Steven T. Jones and Kid Beyond are driving to the Democratic National Convention in Denver, stopping by Burning Man on the way there and back, reporting on the intersection of the counterculture and the national political culture.
By Kid Beyond
Thursday. The Big Event. We’ve moved to Mile High Stadium (I refuse to call it “Invesco Field at Mile High”). It’s sweltering outside. 70,000 people are streaming into the stadium. Beaming young volunteers in their 20’s and 30’s. Families. Boy Scout troops in full uniform. Bubbly, wholesome, multi-racial excitement pervades. It’s like a Black Eyed Peas show.
Howard Dean lands with a thud. “I’m the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, and I know exactly how many houses I own.” He’s halting, rusty. The crowd is non-plussed. He’s done wonders for the party as Chairman, but it’s hard to believe this was the Obama of 2004.
Martin Luther King III, marking the anniversary of the “I Have A Dream” speech, honors the legacies of both his father and Bobby Kennedy — the fallen warriors of 1968. If Martin and Bobby had had a kid, it would be Barack Obama.