Rest and Recharge

Rest and Recharge was the theme at the Democrat State Convention this past weekend. Congressmen Kind explained it best when he applauded the work that members of the party put in to the recall process. They did all that could be done, and lost. But now is not the time to mope and give up, he called upon the party to take a little time to rest and recharge, but not too long because November is fast approaching.

The convention was held at the Paper valley Radison in Appleton.  Hundreds of activists spent the weekend socializing, listening to speakers, and recharging. All of the familiar faces were in attendance along with a few new ones. Kind provided the meat and potatoes inspiration that many attendees seemed to need, but the rest of the program contributed their own dish so that at the end of the day everyone felt full and satisfied.

Ed Shultz was a semi-surprise. While he could not speech publicly because of legal constraints. He did receive a cheesehead on stage and tell the party how much he supported them. Mahlon Mitchell was another fresh face whose status is the party is reaching rockstar. Although he lost his bid for LT Governor in the recall effort I expect him to be a favorite subject in the rumor mills whenever a new Democrat champion is needed in an election. His relationship with the Democrat party has just begun.

The real keynote speaker of the night was Congresswoman Baldwin. While her speech was brief it gave every appearance of a full blown US Senate campaign. She spoke out against tax brackets that allowed the wealthy to pay less taxes than the middle class and called on the party die hards to keep fighting into November. Her campaign was in full swing and by far the most organized effort of the convention. Roughly a dozen staffers in Baldwin t-shirts were running around all day prepping for the Congresswoman's speech and hospitality suite afterwards. Her suite was also one of the most successful. With ample amounts of beer and hot food patrons did not leave unsatisfied. Former representative Kagan and the Fire Fighters union also had suites with various adult beverages.

At the end of the night everyone appeared to be following Kind's orders to the letter. The doom and gloom that filled the hall at the beginning of the day subsided as smiles and hope returned to the party. It may have been a blessing to have the convention so soon after the failed recall attempt. The Democrat party did not have the luxury of sulking but must unite once again if they intend re-elected President Obama and elect a new Senator in Tammy Baldwin.