Day 2: David in St. Paul

From David McKee, 15, of Waxhaw, at the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, with the Junior Statesmen of America:
Monday morning we got up early and went to the North Carolina delegates' breakfast. I talked to some of the delegates about how their system for nominating a candidate might be different from the Democrats. Turns out it's not very different at all. I asked one delegate how it is that he became a delagate. He said he just went to his district's convention and got elected as a delegate.

The best thing that happened is that they had floor passes ready for us for the whole convention. Floor passes were next to impossible to come by in Denver. So I was really excited about that.

At lunch, we went to the Hard Rock Cafe, where our lunch was hosted by the Young Republicans Club. Mike Huckabee was there to talk to us. He spoke positive things about Sarah Palin, the Vice Presidential Nominee. He said she has all the right values for the job.

Many of the teens here are very Republican or Libertarian in their ideas. At lunch they were saying that all the Democrats have a California Attitude, and in a stoned voice they mockingly said "like hey dude, vote for Obama" ha ha ha. Of course, I don't think that's true at all.

Going to the convention center this afternoon for the abbreviated RNC meeting we had an unexpected obstacle. Anti-war protesters were blocking our way by forming a human chain to prevent us from getting into the center. Police on horse back had to drive them back so that we could run quickly past. As we passed, they all gave us the finger and shouted obscenities at us. While I undersatnd that they are upset about the war, I do not think that they should go that far.