Decision Day
On Monday and Tuesday evening at the Pepsi Center, the seating section for the Maryland Delegation had been a beehive of activity, with visiting family members, Obama volunteers, current and former elected officials, and friends of all-of-the-above sprinkled in liberally with those of us who are actually voting delegates. Not so today, Wednesday August 27th, the day on which we delegates actually “earn our pay”. Today we choose a nominee. Today each individual delegate must vote, with the results to be reported in a state-by-state roll call. At breakfast, all of this has been to explained to us by our Maryland Democratic Party leaders. There will be no visitors seated amongst us as the official business of nominating Barack Obama unfolds on national TV.
There are too many things to do. Weeks ago, I had signed up for “Delegate Community Service Day”, and the busses will depart soon to take us to plant trees in a local park. No way I can fulfill this obligation and still get to the floor of the convention by “3 o-clock sharp” to be in place to cast my vote before Maryland’s name comes up in the rollcall. My husband Mike loves to garden. He will do my community service, I will go vote; problem solved.
Eventually I learn that I can cast my vote in writing, before leaving the hotel, instead of waiting until I arrive on the convention floor. On August 27, at precisely 12:32 p.m., I submit my vote for Obama. I know in my heart that I have just played a part in history, and that the man I am nominating will transform the Democratic Party and our beloved United States of America in wonderful ways. The emotional and historical significance of this moment is unlike anything I have ever felt in my life.
Every day, transportation is provided for all delegates from our hotel, the Renaissance Denver, to the actual convention at the Pepsi Center downtown. Today I find myself sitting next to delegate Deborah Breedlove from South Carolina. We share stories about our respective states and the significant events that played a part in our current success.
Arriving at the Pepsi Center, we go through many security points before getting to Section 116 where the Maryland delegation has resided for the last 3 days. I can’t believe it! Just before leaving my room I applied my favorite perfume and put the bottle in my purse rather than leaving it in my room. It turns out to be the first casualty of the trip! OUCH!
Once seated on the floor of the convention hall, there is an intensity within the delegation that I have not felt on previous days. It’s all because we have to vote!! The roll call has begun; Alabama (60 votes; 48 Barack, 5 Hilary); Alaska (18 votes; 15 Barack, 3 Hillary).
Our Maryland delegates are not yet all accounted for. We were supposed to report in by 3:00 pm. It is already 3:45 and all votes have not been counted. The roll call proceeds; American Samoa, Arizona, Arkansas… We get all the way to Kansas before our last delegate arrives. Only Kentucky and Louisiana stood between us and an awkward moment in the national spotlight.
We made it just in time! Maryland casts 100 votes; 94 for Barack, 6 for Hillary. Little do I realize that the real drama is only minutes away from unfolding. I have no idea of the coming display of unity that will result in Barack being nominated by acclamation!!
-- Cheryl Miller
Carmen Amedori, 52, is a resident of Westminster and was a state delegate representing Carroll County from 1998 to 2004, when she was appointed by then-Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. to serve on the Maryland Parole Commission. A native of Baltimore and graduate of Villa Julie College, Amedori worked as a paralegal and journalist while raising two daughters, before entering the world of politics. She was one of the few elected officials in Maryland who supported John McCain when he ran for president in 2000, and was an alternate delegate at that year's convention. Her backing has not wavered, and this year, Amedori is the Western Maryland regional director for McCain. She has also been cleared to be a surrogate — meaning she has the blessing to speak on McCain’s behalf when called upon.
Cheryl Miller, 55, and her husband, Michael, coordinate the Volunteers for Obama office in Anne Arundel County. She is an Annapolis resident and mother of two who runs a home-based event planning business. Despite studying political science at Lycoming College in Pennsylvania, Miller was not particularly involved in politics until this year. She was invited to a fund-raiser last fall, and soon found herself immersed in the Obama campaign, working phone banks and traveling to Ohio and Pennsylvania to door-knock. This will be her first convention.