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Wow, one of the giants in the libertarian movement has expressed her interest in running for President.

Believe it or not, in LP circles it's not too late to jump in. Primaries are traditionally advisory in nature so a delegate is relatively free to choose. I am an official delegate now so I will have part of that decision. All of a sudden I feel like I have a really solid choice to vote for. Considering her name recognition (high) within the LP. considering the level of respect most hold for her (high) and the amount of speaking she does to LP conventions and conferences (a lot) she has a good chance at outwitting Phillies, Root, Kubby, etc.

www.votemary2008.com if you're at all interested.

I'm thinking of writing up some sort of commentary/ video about what it's like to be a delegate at a national convention. While I've been eligible for a couple of other national conventions, this is the first one I've been able to seriously consider attending. Would the nitty gritty of conventioneering be of interest here?

She's one of the candidates for the nod. It's a crowded field. However she has a shot at getting the nod just because so many people like her and because a lot of the others are pretty weak. Kubby is a one-track record about the War on Drugs and legalizing medicinal marijuana and has to stay stoked to stay alive. Root and Phillies both seem like a pair of slimeballs to me but they're the only ones with money (until now. I suspect Mary has a good bit herself from ber book sales) The rest of the field are pretty much also-rans.

We'll know for certain Memorial Day weekend, which is the date of our convention.

I hope she does too!

Back to my original second paragraph. Do the details of being at a convention as a delegate sound interesting or boring? Has anyone else on this list been to a political convention?

Well, I will try and document my time there. Our cell is a cameraphone and we have a nice camera that can even shoot video if needed. I've not been to a National convention but I've been to several State conventions.

Conventions are a wild and crazy whirl of meeting old friends, finding new ones, doing business, keeping details of order straight, and a zillion other things all packed into less time than seems possible. They can be a lot of fun and they can be a drag. If you're ill they're miserable. If you're hyped on like three cups of tea and you have the energy, they can be a blast.

It's probably harder to get in at conventions for the Dems than it is for us Libertarians. But if you want to get politically active, there's no harm in caucusing locally with your local organization (I'm given to understand that at least in CA there are city local organizations as well as county central committee) and getting some experience under your belt. Eventually you may get to a convention yourself!

I am less familiar with the GOP structure so I can't comment on that. I'm equally unfamiliar with Greens, etc.