Bizarre may be the way to describe the 2020 Democratic National Convention, mostly because it finds you glued to your computer with limited interface with any delegates outside of your own. At conventions in the past, you begin with a delegation breakfast. We had that but it was virtual, and I am not sure anyone was having breakfast.

Governor Polis was calling from his vehicle. Rep. Degette was speaking from her home.  Mayor Hancock dialed in, and Rep. Perlmutter stayed online through the whole session.

Our special guest was Sen. Amy Klobucher. She made an incredible speech.  She talked about the inability to visit with her 92 year old father who has dementia.  And of course, her husband had COVID 19. As someone commented, it was an opportunity to really hear her discuss what is at stake in this election, without competing on stage with other candidates.

Caucus meetings followed the breakfast. I attended three of the caucuses: Hispanic, Interfaith and Women’s. The talented array of elected officials and committed activists is a reminder of the opportunities for people who are committed to public service. I particularly appreciated the tribute given to African-American pastors and theologians who have come from the faith community into community activism and political office.

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi gave a tremendous speech about the growing number of women in the Congress. Eighteen newly elected women have been given subcommittee chair appointments, which is a sign of the quality of women candidates.

The Colorado delegation had another gathering for the end of the afternoon and then divided into breakout rooms. I was in the climate change group. Not surprising given the decades of work I did on human population growth and the environment, and my continued work on oil and gas drilling in neighborhoods. It was great listening to the perspectives of younger delegates who are dedicated to finding solutions.

Most people probably saw the line up of speakers for the evening session. The best was Michelle Obama, who continues to be able to articulate with passion, the need for us to lift ourselves up to the task in front of us.