MORGANTOWN – Former delegate Barbara Evans Fleischauer was preparing to leave Chicago Saturday morning and took some time to reflect on her time last week as a West Virginia Democratic Party delegate to the Democratic National Convention.
“It felt electric. It was very, very exciting,” she said.
“Each day was grueling.” Fleischauer and Adrianne Dering, who served as a delegation staff member, lodged at a different hotel from the delegation hotel and had to get up extra early to get there. So their day started at 7:15 a.m. The convention would wrap up around 11:30 p.m. (or later when President Biden spoke).
And in between was stark contrast. On the one hand, “Oh my, Stevie Wonder. Oh my, Oprah!” And on the other, sitting on a bus to and from the United Center for hours.
“The last night was so exciting. And you wanted to digest it. So we are very sleep deprived.”
At the start of the DNC, an email went out about how great it was going to be, she said. Fleischauer was skeptical and replied to that effect. But then she saw – with all the colors and effects. “It really was amazing.” So she sent another email, “I eat my words.”
On the politics side, Fleischauer said she was glad to get to know VP candidate Tim Walz a bit better. “I thought he did a fabulous job in his speech,” and she appreciated his emphasis on public schools and his slogan, “It’s none of your damn business.”
And, of course, she said, she was impressed by current Vice President and now presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
“Things that were important to me as a female attorney – she showed that attorneys are strong and that she had been strong, and that she wasn’t about to forget women’s issues and where she came from,” she said.
Rights, particularly women’s rights, was a constant theme across the convention, Fleischauer said. “A lo of people were motivated by protecting their rights, and I liked the emphasis on women.”
And beyond balloons and celebrities and politicians, there was one more thing that made the trip special for Fleischauer. “Another thing that was wonderful is I got to see my daughter, who lives in Chicago.”
Email: dbeard@dominionpost.com
