2 perspectives from Denver: Veterans, and youth

I've spoken with several veterans of U.S. military service in Denver, and unsurprisingly they mostly express strong support for the Democratic candidate. One outspoken Viet Nam vet was basing his support on his assessment of the lack of support for vets he percieved in Senator McCain's voting record.

Generally, however, I was hearing more "Pro-Obama" sentiment expressed than I was "anti-McCain" on Sunday, as the visitors to the city took on a distinctly Democratic leaning on the eve of the opening day's events. Oliver Lawrence, for instance, is an Air Force veteran of both Korea and Viet Nam, a fifth generation descendant of slaves who has lived in Georgia all his life. Taking in the pre-convention activities, he describes feeling a very different sort of energy among the delegates when compared to previous election cycles.

Oliver also spent the late 50s on duty in Wyoming, when duty sometimes meant babysitting ICBMs, as it did in his case. I chatted with him as we walked along Denver's 16th Street Mall Sunday evening. Most of the protesters had already left, (make no mistake, there were some present earlier in the day) on our way to listen to live music at "Jazz @ Jack's" where our waitress, Jenna, was looking forward to her first chance to vote in a Presidential election.

Asked about Biden as the choice for Vice President, Oliver replied immediately with entusiasm that, "He's a pit bull!" Suggesting that Senator Obama should "Feed him red peppers and turn him loose" to deal with those who are taking the low road in assailing Obama's suitability. He sees Biden as silencing most of the basis for doubting Obama had sufficient experience - a charge he obviously thinks lacks merit. Oliver's seen conventions and candidates come and go during his decades-long service in the Air Force. His assessment of Obama is that electing the Senator from Illinois will be a way to start correcting decisions that the current administration has made, though he notes that the extent of the correction needed means that progress will be slower than he'd like.

And Jenna? She's caught the bug for politics from her mother, who is informed and active in Denver politics. They moved to Denver from Idaho over a decade ago, and she wasn't quite old enough to participate at the voting booth in 2004. As we talked it became clear that while her boss has asked the staff not to display political affiliation while at work, she and her working peers are excited by the prospect of Colorado leaning more toward Obama than McCain, and hopes the state will express a majority support for his candidacy - they'd be proud of Colorado's electoral votes went into the Democratic column as we select our next President.

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