Convention Wrap

It appeared that a good time was had by all who attended last weekend's Minnesota GOP State Convention. I certainly enjoyed being part of the NARN broadcast on Friday and even Saturday as the convention came to a close and we watched the teamsters (so lazy and surly) tear down the stage. We were able to interview a number of Minnesota pols and (twenty-four hour) party people, who were gracious enough to drop by our location far above the convention floor. You can see just how far above we were by checking out this shot taken from the deck above the broadcast booth. It would have been an ideal location if someone had wanted to go "Manchurian Candidate" at the event. Thankfully, the red queens were kept in the deck.

It may come as a shock to you, but the best part of attending political conventions is not listening to thirteen hours of debate on the party platform. No, it's getting a chance to interact with numerous interesting, intelligent folks who attend such functions. Included in this category were the slew of bloggers on hand to cover the proceedings (we tried to figure out many members of the Minnesota Organization of Bloggers were either delegate or alternates and came up with at least a dozen), at least when they were sober. And we also had a chance to once again put a face to a very familiar name.

If you're even a casual listener to talk radio, you're probably heard the unmistakable accent of Quentin from Zimmerman (Minnesota). In addition to being a regular caller to the NARN and other local talk shows, I've heard Quentin on Hugh Hewitt, Dennis Prager, Michael Medved, and Rush. The guy is one of the most dedicated callers in the land and one of the more interesting. He stopped by and said hi on Friday and posed for a picture with King and I (Quentin is the sharp dressed man in the middle).

For me, the two biggest takeaways from the convention are that the party is unified and that it appears that nearly everyone recognizes the perils that may lie ahead come November. No one is underestimating the challenges that need to be overcome to win and overconfidence is not going to be a problem. The 2006 elections could result in a Democratic rout, but it's not going to be because the Minnesota GOP is asleep at the gate. The "all hands on deck" sense of urgency was evident throughout the convention.

The biggest surprise had to be Gingrich winning the presidential straw poll. While it's true that only 540 some ballots were cast and that well-known party leaders encouraged delegates to vote for Newt, I don't think that anyone would have predicted that Gingrich would be victorious in such a convincing fashion. It shows just how unimpressed many of the hard-core party members are with the current crop of contenders and how wide open the field really is.

Now, we can sit back and watch the fireworks unfold at this weekend's DFL State Convention in Rochester, which promises to be much more contentious. In hindsight, THIS would have been the convention to broadcast from, as we would have an endless stream of material to work with. And the guests? Just imagine the possibilities. Sigh.

In 2008, we'll definitely plan to be at the DFL convention. And if Minneapolis hosts the national Democratic Convention in 2008? A conservative radio host's dream come true.