Two Parts: James Akers' Excellent Journey to the Democratic National Convention

Editor's Note: James Akers is a Dripping Springs resident. This is his story about how he became a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver and his interesting journey along the way.









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or jakers@associatedbrands.com

I have to give a shout out to the City of Denver. You would not believe how helpful and gracious these people are. Everywhere we go we meet and speak to people (most but not all are Dems) who are taking real pleasure out of seeing all these Dems in their home state. I lived in the Twin Cities for 4 years. I know St Paul will be polite. However, I can guarantee you, the Republicans will not be as enthusiastically welcomed as we are. St Paul is a lot like Austin, only they are the most liberal folks in a pretty liberal state.

At the breakfast, we spoke with Rick Noriega, (he complimented my nephew Andre for his great work on his campaign). As we (DS Dems) focus on down ballot candidates, it goes without saying, Noriega really needs our help. I also caught up with some of the other SD25 and SD14 delegates who had stayed out too long (again). My mother and I plan to join them tonight.

The major topic of conversation is by far the home run that Michelle hit last night. She really struck a cord among everyone we spoke to. Mike Barnacle observed that the two most powerful words we may have heard throughout this whole convention may have been “hi daddy." Sacha reminds me of my 6 year old Molly, which to me is the wonder of what happened last night. We all now know Barack in a personal way… as a “daddy." I think fatherhood, (and I mean real fatherhood) is not a bad measure of any man’s ability to lead.

By James Akers
Special to the RoundUp

In Denver, getting over Hillary and finding tickets

I am on the airplane heading home from Denver as I am writing this. I have had a tough time coming up with words to describe what I have seen and felt about the last few days. Every word I think of seems obvious and/or inadequate so I will not try.

James at the convention with former East Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson.

This has been a very personal journey for me and I can’t help but to get wrapped up in my own thoughts a bit. I fully realize though, this is a personal journey for every person in America who believes, as Barack said last night… “America can do better." I think about people like Gerald Durley who, as a black civil right soldier from 45 years ago, cried like a baby at the sight of what was happening. I think about all the folks in the Dripping Springs community who I have come to know on this journey.

Throughout the stay, it seems that something new and wondrous happened all the time and what happens next seems to trump what happened before. Obviously the events themselves are pretty profound but I am talking about the conversations on bus rides, train rides, dinner and the sights and sounds we see on the street. You cannot sit next to anyone for more that a minute without finding out a lot about them.

I now believe we are past the mourning stage and Hillary supporters are ready to jump on board. Two anecdotal pieces of evidence – the shuttle bus driver told me his wife was a PUMA. PUMA stands for Party Unity My A**. They are the group from which I received 200 or so emails asking me to switch my vote to Hillary. After last night's speech, his wife was so moved she's in all the way for Barrack. That was sweet music to my ears. Then there is my sister, who told my mom that she heard what she needed to hear from Barack. She was a Hillary supporter, who planned to vote for Barrack in any case. Now, however, she just might even work along side us to bring out the vote in Texas for Barack. I talked to at least one angry woman who was still very upset. If this event did not change her mind, I certainly will not.

Congressman Lloyd Doggett and James' mom, Irma, of El Paso.

A few words about my mother. She's a political junkie and always has been. I think this experience was a life changing event for her. It seems everywhere we went we struck up great conversations.

From day one, I was trying to figure out a way to get Mom into INVESCO to see the big speech. On Wednesday night, my mother met a family (Maria Elinda (mom) and two grown children Alfredo and Christina) from Houston. All three have a hearing impairment which you hear when they speak. They are salt of the earth, extremely smart, hardworking and above all, very tenacious. Maria Elinda is working on her doctorate in education while Christina has a business degree and Alfredo is working on an engineering degree. They took care of my mom like we were family. They escorted my mother and me on the train all the way from downtown to our hotel 20 miles away, even though they were staying downtown. Maria’s kids tried but did not make it as delegates. Maria brought them up to Denver anyway to volunteer and just be around the convention with the hope of getting into INVESCO. None of them, nor my mother, had a pass to INVESCO and they really wanted in.

Tickets were extremely hard to come by and I told them not to get their hopes up. At the time, my gut feeling was that we were going to find a ticket for my mom but to come up with three more was an impossible task. Turns out my Texas connections came through with two passes. I gave one to my mom and one to Maria Elinda. With tears flowing down her cheeks she called her kids who had gone to the Pepsi Centerto to find passes. These two youngsters with a hearing impairment and the advantage of tenacity had already found two passes and were working on a third. Wow, overnight we came up with four passes. No easy task I can assure you. As a thank you, after the event, Alfredo gave me one of the large American flags that were given out to people to wave on the floor of INVESCO during Al Gore and Barack’s speech. If you saw those flags waving on the TV, it may have been mine.

James with former Speaker of the House Jim Wright of Ft. worth

On a whim, I purchased a limited edition (100 prints) poster signed by the local artists commemorating the 2008 convention. I woke up early on Thursday and planted myself at a table in the lobby of the hotel and asked every member of the Texas delegation to sign my poster. I plan to make copies of the poster and somehow get them to the delegates that want them.

Obama spoke to my hopes

I am truly motivated by both my fears and my hopes. Barack Obama speaks to my hopes about what this country could and should be again. John McCain and the Republican Party speaks to my fears about where four more years of Republican control could leave us… a worsened economic mess that destroys the middle class and widens the gap between the haves and the have nots, as well as reduced respect and standing in the world. Bill Clinton said it best… the “power of our example should be greater than the example of our power."

My journey to Denver began when I took my family to see Barack Obama speak last November at the Backyard. I really did not know much about him except that he was an inspirational speaker at the '04 Democratic Convention. I felt at that time that my country and I desperately needed inspiration. That speech and his book "Audacity of Hope" hooked me. One thing that resonated with me was his message that we need to avoid staunch ideological positions. Instead, we need to have open dialogue, with people of all points of view. The key is to find the common ground and work from there to find solutions.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson

I found myself fully immersed in his campaign, state after state, speech after speech. I could see that he could motivate a nation. Seeing my enthusiasm, my wife encouraged me to find a way to volunteer and channel my energy. Only then did I embark on a journey that has awakened a part of me I always knew was there but never fully realized.

My first participation in a campaign event was to canvas in Austin. I knocked on doors with an "Obamican," (a Republican supporting Obama) who not only found herself wanting to vote for Barack, but motivated enough to join a bunch of Democrats and actually campaign for him. Originally from South Africa, she moved to Austin many years ago but still did extensive international travel. We talked about the potential of sending a message to the world that America, unafraid and without paranoia, would send a black man by the name of Barack Hussein Obama to our highest elected office.

In the next weeks, along with my family, I began phone banking, calling people all over Travis and Hays County. In about one out of every five calls, I spoke to a person who was genuinely inspired in the same way I was. I then attended the opening of the Obama office in Austin, met a few more folks and began to realize this was the start of a huge local movement.

And popular San Antonio Congressman
Charlie Gonzalez

I attended a meeting of Wimberley Democrats and learned the meaning of "all politics is local." I met state and county politicians running for Chief Justice 3rd Court, Woody Jones; for Hays County Sheriff, Bill Huddleston; and Hays County Tax Assessor, Robert Avera. I found these people to be the dedicated and purposeful change agents needed at the local level. I knew then that if I was really serious, I needed to step up my participation. This meant not just campaigning on behalf of Barack, but working on behalf of the local Democratic Party. As Barack says in speech after speech, individuals need to step up and make a difference, no one can do it alone. Since then, with my family’s help, I have sponsored and attended countless meetings organizing local volunteers.

After the primary, the thought occurred to me that going to Denver and witnessing history was a possibility. My precinct delegation agreed that we wanted to send a person on to the state convention who was prepared to campaign to go on to Denver, even though the chances of success was a ”shot to the moon” at best. I was selected and I began the process of figuring out what it would take to be selected to go to Denver. I have learned about building coalitions, overcoming the opposition and dispelling rumor and innuendo about my true intentions. I also discovered something about my community. I found a very passionate group of Democrats that gives back unto itself. For me, that passion is a lynch pin that allowed me to find a new level of personal satisfaction through community involvement.

I attended the convention, with full credentials. I watched Barack Obama accept the Presidential nomination of our Democratic Party forty years after the death of Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King and 45 years after my birth and the assassination of John F Kennedy. To say I am thrilled is an understatement. However, going to Denver for me is now an important stop on a much broader journey.

If I could imagine one great outcome to all this, it would be that Barack Obama, after a significant time as President of these United States, leaves a world more at peace with itself, more people with open minds and hearts, more people motivated to do what's right. Personally, I want my children to reflect on their father as a person who helped make it happen.

One thing is sure, Democrats will fight for policies much closer to my way of thinking and change the course of the country. My hope is to get even more out of it. Not just a change in short term policy but a change in how we accomplish real substantive long term solutions. Rather than having another ideology shift of the pendulum, my hope is that we actually tackle tougher issues on energy, abortion, health care, racism, global warming, the economy and the war in Iraq not with an ideological discussion, but with a discussion about what our common (right and left) long term goals are. If we can trust each other enough to find common ground in common goals, we can begin to seriously talk about real answers, not band-aids and find real comprehensive solutions.

I want to send another “thank you” to Senatorial District 25 (parts of Bexar and Travis Counties and all Hays, Guadalupe, Kendall and Comal), for sending me to Denver.