Day 3: August 27, 2008

2:15 pm A few words on the scene in the convention hall, and the press.

The Mass. delegation's seating area is behind New York and below Arizona, both pretty spirited delegations in their own right. When you're looking at the speaker on the stage, we are to the left (speaker's right) and up in the "bowl" (i.e., not on the ground floor). These are really pretty good seats and capable of seeing everything very well, even if we're not as close to the on-stage action as some delegations -- Illinois and Delaware, for example -- being Obama's and Biden's home states respective, they get the plum spots. Our state sign (vertical lettered posts visible when cameras pan the delegations) is not always visible because it's tucked alongside a pretty tall wall.

The campaign hands out demonstration signs of all sorts at regular intervals. Last night we had five or six different signs passed out within the space of a few hours.

The VIP boxes in which Senator Biden and his family were seated for the past two nights are immediately behind us (behind Arizona's last rows) -- so our entire sector of the convention floor is getting lots of attention from the press. One CNN cameraman parked himself semi-permanently just two rows in front of me on the first night (he's probably the culprit for my 15 seconds of fame), to the great chagrin of the delegates in the row in front of me -- their view was blocked in several directions every time Mr. Camera decided to shoot B roll.

Right on the convention floor, the major US media outlets have small bullpen-like affairs built head-and-shoulders above the delegate seating. It is from one these makeshift perches that, for instance, David Gregory interviewed Gov. Bill Richardson last night before (during? after?) Hillary Clinton's speech. Wolf Blitzer and CNN have a similar set-up, as do CBS and ABC. Andrea Mitchell is a "roving reporter" -- I came face to face with her the first night as she was picking her way down to the main floor. (Yes, she is as petite and intense as she often comes across on TV, and let me just say makeup does wonders for aging skin.) Sam Donaldson nearly fell out of the balcony, calling some urgent matter to her attention.

All around the top ring of the convention center are press boxes and suites, prominently advertising their brand on large lightboards turned toward the convention hall: the BBC and Al-Jazeera are among the foreign press present.

When you sport a delegate's creds, it seems that you have to do very little to have a camera thrust in your face or to be asked a question by a (mostly very young) press person with a spiral notebook in hand.

11 am: At this morning's delegate breakfast, early-voting procedures for the delegate balloting were announced, which would help to move along the proceedings for this afternoon's all-important convention business.

Here I cast my vote for Barack Obama, and Mike Wheeler of Gloucester follows suit. We were in heady company: Governor Deval Patrick did the same, and thenkindly paused for a quick "photo op."






























Speakers at this morning's delegate breakfast included, among others, the ever-popular, ever-garrulous Cong. Barney Frank, Boston Mayor Tom Menino, and Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.