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Two countians get look at history in making
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NEWS-TIMES
BY LORI WYNN
MOREHEAD CITY — Two county residents who traveled to Colorado last week to attend the Democratic National Convention have returned and both say they feel energized about the upcoming general election after seeing Sen. Barack Obama accept the party’s presidential nomination.
Lenny Julius, a Vietnam veteran of Emerald Isle, and Tina Rodriguez, Newport resident and second vice chair of the Carteret County Democratic Women, both had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the Illinois state senator’s acceptance speech Thursday at the Invesco Field in Denver, Colo.
“I came away really pumped up – there were 84,000 people who came away really pumped up,” Mr. Julius said
Mr. Julius, along with one of nine others from around the country, was flown out to the convention to meet Sen. Obama after sharing his reasons for his support of the Obama campaign.
Having served in the Navy – even on the same ship – with Republican nominee John McCain, Mr. Julius said he once supported him.
“He’s an American hero – I was on the ship when he left and never came back,” he said.
“I may be seen as a traitor by some people, but it’s not the case. I have to put the country first.”
Mr. Julius said it was Sen. Obama’s speeches and ability to draw a crowd that first caught his attention. And seeing him pull it off in person was no letdown, he said.
“It’s hard to give powerful speeches with specifics, but he tied things together so well.
“I was 2 inches off the ground – we were all floating that night,” he said referring to the nine others who joined him for VIP treatment at the convention. They, plus their one guest each, were given first- and second-row seats for the Thursday-night event.
As for meeting Sen. Obama, Mr. Julius said it was brief, but also a pleasure.
“He asked me what I’ve done since I left the Navy, and I didn’t know what to say – I’ve done so much since then ...” he said.
Instead, Mr. Julius said he just told Sen. Obama why he was supporting him and spoke with him for a moment. Later, just before the speech, someone from the Obama campaign told Mr. Julius the senator had really liked him.
“I thought that was really neat,” he said.
Mrs. Rodriguez attended the convention in a more official capacity – she was chosen by the Hillary Clinton campaign to serve on the rules committee that sets the agenda for the convention.
But the trip wasn’t all business. Mrs. Rodriguez said her official function ended the weekend before the speeches began.
“It was phenomenal,” she said.
She got to see speeches from Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton and of course Sen. Obama. As one of the committee members chosen by Sen. Clinton, she even got to attend a delegate meeting with her.
Although she was a Hillary supporter during the primary election, Mrs. Rodriguez said she “had no doubt that the party would come together.”
“But it (the convention) regenerated me to come back and work harder for the Democratic ticket,” she said. “The media made it look like it (the convention) was going to be a blood bath, but they really got it wrong.”
Mrs. Rodriguez attended the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 as a voting delegate. She said she enjoyed that event, too, but got a much different perspective this time by being among everyday citizens – not just other delegates.
“The people who go to the conventions, they do this because they love their country,” she said.
The convention in Denver had a rare feeling, she said.
“It was almost spiritual, which sounds funny to say,” Mrs. Rodriguez said. “You’re in a room full of so many like-minded people – it’s just a beautiful thing to experience.”
Lenny Julius, a Vietnam veteran of Emerald Isle, and Tina Rodriguez, Newport resident and second vice chair of the Carteret County Democratic Women, both had the privilege of witnessing firsthand the Illinois state senator’s acceptance speech Thursday at the Invesco Field in Denver, Colo.
“I came away really pumped up – there were 84,000 people who came away really pumped up,” Mr. Julius said
Mr. Julius, along with one of nine others from around the country, was flown out to the convention to meet Sen. Obama after sharing his reasons for his support of the Obama campaign.
Having served in the Navy – even on the same ship – with Republican nominee John McCain, Mr. Julius said he once supported him.
“He’s an American hero – I was on the ship when he left and never came back,” he said.
“I may be seen as a traitor by some people, but it’s not the case. I have to put the country first.”
Mr. Julius said it was Sen. Obama’s speeches and ability to draw a crowd that first caught his attention. And seeing him pull it off in person was no letdown, he said.
“It’s hard to give powerful speeches with specifics, but he tied things together so well.
“I was 2 inches off the ground – we were all floating that night,” he said referring to the nine others who joined him for VIP treatment at the convention. They, plus their one guest each, were given first- and second-row seats for the Thursday-night event.
As for meeting Sen. Obama, Mr. Julius said it was brief, but also a pleasure.
“He asked me what I’ve done since I left the Navy, and I didn’t know what to say – I’ve done so much since then ...” he said.
Instead, Mr. Julius said he just told Sen. Obama why he was supporting him and spoke with him for a moment. Later, just before the speech, someone from the Obama campaign told Mr. Julius the senator had really liked him.
“I thought that was really neat,” he said.
Mrs. Rodriguez attended the convention in a more official capacity – she was chosen by the Hillary Clinton campaign to serve on the rules committee that sets the agenda for the convention.
But the trip wasn’t all business. Mrs. Rodriguez said her official function ended the weekend before the speeches began.
“It was phenomenal,” she said.
She got to see speeches from Ted Kennedy, Michelle Obama, Hillary and Bill Clinton and of course Sen. Obama. As one of the committee members chosen by Sen. Clinton, she even got to attend a delegate meeting with her.
Although she was a Hillary supporter during the primary election, Mrs. Rodriguez said she “had no doubt that the party would come together.”
“But it (the convention) regenerated me to come back and work harder for the Democratic ticket,” she said. “The media made it look like it (the convention) was going to be a blood bath, but they really got it wrong.”
Mrs. Rodriguez attended the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004 as a voting delegate. She said she enjoyed that event, too, but got a much different perspective this time by being among everyday citizens – not just other delegates.
“The people who go to the conventions, they do this because they love their country,” she said.
The convention in Denver had a rare feeling, she said.
“It was almost spiritual, which sounds funny to say,” Mrs. Rodriguez said. “You’re in a room full of so many like-minded people – it’s just a beautiful thing to experience.”
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