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October 1, 2008

John McCain's Women's Town Hall Meeting Tomorrow in Denver

My nose is chapped red and running, my body aches as if I got caught up under a bus, and I am a sweaty, sweaty girl, but god damn it, I am going to get up tomorrow morning, take a shower, wash my hair, put clothes on that don't involve a drawstring, and drive myself down to Denver. I am going to John McCain's "Women's Issues" Town Hall Meeting.

Since this cold has settled in like a tick, I moved my office tv into the bedroom for a little bed-bound, non-reading activity. This morning I could not sleep, stuffed as I was, so I flipped it on and caught my very first ever morning news program (I am not a rise and shine person). In between the local weather and a seemingly incongruous puff piece on assembling and baking twenty minute tartlets (I am not a breakfast person, apparently, either), announcements regarding the elections aired and what do you know? John and Cindy McCain are going to be in Denver tomorrow afternoon to have one of their "informal" Town Hall meetings! And the subject? Women's Issues! Oh my god, it felt like my birthday all over again. Unlike Michelle Obama's voter registration rally in Boulder today, which was open to the public and easily accessible for all, the McCain event was a by-ticket-only affair. What are the chances I would be able to get a ticket?!?

It was only 8am and this was the first I had heard of it. I did a little search on line and initially couldn't find info anywhere on the event (nothing on the McCain/Palin website). Eventually, buried deep in the Rocky Mountain News site, I found a listed number to call. A VERY chipper young man, Ron, answered the phone (who the hell is that happy at 8:15 in the morning?) and asked how he could help me.

"I just heard that John McCain is going to be in Denver tomorrow and I would LOVE to get two tickets to the event!"
"That's great! Can I get a little info from you?"
"Um, Ok"

Ron proceeded to ask me for quite a bit of personal information, just short of my birthday, social security number, and bra size. He then asked the same questions regarding my friend Emily, for whom I was procuring a second ticket. He did not, however, ask me for my or Emily's party affiliation. I was surprised about this, as I have been trying to get in to see President Bush speak for eight years and have never been able to get within two miles of him. Seriously.

Ron then asked if I would be coming in to my local McCain headquarters to pick up the tickets and would I be willing to volunteer my time in the crucial coming days. Um, no and no. Luckily, I can simply pick the tickets up at the will-call table at the event. Whew! So, easy as ordering a pizza, I was able to secure two tickets to tomorrow's Town Hall Meeting with the McCains.

I am a registered Independent. Even though I don't get invited to the primary parties here in Colorado, I just can not bring myself to name an allegiance. I am an American and a voter. Beyond that, I expect the the parties to work a little harder, with a little bit more integrity than they have exhibited in recent years to prove that they deserve my registration, my affiliation, or my whole hearted devotion.

Those of you who read my journal regularly know where I stand in this election. I have abandoned the past efforts of 2000 and 2004 to simply encourage people to vote and keep my own political opinions to myself. The stakes are too high at this point in history and I have made my peace with loosing listeners, record buyers, and audience members. I have accepted myself as a political creature at the risk of being rejected by the people who have given me a career over the last decade. I am putting my literal money where my mouth is. Such is life.

That being said, I would be one flaming hypocrite if I stood from the sidelines and condemned a candidate without ever personally attending a rally or at least attempting to ask him/her a question. I want to hear the bullshit right from the source, so to speak. After all, had I never had that ridiculous conversation with Fred Thompson's media manager and aspiring musician grandson, I never could have said with such totally and utter conviction that his campaign was as flimsy as a single ply tissue.

With this in mind, I am going to go down to Denver tomorrow afternoon and give the Senator two hours of my time for his so-called "Women's Issues" town hall meeting. We'll see if I can get a question in. Such as:

Or, more to the point, as my beautiful friend Heidi wrote to me this afternoon, what about simply, "What the fuck, Senator?" Do you think I'll be accused of GOTCHA! journalism?

Posted by bethamsel at October 1, 2008 5:04 PM

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