MPR: Reporter's Notebook - August 14, 2000

Campaign 2000

Reporter's Notebook - August 14, 2000
By Mike Mulcahy
Part of MPR.org's Democratic National Convention coverage.

The Lakers T-shirt. (See slideshow.)

GOOD DEEDS

Minnesota sent 90 delegates and 12 alternates to Los Angeles. On Sunday morning, more than two dozen of them spent about four hours feeding breakfast to people with AIDS. "It's something people do all the time back home," says delegate Gerrie Boice. "We wanted to do more than just go to parties and have fun while we were here."

FREE STUFF

All delegates, alternates and reporters get a lot of free stuff at the convention. It comes in this really, really bright red bag advertising C-Span. (Of course, nothing is truly free). The coolest free thing has got to be the Lakers championship T-shirt. The championship caused a riot outside Staples Center, the same place the convention is being held. Hundreds of L.A. cops and CHIPS officers are deployed in an effort to prevent any such riot this week. UPS, which donated $1 million to help stage the convention, gave everyone a bag of M&M's inside this clever box. Microsoft, which kicked in $1 million for this convention and another $1 million for the Republican convention, did not give out any free software, but they're busy with that pesky anti-trust suit filed by the Justice Department.

RISING STAR

State Auditor Judi Dutcher. (See slideshow.)

State Auditor Judi Dutcher, who changed from a Republican to a DFLer a few months back, will speak to the convention at about 5:30 central time on Monday afternoon. Dutcher is seen by national Democratic officials as a rising star, but she admits to having no plans to run for office again when her current term as auditor ends in two years. She's careful not to rule anything out, but Dutcher says she's more interested right now in raising her two young sons than seeking another political job.

Mike Mulcahy is Minnesota Public Radio's senior political editor. You can reach him at mmulcahy@mpr.org.

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