First of all, I did manage to keep it together and look good for the last five days. In fact, some people might even say I looked hot...so that part worked out well, thank God!
The quick version, and I'll blog more details later, is that my candidate, Gerard Kennedy, did not win, and in fact, decided to drop out one ballot early and send his support to Stephane Dion. As a result, Dion won, defeated Michael Ignatieff and now Dion owes everything to Kennedy. All of which is good in the end for the party, for me, and for my favourite pet cause.
BUT, in the process, I just about lost my mind I sobbed so hard. This event just about crushed me, seriously....
After Gerard dropped out, I text messaged a friend, "My heart is broken. I'm spoiling my ballot."
And I almost did. I sat in the voting room, crying my eyes out trying to put that damn X in a box, any box that didn't say Gerard Kennedy for close to thirty minutes. There was a bunch of us there, looking at each other, not sure if we could bring ourselves to do it.
And finally I did.
So did 90% of the Kennedy delegates, an unusual event because so few people follow their candidate. None of the other ones did, but we all did, because Gerard is the kind of candidate that actually believes in something. Brains, charisma, looks, sort of like Bill Clinton, (without the extramarital affair part, hehe.) Jeanette is a very lucky woman. Gerard was so sweet to me afterwards at the party, he said he was sorry for doing this to me again 10 years later! Strangely enough it is almost 10 years to the date of the end of the provincial leadership campaign where he lost to Dalton McGuinty...and that political campaign really just about killed me.
If you want to know all the political details, etc. click on my sidebar link for Warren Kinsella's blog, or you can just get the chance to see what my new friend Warren looks like. Admittedly, he is much better looking in real life. (The camera angle and the hat don't do him justice.) Turns out that even though his blog is a bit "Gotcha!", IRL he is the sweetest kindest person, a true gentleman. And apart from the whole political thing, I'm wishing him good thoughts right now because he is still in mourning for his nephew, who died last summer. We had started emailing shortly before that and it was very very sad to read his description of the experience. His nephew was 17, in a car accident, and I know that some people reading this blog know a little bit about grief, whatever the circumstances. Think a few nice thoughts for him, K?
To end my story, yes the convention was awesome, and the trip home was long and headachy due to my overconsumption of wine, but still and all, good....
I came home and was greeted by chaos and hugs and kisses. Yes, the children survived...unfortunately DH may not. He looked like he had just about been run over, and when he figured out that I was flying out to Ottawa today and coming back again late tomorrow, he was NOT a happy guy.
The conference is starting so I have to leave the computer now. It's on crime victims and ways to help them survive and thrive. (I hate that title, but whatever, as long as we get some results, right?)
More later...
It sounds like all's well that ends well? Perhaps not the ending you would have liked, but a good one nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteMy friend worked on Gore's campaign and was high up in the chain. She moved to Tennessee where he had his headquarters and committed her entire being to this campaign. When he lost (though in reality, he won. Damn American politics) she was crushed. It was so much more enormous than a campaign. It was ethics and morals and beliefs all coming down in a huge heap--a disbelief in your fellow American. A wonder about your world. She echoed many of your sentiments.