Day -1, Democratic National Convention

Left Traverse City very early this morning on a tiny jet that seats about 60 for Denver. When I learned that I had a direct flight (wow!), I imagined United Airlines setting up a huge airliner to carry everyone from northern Michigan to the Democratic National Convention this weekend.

Turns out it’s a smaller plane that for two months every summer is pre-assigned by the airline to shuttle folks back and forth from the Mile-High City to Grand Traverse Bay. How about that.

Figured for sure Michael Moore, who lives next door to Traverse City in Antrim County, would be on my flight, but alas, no Moore anywhere, and yes, he is very recognizable and unfortunately a little heavier than usual right now, which makes him even more conspicuous.

Over Lake Michigan, I found an item in the Sunday Detroit Free Press that Moore was staying in Michigan.

“I’m going to stay in Michigan. I’ll do whatever I can to deliver Michigan to Obama. I’m going to do what I can to convince fellow white guys with a high school education to consider Obama.”

Michael Moore, Flint-reared filmmaker, when asked whether he’ll attend the Democratic convention.

When I called my girl back home from the Denver Airport, she guessed that he was probably not invited, which makes sense what with Obama trying to seem centric in the general and with this convention being perhaps as scripted as conventions have become in general. The Obama campaign knows you cannot tell Michael Moore what to say or what not to say and expect him to say or not say it. 

A jet-lag thought: If there was a cage match between MM and Ted Nugent, I would make a lot of money betting on Moore. The former seminary student and Eagle Scout would shock the world. Disclaimer: I put them in the same sentence without ever seriously considering the two as peers.

Though they are both political-activist creatives, Moore is an intellectual. Nugent is an entertainer (who I understand is getting his own cable show this fall).

Shared a SuperShuttle ride with two delegates from Sen. Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware. Both seemed happy about Obama’s pick, though their smiles were a moment delayed and sustained a moment too long when I asked about the choice. Maybe it’s hard to be a hero in your hometown, because they know you there.

In the course of our conversation, they said the Obama campaign thinks Alaska is in play. I had no idea that Obama was dedicating resources to the long-red state with a meager three electoral votes. But they say it’s a part of his 50-state plan, which apparently is not just code for “I’m going to actually campaign in the South.” They told me that Obama is soon sending professional organizers to Delaware, too — a rock-solid blue state with just as many electoral votes (three), which is unprecedented for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Obama and McCain, of course, dedicated full field staffs to Michigan months ago. But I bit my tongue and did not brag.

In the hotel bar, you can tell that the Democrats are in town because the food orders are so difficult. Travel-weary persons are saddling up and ordering chianti (“what’s that?”) and making sandwich orders so loaded with special requests (“light cheese, open face, lightly toasted, no mayo …”)  that they have to be written down for the poor Latino guy behind the bar.

“Hi. Hey, uh, yeah. Your nachos. Do they have a lot of cheese and meat on them? They do? Uhh. OK, um. Let me look some more. …”

Michael Moore is not like that. Funny.

Monday morning the big show gets under way. History, as they say, in the making.