From the ground floor of the Democratic National Convention: Bilberry pins hopes on Obama

DENVER — When Barack Obama accepts his party’s nomination tonight at the Democratic National Convention, delegate Jayne Bilberry from Montrose will be in attendance hoping Obama will demonstrate his passion and plans for the middle class.

“I want him to connect with working families because I know that is where his heart is,” Bilberry said as she took a break from the weeklong convention. “I am looking for him to demonstrate his leadership and vision.”

Not only will Bilberry be among the 75,000 or so in Invesco Field at Mile High, she also has made arrangements for about 15 of her hometown friends and associates from the county central Democratic Party to share in the historical moment.

Sen. Obama (D-Ill.) will be the first person who isn’t “pale and male” to be nominated for president by a major American political party. His acceptance talk will be on the 45th anniversary of the famous “I have a dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, also African-American.

Bilberry believes that Obama needs to focus on specifics in health care and the Three E’s: environment, economy and education.

“Health care is a right for all, and not a privilege for the privileged,” she said. “This is a burning issue on the Western Slope and people are desperate for solutions.”

Bilberry is a first-time delegate who got actively involved in politics as a field organizer for defeated Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry (D-Mass.) six years ago.

As a mother of a 10-year-old son, she commits as much spare time as possible to Democratic Party events and also works part-time in food service and catering.

“I’ve been for Obama from day one,” she said. “Hillary Clinton ran a remarkable campaign. I was in the third row Tuesday night for her speech. I could see how emotional it was for her supporters but the Obama delegates were very respectful.

“She’s supporting Obama. The Democrats are not unified yet but I hope her supporters will follow her lead with their behavior.”

As a delegate, she’s learned to be flexible and adjust her convention schedule.

On Tuesday, for example, she got a last-minute invite for an intimate gathering of about 100 attendees who heard the struggles of women in the work and political arena. In addition to Michelle Obama, those in attendance were the Democratic vice presidential candidate, Sen. Joe Biden (D-Del.), and four women governors. On Wednesday, she signed up at the last minute to work for two hours cleaning up a Denver park with other delegates.

Delegates to the convention pay their own expenses, and in Bilberry’s case that means on top of the $300 she received from the county central committee, she asked for and received the rest of the approximately $1,000 from friends and family. She said she spent $137 getting elected as a delegate.

“This is priceless,” she said. “What you see on television is only an inkling of the floor activity with cameras all around you, the intensity of the Secret Service and all. I couldn’t be more proud to represent the second congressional district and Colorado.”