University of Idaho junior Michael Weaver spent this week in Charlotte, N.C., on the Idaho platform committee for the Democratic National Convention.
“It’s pretty rare to be a committee member,” Weaver said. “Students are usually a guest.”
Weaver was appointed by the state party for this position because of his two-year stint with Organizing for America — a group founded after President Barack Obama’s inauguration to mobilize supporters.
He said he wasn’t technically a delegate, but somewhere between an alternate delegate and a guest.
“Alternates sit on the second level, and guests from each get a 50 percent chance of getting a seat because they only provide half as many seats as people for each day,” Weaver said. “I’m in between, but am guaranteed (a seat) everyday.”
As a member of the platform committee, Weaver helps draft the party platform, which he said is almost identical to the previous one.
Because of his position, Weaver was interviewed by the L.A. Times about the platform changes.
“I would give my answer and they would keep questioning me until I wasn’t sure what I said anymore,” he said.
Weaver said so far, it has been
a good convention.
“I think you can really tell there is good enthusiasm, more than at the Republican convention,” Weaver said. “Last time a lot of people were here supporting Hillary Clinton or John Edwards, so you can definitely feel everyone here supports President Obama and is happy to be here.”
He said it has been a great experience, and he has taken away an appreciation of everyone’s sense of duty.
“It definitely makes me feel a lot more dedicated and I think I need to get out and recruit instead of doing homework,” Weaver said.
He is also the president of the UI College Democrats.
“One of my first priorities when I get back is tabling outside the commons,” Weaver said. “I would like (to be out there) once a week if possible.”
Aside from gaining a lot of experience and ideas to bring back to UI, Weaver said the speeches were inspiring, if long.
“So far San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro I think was amazing. He’s going to run something big before long,” he said. “The best line so far was about how his mother and grandmother worked so hard so he could have a microphone instead of a mop.”
He said former President Bill Clinton was amazing as well.
“It was fun watching him because the prompter would stop when he went off script, which was often,” Weaver said.
He said it’s been a busy week, with mornings starting at 7:30 a.m. and the convention lasting until 12 p.m.
“Theoretically it can go until 2 a.m.,” he said. “The program says midnight, but we were told to expect to be here until 2 a.m.”
Katy Sword can be reached at [email protected]