The Dems are in town!

Just got back from walking around downtown Denver.

It's as busy as a New York City sidewalk at lunch.

It's chaotic, overrun with Democrats here for the Democratic National Convention.

And I've never been more proud to be either a Coloradoan or a Democrat.

Everyone is happy, easygoing. There is a palpable excitement running through the streets. The vendors are out, selling buttons, magnets, shirts, hats, bags, keychains and even a cookie cutter in the shape of a donkey.

Delegates are strolling the streets. Press are on every corner. I can tell the difference because everyone has their credentials proudly displayed. I counted 5 TV cameras.

The post office worker I spoke to told me the post master had a schedule of protests. We schedule protests in Denver?

Police are everywhere. In the span of 3 city blocks I saw 10 cops mounted on horseback, 2 bike cops, walking cops on every street, a protest with police escort, a secret service type just standing at a corner looking fierce and then 2 more cops on horseback (and even the horses had riot gear over their faces). A friend of mine saw multiple black SUV's with armed guards on the outside driving around - 3 on each side, 2 on the back. Roving SWAT teams.

Helicopters are constantly in the air.

I teared up in awe and happiness 4 times. Once when I first saw the depth and breadth of humanity in my town. Another time when I was in the official DNC store, and I saw a mom and her teenage daughter earnestly discussing which buttons to buy and I thought of Brody and me doing the same. Another time when I walked by a delegate. . . I got chills. That's a delegate! A real live delegate! And then when I looked at the row of vendor tables on the mall (Denver's mile-long no-cars-allowed street of restaurants, bars, retail stores) swarming with people buying up every button and t-shirt in existence, and realized all of these people are going to vote for Obama. Everyone I see.

What a country.