In just his first day at the Democratic National Convention, Schweitzer addressed the Kansas and Pennsylvania delegations, held a press conference with two other governors, and was interviewed by Chris Wallace of Fox News and Tom Brokaw of NBC.
On Tuesday night, he will deliver a coveted prime-time speech to the entire convention. Even though the governor said he'd rather “be out on a creek with a big ol' grasshopper, just watchin' some big ol' brown trout just jump up and grab it,” the twinkle in his eyes and flush in his cheeks belie the protest. There are a lot of important people in demand here, and Montana's governor is clearly one of them.
“She wants to be sure this convention is unified, and there aren't any little glitches,” Williams said.
Obama supporters worry Clinton delegates who haven't gotten over her defeat in the primary will cause trouble, and they're trying to head that off. Williams, a longtime Clinton supporter, has made peace with the senator's loss and is ready to rally for Obama.
Before Montana's delegates dispersed Monday morning, state Democratic Party communications director Kevin O'Brien warned them to beware of pesky media like “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report,” “who want to turn us into a bunch of hicks.”
There are so many media here with everyone looking for a special angle - or stereotype - that delegates are likely to be interviewed at least once by someone - and O'Brien's warning notwithstanding, they do worry about ending up being misquoted, or poorly portrayed, to a worldwide audience.
Montana's importance here has been underscored by the delegation's prime seating assignment in the Pepsi Center - on the floor of the arena, just about 20 rows back from the podium. Schweitzer will see lots of friendly faces when he speaks Tuesday night.
Finally, on the celebrity front, the office I'm working out of near the Pepsi Center is just down the hall from the Huffington Post crew (whose bounty of Clif bars I'm regularly raiding).
I was in the women's restroom when I heard a familiar Greek accent talking on her cell phone in the adjacent stall. Then Arianna herself emerged, and ever ready to pounce on an opportunity, I asked for an interview. She “had a car waiting” to take her to a party, but promised me the interview later this week.
I'll keep you posted.
Sally Mauk is news director for Montana Public Radio, on assignment at the Democratic National Convention. Throughout the week, she'll write occasional columns for the Missoulian, in addition to her coverage every night at 5:30 on MPR.
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