Convention coverage starts here tomorrow!

As one of the few fortunate bloggers who covered the 2004 Republican convention, I arrived in New York without a clue as to what the next four days would bring, or how I would begin to write about it.  At that time, blogging was still more of a novelty, and few outside of the political process even knew about it.  The two parties added bloggers at the last minute, but did their best in both cases to give them access to interesting and significant people attending the convention.

Four years later, the convention has come to my town, and I’ll get to cover it again.  This time, I have more of an idea what to expect, and I’m more prepared technologically, too.  No one videoblogged in 2004, and in truth, most of had a tough enough time figuring out how to load pictures quickly onto our sites.  This time, I have armed myself with a camcorder, two webcams, and up-to-date software to help me get it quickly to Hot Air readers.  I’ll also be doing my show at Hot Air, broadcasting with AM 1280 The Patriot, and will talk occasionally with the BBC and other media outlets on the blogger perspective.

I think the best way to bring the convention to life is to look behind the scenes.  C-SPAN will cover all of the speeches, and of course I’ll have perspective on the major addresses.  But the idea here is to give you more than you see on C-SPAN, and for that, I have to get out of my seat and talk to people.  That’s what I’m hoping to do, starting tomorrow.

Of course, I’ll also have a lot of fun, too.  Conventions are the cheesiest of celebrations of Americana, and already our swag bag reflects this.  When I picked up my credentials, we received a lot of complimentary trifles, but none so amusing as the Kraft Limited Convention Edition Macaroni & Cheese.  It features elephant pasta, and a history of the Republican Party on the back.  It also has this trivia quiz:

Match these “famous quotes or slogans with the Republican Presidents who made them famous:

1. Speak softly, but carry a big bowl of KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese.
2. A house divided from KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese cannot stand.
3. Run out of KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese?  Wouldn’t be prudent.
4. It’s morning again in America.  KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese is being served.

Ewww.  Mac & cheese for breakfast?  Wouldn’t be prudent.

I hope to bring you the drama, the philosophy, and the fun from St. Paul.  Stay tuned.

Addendum: If you’d like to read my coverage of the 2004 convention, you can look through the Captain’s Quarters archives here.