DNC Wrap Up

August 29th, 2008 4:21pm

Chris Hanson reports from the Democratic National Convention:

So the Democratic National Convention wrapped on Thursday in Denver with Barack Obama accepting his nomination for President of the United States at Invesco Field in Denver. Jeb Berrier attended the festivities while Justin and I spent the day editing our piece for Plum. Justin and I were able to get back to Telluride in time for Obama’s speech, which was inspirational and historic. I loved his line that it’s not about blue states or red states, but about the United States. And that the election is not about Obama himself, but about the people.

On Wednesday, we started our coverage by heading down to 16th Street Mall and the Denver Convention Center, which were both packed with vendors, protesters, police and onlookers. The 16th Street Mall was as crowded as I have ever seen it. People were dressed in festive red, white and blue costumes, organizations like "Rock The Vote" and "Human Rights Watch" had set up booths to encourage people to register to vote. Meanwhile, in the Convention Center, Hillary Clinton cast her ballot for Obama and asked all her delegates to do the same.

Jeb and I then went over to the Pepsi Center, where the energy was insane. Representatives from all 50 states cast their votes for the presidential nomination. The vibe of the place went through the roof when Hillary Clinton and the New York delegation voted to suspend proceedings and just nominate Obama as the next Democratic presidential nominee. We heard speeches from Bill Clinton, John Kerry, and Joe Biden amongst others. And Barack Obama wrapped the Pepsi Center festivities appearing on stage with his Vice Presidential nomination Joe Biden and their families.

Jeb left the Pepsi Center to cover a Ralph Nader debate up at the Magness Arena on the Denver University campus. Sean Penn was amongst those speaking and supporting Nader. Jeb felt “Nadered” by the whole event in that it was kind of a downer after all the pep rally positive energy in and around the Pepsi Center to cover all the anarchy in the Nader camp.

I had the opposite experience after the Pepsi Center. I attended an after party at the martini bar 5 Degrees for the Impact Film Festival, which ran alongside the DNC at the Starz Film Center. The Impact Film Festival showcased political documentaries and brought many high profile filmmakers into Denver for the DNC. On the back patio at 5 Degrees, I got to meet filmmaker Jeff Werner, actress Jennifer Gardner, and actress Kirsten Dunst. Ben Affleck and Forest Whitaker were also at the event, but were safely tucked away at two tables in the back. It was a great film party atmosphere to wrap my week in Denver.

And so now I’m back in Telluride gearing up for the Telluride Film Festival. Be sure to check out our video coverage of the Democratic National Convention.

I wish I were going to Minnesota next week to check out the energy at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul just to compare the two. I’m not sure what the RNC will be like, but I was inspired at the DNC to get out and speak my mind. Hopefully our country will do the same by voting their opinion, whatever side they stand.