Emily's Musings

Dean Delegates

I ran to be a delegate for Dean today! I had to leave before they counted the ballots, but I don't expect to have made the top 3 women -- and even then, we would only get to go to the Convention if Dean wins over 15% in our congressional district. But it was fun to go and to meet new Dean supporters and feel good about the campaign.

My camera batteries died, so this was the only picture I was able to take. Of the 49 eligible voters, I think 23 of us were running for the 5 delegate spots.

Here's my little speech:

My name is Emily Reich and I'm running to be a Dean delegate because I believe that we'll all remember this campaign as an important turning point in Democratic politics and I would be proud to be a small part of that.

I believe that I can represent the young people who have played such an important role in this campaign and whose energy and faith we need to carry our party through to the White House.

At the early Meetups I attended and on the blogs and email lists that have fueled the movement, I have been continually struck by the numbers of new voters and activists who have for the first time understood that they too could make a difference if they got involved.

I believe that we need to take the message of the Dean campaign to Boston -- to stand tall on the convention floor and make sure that the Democratic Wing of the Democratic Party has a strong voice.

I've worked at two DNC conventions-- I've been on the floor with the delegations and behind the scenes, and I hope that you'll vote for me today to be one of those voices.

It was definitely an interesting experience -- and hey, you can't win if you don't run!