Citizen Kate scores tickets to watch Barack speak the final night at the Democratic National Convention, and she hunts to fulfill her dream to "find Obama". I can't believe it! Thanks to my good friends at First Data, one of the sponsors of both the Democratic and Republican Conventions, I got tickets to enjoy the inside of Invesco park. I was there earlier today scouting out all the possible locations where I might run into Barack. This is it. This is the moment that I've been waiting for. I'm going to meet Barack. I can feel it. I even ran into General Wesley Clark. And he thinks that I have what it takes...some day. Note to self: If you ask and believe, you will receive. Maybe. It seems there are a lot of "secrets" in politics.
Citizen Kate discovers the true media oasis at the Democratic National Convention in the “Big Tent” dedicated to the “little media” -- bloggers, and she finds her first real fan. I found blogger’s paradise - The Big Tent. Most bloggers really don’t venture beyond their living room. Why bother when you can produce political reports in the comfort of your underpants? But when we do get out, we get the best treatment. Google, Daily Kos and the Huffington Post made this Big Tent the best media spot at the DNC. Filled with massages for the stressed out, Yoga for the mentally blocked, and organic goodies for the media fit. Of course, these weren’t the only sponsors. It really showed me that you don’t need to be “big media” to get the “big treatment". In fact, big media got free Coors. Bloggers got free Fat Tire. Note to self: Being “Big”, doesn’t always mean “quality”. Bloggers have the clear advantage when it comes to politics. We can say what we want.
02:10
Citizen Kate: The War on Keith
17 year old Keith Smith, a practicing Buddhist from Menomonee Wisconsin, had been beaten up by the RNC riot police and then released without medical attention. His story made me want to find out more. There was so little coverage of the daily protesting at the RNC, that we felt like his story needed to be told.
02:50
Citizen Kate: Big Media = Tent City
Citizen Kate tries to fit in with the “Big Media” at the Democratic National Convention, but some big time reporters from The Daily Show call her bluff. What a lot of people didn’t see on CNN, CSPAN or Fox News at the Democratic National Convention is the large number of tents surrounding the Pepsi Center. These tents were set up primarily for the “big media”. I wanted to see how the other half lives, so I ventured off to the Big Media Tent City in search of free swag and to fit in. I found the Daily Show RV and thought that Jon Stewart was sleeping there. Unfortunately, they were too big time for this citizen journalist. I did find free oxygen. Why would anyone ever pay for oxygen? Shouldn’t it always be free. I spent time with a journalist form ABC News. He said that I should check out “tent city”. But he was referring to the blogger’s Big Tent. Note to self: Big media don’t always get the big perks in politics, but they do get access to the inside.
04:03
Citizen Kate: Stars and Stripes and Mace
Dateline - St. Paul, the Republican National Convention. I found myself in the middle of a riot - and it turns out that fashion sense was what saved me from being clobbered, although I may not have worn the right shoes. It turns out that the delegates were bussed from their hotels to fully gated area of the Invesco Center, so they had no idea of the scope of these daily protests or that kids were being beaten up. We were never sure of what for since we didn't ever see anyone do anything but react to the police. There was so little main stream media coverage of the daily protests outside the RNC that I felt an actual bit of journalistic pride for reporting this.
August 28, 2008 -- Citizen Kate protests with anarchists at the Democratic National Convention and uncovers what it's like to live in a police state. I ran into a group of peaceful protesters in the park near the Denver capital at the Democratic National Convention. We are political prisoners in a police state and we need to vote for the next great leader to help change that. The protesters voiced their opinion of the candidates and the true needs of our world. I realized that politics is not about the glitz or the glamour. It's about the people. Note to self: If you don't like the choices for president, you can write in none of the above.
04:15
Hunting for Conservative Women for Palin
Citizen Kate hunts for young conservative woman before Palin's big speech at the Republican National Convention to uncover the key to being conservative at the under-attended Network of Enlightened Women (NeW) Book club event. I'm so excited to be at the Republican National Convention. I got my first official invite for an event at the Lifetime party. Finally, Republicans are welcoming me in. Maybe they decided that they need the Citizen Kate vote after all. Karin Agness sent me a personal invitation to the group that she founded -- Network of Enlightened Women (NeW). The place was buzzing with media. Apparently, none of the NeW group members could make it. They were helping with the Hurricane relief. Wow. I really think I may be conservative. The Republicans really like the ladies. Sarah Palin is proof of it. Note to Self: To get taken seriously in politics, you need darker hair and a shorter skirt.
02:32
Exclusive Ralph Nader Interview at the DNC
August 27, 2008 -- Citizen Kate gets an exclusive DNC interview with Ralph Nader, and finds out the key to independent presidential success -- Alternative Media. On the third day of the Democratic National Convention, I had the interview that none of the other major media was capturing. I met up with Ralph Nader moments before his big speech. He informed me that the Democratic Party and the Republicans are selling out America. I like sales, but would rather pay full price for quality goods. And corporations are really buying government. I also discovered that alternative media (like me) plays a key role in helping any presidential nominee. Especially the independent guys. I guess I should really think about who I vote for. Note to self: Presidential candidates and politicians needs Alternative Media too.
August 27th, 2008 - Citizen Kate discovered more unity that segragation at the Democratic National Convention after watching Hillary Clinton speak and cast her deciding vote. I can't believe it. Hillary Clinton did it. She united the party and cast her historic vote to elect Barack Obama. Note to self: We have to hug it out and come together.
Citizen Kate attends Sarah Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention and discovers the key to the Republican VP's popularity: Palin Power. I actually made it into the Xcel Center. We totally borrowed badges from friends and were snuck into the real action. The Republicans really had a lot of security. It was like Fort Knox in there. The entire time, I was worried that I was going to get thrown out like the NPR debate that I attended with Mike Gravel. But the Republicans are so into ladies that I fit right in. Nobody even flinched when they saw me. It must have been my conservative outfit and Sarah Palin glasses. She really did knock 'em dead with her speech. I wasn't sure about her at first, but there's no doubt now that she was a strong choice for VP. Heck, her husband's a snow machine champion. That's tough. Note to Self: Political ladies are powerful with the right hair style and fighting words.
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