The Convention Kicks Off!

The convention has been going strong for about an hour and 30 minutes now and I am setting up. The day is filled with meetings, caucuses and of course the general session at the end of the day. I will be snapping pictures and looking out for any relevant information to report on.

What can I say about the convention . . . this is mayhem! I have never seen so many people dedicated or at least appear dedicated enough that they took a day off from work to travel to the state's capital in order to partake in a two day event for the Texas Democratic Primary. Even though Obama seems to be the shoe in, that does not stop Hillary's delegates to voice their opinion in the last step of the tri-level primary process. Other than the actual caucuses and meetings targeted to specific individuals within the Democratic Party there is an entire floor dedicated to selling Liberal paraphernalia. You can buy anything from t-shirts with witty slogans to Obama jewelry. The big hit in the room was a life size Obama and Clinton poster model.

Founder and CEO of Election Mall Ravi Sing claims that, "the models are the actual height" and people often ask him if they can take pictures with the candidates. He chuckles and adds that he began showcasing the candidates in "the California Primary" and has not stopped since. He plans on going to Denver. "Candidates send in their images to be included," claims Singh who works from the nation's capital. Interested individuals may purchase the carboard models for about $50 a piece. Signh adds, "There are plans to expand the amount of cardboard models," and that he does expect to retire either candidate anytime soon.

In other news, Rick Noriega held a news conference hitting home with the message that Republicans are out of touch with the general public when it comes to the housing crisis, failing dollar and rising gas prices. Party officals believe that about 15,000 individuals from around the state are expected to pledge their votes this weekend. Traffic near the Austin Convention center on Red River and Cesar Chavez seemed to have higher levels of traffic then usual. I have uploaded pictures of the convention which you can check out here and do not forget to check back for more.