A Political Glimpse from Ireland

RNC Volunteer Day 2

I showed up for my shift at the Doubletree in St Louis Park this afternoon, and things were hopping.  Many more delegates have arrived, and they’re looking for something to do.  Shopping and dining are the big requests so far.

Not long after I arrived, I got a call from Madonna, our hotel volunteer coordinator.  She asked me to head out to the Marriott Southwest, because the desk at that hotel was unstaffed.  So now I’m at that hotel, with the Pennsylvania delegation (and also the staff from The News Hour with Jim Leherer).

While I was at the Doubletree, I got a chance to meet Dr. Deborah Honeycutt and her husband. She’s proof that the Republican message is not lost on women and African Americans; we need more candidates like her no matter what race or gender. Her husband is equally impressive and accomplished.

The Marriott Southwest is located in the middle of the Edina/Eden Prairie business park, and they cater to business travellers. Apparently no one told them there was a convention on, because they have not laid on any additional staff for the weekend, and the hotel shuttle shuts down at 7:00 p.m. Normally they’d have people travelling for pleasure on weekends, all of whom have their own cars. But the convention delegates don’t, and we’re a ways away from the attractions here.

So, I’ve been negotiating with rental car companies and taxi and limo services to try to get the delegates some options. Apparently no one told Enterprise car rental about the convention either; all of their nearby offices are closed. But one guy is trying to get something going for me.

RNC Convention Volunteer–Day 1

Friday night I started my job as a volunteer concierge at the Doubletree Hotel in St. Louis Park, MN.  Because the convention is expected to bring in 45,000 people to the twin cities, every decent hotel is being pressed into service.  St. Louis Park is a first ring suburb of Minneapolis; it’s a ways from the Xcel Center in St. Paul.  But St. Paul doesn’t have that many hotels, and the McCain headquarters is in Minneapolis.  My hotel will host the delegations from Guam and Georgia.

I sit at a table covered with brochures and maps and greet the hotel guests (not all are here for the convention; some are just here for the weekend).  I and my co-concierges offer them information and advice on where to eat, shop, and be entertained.

I’m working with a woman from Burnsville, and a nun from Guam.  It’s an interesting combination.  Sister Mary came to the twin cities to take a master’s in holistic health care.  She’s a psychologist (phD) already, but she thought that blending some eastern medical philosophy with her western medical training and experience would be good.  She considers herself retired, and is just learning for her own pleasure.

Sister Mary calls herself an independent, but I think that’s a fig leaf because of her vocation.   She told me her family is all Republicans, and she’s quite close to the governor and first lady of Guam, who will be arriving on Saturday.  According to Sister Mary, the first lady is very keen on visiting the Mall of America.  Apparently the shopping choices on Guam are quite limited!

My other coworker, Wil(ma) works for a pharmacutical firm; she helps hospitals and doctors get hold of some very specialized drugs that pharmacies don’t normally carry.  She’s lived on Guam, as her hubby is a former military man, and her son is due at Fort Bragg in Georgia for some training soon.  So there’s connections and connections here; I’m not connected to either place, although I have been to the Atlanta airport.

Both women are very excited about McCain’s choice of Sarah Palin for vice-president.  Judging from the blogs, conservative women in general are delighted.  They see a lot to admire in Palin for her family, her work experience, and there seems to be serious interest in her good looks among the women.  And they also like that her husband is a hard-working guy and a hottie as well.

Saturday I’m working from 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.  I’m bringing the laptop; we’re encouraged to have it there so we can look stuff up for the guests.  I’ll try to do an update sometime during the shift.

In Frankfurt

Hey everyone, made it to frankfurt, hate this keyboard, flight delayed as well, seeya soon.

19:12pm - German Time, still waiting for my plane, going to be an 11hour flight to Seoul. Hope everyone else has a good weeekend. Enjoy the RNC for my conservative\republican friends.