You Must Whip It…

Jesse Cornett

The time past since Sunday here in Boston has been great! From long sightseeing walks to the celebrations and the Convention itself, there couldn’t be more great things to do.

At some point Sunday evening, another delegate began asking me if I would be interested in being the "delegation whip.” Though I had no idea what they did I agreed that if I was needed I would serve. So, not only do I get to go to the Fleet Center early everyday now, but I miss the luxuries of the free shuttles the others enjoy (really it’s not a long walk, though), but I have to have someone fill in for me, even if I leave the floor for a few minutes. As it turned out I was needed and off I went.

The whip plays the important role of making sure that the Kerry campaign can get information to the entire Oregon delegation on an ongoing basis and basically being the eyes and ears of the campaign while floor is in session. It’s fun but I am missing out on the time to meet other state’s delegations during the Convention, and otherwise staying very busy. So, when you are watching TV and notice that other states seem to be holding up a variety of signs but Oregon is holding identical ones….

As a general reflection on the extracurricular activities, this has been a week of much more exclusivity than 2000. I’ve spent a lot of time traveling and waiting to not get into parties. I guess being a delegate isn’t what it used to be.

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    1. Did they give you a ceremonial whip--braided out of donkey hair, say?

    2. According to NPR, none of the delegates are getting out and spending in Boston--causing local retailers big anxiety. Maybe you should (ahem) whip up a party of Oregon delegates and go out for a beer after Kerry speaks tonight.

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    Jesse is a great whip!

    It's not easy getting all those signs passed out and herding the cats so they all display the same sign at the same time.

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    As for the actual whip, no. I think that qualifies as a weapon and trefore not allowed.

    As for the business aspect, stand by for my forthcoming rant!

  • Eric (unverified)
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    Jesse, Perhaps you could grease the skids a little with a box of crispy creams for the list-tender...

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    One of your fellow whips apepars to have screwed up. On C-SPAN just now, I saw a sign that I'm fairly certain was not supposed to be out on the floor until Kerry's speech.

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