A BREAKFAST EYE-OPENER
When the California delegation to the Democratic National Convention gathered for breakfast this morning in Boston, there were some obvious signs of partying the night before. It was a somewhat lethargic group -- until former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean took the stage. Reminiscent of his 2002 speech to the state party convention -- the one where he electrified the crowd by introducing himself as "I'm Howard Dean and I represent the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party" — the Californians were drawn to Dean's populist rhetoric.
"This country doesn't belong to George Bush and the 2 percent of the people who finance his campaign," Dean bellowed, albeit in something shy of his post-Iowa caucus decibel level. He said his campaign proved that "if you can get 500,000 people to give $10, $15 or $20, you can raise more money than anybody else." That broad-based, Internet fund-raising has spilled over to the Kerry campaign, and Dean said it represents modern democracy's best hope of breaking away from corporate-dominated campaign financing. "We are our own campaign finance reform," he said.
Dean also urged Californians to pack their bags in the fall and help out in neighboring battleground states — Arizona, Nevada and Oregon. "You can send people to other states to help," he said. "You have the power. Now use it."
*****
A surprise addition to the California delegation was Assembly Democratic candidate Ferial Masry of Newbury Park, who said she received an invitation from state party leaders about 10 days ago to come.
At Sunday night's delegation party, Masry was being introduced around by Elena Ong,, state party treasurer. Ong said Masry will have time later in the campaign to work the district for votes, but that she could use her time at the convention to meet people who can help her raise money for her uphill campaign against Republican Audra Strickland.
Well known among Arab-Americans because the novelty of her being a Saudi Arabian-born woman now running for political office in the United States, Masry continues to draw intense interest from those in the Arab world, where the idea of a woman running for office is nearly unimaginable. Today, she was scheduled to give interviews to the two Arab television networks covering the convention.
