Quite the line-up

I’m going to the Oregon AFL-CIO convention in Seaside from Sunday to Wednesday this coming week, as an Oregon Nurses Association delegate. I was excited when I heard John Edwards would be addressing the convention on Tuesday. But check out this list of speakers over the four days:

Dennis Kucinich, Congressman and Candidate for U.S. President

Tom Chamberlain, Oregon AFL-CIO President

David Wu, U.S. Representative

Bill Bradbury, Oregon Secretary of State

David Gregory, National AFL-CIO Western Region Political Director

Darlene Hooley, U.S. Representative

Earl Blumenauer, U.S. Representative

Mike Cavanaugh, National AFL-CIO Director or State and Local Affiliates

Steve Novick, U.S. Senate candidate

Dan Gardner, Oregon Labor Commissioner

Ben Westlund, State Senator and Candidate for State Treasurer

Ted Kulongoski, Governor of Oregon

Stewart Acuff, National AFL-CIO Organizing Director

John Sweeney, National AFL-CIO President

Jeff Merkley, Oregon House Speaker and U.S. Senate Candidate

John Edwards, U.S. Senator and Candidate for U.S. Presidency

It’s a little sad there’s but one woman in the lineup, and I’m especially disappointed Hillary isn’t coming. But still… wow. I mentioned it to my daughter, Ali, on the way to school this morning. Her response was, “Be sure you drink a lot”. Puzzled, I asked, “Alcohol?”, thinking perhaps she questioned my enthusiasm for the event, at the sober hour of 8 a.m. “No, listening to people talk makes you dehydrated”, she replied. Guess I’ll need to knock back the beverages for days, if she’s right.

I doubt I’ll have time for much blogging while I’m at the convention – it seems like a great time to “be in the present” and soak up the experience as fully as possible. But I’ll take notes, and report when I return if I can’t post while there.