USU student attends the DNC
After witnessing first hand the crippling affects of corrupt politicians in places like Nicaragua and Uganda, and seeing the failures of the Bush administration, USU student Tabitha Lazenby said she had lost faith in politics and government. But while attending the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Lazenby said she experienced a renewed hope upon seeing leaders who have values, represent good and work at the grassroots level.
Lazenby, senior in journalism and communication and international studies, said she also felt a surge of patriotism as she watched Barack Obama accept the Democratic nomination for president Thursday.
“I never have felt as proud to be an American as I was when I saw him,” she said. “My patriotism has been renewed. I have never experienced anything as powerful as I did that night and I probably never will again because of the historical significance. We were making history.”
Lazenby said she still can’t believe the history she was able to witness.
“It’s something I can’t even get my mind around. Even if Obama doesn’t make it, he made history,” she said.
Lazenby said attending the convention gave her some career guidance too. Hoping to work in the nonprofit sector, she said it helped her see people can make a difference.
“Change can happen and the Barack Obama campaign has proved that,” she said.
But Lazenby said she hasn’t always felt that way about Obama.
“I was a Hillary supporter during the nomination process. When she didn’t get the nomination, I wasn’t necessary pleased but I think it is important for the Democratic Party to unite,” she said. “I was never against Obama to receive the nomination but I was more closely aligned with Hillary’s platform and with Hillary as a political leader. I have admired her for a long time and thought she could help the country progress in a number of ways.”
She said all the talk about Clinton supporters not voting for Obama in the general election is exaggerated. While she said Clinton supporters were upset, Lazenby said she thinks they will still vote on platforms they believe in because if they supported Clinton’s policies, there is no way people could vote for the Republican presidential candidate John McCain. She said she doesn’t think they will be hypocritical and at the convention, Lazenby said she saw people wearing pins that read, “If Hillary supports Barack Obama then so do I.”
“Of course I was a bit disgruntled about it but I support the Democratic Party and I surely wasn’t going to vote for McCain so I give my full support to Obama,” Lazenby said.
She said she thinks the McCain campaign is using this idea to give the impression of a severely split Democratic Party.
“I think it’s kind of a cop-out for the McCain campaign,” Lazenby said. “It’s a very strategic move.”
Lazenby was able to attend the Democratic National Convention after being sponsored by USU’s Honors Program to participate in the Washington’s Center Presidential Nominating Seminar. While attending the two-week seminar, Lazenby was given a fieldwork assignment working for CNN at the Pepsi Center, where the convention was held. She said she was a runner and worked on CNN’s VIP transport team, escorting people like Republican analyst Leslie Sanchez, CNN political contributor James Carville and musician Wyclef Jean.
The day Obama gave his acceptance speech, Lazenby said she volunteered at Invesco Field and helped seat some of the crowd. Also during her time in Denver, Lazenby said she was able to meet Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. Lazenby said she also saw Oprah Winfrey and musicians John Legend and Sheryl Crow.
While doing her fieldwork with CNN, Lazenby said she got interesting insight into how media outlets operate and how they can impact presidential campaigns.
“They can change the message or inflate the message,” she said.
Lazenby said the work was hard but worth it.
“I didn’t sleep much during the convention but it was great,” she said.
–arie.k@aggiemail.usu.edu