"Undermining my electoral viability since 2001."

DNC Audio: John Kerry Will <i>Heal</i> You

Discovered the audio record of Thursday night. It's spotty, but there are some winners. Here's the first definite hit:

Post-Speech, Walking to the T: John Kerry Will Heal You. (0:46)

UNIDENTIFIED GIRL: So I was hanging out with the Virginia delegation tonight...

CROWD: Woo-hoo!

GIRL: And the wheelchair people. Who stood up when Kerry came in.

OJ: Wow...

GIRL: The wheelchair people...

KREBS: Faith!

STOLLER: And he says he [doesn't] wear his faith on his sleeve...

I know that "wheelchair people" is about as far from PC as you can get, yet I find this simply irresistable.

More coming. And something completely different now. If you're still interested in interesting things, check this little price chart out. I don't know what to make of it, but the implication seems to be that low gas prices are communist. Someone tell Bush.

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Notes From The Balcony

I'm ready to go anywhere, I'm ready for the fade. At about 8:40pm, it's humid. Lot of water will be needed. And I must say that this place certainly is a trip. Where else could you see Willie Nelson and Joe Lieberman on the same stage within a few minutes of one another, and what does that mean? To be honest I can't tell you.

Veterans are big in the message, but it's not really reading at the moment. Platitudes. Too many plattitudes. Why should we honor veterans, and how? These are not simple questions, especially in the contextual reality that vets wars we feel really good about are in shorter and shorter supply. The Democratic party of 2004 is largely run and staffed by people who either got into the game post-60s, were on the inside in 68, or laughed from the outside in 72. Sometimes I really wonder if these people have throught it through.

The populist sheen of the modern party doesn't read to me either. Here's a highly produced media event, where even getting anywhere near the action requires a laminated pass, where you're not allowed to bring your own sign, and we're clapping and singing along to "you've got a friend."

I want to believe it. I want to, but it's difficult. My hands are huge. Eyes wide open, and it still doesn't come through as real to me.

But I think it is real for the people on the floor. These people are on a trip, and they did come from around the country, from all sorts of states and surprisingly diverse walks of life. They've choreographed little dances to do, and done their best to personalize their delegations. There's pride in the room down on the floor tonight. The inner stratigest in me worries about Hubris, an old nemesis of mine, but Pride can be a good thing too, especially when it comes with such a hometown flavor.

And here, where the political thresher meets the grasroots, the mix still isn't quite where I'd have it, but there's promise.

I have to say Kerry gave me a lot more than I thought he would. He's not my man, but I won't be holding my nose when I vote for him this fall.

More to come as I deal with the fallout and realizations. Expect now a feature-length piece comparing massive rituals like the DNC and the OCF, because I've done them both now, and there are a surprising number of paralells.

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Conventioneering

I made it into the Fleet Center.

me me me

That's sean hannity behind me by the way. I'm blogging more at mfa.

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Blaggage

I'm blogging about my life and times at the convention over here.

Personally, this whole thing is making me re-evaluate a lot. It's a shake-up and it's good, but it's taking a lot more energy than I anticipated.

Plus, it's national barbie in a blender day. Tell all your friends.

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Party Party

So I met an attractive lady, AJ, who is working security for the convention. In the course of conversation, I foolishly didn't work on a way to get into the big hoopla without credentials. I'm an idiot.

Better luck next time, Koenig.

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Sunday Night In Boston

Oh man.

Got in early; middle-seat meant little sleep on the plane; made the executive decision to seek the spot for my little press event prior to finding my sister's digs and crashing. The great empty 6:30AM expanse of Logan airport was decked out in red white and blue. The town knows how to welcome 40,000 tourist wallets.

Got coffee at the airport. Saw quite a few younger people around who looked like they might have been at the Boston Social Forum. I was wearing a borrowed (and quite natty) suit jacket. Had my high-class social isolation gear: iPod and sunglasses. I am The Other.

My half-remembered mapquest directions proved to be a little off, so I got to walk all along the common, work up a sweat and get the good Boston vibes. On the green line there was a fairly attractive young blonde girl still sporting a Dean pin. I took it to be a sign.

Got to the hotel; more coffee; paid way too much for net access; way too much for breakfast (but I think I saw Mo Rocka) and finished Danny Goldberg's Dispatches from the Culture Wars. Panel was an eerie reflection. There are a lot of passionate, intelligent, professional people working to help mobilize the youth vote. I just wish so many of these fine folks didn't refer to young voters as "they."

Rambled to Allston. Slept too much and dreampt strange festival dreams: bus rides and petty crime car chases; a reunion party and young Frank Zappa. I'm headed back in to the city now to see what's shaking.

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Beantown Bound

I'm about to head to FORTRESS BOSTONIA (seriously, they're going a little overboard on "security") to do some conventionerring; drop me a line if you're going to be around then. I don't have official creds that I know of, but maybe I can get some young dems into a few rounds of Texas Hold'em and win my way in. I'll bring the party (meaning my HST oufit and iPod voice recorder) if I do.

In terms of interesting things to do in Boston if you're not a party-flack or othewise hopelessly square, I'm looking. Clearly I'll be at our show on tuesday night for sure.

OurConvention seems a decent resource as well.

My flight from Oakland (keepin' it real) to Boston is overnight tonight, and I've got to hit the 21st Century Dems young-folks press conference straight away. Hopefully being bleary(?) will aptly demonstrate my youthful credentials.

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Word Games

I want to play surreal word games to get some topics for conversation. Not because I have nothing to say, but because I have everything to say and not enough focus.

We were trying to fundraise this week at MfA. It was exhausting, but I think we learned a lot.

I have pictures and an essay brewing from vacation. Not quite ready for prime time. Soon.

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Look Ma, I'm in Wired!

Wired News: Involver Ready to Rock Youth Vote:

Josh Koenig has outsized, outlandish political ambitions: to use the Internet to create a new civic movement for disengaged younger Americans, whose first act would be to vote the Bush administration out of office in November.

Breif, but really good coverage of what we're all about. As the kids say, w00t!

(Also, ma, I swear I'll get to work on that EMU scheduling thing...)

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Look Ma, I'm in Wired!

Wired News: Involver Ready to Rock Youth Vote:

Josh Koenig has outsized, outlandish political ambitions: to use the Internet to create a new civic movement for disengaged younger Americans, whose first act would be to vote the Bush administration out of office in November.

Breif, but really good coverage of what we're all about. As the kids say, w00t!

(Also, ma, I swear I'll get to work on that EMU scheduling thing...)

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