DNC Day 2 - Sarah from Kentucky

Today was another machalapon day. More wrong directions, running around lost and misinformation by DNC folks, Pepsi Center employees and other volunteers on where I need to go and where I can go.

I eventually made it to the Bloggers' Tailgate '08 this afternoon but not after running around for a while, being misdirected to just about every section of the Pepsi Center. Fortunately, I had a partner in being lost and eventually finding the party. I met Sara, who is the state blogger from Kentucky and part of the blog Blue Grass Roots.

I told her that she was the first blogger I'd ever met from Kentucky, and she said the same in terms of Guam. She asked if there was much blogging on Guam and if I had any competition in getting accepted into the State (and Territory) Blogger Corps. I said, sadly no, there is not much blogging on Guam, at least not blogged that's politically motivated or inspired. This wasn't the case with her, as her blog had beaten out a much larger blog for their crendentials, and they probably weren't happy about it.

In my mind, I felt fortunate that there wasn't much blogging on Guam because it gave me this chance to participate and report on this historic event. On the other hand however, it reminded me of the lack of rich political discussion on the internet about Chamorro and Guam issues, and I half-hoped that next time around if I try and get access again, there will be some competition.

Coming from a state that went for Hillary in the primaries, I asked Sarah if there was any tension between their delegation and other Democrats. She said yes there is. As everyone should know, Barack Obama won Guam's primary by just seven votes. Hillary Clinton is a much loved figure on Guam because of her visit there while she was President, and also Bill's visit in 1998. Because both Clinton's share this tie to Guam, the island as distant from the imagination as it is to other politicians. Take for instance, the experiences of one girl from Guam, who met Hillary Clinton earlier this year:

I had the pleasure of meeting Senator Clinton last May, at an Asian American & Pacific Islander kickoff event with her campaign. I shook hands with her and introduced myself, told her I was from Guam and immediately. Immediately we started a conversation about the island and its people. I was so pleased with the fact that I didnt have to explain where Guam was, what our island’s history was or its connection with the United States - because she knew all of that. She was very well versed on the issues our island and its people were facing (i.e., Marines relocating from Okinawa, Guam War Claims, the Filipino Veterans Equity bill, and much more). But, it doesn’t end there. She’s an extremely brilliant individual with amazing experiences under her belt, coupled with an affinity for solving problems and working hard.