Her hard work paid off and she was going to the convention!!    

SUNDAY---JULY 24

Bea, our grandson Nico and I headed to Philadelphia and  the Democratic National Convention shortly after noon on Sunday. We arrived in Philadelphia and found our hotel without any real problem.


In the evening we attended the Pennsylvania Party at the Kimmel Center, just down the street from our hotel. There were hundreds of people there.  After being screened with a metal detector we were greeted by a woman dressed as a plant who moved as if blown by a breeze. Another acting like a tree walked about extending her branches as she moved.  Really cool.   Servers walked around with trays of tiny sandwiches and other hors-d'oeuvres'.

We spoke with Senator Bob Casey whom we supported when he first ran for the Senate and with former Governor Ed Randell who headed the work of setting up the convention in Philadelphia. Nico came for the food and soon went back to the hotel.  Bea and I spent the rest of the evening watching a show in the theater. There was a variety of music types from rock to a chorale.  An African-American dance ensemble of 9 dancers was really cool to watch.

MONDAY JULY 25---DAY 1 OF THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

Most members of the Pennsylvania delegation stayed in the same hotel. Each day of the Convention opened with a speaker's breakfast.  All the delegates in the hotel were required to attend and pick up their credentials for that day. They received a new set every day. Nico and I came as official guests, so we were able to eat breakfast and listen to the speakers. The room was always packed with hundreds of people and the speeches were given by a variety of well known political figures.

On Monday the speakers included:  Governor of Pennsylvania Tom Wolf who shook my hand as he was leaving. Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey, who gave a rousing speech about standing up for what you believe in. Representative Keith Ellison, a Muslim American, who spoke of electing Democrats to the House. This meeting usually lasted about 2 hours and included instructions for the delegates day.  All the delegates and other people with credentials were expected to be at the DNC site in the Wells-Fargo Center by 4 pm or so.  This facility is the arena where the 76ers and Flyers play their games.


I always passed the Pennsylvania Donkey on my travels back and forth to the dining rooms.  It was positioned right on the hotel grounds next to the street.  It was brightly painted.  There were 57 donkeys scattered around the city to signify the 57 entities that sent delegates to the convention. 

At lunch there were more speakers and shortly thereafter Bea headed to the Wells-Fargo center for the beginning of the convention, Nico and I were on our own for the remainder of the day. The Temperature was 96 degrees and it was very humid. Nico went to Independence Hall and Washington Square. After that he returned to the hotel room where it was considerably cooler.

In the afternoon, I hiked around the area with my walker. I ran into Gov Wolf again and shared my concerns about the spread of the Zika virus. He listened and agreed with the seriousness of the epidemic. 

I can travel for awhile, but then have to sit. I sat in some shade next to a street band for awhile. Great music. I have had a 2008 Phillies hat for some time with no real plan for it, so I brought it along on the trip. Today a young family walked by where I was parked. I motored over to them and asked if anyone was interested in a Phillies hat? The youngest boy, about 10 years old, indicated an interest so I put it on his head and said "its yours". Later, I heard an older brother ask him where he got that hat. The father asked me why I did not want it and I told him I was a Pirates fan. I think the hat went to a good home.

As I traveled I discovered a second donkey, This one celebrated the state of Iowa and was being studied by a man in a scooter---handicapped like me. He has cerebral palsy and has a lot of trouble walking. 

As part of Politicalfest I visited an historical display in a local library. They had original documents including a hand written copy of the Constitution. They also had a civil rights display.

Just up the street I was amazed by a mural painted on the wall of a building. I do not know the history of this painting, but it was quite detailed and impressive. It reminded me of the murals we saw in Lake Placid, FL in 2015. 

I stopped at a bar called the Irish Pub, had a Guinness and a cheesesteak---service was good, the food was marginal.

On my way back to the hotel I observed people begging for money. Not a new phenomenon, but it is always sad to see. One, a young man in his thirties approached me as I was resting in the shade. I interrupted his sad "sales story" by asking him some questions about himself. It seemed to get him off track and he soon was telling me things he had experienced and how he felt. He has an anxiety issue, spent time in prison for burglary and is a heroin addict. He spoke  of wanting to get off drugs and doing things for $100 or $150. As we were talking, he was approached by a man in his 50's who said "I have not seen you for awhile". They walked off down the street together.

I returned to my hotel and rested my weary leg. Another interesting day in the big city. 

In the evening we had a terrible thunderstorm that knocked out our TV, so we could not watch any of the speeches.