Richard Showers Says Convention can wait
By PATRICIA C. McCARTER
Showers will join local delegatesafter city election
It wasn’t until after Huntsville City Councilman Richard Showers was elected as a delegate to the Democratic National Convention that he realized his timing conflict.
The city election - during which he’s seeking his sixth term on the council - falls smack dab in the middle of the convention in Denver.
What should he do? Miss the local election or go to the convention, which he knew was going to be one of the highlights of his political career?
“I worked hard to be elected as a pledge delegate, and it wasn’t until the campaigning was over that I realized the conflict,” Showers said. “It did cross my mind to just go to the convention, but serving my constituents comes first.
“Though it is a historical and awesome privilege to cast my vote for Barack Obama to be the Democratic presidential nominee, my first obligation is to be in Huntsville for the election.”
The election is Tuesday; Showers plans to be on a plane Wednesday morning headed for Denver.
Convention business started today, but Showers said he’ll be there for the some of the biggest moments, such as Obama’s acceptance speech Thursday night.
Showers said he was invited to attend some convention functions in Washington, D.C., in 1996 when then-President Clinton was nominated for a second term of office. It was a great time, he said, “but I was just on the sideline as a spectator. Now, I’ll be a participant.”
Dr. Susan C. Brown, who serves as an assistant to the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences at Alabama A&M University, was elected as a pledge delegate to U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, but she said she’s proud that she’ll instead be able to cast her vote for the first African-American nominee for the Democratic Party.
“I remember Sen. Obama’s address to the 2004 convention in Boston and how electrifying his message was to the delegation,” Brown said. “We all knew, unequivocally, at that time, that he would be a major contender some time in the future. We just didn’t anticipate it would happen so quickly.
“Most everyone anticipated that it was Sen. Clinton’s time, however, Obama’s disciplined and brilliantly run campaign proved us all wrong in that regard. His message of hope and change resonate with so many voters who have been disenfranchised by the Bush administration.”
Other delegates representing North Alabama at the convention include Madison County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Battle, State Rep. Laura Hall of Huntsville, retired Alabama Education Association employee Amy Burks of Decatur and Limestone County Democratic Party Chairwoman Pamela P. Wallace of Athens. The area’s superdelegates are U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer of Huntsville and former Alabama Secretary of State Nancy Worley of New Hope.
Alabama Democratic Party Chairman Joe Turnham said the state is sending 78 delegates to the convention, plus a couple hundred more spouses, county party activists, and elected officials. In some venues, only the delegates and media can attend functions, so the others will go to the “watch party headquarters.”
“It’s kind of like tailgating during a football game when you don’t have a ticket,” said Turnham, who was also the delegation chair in 1996.
He said while much of what happens at a national political convention is a formality, the themes and issues of the campaign will be formed, “and it will create a momentum to take us into November.”
“It’s like the political Olympics,” Turnham said. “There will be the thrill of victory and agony of defeat, but everyone will be a good sport and come together.”
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