with the 2008 democratic party of hawaii state convention a few days behind me, i want to take this time to reflect on the experience. i’ve been thinking about this post since i left the hilton sunday afternoon and i’m still not quite sure how to put all my jumbled thoughts and feelings into some coherent structure, but here i go nonetheless….
after a long, but somewhat restless sleep thursday night, i arose bright and early friday morning to attend to last minute errands and tasks before arriving at the convention hall before 10am. i started to setup the registration and credentials stations in preparation for the opening of registration at 1pm. in the frenzy of preparation and the with the stress of a first-timer, the 1 o’clock hour passed as volunteers and delegates began to arrive, without being thoroughly prepared.
the next seven hours flew by, full of stress, lines, frustration (mine and others’). eight o’clock came as a welcome relief to a long and hard day. after packing up and clearing the registration and credentials stations, i wandered around and poked my head in on a few of the committee meetings that had been in session since 7pm.
eventually, the long, non-stop day got the better of me and at around 11pm i decided to retire to my hotel room. physically and mentally exhausted, i assumed sleep would come quickly and be restful…. boy was i wrong. as soon as i laid down, my tired brain began to churn thoughts and images about saturday’s chore and the stress and trials that would come with it. succumbing finally and completely to fatigue, my brain relented somewhere around 3am, which was good because my alarm was intent on rousing me in just over two hours.
as a pleasant surprise, saturday’s credentials work proved to run smoother as my volunteers and i seemed to find our rhythm. 130pm came and went with fewer cranky and insistent people to appease. registration and credentials closed promptly as we began to transition and prepare for the elections scheduled to take place at 5pm.
in contrast to the seeming scramble and chaos of credentials, the elections proceeded as efficiently as clockwork. there were very few problems, and those that presented themselves were, for the most part, quickly remedied. it was the scene of a well-oiled, well-planned machine and i was seriously impressed.
i lost my run for a seat on the state central committee (scc) in the 9th senatorial district, but only by a handful of votes. i’m pretty sure i could have won if i had had the time to do any sort of campaigning. what’s more, my opponent is a nice guy who happened to work on the mayor’s staff. with the mayor’s network behind him, i’m not absolutely sure there was anything i could have done to win. i do appreciate all the good work and kind words that other put in on my behalf as i was clearly unable to take the time myself. thank you. i’ll definitely do more work and take more time when i run again in two years….
with the elections concluded and the convention two to three hours behind schedule, it reconvened to finish considering and approving committee reports. while most, i imagine, were annoyed by the slow pace, i actually welcomed it; for the first time since the convention was gaveled into session, i was able to sit and participate beyond my capacity, as credentials chair, of giving the occasional report to the convention body.
finally, 830pm rolled around and we were finished and, with my ‘date’ on my arm and in lockstep, i headed to the hospitality suites.
for those of you who haven’t had the fortune (yes, i’m a geek) of attending the convention, saturday night is the ‘let-your-hair-down-have-fun-and-talk-story’ night. for those who attend as delegates, alternates, or guests, it is a celebration, of sorts, and an opportunity to mingle, meet people, and see those neighbor island friends you see only every two years.
i had planned to visit all the suites and spend some time with the friend who came along for the ride, but of course it didn’t go that way. i showed up at the progressive democrats of hawai‘i (pdh) hospitality suite, where i expected to be able to relax a bit…. no such luck. because my position as credentials chair had given me so much recognition, not to mention being one of the leaders of pdh, i was expected to be ‘on,’ telling new comers what we’re all about, what ‘progressive’ means, and the like. shortly before being called away, i was given quite a fine introduction to mazie hirono, our junior congresswoman representing hawai‘i’s second congressional district. the whole encounter has faded a bit from my memory, but i do specifically recall the adjective ‘juggernaut’ being used to describe my work on the convention. what a great compliment!
and then i was beckoned back to the convention hall to compile figures for the election committee in advance of sunday’s full day of elections. my poor ‘date’ was forced to wander from hospitality suite to hospitality suite by herself in the interim. from her telling of it, it sounds like she turned a few heads, of which i have no doubt, though among that crowd, the all access pass i let her wear for the evening may have helped.
i returned to the pdh suite, again with every intention of visiting the others, but exhaustion quickly got the better of me and i was forced to retire in advance of another pre-dawn awakening. again my over-active brain prevented me from getting more than a couple hours of sleep….
the sunday sunrise was a welcome sight and served as the light at the end of the tunnel. registration and credentials were only scheduled to be open for an hour and a half, after which my responsibilities would be few and minor. during the hour and a half that registration and credentials were open, there was a sprinkling of people, only a couple with problems. at 830am, on the button, we closed registration once and for all. it should go without saying that i was totally thrilled. my last (or so i thought at the time) official act as credentials and registration chair was to report the final number of delegates, alternates, and guests to the convention body. i then promptly danced a little jig on the way out of the hall for a celebratory cigarette.
as it happens, i needed to make a final count of the registered neighbor island delegates for the final vote of the convention. it was easy, but tedious.
the always kind senator akaka gave the closing address to the convention body. then it was all over. at least it was over for me. as suddenly as the opening of registration had come two days earlier, now so had the final adjournment of this, my second convention season, my first as credentials and registration chair.
as i drove home, after hugs and high fives and packing my car, the pace of my thoughts and adrenal gland began to slow. for the first time in three days i was able to sit and reflect. it’s a hard thing for me to say, but i was (am) proud of myself. as i sped toward convention in the weeks and days prior, i never thought i’d make it to the other side. i had dreaded the myriad problems and pitfalls that i couldn’t foresee, but in the end i, with the priceless help of my volunteers, we were able to overcome every challenge.
as great as the experience might have made me look, there’s no way it could have gone as smoothly as it did without all the good, smart, and dedicated people who lent a hand. i am supremely grateful for their time and help.
now that it’s over and life starts to return to normal (i’m still a bit behind on sleep), there’s a bit of emptiness in me. i spent nearly half a year on this project, giving all my time and making it my top priority. it’s a hard feeling to describe and i’ve been struggling to find the proper sequence of words for a few days now. i’ve joked with some of the party staff and volunteers, that i wasn’t sure i wouldn’t continue to show up at hq every day, even though i now have no good reason to do so. i’m sure the feeling will fade and my life will return to a pre-convention equilibrium, but until then i’m left wondering how i’m going to spend my time.
as jed bartlett, the fictional president from my favorite show, the west wing, would often ask, ‘what’s next?’