DNC leftovers

The Republican National Convention is scheduled this week in the Twin Cities (if God and Gustav cooperate*), but we've found some tasty leftovers from last week's Democratic revelry in Denver:

What was it like at Mile High on Thursday night? Read firsthand reports from Jill at New West, Nicole at Notes From the Floor, and Blue Girl From a Red State (I especially like this one, written by 23-year-old Canyon County delegate Megan Nagel). Earlier in the day, 43rd State Blues captured video postcards home from these folks: Gail Bray, Grant Burgoyne,  Larry LaRocco, Nicole LeFavour, Debu Majumdar, Obama chief of staff (and Boise High grad) Jim Messina, Megan Nagel and Estella Zamora, and the Northern Idaho delegation.

A cheering Idaho delegation made "The Daily Show," 15 seconds into this clip.

The Idaho Democratic Party has lots of great convention shots at its Flickr photostream. Citydesk has some, too.

In a story by The Argus Observer, state party chair Keith Roark looked beyond November to offer this goal: "In two years, we want a Democrat in the state house." (And why not? Idaho is one of only two states in the Mountain West that do not have Democratic governors.)

Thanks to Brett and Ira for helping with links throughout the big week. Idaho sends its thoughts and prayers to the Gulf Coast with the wish that storm damage is as light as possible.

* In curtailing the convention's opening day, presumptive GOP nominee John McCain told USA Today, "I hope and pray that we will resume our normal operations as quickly as possible, but some of that, quite frankly, is in the hands of God."

Chris Cilizza of The Washington Post assesses the possible political impacts of a swamped RNC in this post.

Comments

[Sisyphus]

Palin's unwed daughter pregnant. And they're using the fact to smear Obama. Click my name.

[Julie in Boise]

An interesting turn of events, to be sure. And this has introduced the previous Bristol birth rumors - previously confined to the blogosphere, now officially denied - into the traditional media mix, as well.

How will the social cons react, other than trying to smear Democrats? On one hand, "Juno" Palin had premarital sex against her parents' teachings. On the other, she is keeping the baby and marrying the father. Christians always say they're not perfect, just forgiven. Grace heals all. But let this be a lesson to the social cons that preaching abstinence only is NOT an effective method of preventing unplanned pregnancies.

Let's hope that the Palin family's myriad distractions - and Sarah Palin's lack of national experience - will help voters realize that she's probably just a little too preoccupied to backstop a 72-year-old guy with a history of cancer.

[Sisyphus]

Yup, can hardly wait for the forthcoming explanation by Fischer, Sali, and the Idaho Family Task Force on how Palin doesn't figure into their rationale that the laws should be designed to keep women like her at home enforcing the abstinence only rule.

[Julie in Boise]

Barack Obama, staying on the high road as usual, at a press availability today:

"I have said before and I will repeat again: People's families are off limits. And people's children are especially off-limits. This shouldn't be part of politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin's performance as a governor and/or her potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories. You know my mother had me when she was 18 and how a family deals with issues and teenage children, that shouldn’t be a topic of our politics."