Day 2

We just returned to the hotel from sightseeing at the mall and surrounding areas; this place is extraordinary. Everywhere you look there is something that you've seen on television and in books. Nothing can compare to standing in front of the monuments and government buildings, seeing them with your own eyes. In visiting these places, I was overwhelmed with a sense of awe greater than I've ever felt before.

There was one moment this evening when an eerie feeling fell over our group. When we arrived in front of the White House, all of the outside lights had been turned off. So there we were, looking at the most powerful building in the most powerful city on the planet - and it seemed to be hiding in the shadows. Just this sight made me rethink the state of our nation.

I can speak for the entire group when saying this trip is the best experience we've had. Yesterday we were able to meet so many adored Democrats all in one place. The unity here is remarkable. As one would expect, Hillary Clinton gave a very articulate, heartfelt speech. Next we heard from Howard Dean, who gave, as you can also expect, a fiery speech.

The Chairman spoke to the group of 800 College Democrats, many of which were forced to overflow into other rooms in the hotel, about the importance of young people running for office and working for campaigns.

Click to watch part of Howard Dean's speech.

During the question and answer segment of Dean's speech, one of our own members was able to ask the Chairman what he thought about putting initiatives or referendums on the ballot to let the people vote on raising the minimum wage. Chairman Dean loved the question and felt that this was a great way to help those falling through the cracks in states such as Tennessee.

After a full afternoon of campaign and campus activism trainings, we have never been better prepared to return to Tennessee to fight on the frontlines. The tools we've obtained here are goinng to benefit college campuses and the surrounding communities for some time. The Tennessee Federation of College Democrats has big plans in the coming year.

After an exhaustive day we were finally able to relax a bit, but not before dinner and our late night romp around D.C.

Day 3

The third day started early for most of our group; they attended a breakfast for the CDA Women's Caucus. The first official session of the day was to hear our candidates for national office speak out. There were so many capable, energetic young people running that no matter who you voted for, you could not go wrong. It was a great experience to hear where the hopeful future leaders of our organization wanted to take us.

I must say the speaker I enjoyed most was William McNary. McNary is the President of USAction, the country's largest network of progressive grassroots organizations. He spoke to us about bulding the progressive movement and our role as young activists. He notably spoke on the values of Paul Wellstone.

Click to watch William McNary on Paul Wellstone.

In a previous entry I mentioned that Dean's speech was fiery; McNary's speech was even more FIERY! Several of our state's delegates spoke at length with McNary; we'd love to get him down to Tennessee.

Click to watch part of William McNary's speech.

In our next session we heard from the five largest Democratic campaign committee leaders. They explained their organizations, the upcoming state and national elections, and how we might get involved in those elections. The highlight of the presentation for many was realizing that had the battleground states got 10 more votes per precinct, we would have locked in Iowa, Ohio, and New Mexico - securing a victory. Like that's not a big enough suprise, we learned that it was very possible to have won a majority in the U.S. Senate. This would have happened if we had 10 more votes per precinct in Florida, Kentucy and South Dakota, and 50 more votes per precinct in Alaska, Louisiana and North Carolina; these were all battleground states with open senate races.

Late in the afternoon we were able to begin the elections for our national officers. It was a long process that ended with some wonderful people being elected as the new leaders for our organization.

After elections we approved the new constitution and patform for the College Democrats of America. The final gavel soon followed, bringing an end to official sessions of the 2005 convention.

**Photos will be hear soon.

Day Four

The state officers had to attend day long trainings and elections. Those who were not state officers got to spend a beautiful day sightseeing in Washington, D.C. Around 5:00 PM we headed for Union Station and boarded an Amtrak for Baltimore Washington International Airport - heading home from our great D.C. experience.

But even then the experiences had not stopped, as we kept running into delegates from other states - it does indeed feel good to be a Democrat. This reminds me of a poster I once saw. It read, "I'm YOUNG, I'm a DEMOCRAT, and I VOTE - and I'm NOT the only one!"

**Photos will be hear soon.

More Updates To Come