Thursday, Sep. 04, 2008

Tri-City delegates savor role at convention

By Chris Mulick, Herald Olympia bureau

The Tri-Cities' two delegates to the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., aren't apologizing for being awestruck at the experience.

It's the first such convention for Richland's Patrick McBurney and West Richland's Tony Benegas, and they don't hide it.

"I've watched these conventions on TV. It's very different being there in person," McBurney, chairman of the Benton County Republicans, said Wednesday. "I'm 75 feet from Joe Lieberman. That's pretty cool."

"It's incredibly fast," Benegas said after spending the morning alongside other convention goers preparing care packages for those displaced by Hurricane Gustav. "I just can't get over how much there is to do and how long the days are going."

McBurney said he is struck by a feeling of isolation inside the convention hall. He learned of the protests going on outside by watching TV news from the delegate lounge.

"It's kind of insulated," he said. "You're not really aware of those things."

Both acknowledged the convention has lacked the energy produced by the Democratic National Convention last week, in large part due to the hurricane which cut Monday's activities short. But they expected that to change with the speech given Wednesday night by John McCain running mate Sarah Palin.

"We stood down," Benegas said. "Now we're taking it up a couple notches."

"I'm not sure anyone could quite duplicate that level of energy," McBurney said of Barack Obama's historic speech last week in accepting the Democratic nomination for president before 84,000 in Denver.

But he said McCain's choice of Palin to be his running mate was "an infusion of energy like a shot of adrenaline" even if it has become somewhat controversial.

"Despite some of the other distractions people are excited about that," McBurney said.

Besides the televised convention proceedings in the evening convention goers' schedules are packed with meetings and receptions from groups trying to raise their profile. That's certainly true for the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, an organization Benegas has been active with and is attending events for in St. Paul.

"It's pretty wild," he said. "We're an animated bunch."

More than anything, Benegas said he's taken by all the like-minded people he's meeting. It's made him more appreciative of what it means to be elected as a delegate.

"I'm now starting to realize the gravity of that," Benegas said. "I'm just awestruck by that."