John_Schwada's Blog

But I digress. The Southwest stewardess quickly picks up on the politically-charged atmosphere and announces on the PA system that all political palaver between passengers had to stop long enough so she could deliver her (riveting) pre-flight instructions. Being a Democratic crowd, the obedience level is pretty nil.

In seat 7D is the political star of this flight - Councilman Bernard Parks, an at-large Obama delegate to the Democratic Convention, who seemed (along with everyone else lined up at Gate 7 at the Southwest terminal) to be very oblivious to Senator Joe Biden’s maiden speech as Barack Obama’s running mate; Biden’s remarks were being carried live on the TV at Margarita’s bar, adjacent to the Southwest boarding area.

Parks can probably be excused for ignoring Biden’s remarks: after all he’s got big political worries of his own; he’s now engaged in a tough fight with Sen. Mark Ridley-Thomas perhaps THE plum job for LA’s African-American politicos, the LA County Board of Supervisors seat being vacated by Yvonne Burke. While waiting in line for boarding, Parks spars gently with another passenger, labor leader Yvonne Wheeler; labor is gung-BLEEP for Park’s rival, Ridley-Thomas.

As I pass Parks on the way to my seat (21D), I tell him – as part of my never-ending churlishness - that Ridley-Thomas is actually hiding in my carry-on bag. “Keep him there, will you,” Parks laughs. This retort is helluva lot better than anything I heard Parks say at his news conference Friday where he implied union campaign contributions to Ridley-Thomas were improper. Make a note of that: the guy is not as wooden as I thought.

Taking my seat, I look around and there’s Kitty Felde, long-time KPCC reporter/commentator. Kitty introduces me to her husband, Tad Daley, who tells me he tried, unsuccessfully, to get elected as an Obama convention delegate from U.S. Rep. Diane Watson’s district. “ I was one of 84 candidates running,” Daley says. “And that’s the guy who beat me,” Daley adds, pointing to Robert Cole, who's  squeezing down the aisle. “Yeah, he out-organized me," Daley says with a shrug.

Saturday, 3:30 pm: Daley and a knot of other passengers are now huddling around Parks’ seat, schmoozing. Politics. In mid-air. At 35,000 feet. Turns out, Daley does NOT reveal to Parks that he’s actually a volunteer in Ridley-Thomas’ campaign. Hmmm.

Daley also encourages me to swing by Progressive Central, a four-day symposium of left-leaning Democrats, meeting at a Denver church, who are trying to  encourage Obama to tilt more left-ward; Daley’s shtick is that Obama sounds too much like President Bush on Iran’s nuclear program. In other words, too hard-line. Not that Daley wants Iran to have nuclear weapons, mind you. He just believes it’s “unsustainable” hypocrisy for the U.S. to have nukes and yet deny them to the rest of the world. Best of all worlds? No nukes, Daley tells me. World-wide nuclear disarmament.

Saturday, 4:50 pm: On the train ride (yes, train ride) from the Southwest gate to baggage claim, I meet Tony Pierce, a Simi Valley Obama enthusiast (t-shirt). Pierce is seriously on the prowl for tickets to Obama’s Invesco Stadium acceptance speech Thursday night…Pierce’s story is that he was the runner-up in a fierce battle to get elected as the Obama delegate from his neighborhood. Sorry to say, this friendly guy with a great smile, lost. “The insiders won the election, but I’m here anyway.” That’s the spirit. Pierce also wants to "go green" while he's at the convention, maybe rent a bike to get around Denver. That's refreshing: a political two-wheeler-dealer.