Monday, August 25, 2008

Mississippi Delegation Caucus

After a great night’s sleep, we went to the delegation breakfast/caucus meeting. In addition to the delegates, there were many others, including guests, family members, and party officials. The meeting was run by the Chair of the delegation, Congressman Bennie Thompson. Our other two Congressmen, Travis Childers and Gene Taylor, chose not to attend, although they are eligible as superdelegates. Senate nominee Ronnie Musgrove is also not attending. Mississippi politicians with tough elections coming up probably don’t want to be too visibly associated with the national Democratic party.

A few realities were dealt with in the meeting. One was the distance to the Convention and difficulties getting there. There will be a shuttle bus from the hotel to the Convention in time for the sessions, which don’t start until 3 pm. Those who had meetings before either had to take public transportation or pay about $50 for a cab.

Another reality was the scarcity of credentials to get in the Convention itself. There were very few extras to pass out, and there appeared to be some unhappy guests. If they want to go anywhere, they have to take public transportation – with which we know Mississippians have little experience. I do think some of the guests will be able to go to the final night at Invesco field, and that will probably make up for the rest of it. Most were here to see history being made.

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