BOSTON -- By 4 p.m., the close of a typical summer workday, hundreds of Dartmouth sophomores have called it quits. But for two fervent Democrats here as delegates to the Democratic National Convention, a packed schedule of schmoozing and politicking has just begun to pick up.
Still, Jacob Crumbine '07, of Norwich, Vt., and Hanover resident Sarah Ayres '06, Dartmouth's two convention delegates, are by no means losing enthusiasm.
In fact, as the convention progresses, the two delegates once pledged to former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean say their excitement for Democratic presidential nominee Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., continues to grow.
As expected, Dean officially released delegates pledged to him from state primaries and caucuses on Monday. Consequently, both Ayres and Crumbine, who had worked on the Dean campaign at Dartmouth, voted for Kerry at the convention on Wednesday. Kerry won the nomination with overwhelming approval, his vote total including 22 votes from Vermont which were officially cast by Crumbine.
Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, a staple on NBC's "Late Nite with Conan O'Brien," peeked over Crumbine's shoulder during his nationally-televised remarks to the delegation.
Prior to casting Vermont's votes, Crumbine said he considered changing his vote, but ultimately came to the same conclusion reached by Dean in his speech Tuesday.
"A vote for Howard Dean is not going to mean anything," Crumbine said. "I thought it was best to vote together and vote for Kerry."
Ayres said she changed her vote from Dean to Kerry for similar reasons.
"In the real world, only Kerry or Bush are going to be president," Ayres said. "To vote for anyone else is stupid."
Having supported Dean through the primary season, both delegates said they knew comparatively very little about Kerry, and have found the convention experience influential as well as inspirational.
"By the end of the convention I think voters will be voting for someone they like as opposed to just voting against Bush," Crumbine said.
With the presidential nominee wrapped up months before during primary season, the party's national conventions no longer carry the functional importance they once did.
Ayres agreed that the convention has been predominately "a pep rally" for the Democratic Party's core backers. However, she said the convention remains important to "rally the supporters who will go back to their states and work hard for John Kerry and John Edwards," and to give delegates the grassroots "skills needed to go back and work hard for the campaign."
The delegates' convention day begins early with a 7:30 a.m. delegation breakfast. The delegates met with the other representatives from their state and also any members of Congress present at the convention.
However, Crumbine expressed surprise by the additional presence of celebrity visitors at his breakfasts. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., brought actor John Cusack and singer Bono to breakfasts on Monday and Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Ayres herself has become a bit of a celebrity as MTV chose to follow the young delegate around earlier in the week.
But Ayres and Crumbine are by no means the youngest delegates at the convention. Sarah Bender, 17, from Medina, Ohio, holds that title.
Nonetheless, many important Democrats believe that the party must look increasingly toward the young 18-to-25-year-old age group.
"It is absolutely important," Leahy told The Dartmouth. "I look at some of the young delegates the first time I was at the convention and these are the people that have gone on to shape the party and run for public office. We have to constantly add to our base for a viable, strong party."
Crumbine agreed with Leahy's assessment, stressing the importance of getting out the youth vote as the primary factor contributing to his decision to run as a Vermont delegate.
Leahy also commented on the transition for Vermont Democrats from their former governor to Kerry.
"It is no problem at all. Howard Dean made it very clear last night that we are in this to win. Now we know who the nominee is, and we are going to win," Leahy said.
The convention concludes on Thursday night with John Kerry's nomination acceptance speech. But as of Wednesday, the one speech that neither Crumbine nor Ayres could stop talking about was that of former President Bill Clinton.
"I don't know what it is, but it was unbelievable," Crumbine said.
