Archive for January, 2009

Senior year in College I had three fabulous roommates, and it’s pretty impressive that we are all exactly where we wanted to be!  Jaclyn is in rabbinical school, Robyn is in Med School, Daniel is a reporter for Newsweek and I’m working in politics!!!

Inauguration Day Daniel was with the press corps inside the Capitol, he shared these pictures with me, and I’m sharing them with you with his permission:

Inauguration Day started for me at 6am when I took the metro from the Foggy Bottom stop and got off at the L’Enfant stop and then waited to get out of the underground for TWO hours due to a medical emergency.  You can see from the picture below how we were packed like sardines waiting to exit.  It was quite scary being in a confined space with that many people for so long–but luckily the people there were all jazzed up about going to see Obama sworn in as President and often someone would start a chant of “Yes we can” or “Obama, Obama, Obama”!

I finally got out of the metro stop around 8am and walked several blocks to 3rd and Independence where the Silver tickets gate was.  Walking there was like walking through a city going through a national emergency.  Police or ambulance sirens went off every 2 minutes or so and there were thousands of people walking in the street all going in the same direction.  There were police and military stationed at every corner of every intersection.

Here is a picture taken on my BlackBerry of a motorcade that went by:

Here is a picture of a group of people holding up their silver tickets to a line of police to be allowed to cross the street to get to the silver gate:

The silver ticketed area was on either side of 3rd street right after the reflecting pond.  They opened the security gates at 8am and I got in line to go through security around 8:15am.  If I had gotten there two hours earlier maybe I could have been at the front of the sliver section right after the reflecting pool but I was in the further back section behind 3rd ave.   The good part was I could watch the proceedings on the jumbo screen.  I think my section was the first section back to have a screen.  My view of the Capitol once I was in:

Me freezing but happy:

The view toward the Washington Monument.  You can see the jumbo screens:

Nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye…farewell President Bush:

After the Inaug people went out onto the reflecting pool and shoe skated…I saw the cracks forming and stayed on dry land:

The Mall was trashed when I left:

After the Inauguration I walked back to Jodi’s house in Foggy Bottom.  Walking through the streets was CRAZY.  Again I felt like a salmon because most people were headed the opposite direction trying to get closer to the Capitol since security lightened up.  I packed up and then walked with all of my baggage to my old college roommate Daniel Stone’s place in Adam’s Morgan.  There was no way I was going to take the metro or hail down a cab.  I am not looking forward to over population…

My good friends Dan and Karla were also staying with Daniel and we spent the rest of the evening getting dolled up for the Youth Ball which was conveniently located at the Washington Hilton across the street!  You can literally see the service entrance from Daniel’s bedroom window.

We had to wait in line for over an hour to get through security and by the time we were in, the main ballroom was already at capacity at around 2,000 people!  Who knew that the Ball would be in multiple rooms… So sadly we didn’t get to be in the Ballroom when Mr. President Obama and the first lady did their little dance but the room we were in was still fun with food, drinks and an MTV DJ.  After Obama left we were able to get into the main ballroom and Kanye West, Kid Rock and Fall Out Boy performed.

It was really hard to find friends because there were 7,000 attendees at the Youth Ball between all the Ballrooms.  Aparantly the Presidential Inagural Committee sold 9,600 tickets to the Youth Ball…there were a lot of sad people outside the Hilton who never got inside even where I was at first.

Me at the Youth Ball:

Today I woke up and headed over to the Cannon House Office Building to pick up my Inauguration Ticket from my Congresswoman Dorris Matsui’s office.  Luckily when I got there I ran into Randi Kay and Corin, my friends from the Sacramento County Young Democrats, so I didn’t have to wait in line by myself.  We waited in line for about two hours and made friends with the people around us.  The man behind us was the Chairman of a County Democratic Party in Texas for 12 years and the couple in front of us were New Yorkers who got their tickets (to our great surprise) from newly-elected Congressman Tom McClintock.  They are friends with his new Chief of Staff…

Luckily our friends Kari and Melissa who work for Matsui were able to send out Matsui’s staff assistant Matt with our tickets so we didn’t have to wait another hour to get in the building.  I was happy to get out of the cold and out of line, but I was kind of looking forward to seeing the Congresswoman’s office.

Here’s a picture of the front of the line to get through security, we didn’t even get close:

Then I headed to the New York Young Democrasts’ Very Special Inauguration Brunch Kick Off Fundraiser At The Former Washington DC Residence & Mansion of President & NY Governor Theodore Roosevelt, now called Eighteenth Street Lounge–an ultra hip club.  I loved the old couches and wallpaper!

Here I am with Stephanie Hausner, Secretary of the Young Democrats of America and Mark Newman:

Then I went back to Jodi’s house in Foggy Bottom but I was surprised to get a phone call from our Mark Torres our CYD Central Valley Region Director telling me that I had until 7pm to pick up our Youth Inaugural Ball Tickets.  The confirmation email said NOTHING about picking up the tickets, let alone a hard deadline for doing so.  So I dropped everything and went to the Convention Center and waited in line.

All this line waiting made me super late to the Young Democrats of America happy hour at Hawk and Dove.  It started at 4pm I got there around 7!

Wendy Carrill, a journalism student at USC was live video blogging for Pop and Politics, you can click here to check it out.

With friends at the Hawk and Dove YDA happy hour:

After the happy hour Jodi, Dan, Karla, Alissa, Robbie and I went to a great burger joint where I had a toasted marshmallow milkshake!

Someone in our group had the Obama Burger:

This picture was taken on my Blackberry, I need to get better at bringing my camera places…

While we were eating we saw CNN’s Anderson Cooper on TV live from the Mall in front of the Capitol!  We were 3 blocks from there so we decided to go on an adventure and find him!  He actually was quite far away from the Capitol, closer to the Washington Monument and the Smithsonian Castle, oh the power of modern television cameras.

Here he is, again from my BB, my friends took better pictures I’ll have to replace this:

When we were done hanging with Mr. Cooper we went home to rest before the big Inauguration Day!

Walking to Sunday’s Inaugural Opening Ceremony I ran into my favorite rapper for Obama Tony B Conscious!

I first met Tony B Conscious at the Presidential Candidates Debate January 31, 2008 where I took these videos of him rapping.  Click here for daytime rapping and nighttime rapping.  I last ran into him in Denver at the DNC Convention!

Jumbo Screen by the Washington Monument, as close as we could get to the Lincoln Memorial:

You can go to http://www.hbo.com/weareone/ and watch the amazing WE ARE ONE Concert.  My favorite performance was U2, I almost cried when Bono was speaking and talking about them Irish boys performing for Obama and Europe being totally with Obama and America, it was really moving.

Jodi thought I looked like a midwestern tourist:

We could not find anyone who understood we wanted a picture of us and the entire monument…

The California Democratic Party had their Bash at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum!  Jodi and I volunteered for the first two hours so that we could go for free.  I helped staff the press entrance with Brian Brokaw, of my former employer, Acosta|Salazar, LLC who handles the media relations for the California Democratic Party.

Jodi recognized Benji Madden (aka “the dude from Good Charlotte who dated Paris Hilton for a while).  He volunteered his services as a DJ to the Party, so nice!

Saturday Karly and I went to the Pentagon City Mall via metro to find her a ball gown for Tuesday night’s Neighborhood Ball.

Macy’s was so into celebrating Inauguration weekend they had a DJ!!!

and the mall had decorations EVERYWHERE:

After the mall I took a Taxi to Foggy Bottom to stay with my fun UCD Alum friend Jodi, an admissions officer at George Washington University.

We went to the restaurant Tonic which is in an old pharmacy, with Jodi’s friends where I had the best tater tots I’ve ever had!

Then we went out dancing in Georgetown at The Guards which had a frat party vibe but was a lot of fun.

All day Thursday I slept as I traveled from Sacramento to D.C. due to pulling an all-nighter to pack and finish the work necessary for me to take this working vacation.  I recognized a famous comedian on my flight, and I could not stop staring at him in the baggage claim.  I knew he was a comedian and it was driving me crazy that I couldn’t figure out who he was.  I did some Google image searching to figure out that it was D.C. native Dave Chappelle!  He had a lot of luggage and one man asked him if he was moving home.  Several passengers went up and shook his hand and said things like, “I love your work.”

I had a Young Democrats of America (YDA) Executive Directors Conference Call when I landed and then I took the metro with my four bags from Reagan National Airport to the U Street neighborhood where I stayed for two nights with my UC Davis Alumni friends Karly and Russ.  They have a great basement apartment.  Karly is a legislative analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists and Russ works for a cool company who claims Barack Obama as a client–they do his website.  Karly and I went out to dinner at Busboys and Poets “a restaurant, bookstore, fair trade market and gathering place where people can discuss issues of social justice and peace”.

It was mighty cold but I was so happy to be back in D.C. I could care less.

I ended my night with a very productive California Young Democrats (CYD) High School Caucus conference call at midnight.

Friday morning I got up early and took the metro to the YDA office which is at the Farragut North metro stop–my old home base metro stop from when I lived here!  I felt so hip and cool taking the metro to work.  The YDA office is lots of fun and it was great to work in-person with the staff I usually only get to see quarterly.  For lunch we grabbed Organic To Go, a new D.C. chain which was fresh and surprising.  I remember when I lived in D.C. I was disappointed in the produce quality–we’re spoiled in Cali.

After work I met Karly at Filene’s Basement, an up-scale discount store kind of like Ross or Marshalls but ten times better.  This Filene’s basement was on my walk home from the metro to the UCDC center and I often used to stop there on my way home from work.  Karly and I bought Spanx to wear under our gowns at the balls since the CNN.com reporter had asked me if I was going to wear them…

For dinner we got Greek food and I had the best Gyros I ever had…mmmn Feta.

Then some of Karly and Russ’ friends came over, all UCD Alums and we went to the corner bar for some drinks.

A great start to my D.C. adventure!

A huge thank you to Dan Fisher for creating my website!!!

I cannot thank him enough for all of the IT help he has provided me.  Dan is a great friend and a great help!  If anyone needs IT help, I highly recommend you hire Dan.  He does it for a living for the County of Sacramento.  He can even help you remotely!

And thank you to all of my friends who offered suggestions to help me name this website!  Posting the contest on my Facebook status, I offered Inaugural paraphernalia to anyone who came up with the best creative title for my new blog about “my fun political adventures and maybe other stuff too”.

Alicia came up with ‘Political Claireity’ and Kirsten suggested ‘the adventures of a Polichick’.  Thanks friends!  I have either an Inaugural T-shirt, or tote bag for you!

A close runner up was Jodi’s Politically Clairect.

And a lot of people liked Brian’s ‘Real Claire Politics’.

Here are the suggested titles I was choosing from:

“My Role in the Liberal Revolution”
Claire in the Capitol (it applies to DC AND Sac)
Conlon Continues
Poli Pocket.com
From the Eye of the Storm (there’s always something bad happening in politics)
CCCP (Claire Conlon Chats Politics/ letters of the Soviet Union)”Jews, Gays, and Politics..a Politial Journey”
Jews, Gays, and Politics..a Politial Journey
Politiclaire
Politics DeClaired
Transition
Conlon on Congress
Confessions of a Capitol Mall Shopper :-p
Redheaded Politics (hahaha get it, as if it angers you AND you’re a redhead!!!)
Capital/Capitol Clarity
Clairevoyance
Claire Channel
Politically Declaired
Dem Declaired
Confessions of a politico-holic
An American Life
LEFT on time? Kind of a play on you always being late, AND a Democrat…the Left Wing?
Countdown with Cleith Conbermann
Journey to the Left
Caught up in D.C., Claire Change in D.C.
Conlonpost
Political Idol
What about CC: Politics (or CC: something more clever) — that brings in the whole e-mail/technology thing. Orrrr some word ending in a ‘y’ and then days, and you could capitalize the ‘y’ and the ‘da’ for Young Democrats of America (e.g. happYDAys — obviously a more-fitting first word, but for some reason happy is the only word I can think of right now!).
Claire for 2 Milliion (Two million expected for Obama’s inauguration), Survivor: Inauguration, Yes We Can
Conlon: Prostitution (Spin) Free Zone (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/16/dc-to-erect-prostitution_n_158659.html)

For Immediate Release: Monday, January 12, 2009

SACRAMENTO, CA – With over 200 young candidates running statewide, young activists came out en masse to vote this past weekend in the Democratic Party’s Assembly District elections. While totals are still being tallied, the California Young Democrats (CYD) are proud to report that young people are winning seats everywhere. In addition to winning delegate seats, Young Democrats won elections this weekend to serve as Executive Board Members of the CDP, representing all California Delegates at the highest level.

“The support I received on Saturday is humbling,” said Nick Caston, CYD Parliamentarian and lead organizer of the CYD Delegate Project. Caston, a successful candidate for the Executive Board seat of Sonoma’s 7th AD continued, “I appreciate the opportunity to help young activists become leaders in our State Party.”

The California Young Democrats “Young Delegate Project”, provided aggressive outreach to the young voter community, logistical support, online and in person trainings, using the same network based, peer-to-peer tools that helped President-Elect Obama reach and activate millions of volunteers nationwide.

“With over 200 young people running and 135 of those directly assisted by CYD, young people are poised to win a greater majority of elected seats than any in our Organizations’ history,” said Rocky Fernandez, CYD President and successful candidate for the Assembly District 18 Executive Board seat.

A sampling of those elected:
Nick Caston: 6th Assembly District E-board Representative- Elect. California Young Democrats Parliamentarian, Member, Sonoma Young Democrats.

Marc Levine: 7th Assembly District E-board Representative- Elect. President, Marin County Young Democrats.

Chris Parker: 9th Assembly District E-board Representative-Elect.  Member, Sacramento County Young Democrats.

Rocky Fernandez: 18th Assembly District E-board Representative- Elect. President, California Young Democrats. Member, East Bay Young Democrats.

Darcie Green: 23rd Assembly District E-board Representative-Elect. Vice President, Silicon Valley Young Democrats.

John Cleary: 45th Assembly District E-board Representative-Elect.  Founding President, Los Angeles Stonewall Young Democrats

Becca Doten: 46th Assembly District E-board Representative-Elect. Political Director, California Young democrats. Immediate Past President Los Angeles County Young Democrats.

Clark Lee: 60th Assembly District E-board Representative-Elect.  Member, Los Angeles County Young Democrats.

Amos Young Jr.: 62nd Assembly District E-Board Representative-Elect.  President, San Bernardino County Young Democrats.